Buy a Technics, it's the Honda of turntables. I would rather have something that's a little fussy and get the extra performance in both cars and stereo equipment.
Looking for the Honda S2000 of turntables
This turned out much longer than I anticipated, so I understand if you folks skip right over this post. For the rest of you, here we go.
I've been reading a lot about turntables for quite some time now. I have learned about matching tonearms and cartridges, resonant frequencies, compliance, azimuth, null points. And still I have difficulty choosing a model. Part of this is simply the number of choices available and the amount of disagreement between posters to forums such as this. But I think the biggest part of this is that one man's trash is another's treasure. People want different things from their turntables.
Look, there are folks out there, and you may be one of them, who are willing to devote time to tweaking and comparing and upgrading to squeeze every last bit of performance out of your systems. This is not a knock; it is clear you are passionate about your hobby and I am happy to see people get so much joy from their music. I wish I had the money, time and ears to conduct such experiments myself, but that's not me and it's not what I am looking for.
Here's what I am looking for in order of importance:
1. Tracking ability. I've read reviews to the tune of "this cartridge is amazing! Such detail, so dynamic! It doesn't track very well, but the slam!" Huh? If it doesn't track well, I don't give a fish how great it sounds. I've heard inner groove distortion and I want to minimize it as much as possible. Now, from what I've read, I should get a high-compliance cartridge because they track best, which means I should be looking for a low-mass tonearm. Except that manufacturers don't list the tonearm mass on their websites (I haven't found any, unless only the ones out of my price range do so) and the online tonearm database only lists mass for a few models, and of those I can afford, none of them are low-mass. Are there no affordable low-mass arms?
2. No fuss. I've read the arguments about VTA, and frankly I don't know what to believe. Some of you guys change it for every record, others never touch it. I want to think about my turntable as much as I think about my refrigerator; I want to open the door and the drinks to be cold. I want to play a record and hear music. If it's really a simple adjustment and makes an obvious difference, I'd consider it, but it's hard to know which of these suggestions are based in reality and which are just black magic.
3. Make my music sound good. I know, duh, right? What I mean is, I want MY music to sound good. I listen to R&B, Soul, and Rock through the 1970s. Up-tempo punchy music. I suspect a lot of these super expensive rigs are necessary to reveal the subtleties of symphonic works. Again, good on ya, I'm happy for classical fans, but I will never ever put a classic record on my platter, so those requirements go out the window. Think Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Beatles, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Louis Jordan, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ramones, Talking Heads, that sort of thing.
3.5 On the subject of revealing detail in recordings, not all my records are in pristine condition and I'm afraid too revealing a system may bring out surface noise to a level I'm not happy with. I've read reviews that label certain cartridges as "forgiving" Is this what they're referring to? Is this something I should consider when choosing hardware?
4. Price. I have $2000 to spend on a turntable, cartridge and phonostage. When I say I have $2000 to spend, it means I have $2000 to spend, not "Well, you can get this now, and then upgrade this and this." No, I have two grand and that's that. That is way more than I spent on my last table (MMF 2.1), so whatever I get will be a big improvement. And I don't WANT to upgrade. I want it to work great now and enjoy it with no eye to the future.
Some of you may be thinking, "Buddy, you should just stick to CDs; this hobby isn't for you." First off, while no CD-hater, I have heard the difference between vinyl and CD and it is appreciable. Vinyl playback can sound alive in a way I have never heard from its digital counterpart. Also, I already have a few hundred records just waiting to be played again.
The best analogy I could think of regarding my quest for a new turntable is cars. There are sportscars out there like Ferraris, Maseratis, etc. that are magnificent machines capable of unparalleled performance and fun. They are also, incredibly expensive and fussy. These babies need to be coddled and primped and maintained not just to run well, but to just plain run! Then, there's the S2000 which is an amazing car in its own right, nimble, attractive and best of all, it's a Honda, which means the thing just works. No constant tweaking and fussing over. Turn the key and off you go. Sure, it's no Lotus, but it's no Civic either.
There we are. Thank you if you've made it this far. I really do respect the collective knowledge of the members of this board and will appreciate any advice that may come my way.
I've been reading a lot about turntables for quite some time now. I have learned about matching tonearms and cartridges, resonant frequencies, compliance, azimuth, null points. And still I have difficulty choosing a model. Part of this is simply the number of choices available and the amount of disagreement between posters to forums such as this. But I think the biggest part of this is that one man's trash is another's treasure. People want different things from their turntables.
