Tight on budget? Consider TEAC TN-300 Analog Turntable

Hi folks, I want to share this great find for those who are like me, tight on budget yet demanding. Whether you are looking for your first turntable, or something new to try for, you can take a closer look at this model. To be honest, I did not really enjoy lifting the platter every now and then when I needed to change from 33 rpm to 45 rpm. This is because I actually listen to quite a lot of vinyl records at these two speeds very often, so choosing this turntable was something of a real big change for me.

This model is one of the best for those of us who are tight on budget yet little demanding. This TT as you can see is housed in the fashionable and stylish chassis. It contains an MM phono equalizer amplifier with an USB output. This machine includes both Phono and Line outputs, in other words, it lets you play vinyl straight into speakers or with a stereo that is not fitted with Phono input.

To be honest my purchasing decision also has some weight on what is the cartridge that comes along with it. Over here, you have the Audio Technica AT95E VM cartridge that accompanies this TT, therefore it seemed like a perfect start off.

Simplistic appearance

First of all, this Teac TN-300 came with a very simple outlook, pleasant and gives you the kind of the more you look at it, the more you fall in love kind of feel. To me, I find it beautiful and gorgeous for such as minimalist work. There are quite some colors to choose from, such as the Black, Cherry, Red, White and even Natural Wood. Spoilt for choices, I ultimately chose the cherry one and it worked for me super well, basically I think subconsciously I was looking for something that could blend right into my backdrop of rosewood furniture around. Some would probably prefer something that stands out, but I am a rather low profile person so I figured out something thats unassuming suits more of my taste.

Simple set up

Audio-Technica AT95E Phonograph Cartridge for 1/2" Mount Turntables

Next, when it comes to setting it up, it was super easy, nothing complicated compared to my previous other machine. Of course the cartridge was aligned perfectly, nothing to adjust for. With the audio-technica’s AT95E cartridge, this turntable allows you to enjoy high accuracy performance sounds from the comfort of your home. I only had to deal with the tracking force and I actually don’t mind doing it as it brings some fun when you have your machine new with you. So far I have not gotten any hum, although I have gotten some feedback from others that it may sometimes produce an annoying hum. The anti-skating and counterbalance were reasonably easy to setup on this machine.

Great sound quality

This turntable gives you extremely clear and tight high strings. The low bass SOUND response is fantastic. Amazing sound quality. The controls are at the top of the deck, very easy to operate; having two speed setting switch. I play many 45 rpm records and the fidelity and tone is truly gorgeous. Being light also gives it advantage when it is coupled with shock absorbent feet that works very well. Having the aluminium die-cast, coupled with a high inertia platter brings you the excellent playback sound quality.

USB digital output helps to record albums to your PC

TEAC TN-300 Analog Turntable with Built-in Phono Pre-amplifier & USB Digital Output

The Teac TN-300 deck comes with dust cover and also the rubber mat felt. It also comes with an electrical cord with both European and US plugs. Over here, we have a USB cable. It brings great ease if you want to transfer music from vinyl records to your PC or Mac.

Fully manual drawback

As fully manual turntable, the tone arm does not return after the record ends. You have to lift the arm and turn the player off physically. For me, its not a big problem as that’s the effort you have got to put in when you use a fully manual turntable. It’s the fun part after all. I recommend you to get the Teac TN-300 if you want quality at a budget! If you want to consider other models, this post might be useful for you: Consider the best yet affordable 13 turntables that cost less than $500?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *