Time for a new turntable......


I need some suggestions or opinions from some of you analog lovers out there. I am ready to upgrade my analog front end. At the present time I have a Denon 47F, Grado Sonata cartridge, and Lehmann Black Cube. I can get a great deal on a Basis 1400 w/ Rega 300 tonearm and another Grado Sonata. I was giving the opportunity to have the Basis in my system already and did an A/B comparison with my Denon. The Basis was better but my Denon held up surprisingly well. The Basis had a blacker background and the noise level was lower. Now, with all that being said I have been doing some research and looked into the Teres Turntable. These are very sharp looking turntables and the owners seem to think very highly of them. A lot of owners also seem to be using this turntable with the Origin upgraded arm. My question for you all to ponder and consider is; will the entry level Teres with the upgraded Origin arm give me a bigger leap then the Basis 1400? Also, do you think the Origin and Sonata will be a good match. I really like this cartridge and would still like to use it. Other tables I am considering are Rega 25, VPI Scout or a used HP III or IV.

Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. None of these tables are available locally so I am unable to audition them.

Thanks guys!

Tim
mitcheft
Natalie, the Well-Tempered Classic is a nice table. It competes well with others in it's price range. It has a very innovative bearing design. All the other tables mentioned above are also good, and I would not disparage any of them. What I am trying to point out with the Teres TT, is that there is an opportunity now to get an unusual combination of high performance and reasonable price. Most TT's at a given price point will offer similar performance for the price, though some may be a little better than others. These are the ones that are the good values and sell well in the category. When you get a TT that leaps several price categories higher in performance, and the price stays in the low price category, that is unusual. And that is why I am always talking about it. Not that other TT's are bad, but that the Teres is such a good value. I don't know of any TT user who wouldn't want to get the sound quality of something like a TNT Mk4, or Basis 2500, for the price of a Scout. Now we could debate about whether one is really better than the other, but my point is that it is up in that league. The price is not. So, I am trying to help people get more for their money, by telling them about it. If others had done that for me when I was getting started, I would have greatly appreciated it. I am trying to do for them, what I would have liked someone to have done for me.
TWL, you sound like me defending the modded Technics 1200 in the under $1,000 price range!

Mitcheft, my feedback to you is to go in the archives and search for IKEA Rack. It's a suggestion from Ken Lyon of Greater Ranges/Neuance. Make yourself a TT stand w/ the IKEA tables and take it from there. It will cost you less than $40. Listen for a couple of weeks.

If your Denon sounds fine I would rather get rid of the Black Cube and get something better--an EAR 834 or a Monolithic PS-1. Dan Wright (www.modwright.com) uses both in his reference system. He also mods the outboard dual mono power supply for the Monolithic. Don't be fooled by how little they cost. I believe phono stage is *more* important than your TT choice.

If you still want more music then you can go ahead and buy another TT. Don't believe LINN.
TWL- Good post, especially for those who are considering moving into this quality level. But don't fret- you don't at all sound like you are trying to defend the Teres.

Regards
Jim
when i had a rega p3 and was using a black cube, i tried a number of carts and preamps to improve the sonics. they were all different and some did offer improvement(s). then i moved up in the rega line and eventually out of it with a vpi aires . but at the point i tried different phono stages they all blew away the cube, and the difference in performance was great, not subtle. my black cube was a black hole into which vast amounts of analog wonder vanished forever. the improvement to my system when i left it behind was far greater then when i switched tables still using it. btw, i was using grado carts most of that time.
do you have a local dealer who has demo equipment; or a kind friend who would help you to audition other pre/phono's? the cube may be holding you back, and if it is, it will do so with any tt you switch to. you will benefit from the new table, but you will not be getting all there is to get from it (or from the arm and the cart).
also: what preamp are you using?