Should I keep the Turntable or sell it?

This site really cracks me up!  Sometimes I read it just to laugh at the nasty comments people make to each other.  Hilarious.  We should rename it to AngryMob instead of AudioGon.

@lewm  

Cartridges mate with tonearms, not with turntables.

yeah, I don't think anyone is debating that fact, but turntables under $2K come with a choice of cart, not a choice of tonearm. Also, everyone knows you can tinker, tune, and toy with a turntable as much as you like, but your options while purchasing a sub- $2K are limited to what the manufacturer/dealer has packaged up and is selling as product. To keep with the car analogy, I can certainly buy an Audi and mod the hell out of it with turbochargers, ECU, and performance exhaust. Or I can just buy an BMW M3 that was built specifically for a certain look, feel, and function that the engineers have been working on for decades and have packaged up for me to drive and experience. They are experts in that "black art" and I trust they know what they are doing. The cost of both cars is somewhat irrelevant in this analogy, assuming they are both within reason. The point I am making is that at the $1500 price point, I have a number of options to choose from that initially come as a package, specifically "tuned" to sound the way the engineers intended. When I have the budget and time to explore more of the black arts, I might start mixing and matching.

My questions related to cartridge/table are more akin to asking if a twin turbo engine(faster engine) in an Audi A5S provides a better driving experience than a single turbo engine in a BMW 540i(more refined car). This is basically the question when comparing a Marantz TT-15S1 with Virtuoso cartridge to a Clearaudio Concept or even the Rega P6 with Exact. I was lucky enough this last weekend to listen to both the Clearaudio and the Marantz side by side, and the Marantz with the $950 cart stole the show.

They had a Rega P6 with Ania MC cart, but I thought that wouldn't be a fair comparison to the others AND it was listed at $2200 and out of my budget. I didn't listen to the P6, but I was able to hear the P3 with Elys cart, and it was 3rd on the list. Again, my hypothesis is that buying a package with an upgraded cart will provide a better listening experience than a better table with average cart. At least, that is what my ears told me this weekend.

And if you are wondering, I drive an Alfa Romeo Guilia. It outperforms all of the competition. :)

"I haven’t read anything about Technics yet to make me think their technology is superior to any other midrange table"

Its called the motor or drive if you will.

@tzh21y Neat. Feel free to post a study or peer reviewed article to support the claim that direct drive is better, and I’ll read it.

Is your Alfa direct or belt drive?