Turntables better than a Wadia 861SE w/ Statement

All of 'em!

If you are handy with woodworking tools and want a turntable that will blow away skeptics and save you enough money to spend more on the arm and cartridge check out the "Building High End Tables Cheap At Home Despot" forum on this site.

Here's something to whet your appetite.

http://home.comcast.net/~iowan1/bandit.html

This forum has the most messages of any on Audiogon. It has been running for two years, and extolls the virtues of the long-gone heavy platter Goldring Lenco turntables of the 60's, and early 1970's. These were a secret that is now coming out of the closet.

The turntables (GL 99, GL 75, GL 78 and a few others) use a true idler wheel drive which fell foul of the belt drive push in the mid 1970's. The table itself was superbly engineered with a massive, purpose built motor and a bearing machined to very tight tolerances. On the minus side it had a flimsy plinth and a mediocre arm. Until about a year ago you could find one on Ebay or sometimes at thrift stores for less than $100. The forum has pushed prices up and now it's rare to find one for under $250. But that's peanuts when you hear what it can do with a massive plinth
attached and a world class arm and cartridge.

I bought a GL 75 Ebay and had it shipped from England. As suggested in the forum I built a solid 10" thick plinth from layers of birch plywood. I then mounted an Origin Live Rega 250 arm with a Koetsu Black cartridge on it.

Holy shit. This turntable has slam and dynamics that will make you jump out of your seat. It also resolves more detail than I had ever heard on my records before. What turntable had I been using before I got the Lenco ? A heavily modified Linn Sondek LP 12 with an Origin Live DC motor and Cetech carbon fiber subchassis. This turntable with the mods is no slouch, but it sounded boring and seriously lacking in punch and excitement after the comparison with the Lenco.

Shortly after this I sold the Linn on Ebay and
switched the Linn Ittok arm and Karma cartridge to the Lenco. Not quite as exciting as the OL 250/Koetsu combo, but it's a little more suitable for just about every musical style.

Don't know what musical styles you love, but a Lenco/OL RB 250 and Shelter 501 should cover just about everything and set you back no more than $1,600 including the wood you'll need for the plinth - if you shop around. But properly set up it will decimate the Wadia and outclass just about any turntable out there in the $5,000 price range.

Hey, if you don't like it you can use the arm and cartridge on another turntable. But I have a feeling that you will be amazed.
have fun,

Mark

Aoliviero,
I have a Wadia 301 with GNS reference mods. I just bought a Immedia turntable here on audiogon with an Immedia tonearm. Here is my feedback for what it is worth.

I first installed it with a benz glider cartridge. Detail was less than the Wadia, but it moved me much closer to a bigger soundstage.

Then, I repaced the benz glider with a Lyra Helikon and it kicks the Wadia's butt in every category but convenience. And don't get me wrong, I think the Wadia is the best cd player I have ever heard. Pre-Immedia I would have said the Wadia put me in about row 10. Now, I'd say the Wadia, although it sounds very analogue in many ways, puts me in about row 50. The Immedia puts me in about row 3, communicating all the emotion and immediacy of being in row 3 (but with the advantage that I can control the volume from row 3). Take care, Jeff

Any SX Series Micro turntable easily outperforms any red book cd-player I´ve heard until todate (Wadia, Accuphase, Esoteric, dcs...). You can´t go wrong with these.

you cannot really compare analog and digital. as many said, both formats are quite different especially in presentation.
im using a hi end cd player from accuphase. it sounds very good by all means, but i always prefer to listen to my analog rig. its just more musical, more fun... sad to say, it turns out to be more costly as well.