Look, there are folks out there, and you may be one of them, who are willing to devote time to tweaking and comparing and upgrading to squeeze every last bit of performance out of your systems. This is not a knock; it is clear you are passionate about your hobby and I am happy to see people get so much joy from their music. I wish I had the money, time and ears to conduct such experiments myself, but that's not me and it's not what I am looking for.
Here's what I am looking for in order of importance:
1. Tracking ability. I've read reviews to the tune of "this cartridge is amazing! Such detail, so dynamic! It doesn't track very well, but the slam!" Huh? If it doesn't track well, I don't give a fish how great it sounds. I've heard inner groove distortion and I want to minimize it as much as possible. Now, from what I've read, I should get a high-compliance cartridge because they track best, which means I should be looking for a low-mass tonearm. Except that manufacturers don't list the tonearm mass on their websites (I haven't found any, unless only the ones out of my price range do so) and the online tonearm database only lists mass for a few models, and of those I can afford, none of them are low-mass. Are there no affordable low-mass arms?
2. No fuss. I've read the arguments about VTA, and frankly I don't know what to believe. Some of you guys change it for every record, others never touch it. I want to think about my turntable as much as I think about my refrigerator; I want to open the door and the drinks to be cold. I want to play a record and hear music. If it's really a simple adjustment and makes an obvious difference, I'd consider it, but it's hard to know which of these suggestions are based in reality and which are just black magic.
3. Make my music sound good. I know, duh, right? What I mean is, I want MY music to sound good. I listen to R&B, Soul, and Rock through the 1970s. Up-tempo punchy music. I suspect a lot of these super expensive rigs are necessary to reveal the subtleties of symphonic works. Again, good on ya, I'm happy for classical fans, but I will never ever put a classic record on my platter, so those requirements go out the window. Think Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Beatles, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Louis Jordan, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ramones, Talking Heads, that sort of thing.
3.5 On the subject of revealing detail in recordings, not all my records are in pristine condition and I'm afraid too revealing a system may bring out surface noise to a level I'm not happy with. I've read reviews that label certain cartridges as "forgiving" Is this what they're referring to? Is this something I should consider when choosing hardware?
4. Price. I have $2000 to spend on a turntable, cartridge and phonostage. When I say I have $2000 to spend, it means I have $2000 to spend, not "Well, you can get this now, and then upgrade this and this." No, I have two grand and that's that. That is way more than I spent on my last table (MMF 2.1), so whatever I get will be a big improvement. And I don't WANT to upgrade. I want it to work great now and enjoy it with no eye to the future.
Some of you may be thinking, "Buddy, you should just stick to CDs; this hobby isn't for you." First off, while no CD-hater, I have heard the difference between vinyl and CD and it is appreciable. Vinyl playback can sound alive in a way I have never heard from its digital counterpart. Also, I already have a few hundred records just waiting to be played again.
The best analogy I could think of regarding my quest for a new turntable is cars. There are sportscars out there like Ferraris, Maseratis, etc. that are magnificent machines capable of unparalleled performance and fun. They are also, incredibly expensive and fussy. These babies need to be coddled and primped and maintained not just to run well, but to just plain run! Then, there's the S2000 which is an amazing car in its own right, nimble, attractive and best of all, it's a Honda, which means the thing just works. No constant tweaking and fussing over. Turn the key and off you go. Sure, it's no Lotus, but it's no Civic either.
There we are. Thank you if you've made it this far. I really do respect the collective knowledge of the members of this board and will appreciate any advice that may come my way.
