jm, it is really a toss up from a performance perspective. I would go with the one you like the looks of best. I would make one comment and this is going to cause some consternation. In this price range you are better off staying with high output cartridges. They are a better value and signal to noise in the phono stage is not as critical. The Maestro V2 is excellent although the outboard cantilever makes many nervous. The Soundsmith Zephyr another excellent choice along with cartridges from Grado, Audio Technica and Goldring. You would have to spend considerably more on a moving coil cartridge and phonostage to equal the performance of these cartridges.
Help buying first analog rig - Clearaudio Concept or Rega P6
I am in the process of purchasing my first major analog rig since I was teen back in the 80's. My system has been digital. I had a period of about 8 years where I did not do much with audio as we were moving and building a new home. Shortly after our home was built, but before the basement was finished and the alarm was installed, we had a break in. Among the many things other things taken, they took a box of my CD's, basically all my SACD's. So when I the basement was finished and got setup again it prompted me to get into streaming. I have a dedicated listening room which is pretty big 16 x 25 and 9' ceiling on a concrete slab (i know that helps with turntables) with laminate flooring and area rug. My System is pretty straight forward digital.
-Innuos Zen mkIII to stream and play my ripped CD's along with other hi-rez digital I have purchased and some DSD's
-Chord Qutest fed with a Shunyata Alpha USB from the Zen
-PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated
-Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII
-Purist Audio Venustas Luminist Speaker and RCA cables, Shunyata Venom NR V10 power cables
The only small stack of vinyl I own is what I had as a teen, 80's rock which I may listen to occasionally, but I plan on buying new vinyl. I listen to a lot of Jazz - Coltrane, Davis, etc, a lot of modern bluegrass mostly female vocal like Sarah Jarosz, Sierra Hull, Alison Krauss.
The 2 tables that I seem to have gravitated towards are:
-Rega P6 with Hana EL
-Clearaudio Concept wood with the black satisfy arm and either their Concept MC or Maestro V2 cartridge.
I know the Concept does not come with a dust cover, no big deal for me, I can always add one down the road.
Phono pre
-Sutherland KC Vibe
-MS Phenomena 2+
My budget was originally 3000 for the table/cart and pre, but I really like the concept wood ascetically, it would fit nicely in my rustic/industrial decor which has a lot of wood. I know its not about ascetics, but I am just not crazy about the look of Rega, but it does get great reviews. My rack is butcher block and iron pipe, so the table would sit on the top shelf next tot he PrimaLuna. I am the kind of person that does not mind tinkering and I understand the inconvenience of records vs digital, but I am looking for the natural, openness and beauty that vinyl brings to the system. What am I missing?
-Innuos Zen mkIII to stream and play my ripped CD's along with other hi-rez digital I have purchased and some DSD's
-Chord Qutest fed with a Shunyata Alpha USB from the Zen
-PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated
-Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII
-Purist Audio Venustas Luminist Speaker and RCA cables, Shunyata Venom NR V10 power cables
The only small stack of vinyl I own is what I had as a teen, 80's rock which I may listen to occasionally, but I plan on buying new vinyl. I listen to a lot of Jazz - Coltrane, Davis, etc, a lot of modern bluegrass mostly female vocal like Sarah Jarosz, Sierra Hull, Alison Krauss.
The 2 tables that I seem to have gravitated towards are:
-Rega P6 with Hana EL
-Clearaudio Concept wood with the black satisfy arm and either their Concept MC or Maestro V2 cartridge.
I know the Concept does not come with a dust cover, no big deal for me, I can always add one down the road.
Phono pre
-Sutherland KC Vibe
-MS Phenomena 2+
My budget was originally 3000 for the table/cart and pre, but I really like the concept wood ascetically, it would fit nicely in my rustic/industrial decor which has a lot of wood. I know its not about ascetics, but I am just not crazy about the look of Rega, but it does get great reviews. My rack is butcher block and iron pipe, so the table would sit on the top shelf next tot he PrimaLuna. I am the kind of person that does not mind tinkering and I understand the inconvenience of records vs digital, but I am looking for the natural, openness and beauty that vinyl brings to the system. What am I missing?
- ...
- 44 posts total
Congrats on the return to enjoying music. I have a Rega table (P8) and when I auditioned turntables part of my research was understanding the manufacturer’s philosophy on what design factors drive the best performance. I appreciated the low mass approach because it meant that the investment was in making the components effective and efficient. I like the P6 and the plinth along with the separate power source are strengths that hep with performance. The difference in tone arm and cartridge as well as the selected phono are the areas where I believe hearing will guide your choice. Good luck! |
Personally, I would go for Musichall 9.1 or 11.1 - whichever suits your budget. Both of these turntables seem to have a great feature list The 9.1 MUSIC HALL MMF9.3 TURNTABLE – Vinyl Sound
MUSIC HALL MMF11.3 TURNTABLE – Vinyl Sound
. |
Good point Chakster. In that light the Audio Technica VM760SLC and the Goldring 1042 are the best current cartridges I have heard with removable styli. On the other hand Soundsmith is local and charges very low prices for stylus replacement. There are reasonable arguments as to why these cartridges may perform better but in reality the AT and Goldring cartridges are going to sound just as good if not better in some minds. |
- 44 posts total