Hi all....I've been interested in getting a vintage TT. I've seen Thorens, Duals, Technics, Garrard, etc....for sale on various auction sites. Any input on what the better make/models are would be greatly appricaiated, thanks!
I'm not the one to ask (I don't have tons of experience), so take this with a grain of salt. But a lot of people seem to like vintage Denon, JVC, and Kenwood tables. Though I've read Kenwood tables tend to be less reliable than the others. Linn might be another one, a big name in hifi tables that's been around a while. I know theirs and old Thorens tables are highly regarded.
A lot of these tables are probably direct drive. I guess you'd have to determine if you want direct drive or belt drive...this might exclude certain brands.
If you have a reasonably well isolated platform/shelf for the table, buy a Dual. If you have no isolation at your platform, stay away from the rest you've mentioned. A Thorens would be a good choice but it will skip when you walk across the floor if your house is built on a pier and beam foundation. This means it's quite sensitive to low frequency input from the platform, that normally requires considerable work to achieve good results with a Thorens. Garrard is, other than a few tables such as the 301/401, junk and you shouldn't even bother with it. The Japanese direct drives are not good tables IMO, they have no isolation from external feedback and the stock "S" shaped arm on any mass market Japanese table leaves more than a bit to be desired. A Rega or a Rega clone is always a good choice but they are totally manual tables which also require some work to properly isolate them from their environment.
Any five of the tables I've owned, several of which are no longer available even as pre owned. I've owned different tables for different reasons and if there's more than one reason to choose a table, then there's not much chance of listing them as top five or top ten or whatever. There are a few tables out there that are generally considered classic by anyone's priorities. If you stick with one of those models, you'll never loose money on a turntable. Otherwise, read about the models you are considering and choose based on your own priorities in music and not those of someone you don't know.