76 responses Add your response
Sounds like he doesn't want fussy, just high performance at a price point. Rega is hard to beat for your criteria in my opinion, The p5 plus a rega cartridge. 3 point mounting so no real adjustment other than dailing in the VTF (vert tracking force-weight) which is simple. Good to go and killer sound |
2nd the recommendation for Technics. Talk to Kevin at KAB Electroacoustics (http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/). $2K should be more than enough to get a nicely optioned (tonearm damper) 1210 along with a great cartridge. If you get one of his modified "integrated" cartridges, I think that would be about as close to plug and play as you can get. I like the car analogy. |
A B&O 8002 table would do the trick. Tangential drive and tracking. Easy to set up and plug and play. No VTA, cartridge alignment or much else to fuss with. Pop the cartridge in and use the slider to set the weight. Auto return at the end of an LP side is a nice feature too. You can find these used on eBay. For best performance send it to Soundsmith and have it refurbished. I got mine back from them recently and the performance is outstanding. Your total investment will be under $1200 (including cartridge) leaving enough left over for a phono stage and record cleaning kit. |
If I was in your boat I would be tempted to try the Funk Firm Funk that's listed here. The RB250 is a perfect candidate for upgrade of counterweight/wires(super easy) or replace the tonearm if needed. Plenty of budget left for the other tough decision- cartridge and phono stage. No, I don't know the seller etc... |
I'll throw my vote in with the Technics lot... I totally understand and empathize with your stance. I own both a Technics SL1210 mk5 and a Linn LP12; I'm pretty sure they represent opposite ends of the vinyl spectrum from a turntable tweaking, care and maintenance standpoint. Sometimes I just want to spin and spin and spin with no thought to anything but enjoying the music - I choose the Technics. Sometimes I want to squeeze every last bit of everything out of an LP - I choose the Linn. Technics: Good sound out of the box Less expensive than anything close to it's build quality Easy setup/re-setup (VTA, VTF) Easy use (start/stop, 33 or 45 w/ a quick push of a button) Easy cartridge swapping (removeable headshell) Compatible w/ a varied list of very good cartridges Upgradeable (KAB) Bullet-proof Dead-on speed accurate You can set it and forget it or, if you change your mind about tweaking, experiment to your heart's delight. Good luck! |
Jfrech, You misunderstood, I said, "I would rather have something that's a little fussy and get the extra performance in both cars and stereo equipment." , but my recommendation is Technics. Technics has sold over 1,000,000 turntables, I think they know what they are doing. A Technics 1210 MKII turntable from KAB, with upgrades and cartridge will come in well under budget. |
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I own a Honda S2000, and for my vinyl I would be firmly in the Technics Camp. While my current table is an SP-15 (I wanted more tonearm flexibility) I owned an SL1200 and for plug and play performance it's hard to beat. Having also owned a few belt drives, the speed stability of the Technics is unmatched at anything near it's price range. The KAB tweaks and some nice cones will give you a table you can enjoy for a long time, and will kill the MMF 2.1. That was my table before the Technics, so you and I are on roughly the same path. You won't be sorry you upgraded. As for cartridges, after a swing through MC land I've landed back in MM territory. Currently I'm using an NOS Andante P-76, but there are lots of good choices out there; check out Raul's thread here: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667 and you'll have plenty of great recommendations . David |
The above posters are correct in recommending Rega - they are indeed the Honda S2000 of turntables, and the stock tonearm (RB300) on the mid-market models is legendary. They also do particularly well with the boisterous music you prefer. If you want to avoid turntable settings, the Rega cartridges are designed for the Rega arms - no settings or adjustments other than setting tracking force. As for phono preamps, if reliability is important to you, Bryston used to make a $700 phono stage, the BP-1, which sounds good and is bullet-proof (all point-to-point wired and 20-year warranty - they were used by radio stations), but I believe they are out of production. You could call Chris Russell at Bryston to see if they make them to order. |
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I know nothing about SP-10's, other than reading about it's excellent rep and strong following. I am getting ready to add a second TT, to use aside my Basis 2500/Vector 3. I am not a great setup guy, and have had a few dealers work on my TT to get the best out of it. Let me get to my point here though. I will come right out and say I am sure the SP-10 deserves the high praise it receives. However, it can be an intimidating and/or confusing option for your average Joe like me. For instance, I checked out this thread because I was interested in the SP-10. I proceeded to google Sp-10, and saw that it was no longer in production. Then I clicked Soundfountain.com and saw some gorgeous looking plinths for the SP-10. I am considering the new Well Tempered Amadeus, as it is in production and ready to go. I am likely in the minority here, but frankly would not know where to start in pursuing an SP-10. The Amadeus on the other hand would be nearly as easy as driving an S-2000 off the lot at Honda. |
