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Help deciding which TT

A little background.

I currently have a Rega RP1 w/Ortofon 2M Blue. It seemed great until I added a subwoofer. The sub is exhibiting woofer pumping when attempting to play vinyl. The problem even occurs if I place the needle on a record without the motor running, and then increase the volume. As the volume increases (again, the patter is not moving), the subwoofer (Martin Logan Grotto I) will start to pump. Eventually the sound becomes audible.

That IMO eliminated any motor, or bearing issues.

I've moved my TT to a wall shelf which seemed to have greatly reduced the pumping, but it's still present. I'm at the point where I'm thinking about purchasing a higher quality table. Here are some options I'm considering.

1) Brand new Clearaudio Concept w/ Clearaudio MM $1600
2) Demo Rega RP6 w/Exact Cart (full warranty) $1500
3) Lightly Use VPI Scout JR w/Ortofon 2M Black $1300
4) Used VPI Traveler V2 w/2M Black (200 hrs) $1000

I understand that I may have still have the same issue, but I'm hoping a better table will reduce/eliminate the issue. Any thoughts on the above tables?

Thanks
mustangjeff
moonglum
619 posts
 
Some questions that may help the troubleshooters :
- Is your shelf between the speakers or in a corner?
(Placing it halfway along a load-bearing solid wall will minimise the effect)
- How far away is the T/T (& cartridge) from the nearest speaker/subwoofer?
- Is the floor suspended?
- Is the shelf wall load bearing?

One scenario would be to try distancing the T/T and using a longer interconnect to your main amp but since that may involve moving the shelf (or the loudspeakers) I suspect the best WAF solution is another table? (I think you've pretty much resigned yourself to that solution anyway?)

If all else fails a good option would be a suspended subchassis T/T. (Not sure if any of your stated choices are?)
These are often purported to be able to be placed directly on top of a full-range floorstander and still be able to play successfully without interference (albeit not the ideal choice of location!).
Kind regards,
Post removed 
moonglum
619 posts
 
Maybe this is the answer. It doesn't have a shelf at all...

http://www.rega.co.uk/turntable-wall-bracket.html

Cheers,
vinylvin
146 posts
 
Your sub is to loud, turn the volume down.
mustangjeff OP
30 posts
 
"Your sub is to loud, turn the volume down."

Your probably on to something there. I have it set where I like it for digital sources. I can decrease the volume on the AUX input so I'm going to play with that.

The wall shelf I purchase is not the Rega brand one with the cups that line up with the feet. That shelf wouldn't work for me due to how it's built with the bracing. With the shelf I have now, I was able to slide my buffet directly under the table. I did try a lightweight bamboo cutting board before the maple slab. The maple slab seemed to reduce the flapping better.

I'm at the point where I feel like I have three options.

1) Purchase a new TT (one of the tables I mentioned in the original post). I probably going to do that anyway. I purchased the RP1 to see if Vinyl was something I wanted to get into, and now I have over 500 LPs. I'm here to stay.

2) Pickup a Phono preamp w/subsonic filter, or purchase a KAB RF1. The RF1 just seems expensive at $179 when I can pickup a Pro-Ject Phono Box DS for a little more money. I'd Consider the Cabridge Audio 651P as well, but I don't know the specs of it's subsonic filter (where it starts to filter and how steep of a slope).

3) Forget using the subwoofer with Vinyl. It might come down to this in the end.
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