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Turntable cost:benefit

I read the new Garrard 301 review in the current "Stereophile" with great interest, especially as my father owned one which he jettisoned decades ago...most unfortunately. Anyway, appealing as the re-issue is, the cost is punitive, as noted by the author.

With that preamble, I'm interested in forum members' thoughts on the cost:benefit ratio of a high priced turntable for a modest vinyl collection. In my case, that's around 800 LPs. Another reason I'm curious is that I have a friend who simply "decided to get into vinyl" and bought a ~$15k turntable plus a comparably priced tonearm + cartridge. He owned zero vinyl at the time of the purchase. Now I think he has about 20 "audiophile" pressings to enjoy on that TT.

To answer my own question, I can't justify a turntable at that price level for my own vinyl collection. Actually, I can't really summon up a compelling argument for such a purchase. Plus, I'm quite content with my  VPI HW-19 Mk 2 (though a better cartridge would be attractive).

Assuming disposable funds are not the absolute deciding factor and other components in your system are good enough to support a high end TT, what size record collection do readers think justifies a turntable costing over some arbitrary (say around $3000 for the purposes of argument) threshold? Is that even a consideration?
kacomess
kacomess OP
200 posts
 
dweller,
Perhaps you misapprehended my comment. I am an avid vinyl listener and I'm perfectly content with my present system. My LPs have accumulated over quite a few years.

I posted this comment simply as a point of discussion. It was prompted by both the 301 review and the recent TT acquisition by a friend, as I explained.

To further qualify: if I had $24k in easily disposable funds at hand, I still couldn't rationalize that sort of purchase. In short, the cost:benefit calculation doesn't work for me, regardless of circumstances. I'm just curious about what others think.
rdk777's avatar
rdk777
573 posts
 
I don't think that's even a consideration.  I spent $10k on table with 0 vinyl because I wanted to get back into vinyl - grew up listening to vinyl.  Now I have a 100 or so albums and just upgraded my turntable to the Kuzma Stabi R with the 4P tonearm. Honestly, I don't imagine myself owning 800 albums - i'll buy a couple of albums/month and that'll quench my vinyl thirst and I'll listen to hi-res streaming for the rest. This hobby does not support cost-benefit.
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Why don't you look into buying a 301 or 401 Garrard table, having it serviced, get a plinth made, put an arm and cartridge on it, and enjoy? That's what I did some years ago, and I am very content.

With everything needed to get back into vinyl, my cost was under $5000. Still quite a bit of money, but you get generally what you pay for. I certainly did. You can have a look on my Virtual System. I believe it has been very cost effective for the sound quality I get with it. I agree, $23,000 is ridiculous, unless you have money to burn.

Regards,
Dan
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,865 posts
 
What Dan said. My AudioGrail 401 in a slate plinth with a new steel idler, new heavier platter, and oversize bearing cost about $4200 (+ 2 tonearms) and would trash that SME for less than a quarter of their asking price. To answer your question on number of albums... When your rig sounds this good, you will start collecting records, scouring used record stores for great 60s recordings, and have a good number in years to come.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
What the hell does the number of records have to do with it? You have 20 records you loved enough to buy but you don't love them enough to want to hear them sound even better? But if you have 100,000 crappy dirty scratched up records of no-hit wonders you'd never in your life play for yourself let alone anyone else suddenly this justifies a $30k rig? Are you kidding me?

And don't try to hide behind "crappy scratched up", you know what I mean. You either have records you love and want them to sound better, or you don't. You either want to hear the music you love sound as good as it can, or you just want to hear a lot of different music and the hell with how good it sounds.

I have now at least half a dozen White Hot Stampers. A cheap one might be under $100, if you're lucky, but anything really desirable can run $300 or more. By your logic I would have to play each one 100,000 times to be worth owning. Sorry if that sounds stupid, it is. But its your logic NOT MINE!

Mine is: you love it, its worth it. You don't, it's not. My system, every bit of it, totally worth it. Yours... is yours.
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