Wow! That's a lot of replies in a short time on a holiday weekend. Thank you all. Here are my thoughts. Perhaps the car analogy wasn't a good one for the non-car folks out there for whom the word Honda holds a certain meaning, so let me elaborate: The Honda S2000 was a $40,000 convertible. It should in no way be compared to an Accord or Civic. It was an amazing machine, but, of course, no comparison to certain Italian imports. I am surprised by all the Technics recommendations. I know they are workhorses just by the number of old units that are still running, but I have read nothing but bad things about direct drive tables: rumble, resonance from the motor under the platter. Are these issues overstated? I have listened to a Rega P3 -- in fact it may have been the setup recommended by Wgallupe -- and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. Don't get me wrong, it sounded good, but compared to my previous entry-level MMF, it didn't blow it out of the water as I would expect at over triple the price. I also thought it sounded a bit grainy, perhaps this is a property of the DynaVector cart (?). Is it wrong to expect to a $1700 table/cart to blow away a $400 one? Though nothing is set in stone, I honestly wasn't looking to go the used route. There are so many models available now (who would have thought that 15 years ago?) and having a dealer set up the system for me is a big draw. Before I posted this, these were the models I had in mind: Rega P3-24 MMF 7.1 Pro-ject Xperience Clearaudio Concept/Emotion Can anyone attest to the user-friendliness of any of these models? Will their sonic qualities be immediately apparent upon first listening? Thanks! |
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Tvad is right. My SP-15 is dead silent, no rumble, no motor noise, nothing, and the SL1200 was the same. I've heard the MMF 7.1 and the Rega P3, and they're pretty much lateral moves from the MMF 2.1. They're all just variations on the same theme. If you want to notice the difference right away, get the Technics. Elizabeth has clearly not driven an S2000. :-) David |
"Elizabeth has clearly not driven an S2000." Nor has she had an SL-1200, I suspect. "Tweaker's delight"??? Nonsense. And getting it modded by Kevin at KAB is NOT getting it modded by Mr. XYZ but by one of the most widely respected, most honest purveyors of audio gear in existence. Modded or not, the SL-1200 (and its variants) would be an excellent choice and will last a lifetime, or just about! -Bob |
"I have read nothing but bad things about direct drive tables: rumble, resonance from the motor under the platter. Are these issues overstated?" Yes. I wonder where you read these "nothing but bad things" from. After all, the most highly regarded and the most expensive turntable in the world, Rockport Sirius III, at the time of its release was a direct-drive turntable. The record you will be playing is made from a record cutting lathe that has a direct-drive motor. Enough said. By the way, there's more than one brand of direct-drive turntables other than Technics so if you don't like Technics does not mean you have to dismiss the whole direct-drive genre. I prefer post-1975 era products. There are many poorly made belt-drive turntables out there as well with toy motors and glass platters. Be ware of hack jobs. I like idler-drive, belt-drive, AND direct-drive so whatever you choose is fine by me but to dismiss the entire genre of products based on hearsay is limiting yourself the chance of getting exposed to different sound and fun. It's a shame. ____ |
Shrevie - Here's my read on what you are saying. You want good performance and impeccable reliability. You would be happy to have wold class performance but don't want to pay for it in time, money or effort. Therefore, you willingly accept a compromise in performance in order to stay under budget and enjoy "set and forget" record playing. I'm with you 100% on all points and I not only would choose the Technics option, I have chosen it. Technics has made and sold more turntables than any other company in the history of the world. They have spent more money on R&D than Rega will ever live to see. And KABUSA provides the bridge between the utility of the Technics DJ table and the desires and needs of the audiophile community. In the past I have used and owned SOTA, VPI, Well-Tempered, Linn, FONS, AR, B&O, Yamaha P-2, Luxman PD441, Denon, and others that don't spring to mind just now. I just sold my Technics SP-10 because I felt I could no longer justify tying up that much capital in something I use so little. Instead I now use a Technics SL-150 MK II with a Rega RB-300 tonearm. I am doing this only because I already owned the stuff. Otherwise I'd have purchased a KABUSA modded Technics 12xx table of some sort. The testimonials from people I know and respect like Armstrod and TVAD are too numerous, reasoned, and credible to be ignored. By the way, a lot of the fiddling and fidgeting people do with their turntables is the result of a natural desire to maximize the experience rather than a need to continually adjust due to failure or fault. |
