Best Analog for $10K

Well, you asked … so here are some recommendations worth exactly what you paid for them.

Turntable:  VPI Prime ($4k-4.5k)  Full disclosure:  I have a different VPI 'table (Classic, which is no longer made as far as I know) in large part because, once set up properly, you don't have to fiddle with it.

Cartridge:  Lyra.  All day.  I have the Delos, their entry-level and it is fantastic.  Folks that know a lot more than me have written comparisons and said Lyra blows away Koetsu.  If you can stretch for the Kleos at $3.7k, even better.

Phono stage:  Pretty much a matter of synergy with what you have.  I wanted tubes in my vinyl signal path, and picked an Audio Research PH-5, which has been a trooper.  But there are lots of good phono stages in the $2.5k-$3.5k range, from Parasound to Herron Audio to VTL to … oh, how I lust for new Boulder at $5k, tube comments not withstanding.

Cables:  important, but less so than the other elements in the chain, assuming you maintain a certain level of quality.

The prices I've quoted are new.  If you could find "gently used," you might do even better.

Happy listening, 

R2R does not suffer RIAA Eq. and the lowest bass registers / octaves are in stereo - unlike LP which are in mono.

This statement is incorrect. LP bass is mono **only if the bass was out of phase** in the original recording. Out of phase bass can knock a stylus out of the groove, but is something that only occurs if the recording engineer isn't careful when making a multi-channel recording- for example bass guitar notes being out of phase with kick drum.
The processing that is done in this case (if the processor is used at all) causes a passive circuit to make the bass mono below a certain frequency (usually about 80Hz, since bass below this frequency is the problem area and is heard by the human ear as omindirectional), **but only for a few milliseconds** until the bass event has passed.
R2R has EQ very similar to the RIAA in the bass region. Because of the requirements of gain, usually the tape EQ cuts off at a higher frequency than LP equalization- 30Hz is typical. Since we have enough gain to work with low output moving coil cartridges, when we set up tape EQ in our preamps we can cut off at 16Hz, but this pretty unusual.

Tape of course has EQ and its really not dramatically different from the RIAA curve- which is why its possible to build a preamp that has easily switchable EQ for tape and phono. Saying that tape doesn't suffer EQ is ridiculous.

One might keep in mind that tape is used to make a recording because its easily erased and edited; lacquers are not. However if you have any LPs made from R2R, you can hear when the tape is started at the beginning of the LP- the noise floor increases. LP is the mass media for the simple reason that is has wider bandwidth, lower distortion and lower noise than R2R, which makes it possible to encompass the R2R recording.

@atmasphere  : I remember that  in other thread the stereo/mono issue was under dialogue and you posted something like this: that CD can be recorded with stereo bass but the " operators " because " to lazy " they did not and in LP can be recorded in stereo too but is expensive to do it.

You don't mentioned the recorded information in the tape in the way you are doing here.

""" 
Saying that tape doesn't suffer EQ is ridiculous. """

no it's not because I refered in specific to the exactly and precise RIAA eq, additional I was precsie to post: whole LP playback process that between other things means a second inverse RIAA eq. and all the other " problems " through the analog rig.

I don't have any experience with a studio recordings for CD/LP sesssions but after that hot discussion in the thread started by RM ( designer Music Reference. ) about the RIAA issue I left to have 100% trust in you about the whole recording process.

So and because my ignorance/no experience I can take your word as 100% true or maybe not but still your " observation " is not was the OP ask. Yes you are free to post whatever you want.

R.

no it's not because I refered in specific to the exactly and precise RIAA eq, additional I was precsie to post: whole LP playback process that between other things means a second inverse RIAA eq. and all the other " problems " through the analog rig.

@rauliruegas Tape has a pre-emphasis curve (recording) as does the LP; in playback both have an EQ curve. Here's a nice link that explores the topic in detail:
http://pspatialaudio.com/tape%20equalisation%20correction.htm
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With regards to my suggestion about the Technics SL1200G, Technics had done some of the best work with servo controls in their direct drive machines years ago. This culminating in the SP-10 MkIII which by no coincidence goes for 5 figures on ebay as its one of the best 'tables ever made. The new SL1200G takes that servo work to a new level- but instead of all analog controls the speed is computer servo controlled. Its firmware can be updated via an internal USB port. In a nutshell the competition is very hard pressed to come up with a machine that ticks so many of the boxes for this sort of price. We've been selling a turntable for the last 15-20 years (the Atma-Sphere 208) which I've seen take on turntables that cost multiples of what we want for ours but IMO the Technics is a better machine.

Thank's for the link.

R.