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What Turnatable now?

I everyone :-), Ever since I started listening to vinyl again (2012), It has been quite an enjoyable (at times frustrating) experience. So real quick here are the tables in order...REGA P3/24 stock RB301 arm with DenonDL110, Nagaoka MP200, DenonDL102, Dyanavector 10X5. The Dynavector was the best on this table bar far, imo. Thornes TD160 stock TP16 arm with Grado Sonota Reference , excellent combo. Then I was gifted (whole new level) a Project Xtension 10 stock 10" arm with Clearaudio Maestro V2. Dynavector 20x2L. The Maestro was very nice but I prefer the Dynaudio for its ability to sound more lively and dynamics seem more powerful. The Maestro is however a beautiful sounding cartridge very detailed. Overall though no matter what I did the Project was always a little too warm for MY already warmer than neutral sounding system. Now I have a J.A. Michell Gyro SE and Techno arm (newest version) with Dynavector 20x2L. I love this table! I love the way it sounds! Lively and exciting and everything to me just sounds "right", from rock to jazz reggae, blues. I have used many phono pre amps from Project, musical surroundings, then I bought a Manley Labs Chinook :-)

So a family member who has the same Project Xtension with the Maestro V2 MM (loves It) wants me to find him a table in the 3K to 4K range that he could use as well for edgier music like Hard rock, Classic Rock, Heavy rock, Punk...whatever. This he would like to try a LOMC :-) Also, last but not least I need a great sounding Phono Pre for 2k or less that can handle LOMC cartridges. The real kick is that I might end up with this table (thats why I included the above info about me) I would like something completly different....any suggestions?
128x128mattmiller
glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,708 posts
 

+ on the Garrard , Lenco Rim drives

 there are many plinths out there from a few $100 to $1000 that sound excellent and look good. matched with a good arm like a new Jelco ( $1000 with quality cable) and you have a great start into rim drive.

I did this quest last year from an Oracle Delphi Mk4 and am very happy. mine was a Garrard 301 late grease bearing $2000, custom plinth total cost $700, Jelco 12" tone arm with the upgraded arm cable $1100 ( Canadian$) and I used my VDH MC 10 Cart with a low mass head shell ( head shell was another $150). All total about $4500 with tax's this is Canadian dollars so adjust down lets say 30% for the new stuff.

 I think you could easily find a really nice Garrard or Lenco Rim drive for under $4k( all ready to play or $2000 for the base table) if you spend the time. and frankly the Maney is a killer phono for the money.


Look at my profile I have many pictures of my table there if you want to get an idea of what it looks like. also with the assortment of Plinths available you can tailor the look to your setting. just go to E-bay and see how many plinths are out there. if you decide to go this way let me know I can give you some good plinth makers web sites and contacts.

I know from my experience I've never been happier with the sound i'm getting very alive and moving the Pace is fantastic and with a good mat like the herbies I use ( $120) I get great detail and base. not to mention a whole lot of future upgrades now available to me.

vinylholicmusic's avatar
vinylholicmusic
13 posts
 
Ive got a 40 year old Pioneer PL-510A that ive been so happy with..had A Rega planer 1 and it was good but nothing like the Pioneer...!! 
joey54
434 posts
 
You may want to try the Clearaudio Concept Wood with the Satisfy tonearm and the Hana SL mc cartridge. It’s a great combination and plays all kinds of music well. If your budget of $3-4K is for the table alone, I would look at the Clearaudio Performance DC turntable which is Clearaudio’s next step up.

For the phono stage you might want to look at the Musical Surroundings Nova II. It comes in at $1200 and has the most flexible settings for MC cartridges I have ever seen. It also gives you the choice of running on batteries if you want to.

Good Luck!
barryaudiophile
57 posts
 
While the turntable is important it is only part of the front end of the process.  It starts with the Record, the disc itself.  The stylus and thus cartridge is stimulated by the movement of the disc and are managed by the arm.  Mechanical energy is provided by the the turntable through the stylus and converted to electricity to become the audio signal,but you know all this.  So consider that this is system where each element effects the other, they are all inter-related to produce output.  The final element in the chain is the loading on the cartridge output, change it and you change how the cartridge converts the energy from the stylus, the loading cartridge effects how energy it taken from the cartridge and how energy is both absorbed by the stylus and reflected back it.  The process has a 'geschalt' to in, a wholeness.  Change the loading on the cartridge and you change the relationship between the stylus and the record grooves. 

The loading on the cartridge effects the timbre of the final output of the cartridge.  If you can change the loading you can change the timbre of whole system.  Timbre is the term used for the relationship of the overtones or harmonics of the signal, both in amplitude and phase.

It would seem a big naive to believe random combinations of turntable, arm, cartridge, and disc mastering/pressing would yield the same loading requirements for optimal sonic performance.

I took this a step further took an exploratory phono-preamp I designed and added fully adjustable front end loading for both MM and MC cartridges and found staggering performance changes of the systems. Last year I did the experiment and wrote a paper about this, I will send you a PDF copy of it if you like, only a couple of pages.  I will send you a copy if you send me your email address.

Barry Thornton

hifiron
102 posts
 
I have a Decware ZP3 (http://www.decware.com/newsite/ZP3.htm) and it is just sublime. While it doesn't support a LOMC out of the box, adding a step-up transformer is the recommended way to go, regardless of your phono pre IMHO. I can't say enough good things about that Phono Pre. Here is a link to a great review, p173. http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_074.pdf
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