Why are you feeling the need to upgrade?
Upgrading Turntable suggestions
I am looking to upgrade my Turntable. I currently have a music Hall mmf 9.1 and looking to take the next step up. My budget is $5K and when I say $5K this means table, tonearm and cartridge all in.
The rest of the system is a Vincent hybrid integrated sv237, Vincent phono pho700 and they are hooked into magnificent Martin Logan ethos. Have at folks...GO!!!
The rest of the system is a Vincent hybrid integrated sv237, Vincent phono pho700 and they are hooked into magnificent Martin Logan ethos. Have at folks...GO!!!
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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. |
I have a Project RM 10.1 Evolution with a 50 hour old Soundsmith Zephyr mkii cartridge for sale for less than half your budget. Terra cones underneath, speed box speed controller, isolation base. All together, retail is $5,100. Didn’t get a chance to list it here but it’s on the other site. I set it up with the Fiekert tool and set azimuth with a fozgometer. It’s ready to play. PM me. It’s a killer combo. |
I recently felt the need for something to spark my moribund sounding vinyl. With discussion/reading, I settled on a VPI Prime TT with Ortofon black cart and Lehman Black Cube Original pre amp. HUGE improvement and I am back into analog again! My original TT was a Project Debut Carbon. I have ML ESLs, soon to step up to EXLXs. Bought from SoundStateDirect, online. Satisfied with them so far. |
Why not try a proper vintage Direct Drive turntable instead of that overpriced modern belt drives ? I’m pretty sure that Denon DP-75, Victor TT-81, Technics SP10mk2 and Technics SP-20 are superior to any belt drives and they are not expensive compared to modern turntables. Powerfull motors, immediate start/stop, speed stability and amazing build quality - this is all about Direct Drive turntables, not about belt drives. It’s better to spend more on plinth, tonearm and cartridge. I have those Technics SP-20 / SP-10mk2 and Luxman PD-444 in use The PD-444 is the most expensive of them (but still within your budget), but the lower priced version PD-441 is also very good (it was made by Micro Seiki) if you're looking for something to plug and play. The armbases of Luxman is fine for almost any tonearms. In this sutuation spending $2500 on belt drive is a waste of money. |
Not sure what cart you are using, but I have the same TT and and recently upgraded from a Dynavector 10x5 to a Clearaudio Maestro V2 (MM). I am playing thru a Marantz PM-11s3 with a built in phono stage. Speakers are Focal Chorus 836V and SW800V sub. Cart definitely tok sound to another level. Clarity and fullness are everything I hoped for. I had the cart mounted at a local shop who did an excellent setup for a very reasonable fee. |
I was just in your situation and was worried I wouldn't notice an upgrade from my concept table with the same cart and phono pre BUT the Nottingham 294 was a clear step up and works beautifully w/ the concept MC cart... for now. I'd look preowned or demo and you should find something that should be a big step up in your price range as long as your Vincent's are revealing enough. |
