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Does a record player make that much of a difference??

Question for all you Audionerds - in your experience, how much of a difference does one record player make over the next compared with the differences that a cartridge, phone pre-amp, and separate head amp make in the signal chain?

Reason I ask: I just upgraded from a MM cart to a MC cart (Dynavector 20x2-low output). Huge difference - the Dynavector sounds much more alive and detailed compared with the MM. I find my current record player (a Marantz TT16) to be a real pain to work with - I have to manually move the belt on the motor hub to change speeds, and the arm is not very adjustable or easy to do so. But, aside from that, it's not terrible. How much of a difference can I really expect if I upgrade to a better record spinner vs the change I heard from upgrading to a better cart? 

My next acquisition is a separate head amp to feed the phono stage.

Thanks for all your insights!

Josh

joshindc

Showing 3 responses by inna

inna
7,132 posts
 

Seeking out best pressings is more important than upgrading already good cartridge. The difference between pressings can be dramatic.

Of course, the table itself is more important than any other element of vinyl playback source, even more important than phono stage.

Tonearm cable is the most important cable in the entire system, don't forget to pay attention to it.

inna
7,132 posts
 

Tonearm/cartridge unit.. 

So how exactly can one find the best possible tonearm/cartridge match to create that perfect unit ?

inna
7,132 posts
 

That's a great answer. About one million or so possibilities.

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