Shrevie: You're asking for a new S2000 on a base Miata budget. Unless you go for a used turntable and preamp you aren't going to find your S2000 setup for $2000 USD. But you could have a decent base Miata setup for that amount. I know there are lots of Technics owners that swear by the 1200 but there are also plenty of Technics owners that upgraded turntables. And I'd bet that most of them spent more than you're wanting to spend. But if you want reliability and ease of ownership for what you're willing to spend, the Technics 1200 is an obvious choice. And if I was buying a 1200 I'd splurge on the KAB tweaks. The advice on going with moving magnet cartridges is good advice if you don't want to futz around with a moving coil setup. Moving coil cartridges are my preference, but you do need to pay attention to the signal path to get them to sound their best and that typically takes some extra cash for a step-up transformer or a more complex preamp. If you keep it simple with MM you can get a good preamp and cartridge for less money. One last thing: Despite Tvad's snide comment about the Music Hall mmf-7.1 turntable, it's a good table for the money. (Not the best, but I don't believe there's a "best" anything at a given price point.) However, to get the most from that turntable you may need to fine tune it, something you wanted to avoid. Tom |
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Good points Elizabeth. I don't doubt the reliability and enjoyment a Technics SL-1200 can provide. I experienced the same with my B&O machines. They're modern looking, easy to use, and offer a big bang for the buck. However, buying one in decent condition is difficult to do and it took a complete rebuild to get the most out of the 8002 I own. On the other hand the modern Galibier Serac I own with SME Series III S and B&O MMC-2 cartridge isn't going anywhere and demonstrates a lot of virtues that current day designs offer. It has relegated the refurbished B&O 8002 to the garage. |
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My personal recomendation: A fully-modded KAB Technics, about $800, a Denon DL-160 cartridge, $180, and one of these phono stages: Pro-Ject Tube Box II $750 Lehmann Audio Black Cube Statement MM $500 Dynavector P75 $780 SimAudio Moon LP3 $549 Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 SE MM $410 Check out KAB's EV-1 record cleaning system (~$160) for an effective, low-cost record cleaning system. Or, here's a turn-key solution at exactly your price-point: http://www.musicdirect.com/product/80057 The only thing you lose is a vacuum cleaning option. |
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Figuring the expectations of someone whom I do not know is hard, but I don't think one can find the S2000 of analog rigs for $2k, especially a plug-n-play. A good value TT is more expensive than that. Maybe Shrevie knows better for him/herself and having heard a setup in that price range. Maybe he/she has specific goals that can be met at that price. I hope one of those goals isn't frequency response. Try before you buy. |
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"Fanboy" is an insipid pejorative, the use of which generally indicates a weak intellect coupled with a mean streak and unbearable sense of inferiority. Technics has owned turntable sales all over the U.S. since the late 1970s. For reasons I am unable to cite, they were the turntable of choice for radio stations and, later, audiophiles up until both groups migrated to CD. A stock 1200 series turntable will serve your purposes nicely but, as others have pointed out, you may feel a desire to pursue incremental improvements over time. If so, KAB can provide numerous options at small prices. If not, you will still enjoy a performance level that belies the modesty of your investment. As for phono preamp, there is really no reason to buy that new. It doesn't have moving parts and is unlikely to reach you with appreciable wear if you screen your seller. There is a strong tendency to follow the lead of purists and their other followers when asking advice on audio forums. "Me too" disease causes the Amen chorus to conflate unnecessary concerns and standards. Buy what makes sense to you. I would not be afraid to buy used but you are and you should follow your gut on that matter. Just don't be pushed to inaction by rumors and warnings. There are a lot of Rega owners out there who are very happy and there are 100 times as many happy Technics owners. |
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Our OP wants to buy a turntable and use it, not turn it. His will probably not show up for sale on Audiogon. Ditto for hundreds of thousands of other users. Technics is an appliance like the Honda S2000. It does perform very well, and well beyond its price point, but it is not meant for people who obsess about their audio system just as the Honda is not for those who collect pit crew autographs. Most of the world does not have audiophile disease even though they do like music and do want to listen to it at home and they do see the value in quality audio reproduction. They just don't time their wash cycle or track their refrigerator temperature fluctuations, or perpetually upgrade their water heater looking for quieter operation or quicker temperature rise. Most people research the purchase of their appliances before buying and then put them to use in improving their lives without a thought of upgrade or tweaking for the entire life of the appliance. This is how normal people function. Obsessives, however, rave about minutiae and pursue the absolute sound relentlessly, unaware and unconcerned that they are a marginally sane minority speaking in terms to which the fully functional cannot relate. So, unless I misread Shrevie, he just wants to be able to play records at an acceptably refined level without altering the normal course of his life for matters other than routine oil changes and tuneups. He asked for a Honda because he wanted a Technics. |
