the P6 is a solid table
Turntables
I am kicking the idea of trying out vinyl. It’s been a long time since I had a turntable and it took a lot of thought whether I can deal with what always seemed like the snap, crackle & pops of an album. Anyway, I’ve decided to take a plunge after all the buzz how awesome it is. Of course before I make any final decisions, I always turn to the Audiogon community for their expert thoughts, opinions and education. I’m also looking for suggestions for a nice affordable table with tone arm and cartridge. Being the fact this is new to me and I may hate it, I’m looking for suggestions on the best affordable set up I can do for a new or used in the price range of $1000/$1500. I’m sure I can get a better bang for the buck going used. I just don’t know anything about these animals. My system is older but I still enjoy it which consist of a Mark Levinson 23.5 amp, Proceed AVP 2+6 used for 2 channel audio, Audio Acoustics model 9 speakers, Ayre DAC for digital with Transparent Audio Ultra mm2 cables. Any input is greatly appreciated!
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[Edit: Oops. Somehow missed the post where you bought already. Oh well. Hope this doesn't turn out as painfully prophetic as it appears.... ] The guy next to me at the bar one night heard me say something and so started telling me about his stereo. Not much made sense until I figured out he was talking imaginary stereo. Components picked out because he saw somewhere they were good. That’s what you got so far here. Bunch of opinions about what is good. Problem is, only you know what is good. Nobody else matters. Especially on a budget. That means doing the work to track down a place you can go and touch and feel and most of all listen. You are not buying just a turntable. A really good - and by good I mean musically enjoying to listen to, much more than any CD - setup can be done on your budget. But not by picking from other peoples lists. What lies down this path is expense, frustration, ruin. I can pretty much guarantee it. What you do instead, if you are smart- Go slow. Learn about cartridge output, phono stage gain, what you want in terms of sound, what the different components deliver in terms of sound. Be realistic. You’re not getting ultimate resolution, your whole budget won’t buy that in even a cartridge. What it will buy though, if you are careful and thoughtful about it, is a beautifully balanced system that performs far better than you ever thought possible for even a couple times what you have to spend. It can be done. Its not easy. But it is worth it. There really is no easy way around it. You go and listen to as many different setups as you can. Including stuff way out of your price range. Including stuff so old and/or cheap you’re sure its a waste of time. Along the way you pay careful attention to details. What phono stage was that one? What cartridge? You develop a feel for "house sound" what makes a Benz a Benz. Whether you are more sensitive to the table, or the phono stage, or how important it looks, feels, handles. Records are a lot more hands on than a CD. These things matter. One result of all this listening, learning and handling could well be you discover this just ain’t your thing. Without spending a dime. Just time. Learning stuff you can always use later if you want anyway. As opposed to what most guys do, throwing money at the problem, learning almost nothing except its a money pit. It ain’t a pit. Its a peak. Ever wonder how Hillary climbed Everest? One step at a time. |
@mechans are you familiar with Direct Drive turntables ? I hope you understand why Coreless Direct Drive motor is better than any belt drive or idler drive or whatever. So why do you compare a VPI and Technics ? One VPI Direct Drive cost $30k another one cost $15k Technics Direct Drive cost $1700 for GR and about $4000 for G Technics SP-10R without plinth and tonearm is $10k Technics SL-1000R with plinth and tonearm is $18k https://www.technics.com/download/brochures/us/SL1000R_SP10R_US_Print.pdf Please recall any other NEW Direct Drive with a motor equal to Technics SL1200GR ($1700 new) or coreless G/GAE or SP10R for what they are asking for ? Technics is definitely the best priced NEW High-End Direct Drive turntable today. And Matsushita is the most experienced company in that field today. Here is all info about G http://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class/direct-drive-turntable-system-sl-1200g.html And everything about SL1200GR (black version is SL1210GR): http://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class/direct-drive-turntable-system-sl-1200gr.html If you prefer belt or idler drive for some reason then it's another story. I don't even know of any modern turntable with the same build quality as Technics, only vintage Direct Drives are better in my opinion, but then we have to remember SP-10 mkII and EPA-100 tonearm. |
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