Putting together turntable rig

Do you have much vinyl now?

What type of music do you listen to? especially: do you listen to artists that made their mark in the Mono era prior to 1958 when LP’s went Stereo (mono continued into the 60’s).

Mono recording technics were terrific, and they sound best played with a true Mono cartridge, played thru Mono Mode, Played thru only one of your speakers, L or R, either one. McIntosh (not all), other makers, have Mode Switches I never want to live without.

The distinctness (not imaging) of individual players/instruments without surrounding distortions that Stereo cartridges/stereo modes/two speakers often create is very enjoyable. Also, you can listen anywhere the sound reaches in your home which provides many optional experiences.

IF so, I advise you start with a table that can eventually have two tonearms, so you have both Stereo arm and Mono arms setup for instant back and forth in a listening session: i.e. Miles Davis Mono, Stereo, Oscar Peterson ... Louis Armstrong Stereo, then one of his Mono LP’s

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If you click on anyone's user name, then click 'details', if they have added their System, click on it. I just added mine. I went with Vintage JVC, it evolved in 3 stages: 1 long stereo arm; add 2nd arm for Mono ready to go; squeeze in 3rd arm, move Mono there, put favorite MM in the back.

I overdid mine and squeezed in a 3rd arm, ended up with MC Stereo; MM Stereo; Mono.

I wish I had the end game in mind when I started. JVC 2 arm Plinths, CL-P2 pop up often, I found out later they make a rare to find 3 arm plinth CL-P3.
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IF you get the bug to have a long arm, these big Plinths allow that, BUT, check the clearances when the dust cover is on. My long arm, I had to raise it to get high enough for the height of the platter, it just fits. The 3rd arm, I found a very compact Mission with short counterweight tube and small diameter base plate to just fit.

JVC Long Arms, i.e. 7082 usually the rubber gasket needs repair, not hard, but be advised. They are not full 12", I think they finish at 11-5/8", I went for 12.5" effective, risked an unknown arm, got lucky.

If you have no idea about cartridge yet, but already mentioned some tonearms, I want to say that tonearm and cartridge must be matched to each other (moving mass vs. compliance).

You already have MC cartridge (Hana) and this particular cartridge can be upgraded with much better performers withing $1k budget, but if you considering NOS vintage then you can get something special (it must be MM or MI).

1) I have Reed 3p in my vaults, this is very expensive tonearm, I remember it was fantastic with two expensive cartridges (AT-ML180 and AT-ML170). I currently have two NOS samples. Those are mid compliance cartridges, they are perfect for all modern tonearms.

Let me post a quote from one very interesting article in the back issue of TAS (The Analog Sound, Issue 40) magazine called "Assessing the State-of-the-Art in Storage Media". In this, J. Tammblyn Henderson reports on a listening session comparing digital master tape, analogue master tape, direct-to-disc lacquer and the "live" mike feed; the report consists of a long conversation among J.Boyk, Keith Johnson, Doug Sax, and J. Tammblyn Henderson himself (read below):

What cartridge could have the "lowest distortion of all," "uncanny" resolution, better than master tapes?

Kavi Alexander, auteur of the remarkable Water Lily Acoustics series of analogue vinyl discs, is monitoring disc production by comparing test pressings to the master tape. What cartridge is he using?Another moving magnet, this time the TECHNICS EPC 100 mk4. But he describes the AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-ML170 as very similar, and very close to the actual sound of the tape. In this comparison, he says, virtually no moving coil does so well; most have seriously apparent coloration.

The contrast between these views of moving magnet cartridges and usual audiophile opinion is striking. On the one hand, we have assurances from these leaders of the High-End recording industry that the best MOVING MAGNETS are very close to the master tape (or live mic feed, for direct to disc) and that they are capable of "uncanny" resolution. On the other hand, we have the prevailing perception, amounting almost to a shibboleth, of the High-End listening community, that only MOVIN COILS are realistic in some sense of that word and that moving magnets are incapable of sonic truth.

As ASP pointed out in TAS (Issue 70), the audiophile consumer and dealer community is massively arrayed against MOVING MAGNETS cartridges. But experimentation is interesting, and in this case inexpensive. If your audiophile friends give you a hard time, you’ll certainly have a pat answer: you can say if it’s good enough for Kavi Alexander, Jim Boyk, and Doug Sax, it’s good enough for me. The AT-ML170 has tip resonance at 40 kHz, and hence response that extends to that frequency at least. Flanders again: "The ear can’t hear as high as that. Still, it ought to please any passing bat." Seriously, though, such ultra-extension does seem to be associated with exceptional top end clarity.

Everyone is entitled to personal tastes, but truth is truth. If you want to hear something like the truth, I still say-no matter what everyone else is using-that you should buy a flat-top cartridge like the AT-ML170 and avoid all MC cartridges with a rising top-end. If the sound of live music is your goal, why would you want to hear a sound which is not only untrue to its source but also is something you are "seldom conscious of live".

2) On a light mass tonearm I use SONY XL-50 with Boron Pipe cantilever, I just mounted one of my Sony today and I’m shocked, it’s so much better on a light mass tonearm (previously I tried XL-50 on mid mass arm only). I am happy that XL-50 is underrated, so I bought many samples, including NOS. This is my cartridge of the month. Where else you can get a cartridge with Boron Pipe cantilever for reasonable cost today? Sony is amazing. The XL-50 is one of two finest Moving Magnet cartridges from SONY. Very special features are as follows: The Joint-less delta-type core; Boron Pipe cantilever and nude Super Elliptical Diamond; A screw holds the stylus holder firmly in place; Distortion caused by flex is virtually eliminated; Cup-shaped damper and tension wire! This lightweight and high compliance cartridge is designed for low mass tonearms like my Denon DL-401. Loading recommended by the manufacturer is from 47k Ohm to 100k Ohm (I use 100k). Cartridge output is 2.0 mV. Frequency response is pretty wide: 10Hz - 50000Hz!


Your cartridge is the most important component in analog chain, if you want the most noticeable upgrade in sound quality just change your cartridge. And don't believe the hype (MC is not better than proper MM).  

Thanks for the suggestions, it’s greatly appreciated, but I think my writing was not clear enough. 
To answer the question, I do have just a hand full of vinyl, and listening to Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock and Classic.


I try to get a feeling which component I should value the most for the begining, since I can not afford all of my final component’s at once. 
For example, is it better to get a:

1. $6000 turntable - $1000 arm - $2000 cartridge - phono preamp around $1000

or

2. $3000 turntable incl. the arm - $2500 cartridge - phono preamp $4500

or

3. $1500 turntable - $7000 for arm and cartridge - $1500 phono preamp

The weakest parts will then be updated further down the road.

Will visit tomorrow a local dealer for information, but wanted to get some more opinions.

Sorry for not being clear enough the first time.