I need your help. I have an ARC Ref 3, ARC 110, Vandersteen 5As, but no turntable.

Dear @inna : MF compares that " entry level " TT with the stock tonearms against its full Continnum extremely epensive TT and tonearm and everything. Only this analog rig has a price higher than many of our whole udio system ! ! !.

R.

Dear @fsonicsmith : ""  music and not distortions" is divorced from reality. There is no getting away from distortion. """

agree, we can't avoid several kind of room/system distortions. The target is: first learn to identify what is distortion from the signal we are listening it this is: what in reality is not part of the audio recorded signal but developed distortions. Second how to avoid the development of those distortions or at least to put at minimum through room/system changes but before this " actions " we need to identify where is the source of those different kind of distortions.

Mny times trying to eliminte  kind of distortion the chnges we did it strts to develps nother kind of distortion .
The issue here is that always exist trade-offs and we have to decide wich trade-off makes less harm to the music signal.

R.

Raul, my friend, you seem to forget that their is distortion introduced by every microphone known to mankind, but every piece of the recording chain, by every piece of the playback chain, by every amplifier in particular) known to mankind, by every tonearm and phono cartridge known to mankind, by every loudspeaker known to mankind. Even the concept of recording and playing back in stereo rather than mono introduces distortion. My point is to play the system and play the room. Does a solo female singer sound true to size, tone, timbre, and organic or does she sound like a bad hologram? Does piano sound suitably plunky, woody, and with tinkle or does it sound artificial? These are good starting points. 

If I remember right, Fremer has Ypsilon tube phono stage, his favorite phono stage. Unless this has changed.
Yeah, that Continuum must be something, but he compared the Technics with other tables too.

Here goes @rauliruegas, again.  Trying to write a classic novel in every comment.  And still in full denial that tubes work as well or better than solid state for phono stages.  Poor fellow.  Keeps getting his financial interests above reality.