2. analog
  3. 135633-104219

Turntable Upgrade

I have a Pioneer PL-530 turntable and am the original owner bought in the 70's. The table still functions well and all controls work well. Have installed a few different cartridges over the years and am now using a Grado gold installed about a year ago. I have about 300 LP's and am always on the market to buy more.
While the sound from the table is good I wonder of a table/cartridge upgrade would result in a significant improvement in sound quality? I know that many would say that if "it sounds good to you leave it alone". Good advice but comparing a present setup of TT and cartridge isn't as simple as asking for a trial in home audition as for some other audio components.
In the 70's Pioneer and others made tables that were very "attractive" and performed well for that era. LP's will only sound as good as the quality of their original recording. If I am chasing an upgrade that is, at best, only minimal gains then I would ask the analog experts to give me your thoughts.

 
jrpnde
adg101
1,063 posts
 
The NAD phono preamp is a good little unit for the money and I’m guessing it’s at least as good or better than the one in your integrated unit. If it was me I’d keep your table and look at getting a better phono preamp that works in your budget. 

If your using the cables that came with your gear invest a little there as well. 

Maybe look at at a used Jolida JD9 or Lehman Black Cube. Sure many others on here can recommend reasonably priced phono preamps as well... there’s a lot of them out there that will likely better the one in your NAD without breaking the bank. 

Good luck
mdelrossi1
79 posts
 
+1 on getting a better phono pre.
What's your budget?
jrpnde OP
271 posts
 
For a stand alone phono preamp I probably would limit my budget to $500. Probably overkill for my current setup but if I upgrade the rest of my gear in the future the phono amp would be the one thing I would stay with.
For that price would I do better getting a new unit or a used one of higher quality for the same price? If going used, I'm not familiar with how much future repairs, etc.phono pres require.

parkie's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
parkie
5 posts
 
I think that a Phono preamp upgrade is a good suggestion.  

I would look for a used Graham Slee - Era Gold V Phono Preamplifier.  It’s about $900 new, but has been around for years, so you should be able to find one in your price range.  I used one for a few months with a very high end preamp and I was really impressed at what a good job it did.  A couple of visiting audiophiles quite liked it as well (especially for the money!).

Another good phono preamp is the Musical Surroundings Phenomena II.  There is a more expensive version out now, the II+ at $800 new, so the older model should be easy to find in your budget.  I used it with a Dynavector 20X2Lo and it did a nice job.

The nice part about buying an external phono stage is that it isn’t too hard to sell if you change your mind.  Probably tough to sell that NAD module if you don’t like it.

Good luck with your decision!
jrpnde OP
271 posts
 
parkie,
Thanks for your recommendations. I did some research into the two phono stages you suggested. I did find a used unit from Graham Slee. It is this......
Graham Slee Reflex Era Gold Phono Stage MM/MC and PSUI Power Supply.
It is a different model than the Era Gold V you mentioned and I'm not familiar with that line of products and if the Reflex and Gold V are that much different in performance. Although I'm using a MM cartridge at this time I may want to try MC in the future.
The used unit I mentioned is $750. That's a bit more than I budgeted but do think it's a fair price? Thanks for the advice from everyone.

More to discover