Upgrading Turntable suggestions
The LAST table you’ll ever buy because the way it sounds AND looks! J A Michell Gyro SE... $2750 and Techno Arm $1200... Plus ?? Dyanavector 20x2?? $950. And there it is!! Audio bliss. for 5k. This table/arm hits all the right notes...Build quality is stellar, sound is dynamic, expressive, musical and has a liveliness and musical drive not heard in many tables. http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/ This is a reference table that can be completely upgraded, (so your not stuck in the same spot) with different tone arms (thats how you change phono cables) and power supply, platter, motors, ect... this table is fun and easy to setup and a joy to listen too! Your welcome, Matt M P.S. Call needledoctor.com they know these tables well. maybe they have a demo? |
Buying from a real good turntable retailer, who is an expert at set-up, may be more important than which table/arm/cartridge one selects. If you are anywhere in S. California (or even if you don't mind buying long-distance), Brian Berdan at Audio Elements in Pasadena is just such a retailer. I would give him a call. He was trained by his Dad, world-renown tt set-up man Brooks Berdan. Bill Johnson of ARC had Brooks come out to his winter home in Palm Desert to set his up, and all Brooks' knowledge and wisdom was passed on to Brian. He's REALLY good. |
I carefully watched Brooks set up a lot of tables, and the basics are very well known by most here. But getting the last nth degree of accuracy is the tough part. My eyesight isn’t so hot; Brooks had and Brian has some really fine tools for precision work, including the Ortofon computer analysis machine (with it’s dedicated test-LP), which produces a print-out of the cartridge’s performance in terms of channel balance, distortion, etc. Scrutinizing those results, and listening to well-known musical LP’s, the cartridge alignment (in all respects---tracking force, VTA/SRA, anti-skate if applicable, included) is adjusted to achieve maximum performance. Brooks didn’t and Brian doesn’t charge for their set-up of a player you buy from them---it is included in the purchase price. Even if you buy only a new cartridge, Brian installs and aligns it, and remounts the arm it is installed in if necessary. If the table itself requires adjustment (as is often the case, at least to attain his high standards), that is done as well. He also breaks in the cartridge, giving it a certain number of hours play on his workbench, after which he repeats the alignment, making minute adjustments as necessary. |
