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Should I keep the Turntable or sell it?

I’ve been back and forth on this decision for about a month, and the more I learn, the harder this decision gets.

Backstory: I won the brand new Cambridge Audio Alva TT turntable in an online contest in mid-May, and while it sounds great, I decided to list it for sale a couple weeks ago. I’ve always wanted to try out a Rega P6 or P3 with a really nice cart, because I feel like I’m not getting enough out of my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. Prior to winning the Alva TT, I switched the Red Ortofon out for the Blue, and there was a great improvement in sound quality. But after comparing the Pro-Ject to the Alva TT and hearing what a $1700 turntable can sound like, I definitely am interested in exploring more high fidelity turntables. The issue is that I feel like I prefer the sound of tubes over solid state, and the Alva TT uses an integrated Alva Duo phono preamp for the RCA out, and their own DAC for the Bluetooth out if I want to go that route. I don’t have a ton of experience with tubes, and maybe it’s just the “cool factor” I actually like and I’m just having a placebo effect.

So I decided to list it for sale to try and get a Rega, because I heard so many great things about them. But over the last week or so, I’ve learned more about the Alva TT and how it uses Rega’s famous tonearm. I looked up the cart and it is listed at $500 separately, which is probably why it sounds better than the Pro-Ject w/ Ortofon Blue. I’ve also read on these boards about direct drive being better than belt, which the Alva has as well. It also has the added bonus of Bluetooth that go directly to my KEF LS50 Wireless, but I would most likely just use interconnects.

So I would love to get some advice from you all. I’ve gone back and forth about keeping the Alva or selling it, along with my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and buying/trading for something like a Rega P3 or P6. If you had my first world problem, what would you do?
bignamehere
bignamehere OP
56 posts
 
@yogiboy another member posted about the SOTA... they look beautiful, and I’m sure with the Ortofon Blue it would sound really good. Upgrade to a Bronze or Black, and I’m sure it would sound as amazing as it looks. It’s just about $500-$1000 out of my current budget. 

Fun question for you... if you had to pick one thing on a turntable that is the most important, would you say it was the cart? Assuming you aren’t trying to put a twin turbo on a Toyota Tercel, would a mid-level table like a Music Hall 5.3 do well with an Ortofon Black for example?

@best-groove what budget would you say is the minimum for a table/cart to not be “clubbin with Mamma” in your opinion?
soundermn's avatar
soundermn
344 posts
 
I would consider the Marantz TT 15S1 or a ClearAudio Concept.  Both are in the price range (if you find a used one), and very good performers. Also, have you tried to trade in the TT?  A place like Needle Doctor may take it in trade, since it's new in the box, and give you a good trade value.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,966 posts
 
SOTA has a long history, so you can often find great deals on used older models if you’re patient and willing to take on a bit of risk. I got started myself with a SOTA Star III sold locally on consignment - it was an AMAZING way to start. I think SOTA even sells refurbished units if you call them.

Between the Clearaudio-built Marantz and the Concept, I’d chose the Concept no question. It’s a proven winner (especially with a Satisfy arm upgrade instead of the magnetic bearing Concept arm) and it’s been built with Clearaudio’s more modern designs & tech. The Marantz was designed back in the days of their prior lineup, before the Concept and Innovation models.

As for the "most important part". That’s a tough one. I’d say once you have a reasonably good deck, the matching between cartridge and arm is most important. MC cartridges will tend to need heavier arms. Then phono stage, and its proper matching to your chosen arm, is also crucial. And depending on your room and table, you may need to spend some serious effort and/or money isolating the table. The SOTA models from the Sapphire on up take care of that for you (mostly) with the built-in suspensions. The Clearaudio models will not help you here - you’ll have to ensure they’re properly isolated.

I own both a SOTA and a Clearaudio. 
bignamehere OP
56 posts
 
@soundermn I definitely am considering a Marantz TT-15S1 because of the Clearaudio Virtuoso cat. I have heard really good things about both, but not actually listened either. My plan originally was to sell both the Alva and the Pro-Ject, which ideally would give me enough for a $1500 table with cart.

@mulveling The Clearaudio Concept would be ideal, but it starts at $1600 and the Marantz using a higher end cart. This is the main reason for the "most important part" question about a table. It seems the cart option is generally what pushes the table price much higher. Looking at those two tables and what they come with standard, it seems the Marants with a $950 Clearaudio Virtuoso MM cart ($1499 total) is a much better deal than a Clearaudio Concept with only the $250 Concept MM ($1600 total). With these two models in mind, would you say the Concept with the Concept MM cart is better than the Marantz with Virtuoso MM? It would seem that two carts made by the same company, but one is $700 more, would sound much better musically, so the cart would have a much greater impact on listening experience. That would be my hypothesis, but again, I haven’t listened to either tables yet.
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,755 posts
 
+1 mulveling
"I’d say once you have a reasonably good deck, the matching between cartridge and arm is most important."
This SOTA Moonbeam IV with the REGA S220 arm might be worth looking into. I have never owned an Orotfon cartridge so I can't comment on it!
https://sotaturntables.com/products/moonbeam-iv/
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