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Need some turntable guidance

Hi,

I'm new here, so let me give you some background.

I'd say I'm more of a record collector than audiophile.  About 15 years ago, life happened and I had to re-purpose my dedicated listening room, so I put most of my gear in storage.  I now have my listening room back and I'm putting my system back together.

Here's what I have:

TT 1: VPI TNT 4 with TNT 5 bearing and flywheel, Eminent Technology ET 2.5 Tonearm, Supex SDX-1100 cartridge

TT 2: Denon DP-1250 with Magnepan Unitrack tonearm, Grado Reference Series cartridge

Phono transformer: Supex SDT-722

Preamp: PS Audio 5.0 preamp

Amp: Bryston 3B

Speakers:  Apogee Duetta II

The Denon was used to evaluate the condition of new purchases and some casual/background listening, so I'll probably leave that alone for now.

I'd like to "modernize" my system a little bit, but as a record collector, my initial focus is on the turntable.  I've been looking around, and seems I have several options.

1. Leave well enough alone, keep the table and arm as is.

2. Upgrade the VPI, I see there's an inverted bearing and platter upgrade available for TNT models, and sell off the current platter and bearing.

3. Sell off the TNT, and get something a bit less fussy as leveling the air suspension can be a bit of a pain.

If I sell, I'll probably want to keep the ET.

I'd appreciate any guidance I can get on this.

Thanks,

Ctor


ctor
ctor OP
23 posts
 
chakster,

I'm listening to Eric Clapton Steppin' Out on Decca FFSS using my Denon DP-1250 with a Magnepan Unitrac 1 tonearm and a Grado Reference Platinum cartridge as I type this. I'm waiting on getting my spindle rewired from ET and some new belts for the VPI. It's a very satisfying combination, I'll grant you. The arm and table are certainly vintage though the cartridge is from the mid 90's.

On it's best day, with as perfect a setup I can muster, it never came close to what the VPI/ET2 could do with the same phono cartridge. IMHO and obviously your mileage does vary.



xaak
43 posts
 
Thanks. That sounds easy enough that maybe even I can do it.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,871 posts
 
Your gear is mostly still extremely nice by today’s standards. You obviously put a lot of thought into system building. After checking into the condition of your styli (potentially upgrading to a new MC cartridge), I’d look hard at the PS Audio phono preamp - a $1K preamp from so many years ago should have numerous options today for significant improvement. It could absolutely be the weak link of your system.

I don’t know much about the TNT turntables and their versions. My dealer had one as his personal table for a while before upgrading to a Clearaudio innovation Master, and it seemed quite nice. I seem to recall reading some posts about such-and-such version / configuration being much better than this-or-that, so significant research is warranted before making any moves there. With VPI, newer does not necessarily mean better, so definitely proceed with caution. The ET 2.5 arm is quite nice, fortunately you don’t have to suffer with a VPI unipivot :) And I think Supexes were the basis for Koetsu cartridges so if in good running condition should be quite nice too?
ctor OP
23 posts
 
mulveling, Thanks.

With the preamp, maybe, but using the Supex step-up transformer into the PS Audio, I never had reason to question it.  Now, maybe, but replacing the Bryston, which is the original generation 3b from the early 80's, would still be first on the list as far as electronics go.  There was much better available even 15 years ago when I had to put the system into storage, where trying new preamps back then really didn't give me a burning feeling I needed to upgrade.  Maybe after I get other things sorted out.

I never really looked back once I got the TNT, but I thought maybe enough time had passed that there might be something out there worth looking at today.

Yes, the Supex cartridge is exceptional.  When I bought it, I was running a Lyra Lydian.  I did some listening back and forth between the two, and the Supex stayed on the table until I had to store it.  I hope it still has the magic, I'll find out in a couple of weeks when I get my arm back from ET.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,871 posts
 
@ctor

Agree that perhaps it’s time to look at a newer amp to replace that Bryston. I think a lot of amp makers have made great strides in sound quality over the last 15-20 years, including Bryston themselves! Unfortunately the prices have gone up, up up too. I absolutely love my new VAC 200iQ mono amps, they sound like magic, but the price is up there in "firstborn" territory.

Yes, also agree a good SUT can make for an excellent half of the phono stage equation.

There was some interesting discussion a year ago - I forget where, here or audio asylum - on the pros/cons of inverted bearings. I think some of that was specifically around the VPI TNT tables. That would be good to peruse before making a decision there. You should also of course examine the condition of your existing bearing. Steve Leung of VAS (known for pretty intricate cartridge repair and manufacturing) has shared on his Facebook page photos specifically of VPI tables with extremely worn ball bearings that he’s repaired lately. Looked pretty scary, tbh. But if your bearing is damaged than a repair or replacement should make a huge improvement in playback for relatively low investment. I think Steve uses a TNT, actually. You might ask him for advice - he seems exceedingly knowledgeable.
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