The best TT system for under 30K

Dear @uwiikz : You are the fastest " gun-figther " I ever seen in my audio life.

Fortunatelly your chice for analog rig is a good one and I think that before pull the triger so fast due to your " emotions " took a little time to learn because believe it or not speaking of the analog alternative you have a lot to learn. I have over 38+ years about and I can tell you that I’m still learning. We all need learn to walk before we really can run in any audio subject.

Good that the dealer will makes the set up at your place and here the first target is to define where the TT will be " seated " and I mean not only in which position in the room/system but above which damped perfect leveled platform, these issues are extremely important for a top overall quality performance.

Your dealer must teachs you not only all the whole set up proccess but the fine tunning tips/high ligths to that set up, maybe you will need/take more than one " lesson " about to through the time you can be totally " independent " with no help by your dealer or Kuzma.

Other issue along the set up is that your dealer must tells you in specific which kind of maintenance needs the TT and air line tonearm/compresor if any.

Fortunatelly too you meet in your thread to two same Kuzma TT/tonearm owners ( @whart and @ferrari275 ) dedicated music lovers/audiophiles that by first hand experiences are two really authorized " voices " where you can look for help or some advises/tips on your analog rig. You are lucky.

You need too to learn what kind of maintenance needs the cartridge it self and first than all is to mantain the stylus tip in clean condition, there are several " tools " to do it and you need to learn about.

Yes, your new LPs needs maintenance too that means, between other things, that been in clean conditions.

My advise here is that don’t pull the triger on what terry posted about and first go for the @lalitk advise where the same manufacturer has 2-3 models.

At the end terry said that after 1,500 hours a stylus tip was destroyed but 1,500 hours of playing means to listen LPs for 3 hours daily through 500 days and I can tell you ( almost for sure. ) and you can be sure that after 300 hours ( maybe less. ) listening to your your cartridge you will be looking for newer cartridges than can outperforms what you have rigth now.

In the other side the stylus tip it self cleans the LP grooves and ( between other things. ) that’s why you need to mantain clean that cartridge stylus tip. Here you have to really take care when doing it because as other gentleman posted here: the cartridge/cantilever/stylus tip is extremely fragile.

To learn the more in the analog alternative you will need to " move " by what you learned using your brain and not only your " emotions ". Obviously that you can move it as you want it because at the end is your money and your room/system, it’s only an opinion.

These are good and trusty sources to buy LPs and cartridge/LP maintenance products and other audio items:

https://www.musicdirect.com/vinyl/diana-krall-live-in-paris-numbered-limited-edition-180g-45rpm-viny...

https://elusivedisc.com/search?search_query=diana+krall#/filter:custom_format:Vinyl

https://store.acousticsounds.com/


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I think I paid less than $30k for all the gear on this image, purchased everything used step by step, market value can be more and retail is much more... Actually it’s much more than one person need (many speakers, turntables, tonearms, cartridges, cables, phono stages etc).

But when I see a person willing to spend $30k on one turntable alone, without knowing much about analog and being a victim of the high-end propaganda, I think it’s some sort of illness. Looking for a cartridges at $5000-8000 price tag as a started is definitely not right. Don’t let them rip you off. In fact you can buy so many cartridges, tonearms, turntables for $30k instead of one, so it's the only way to understand, there is not such things as "best" for everyone, you can only try and compare yourself. 

Raul, you say the the OP will tire of his cartridge long before it wears out. I'm not so sure.

He is using a Miyajima cartridge, probably better than the one which I own, which is the Zero (a mono offering). I can say unequivocally that the Zero is in the same league as the DC Koetsu; lacking the ultimate refinement, but then one does expect to get SOMETHING for an extra $10K. So my experience with Miyajima is very positive.

I think it likely that the OP will continue to enjoy his Miyajima for decades to come - maybe not as his primary cartridge, but as an enjoyable alternative nevertheless. Decades. I do not think that you are being rational in this, and that is before we even consider the sonic benefits.

Further, there are the sonic benefits of US - not subtle to my ears, much greater than the difference between the Koetsu and Miyajima. I say, "Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you."

uwiiks, you have some fabulous equipment there, so just a word of caution. The magnets in your cartridge are very powerful. Do not let anything which is magnetic get anywhere near them. No watch straps, no coins, only tools - and even then, not too close and only when carefully controlled.

Don't ask me how I know. Good luck! 

@chakster - I think your taking shots at the high end through this new user's thread is a little misplaced. You seem to know old MM cartridges well based on what I've seen and that's a valuable contribution. The turntable this person bought is a good one based on my experience with it. Perhaps you should take your own advice, to the effect "that there is not such things as "best" for everyone, you can only try and compare yourself." The poster did get to hear the table and is buying the set up at what is apparently a good price. Don't begrudge him that.