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Help with TT ideas for my first TT

Hi All,

I have been reading alot of reviews and searching around for my first TT.  ALot of recent recordings that i want are basically only coming out on vinyl or super crappy mp3.  I have an Aaron integrated amp, with some custom built SB Acoustic Monitors (Bromo).

I am looking at the marketplace in the 1 - 1.5k range and see I can find alot of different solutions and wanted to get peoples thoughts:

Marantz tt-15 - Seems like  bargain at 1500, but difficult to setup
Clearaudio Concept - good reviews, bumps against the magnetic arm (Cement floor at my place)
Music Hall MMF 7.3 - Seems like a great solution
VPI Cliff Wood
Pro-ject X1 or X2 - Have read some reports of motor noise
Rega Planar 2 or 3 - Seems to be they are what they are

With such a crowded field how do people choose?  I live in Central Mass, and dont have alot of options in terms of auditions so would love to get peoples thoughts. 
kro77
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,914 posts
 
+ 1 for the MoFi
kro77 OP
69 posts
 
Looking at the refurb MoFi Ultradecks now....

anyone have them, love the look.
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
When I wanted to add a new current production TT to my collection of vintage TT's I chose the Pioneer PLX1000. At $700 and another $300 for a Denon 103R mc cartridge this is a combination hard to beat for the performance/cost ratio!
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Clearaudio Concept - lean, analytical
Music Hall MMF 7.3 - Warmer, which is what you want in a budget component. "Seems like a great solution" Yes it does.
VPI Cliff Wood Another similar warmer more forgiving sound.
Pro-ject X1 or X2 - Have read some reports of motor noise
Rega Planar 2 or 3 - Maybe not as lean as Clearaudio, but close.

Setup and convenience of use are important but difficult setup is almost always exaggerated. More practical concern is cartridge output, since if its too low its hard to find a good phono stage for it in your price range. 

Really hard to go wrong with any of them. But if MMF seems like a great solution it probably is.
kro77 OP
69 posts
 
I am hearing the marantz maybe a good value of parts but they dont really work well together, or are harder to manage to get good sound out of compared to the others.,
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