sumiko pro-ject 1.2 turntable

[japes]

I've recently been shopping around for an affordable audiophile turntable and I came across this Sumiko Pro-Ject 1.2 player for $325 at a high-end electronics store. It is quite an attractive turntable. Does anybody know anything about its performance?

Japes

[Sckott]

A very nice entry level TT. It looks so much like a Rega, and to be honest, with what I know now, I would say go for something with a better arm because OH BOY does it make a difference.

If you're looking for something entry level, it's a nice performer for that price (you realize that's the going price) but a Rega Planar 3 will smack it silly peformancewize. The only thing is, a Planar 3 is around $540 without cart.

Again, use your own price reasoning. I'd think many people would be happier with the Regas, even a P2 with a modded arm, which is THE ultimate in value. Many even mod the RB250 arm as OEM for many other tabels.

Rega. Because you'd sell whatever you have just to get one sooner or later. :)

[SVL]

Pro-jects are good. Made by an Austrian company in the Czech Republic... "hand-made" even, that is what it says on the box;).

You may want to try it with different cartridges, too. I used to have a Pro-ject (a different model) with a Goldring GX1012 - not bad at all.

There may be quality issues with their cheaper models, so I would make sure that the one I take home is not defective in any way.

[japes]

The Pro-Ject 1.2 comes with a Sumiko Oyster cartridge. Should I look into another?

[SVL]

I am not familiar with Sumiko Oyster. What I would do is ask them to install one or several more expensive cartridges in a row and listen for a difference with the Oyster. If that does not appear to justify spending extra on the cartridge, I would go with what they had installed originally.

A lot depends on the phono stage too, unless you will be using an amp that already has one. Pro-ject makes the Phono Box at around $100, which is not bad, but if you look inside that puny little thing you will wonder what they are charging the $100 for;).

[japes]

Unfortunately this is not the type of store that you can test out different cartridges. Harvey Electronics has two turntables in their showroom (a Thorens and the Sumiko) and five others on their website. They seem to be more concerned with high-end DVD, TV, CD and receivers. Good selection of Krell, Adcom, and Marantz stuff by the way.