hi all
thinking of venturing into the world of turntables but not sure what level to aim for and what would match my system well also can you use the newer naim phono stage with a 252 pre?
local dealer does loads of Linn Lp12 stuff , but heard rega good match for Naim and quite like the look of the newer technics spinner
i would appreciate any suggestions on where to start and combos and cartridges
thx all 
I would start with a Rega 3 if I wasn’t sure. It will let you know if you enjoy the hassle/fun of vinyl. If you do, start looking for more, if you don’t, you have an easily sellable asset so you don’t lose too much.
What is your budget?
Having owned Rega P3, P6 and P8, I would say to start with, and not be disappointed, the P6 with an ND7…
Your current source seems to be Innuous into a Chord Dave dac. I don’t think the Rega p3 will match that. I’d be looking at the P8 and an mc cart as a starting point.
@mbj666 Rega is great. I we poor suggest a higher level than the planar 3. Again, what is your budget? I would recommend the highest level you can afford. Even if you don’t listen frequently, a good TT will give you m as by years of enjoyment. Linn is more expensive. Requires more maintenance but is upgradable should you choose. Rega and Technics are plug and play. You need to set your priorities.
yes current source is innuos > pheonix usb > chord DAVE > naim 252 pre
what phono amp would you suggest?
I only had the Rega Fono mk5 which was sufficient with the P3, now I have an excellent Gold Note PH7 with the P6 or P8… I haven’t listened to any others.
prob 4k sort of mark to start i think
local dealer has linn and technics, mcintosh , avid and project (local dealer well connected with linn so usually get good discounts on there stuff and upgrades)
like idea of plug an play but can see benefit of the linn upgrade path (although is a rabbit hole too fall into)
OK, two ways to approach this. Try out vinyl with a good enough but cheapish tt such as the P3 level, or go all in with what you are willing to spend. I have a P8 /Hana sl which is almost a match for my Auralic G2.1 streamer/resampler/dac. I use a Goldnote PH10 and ps 10 phono stage. I like the PH10 for its abilty to adjust on the fly. I also have an lp12 with a rega arm and Hana EH in a second system. Again with a PH 10 that allows me to get the best from the cart.
I would like to put a umami blue on the P8 to bring it closer to the streamer, but feel I may need a better arm ( from the P10) before doing so.
@mbj666 for that budget, excluding a phono stage, I would recommend a P8. Rega offers packages with pre installed cartridges at a discount. Makes life easier. That’s assuming you like Rega. Maybe I am missing something but how would you connect the TT even if you had a phono stage? Maybe others can help?
The profile lists a 252 and 300 Naim amplification so a phono stage would plug in to the 252.
If by that you mean the NVC TT, you can use it with the 252, but you will need the dedicated power supply in addition, the NPX TT, as the 252 can’t power the NVC.
@bruss thanks I missed that.
@gthack If the OP did not want to get an NPXTT, what other phono stage options might there be?
Think long and hard if going for a TT if you have minimal vinyl. It’s a ( little) like considering hard drugs.
Cheap option. Try something like a rega P3 or even P6 with cartridge if you are not sure and if you have minimal vinyl, but insist on trying, but have limited £££. These can be fairly risk free options given the outlay- but your wallet will need to define the financial risk.
All in. Assuming you have within reason, unlimited resources (£). But this means spending those £ wisely, I.e. go to a number of dealers and listen.
And as always many on here will simply advocate for what they have bought. But your ears ( and wallet) are not theirs. Me, I don’t have a rega, but they are a well established brand to suit most wallets.
It would help now, if you state a budget and geographical location.
@Thegreatroberto I think the OP said about 4K to start.
4k of what? £,$,¥. Makes a difference, plus hints at location.
For a £4k budget, assuming that has to cover turntable, arm, cartridge and phono stage, I think I’d stick with MM (or high output MC) rather than MC. A £3k deck, arm and carriage, and £1k phono stage, seems a reasonable budget split to me. Lots of choice out there for that budget.
But starting from scratch gives you interesting options I think. Given your local dealer stocks Technics you could try a cheaper Technics deck with a pricier MC and phono stage to suit, against a pricier Technics with cheaper cartridge and phono stage. I wonder how much the traditional view of spending more on the deck holds these days, so think it would be interesting trying a 1-1.5k MC, suitable phono stage and 2k turntable (1200GR2s going for less than that money these days), for example.
I had a similar £4k budget a while back, but was starting already owning a Graham Slee MM phono stage. I tried three circa 4k turntable combinations. They all sounded great, I doubt you’ll chance on a bad turntable at your budget, just be sure to demo with your gear if possible. I ended up choosing a Technics, it sounded great, and is definitely easy to setup and use.
Graham Slee do a loan service, so no need to rely on your dealer stocking them if you wanted to give one a try.
North west UK, in their profile
Loads
I’d recommend Graham Slee, cos I own one But lots of other good ones mentioned in the thread. I guess the usual advice applies, what do their dealer stock would be a great place to start. Graham Slee do a loan service, so you can try at home. But that’s only useful if you have a TT already. I guess you could use the loan service and take it along to a dealer when demoing TTs. Or borrow the TT from the dealer at the same time as loaning the phono stage.
Starting from scratch is good in some ways, bad in others!