If this sounds like YOUR Turntable story, please share your final chapter


You had a nice budget ($2k-$4K) table, which you enjoyed for years. It always served up the analog goods, and you always felt as if you were in a good place. However, like many of us, you have audiophilia nervosa. Having succumbed to this mystical force that commanded you to upgrade, you took the leap to the next plateau. You immediately heard the advantages of what your new, well designed table was offering up. It was quieter, music emerged from a blacker background. It had tighter, more articulate bass.....mids were clear, layered, involving, yet organized.... Highs were more extended,  filling your listening area with a more believable, 3D presence. You were in awe, for a while! Fast forward to the middle of the story. Even though the table was more substantial, and did many things better than your baby boomer table, you soon realized it appealed more to the brain than your heart. It could tend toward the drier side with many of your go-to vinyl treasures. You ultimately realized that while the new table received more check marks on the audiophile checklist, it was not as engaging on an emotional level. Let me cut to the chase. So you took one or two wrong exits, but you found your way back. In doing so, you once again found that engaging, special something, analog is capable of delivering. Which table brought you back to the analog promise land?
fjn04
fjn04- Talk with Chris Harban ( Woodsong Audio) about the LP12 when you inquire about the Reed arm... I have 2 of his plinths and he may pique your interest further regarding the LP12.
ATB,
Mark
I went up the Oracle Dephi chain and ended up at the mk5 but wasn't engaged in music anymore. so i've found a home in music again with a Garrard 301 with a layered Bamboo plinth and Jelco 12" arm. admittedlyI'm still cart hunting but using the Van Den Hull MC 10 low output MC I have had for years and still love it but may move on as its probably not a perfect match for the arm table. but i'm listening to much more music then I have had in years. so i think that says it all.
After having many tables and arms of all sorts over the years, I now have a Garrard 301 in a Windsong plinth, with an Ortofon RS 309 D tonearm and a EMT JSD s75 cartridge as my primary analog setup. I am as happy as I have ever been with the sound from my system.

If you have a vintage table and tonearm setup an EMT cartridge is something worth trying in your system.
nkonor, IME as one goes up the line with the LP12, only good things happen.
The Radikal and the sub chassis upgrades ( Cirkus) are very worthwhile upgrades and IMO bring with them a greater ability for the table to resolve finer detail. An 80's LP12 is a good TT, but compared to a current Klimax model, it really is not in the same league at all. I think the term 'audiophile' is not really what we are looking for here, but more musical and more accurate to source is. That is what I feel an upgraded LP12 is- and therefore it is more 'audiophile' in the sense that it reproduces the 'illusion' of the real more accurately.IMHO.

No doubt the Woodsong/Vintage route could be the answer. Obviously, little or no options for audition, so my guess is most take the leap of faith. I've heard only good things about Chris Harbans work. I'm looking forward to my audition of the next contender in November. If anyone wants to know, ping me a PM, and I will share with you. If I make it public, it's tough to be honest about any potential negatives.