It was a tough call. With the VPI you can do SO many upgrades to the table. You do have full adjustment of the arm. Plus it's a substantial table. Big and heavy. It looks and sounds expensive. The REGA RP10 is everything opposite the VPI. It's small and light. When in its skeleton plinth looks like a 500 dollar turntable. All you know that it's high end is the diamond machined ceramic platter. The ultra precision bearings are out of sight. I like it. It's very sleek, modern and very very quiet. I was offered a VPI HRX for 5 grand . It was tempting. But my digital is in need of a severe upgrade. AURELIC VEGA G2 DAC is next months purchase.
Should I buy a VPI SCOUTMASTER. I OWN 25 RECORDS.
Should I pursue analog? Invest maybe 3 or 4 grand in a table and start buying records? Some stuff sounds really good on Vinyl but it's an expensive endeavor and NEW records aren't cheap. Plus thos pops and noise and a lot of setup required. Love the vintage aspect of it. Some records sound truly amazing on a really good table and cartridge. Take the plunge? Or buy a better DAC and dont look back!!! Lol.
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I may also consider the soundsmith MM because of its superior stability compared to a MC. The Hana is good but a REAL MC cartridge starts around 2 thousand bucks.Weird. I switched from a Soundsmith Carmen to a Hana SL and the improvement was incredible. The Carmen isn’t even in the same league, let alone the same ballpark. The linked thread details the experience of a guy who "downgraded" to the Hana SL from a Koetsu Rosewood: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/so-glad-i-took-a-chance-on-a-hana-cartridge.751483/#post-18685655 I also posted in that thread regarding some trouble I was having with the bass of my SL, but disregard all of that, it turned out to be a problem further up the chain. My local dealer used to listen to a Koetsu Rhodonite on a regular basis. He's considered one of the most talented analog gurus in the industry and sets up 5-figure analog systems regularly. He will tell you Hana carts are hands down the best value out there. |
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