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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
knollbrent's avatar
knollbrent
526 posts
 
Yes @kro77 now look for reviews regarding albums you want. I bought 10 of my favorite artists albums right out of the gate and the mastering/press was terrible. Blonde, Mellencamp, Springsteen, Amy Whinehouse to name a few. Never made that mistake again. I research a lot before buying any album. 2 1/2 years ago, I had no albums. Now I have over 500 from all genres and just ordered 5 more. I love the ritual with vinyl.
bkeske's avatar
bkeske
5,597 posts
 
And check out Discogs for good older LP’s. Or even eBay, but that can be more iffy. 
I’ve gotten a lot of great LP’s on Discogs, at a fraction of what new ones cost.
kro77 OP
69 posts
 
Good tip
jfuquay
112 posts
 
+1 for Discogs. I buy classical and jazz, but assume rock is the same experience. I have had great luck with quality and prices, and while USPS Media Mail, used for shipping, is cheap it can be pretty slow.  The Discogs blog is also a very good source of information — top picks by genre, Best albums by artist, that sort of thing. Make sure you have an Audioquest carbon fiber brush, or similar, for cleaning. Vinyl needs to be clean, clean, clean. And take care of that cartridge tip while you’re at it.
dj-listens's avatar
dj-listens
3 posts
 
I had a project 1expression with Ortofon 2m bronze cart. When looking to upgrade, I tried a Rega P6 with exact cartridge which was only slightly better than my project table. I wanted a dramatic upgrade so I ended up with a VPI Prime Scout. I am so happy I went this way. The second I dropped the needle on this table, I was in heaven. It is upgradeable to their Prime as well which means, this will likely be my last table. I am using the Ortofon 2M Bronze on this table as well.
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