Another point that is possiby relevant to the question of vacuum: my vinyl is in good shape, I don't play warped records, especially with a TKR.
Turntable and Arm Combination in 5K range (maximum)
I have a new Dynavector TKR cartridge and it simply amazes me. In the spirit of being further amazed, I am thinking about a turntable and tonearm change. Currently I use a Hanss T-20 table with an Origin Live Illustrious tonearm. The TKR seems to be happy with this tandem, but suggestions from analog gurus on other things to consider -- either new or used -- would be greatly appreciated. I listen almost exclusively to classical, and have a collection of about 1500 classical records. My tastes lean toward quick, dynamic, and wide soundstage, as I do listen to a lot of chamber music and solo piano (I am a hack classical pianist as well). I find recordings of piano music to be particularly demanding of my system, which is Sanders 10 planars and a mix of ARC tube and solid state amplifiers. When you get good vinyl, it is stunning. Thanks in advance.
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FWIW, should probably let you know, for much less than the cost of an arm you could tweak more performance out of your existing arm than you would believe. Maybe even more than any of the arm upgrades being considered. First thing I would do is order some fo.Q tape and TC. This special tape has piezoelectric properties that transfer vibrational energy into heat. This lowers the noise floor dramatically revealing incredible inner detail and micro dynamics that really opens the sound up with a sensation of incredible presence. I put one strip the length of the arm tube, on the underside where I don’t have to look at it. Very hard to see. Then I put more all around and under the base and counterweight area, again basically anywhere out of sight. But when you hear how good it works you might not care! It can also go on or near the motor, plinth, under the footers, anywhere you think it might be good to control vibration. Its a super high quality tape with a beautiful adhesive that somehow manages to stick incredibly well yet be easily removed without leaving any residue. Just fabulous stuff. If you can’t use it all on the arm and table the rest can be used on speaker frames or the phono stage, just try it and see. For $40 by the time you use both sheets you will feel like you have a whole new arm. Then coat all the fo.Q tape with TC. This will take the tape to a whole new level of refinement and extension. By the time you have done all this the improvement will be about as much, if not more, than when I went from a Graham 2.2 to OL Conqueror. In other words you get $3k of improvement for $350. Next after that would be Synergisitic PHT. Green Dream and Black Widow. You can use both. Others who have followed my recommendation on this are really happy. Also ECT, which work great on the tone arm base. You can see all these being used on my table here. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 Just a thought. |
Chakster’s recommendations for vintage direct drive and reed 2a. Less options but not far behind the 3P. This is from info from someone in the industry that I trust that knows both arms well. Also the Reeds don't stand too tall and mount nicest on these low platers of the direct drives without lowering the plinth height. |
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