Not taking any sides, but search for Agon virtual systems revealed (regardless of particular model number Technics TT - 164 Rega TT - 257 Although a data point: I have heard Technics SL1200 at a classy record store in Santa Cruz and the sound was simply unforgettable (the classical piano piece sound still lingers in my mind,weak in the knees buckling sound, really) even in less than pefect environment. No, I do not own either Rega or Technics TT set ups, although all this rave about KAB modded Technics does tempt me add one more TT to my stable, i must confess. Just my perspetive... |
Macrojack, YOU NAILED IT!!! When I got back into vinyl after a 16 year absence in 2003 it was firstly out of dusting off my old 1981 JVC LA-11 belt driver. It was in storage for over 16 years. The rubber mat vulcanised and was chucked for a piece of cut felt I made. The belt was slightly stretched and took a few minutes of play to get sounding like it was running 33.3 rpm. The Shure M-72 ?? cartridge had a skewed canti-leaver. But I said " What the Hell lets fire it up." I still had a few dozen LPs in storage and put on Alan Parsons Stereotomy. When the needle hit the vinyl I felt an Oh Oh something special is happening here. Well it lit a fire and I became a vinyl fan again. I bought a belt for the old JVC but within weeks I bought a new turntable, a Music Hall MMF2.1. which I liked quite much. Leading up to the purcahse I read a lot on line and believed [wrongly] that direct drives especially older Japan Inc. ones were crap! I scratched my head as I tried to recall auditioning said units back in the early 80's and never thought ill towards a good direct drive. But I figured with the internet and all this online stuff the audiophiles were better expert. I figured I guess belt drive is the ONLY way to get good sound and only NEWER belt drives for the most part. Well I did not want to spend too much money so I bought the MMF2.1. It worked very nice even with its entry level cartridge. Well I was now first becoming a vinyl snob who began to diss CD's and one of those so called know it all belt drive experts. This disease stuck with me for oh about 4 years. I did get back into liking CD's as I got a beter cd player and knew I had to enjoy CD's too as not all my music wil be only on vinyl. By 2007 I began reading up on the Technics SL-1200MKII and visiting Kab USA website. I read a lot and soon realized I was just another ahole audiophile wannabe who poo poo'ed direct drive, well after being reeducated to see that it is more than just the type of drive system but the whole unit that counts I bought a KAB modded SL-1200MKII. Threw on my Denon DL-110 cartridge and it was an easy to set up, easy to use and pleasurable turntable. DEAD SILENT, ROCK STEADY SPEED and a pleasing analogue presence. I moved out of the much ballyhooed crap of being belt drive vinyl snob and knew that this belt drive direct drive thing was CRAP! This said the sound and stability of my SL-1200MKII pleased me so I got interested in quality direct drives. Well I knew I wanted to experience the Golden era of Made in Japan Inc. direct drive tables. The major Japanese makers from the late 70's to the mid 80s reached a peak of superlative designed direct drive tables. The beter ones were cool and I then found a TOP OF THE LINE JVC QL-Y5F to add to my system and she's a beaut. Sounds airy, euphonic and slightly thick in bass sound. She runs DEAD silent and ROCK steady with her double quartz lock. She is a fully auto (Oh no the audiophiles scream) but with only electronic controls ie: no mechanical switches, gears or parts for the functions. As an audio fan and one who enjoys really LISTENING TO MUSIC and no longer just obsessing over gear and tweaks she makes me very happy as an audio fan. We all range from audio fans, to geeks, to audiophile snobs and the general public ain't much like that. We as such gear heads should do our best to educate the general listening public as to how one can get great sound without being a geek but not turn them off of good sound. We are as fans in this hobby who are blessed with a desire to get more info and to better understand that the avg. music listener does not care to be as into it. We should positively impart the idea of quality sound without being jerks and pissing people of so ts they only live with MP3's |
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The music begins with the cartridge/TT/tonarm and ends with the speakers. Both are electromechanical interface devices. Finding harmony between the beginning and end is the path to a satisfying TT/arm/cartridge combination. The TT must compliment your speakers and style of music that you like best. If you are looking to just dabble in vinyl then start with a modest setup. If you are planning to upgrade the other components in your stereo, then buy something slightly out of league with the rest of your system. |
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