@elizabeth very good advice. I agree and have followed this approach myself. I got back into this hobby a couple of years ago and needed a new turntable for my 300-400 albums. I bought a U-Turn Audio Orbit turntable with Ortofon 2m Blue cartridge. I enjoyed it. As I have indicated in a past post on another thread, listening to records is more than just the music. It IS the ritual that you layed out. This is what I did when I was younger and first got into this hobby. So it takes me back to my youth. It gets me involved in the music playback process. After verifying that I still loved records and playing them and caring for them, I sold my U-Turn Audio setup and got a VPI Prime Signature with Ortofon 2M Black and a couple of appropriate level phono preamps to switch between for fun.
I need some turntable guidance
I am wanting to acquire a turntable but don't have enough information to make an appropriate purchase just yet. My two systems:
preamp- Mac C2300 tube and has built in phono
Krell MCX 350 monos and PBN Audio KAS speakers
Mac MC275 tube amp and Klipschorn speakers with Volti upgrades
What price range should I be looking in? I want something that sounds great but is also appropriate for my level of gear. In other words, I don't want to under buy or over buy. What TTs would you guys suggest to me?
preamp- Mac C2300 tube and has built in phono
Krell MCX 350 monos and PBN Audio KAS speakers
Mac MC275 tube amp and Klipschorn speakers with Volti upgrades
What price range should I be looking in? I want something that sounds great but is also appropriate for my level of gear. In other words, I don't want to under buy or over buy. What TTs would you guys suggest to me?
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- 79 posts total
Ok Wemfan, you can use anything you like as long as you have a sturdy platform. You should be able to lean against it without making the turntable skip. For 10 to 15 I would get a SOTA Sapphire, put a Kuzma 4 point 9 on it with an Ortofon Windfeld Ti cartridge. I think that should run around 12-13 and you don't have to worry how sturdy your platform is:) You would have to spend really serious money to do better than that. You are right at the point of seriously diminishing returns. Mike |
A few thoughts, (spending not much at first). a. I suggest what you heard in other setups, were not only 'great' speakers', but speakers properly matched to the listening space. That, for any speaker, is far more important than all the esoteric 'improvements' in the world, and most often less than ideally achieved. I would spend some time making sure you are getting the best out of your existing speaker location. A test CD, a Test LP, and a decent Sound Meter are good tools to have forever. Get familiar with them before trying refinement. Do not go for perfection, just find what is happening and any acceptable location that improves things. Personally, I ALWAYS toe my speakers in, and tilt them back a bit, to avoid woofer reflection parallel to walls, floor, and ceiling. b. nest improve your existing TT: Physical setup is far more important than anything else in ANY TT system. practice setup skills with existing cartridge, then repeat setup with a new 'good' cartridge with a new stylus (your stylus is worn I suspect). You will use the new 'good' cartridge for a while on existing TT, then move it to your new TT, then in the future probably upgrade the cartridge, keeping the 'good' one. You need to acquire these skills, for any TT, existing or future. Practice for eventual setup of a new cartridge. Acquire templates, stylus pressure gauge, transparent alignment block with horizontal and vertical reference lines/grid Level TT; re-align cartridge in Tonearm Headshell, Arm level/parallel with zero tracking force and zero anti-skate; Arm height when floating parallel. Leave anti-skate zero when setting tracking force, then add a matching anti-skate force last. Then listen with Test LP, especially left right balance which indicates both proper stylus/groove interaction and proper anti-skate to 'float' the stylus left/right in the groove. ................... Now, when evaluating a new TT, concentrate on what makes you happy every time you glance at it, because, IMO, once a good cartridge is properly set up, improvements will be slight. |
I didn't go thru this, but something useful might be in this thread https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/so-many-great-golden-era-dd-tables-out-there-what-do-you-recommend-fo?utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website |
As you've discovered, there is indeed a wide range of opinion on what can be done. I've owned your preamp and have years of experience dating from the early 70s with your amp and K-horns. Here is some more food for thought: Your C2300 has one of the very best phono sections ever made. Good enough that Harry Pearson had one in his reference system for about a year. A remarkable feat. The MC section is especially good and features on-the-fly loading adjustment. Use it and you won't be disappointed. Your budget is huge and can accommodate the very best that's out there. You will want to consider how you want your music presented. My belief is that matching the cartridge to your speakers makes the biggest difference since they are the two fundamental halves of the transducer system. The K-horns tend to be a bit bright and will benefit from good definition at lower frequencies. Consider a high end Koetsu or Dynavector. Note that both require very precise alignment to deliver rewarding results. Figure on $5K. To get the best out of the cartridge, you will need a tonearm that has substantial set-up adjustability and delivers rock-stable repeatability on those adjustments. I personally prefer arms that have VTA on-the-fly, but you may not. If so, look at Graham or Tri-Planar. If not, consider SME or Ortofon. The VTA OTF and tonearms all have lots of thread input here. Figure on $6K, and more for enhanced models. You will also need a cable. Lots to choose from there and I found a Cardas Golden Reference that suited my needs for $600 new. I would suggest not spending a lot on a cable until you have the other bits and pieces sorted out. The turntable must hold the selected speed endlessly and silently. It may also have to absorb environmental vibrations (e.g footfalls, nearby truck or rail traffic, etc.). For me that meant SOTA, which has one of the very best suspension systems ever produced. I also prefer belt drive for that reason. If you don't have those concerns, VPI, Pro-Ject, Clearaudio, Basis, Thorens and certain vintage gear might be appropriate. A brand-new SOTA Sapphire sells for $4K loaded. Vacuum versions are about $5K. The other brands also sell in a similar range for very solid products. Surf the forums here for info on whether the vacuum system may be right for you. FWIW, I believe the biggest improvements are to be found in the cartridge and tonearm. They combine to control the point of contact, and that's where Edison's science happens. Hope this input proves useful for you. Keep us posted on your progress and enjoy the adventure; remember always this is a hobby. Happy listening! |
- 79 posts total