Did anyone ever improve on the Technics 1200-1210's?

Audio-Technica makes a knock off 1200 with pre-installed head shell and built-in pre amp.

www.turntablelab.com/collections/turntables-under-300-alpha/products/audio-technica-at-lp120xusb-bk-direct-drive-usb-turntable-black

Maybe some KRK 6's for powered speakers.

That would keep you in your budget.

They did not. 

move from technics MK2 to pro ject then move back to MK2
Audiotechnica pre-amped is not a bad choice quality is better with a Debut III Phono SB
and remember the main thing is to have quality quartidge

Keep those CDs will come back into fashion in a few years and will be worth money.

Turntable within that budget has to be 1210s. Got 3 and they have all stood the test of time.

I mean yeah the 1210 is a beast but not really in ops budget, for casual listening it's probably not really worth it as it's built for DJs, and for reference or audiophile belt drives in general are preferable as the motor is not mounted under the platter. That being said the Technics SP10 and the new 1200G have reduced motor noise so much it's probably comparable to belt drives with the added benefit of steadier pitch.
For the money I'd go for the Pro Ject Experience 2, good all round and about £500. Obviously the stylus, slipmatts, cabling, pre amps will impact sound and need to be considered so allow room in your budget, I mean you can go crazy here but recommend an ortofon red with a starter pro ject pre amp, these will serve you fine and will add about £150 to overall cost.
I'll just leave you with a few beauties:
This is probably the ultimate and I think weighs 400KG and costs a £100k. Made by JC Verdier who are some mad bastards who make crazy things like the below for complete audio nerds with too much money. There website is pure comedy, straight out of 1995 www.jcverdier.com



The SP10 is a snip compared to the above at £10k



But for all the 1200/10 lovers, this is the ultimate and my choice of turntables. The 1200G a cross between an SP10 and an old 1200mk2 but simply gorgeous.

Dust off your old cassette players as well.  Its back to the 80's!!

www.itv.com/news/2023-04-19/casette-tapes-are-making-a-comeback

Yeah I mean they sound absolutely dog shit, especially after the tapes have aged. Most have been kept in garages so are completely fucked. All I would say is that a lot of music made in the late 80s and 90s in the acid house, garage, hardcore and jungle genres were recorded onto tape and never released on any other medium. Some of the tapes from raves and pirate radio have dub plates that never went further than a handful of DJs, so I get why people would want to get hold of and listen to these.

Thanks to all of you for making me feel bad lol

Been gathering dust for the last 8 years..
I need to sort it out..

I can assure you that the Technic SLs have been beaten if you want audiophile sound from your turntable. The arm on the Technics is the weak link and can be converted if required. Buy the best Rega you can afford as they have been perfecting their design for years. Must say I also rate Nagaoka MM cartridges highly and currently use the MP500, however not spent anytime really on MC cartridges other than in demo rooms. Think carefully about your phono preamp too, output is definitely important. Hope this helps 👍🏻

My simple setup in your budget:
Rega Planar 1 plus
Audioengine A5+

If you don’t need it for dj work, sure, there are better for the money. Still the gold standard for dj stuff though (although the mk 3d pitch control is questionable compare to the others). 

Don’t get me started on the dumb earth / ground wire