Putting together turntable rig

Save up longer. In the meanwhile window shop and do your research.
Unless you have a lot of records I usually do not recommend getting started especially if you can't get yourself a starter collection of around 50 records. What happens is you buy a few records, play them over and over wearing them out until you are board with them. You wind up building a worn out collection of records you are board with. There is no streaming records. In this regards digital is unquestionably superior. 
Manu of us have thousands of records so, there is no getting away from it. Many enjoy the tinkering involved in maintaining a top notch record playing system. Some people get started just to prove they are serious audiophiles. This is just a serious waste of money. Many would be better off improving their digital playback.  

Dover, you are such a Sherlock Holmes, so I must be a millionaire according to your private investigation, bravo. How many cartridges per month do I sell, please tell me? I want you to recall my audiogon buyers, please. It’s funny to read you comment, because you see me as a businessman and blame me for something.

Let me tell you that audiogon is the worst platform for business, especially for vintage cartridges, if you think you can post something about cartridge and sell it next day privately you are naive like a 17 year old kid. I believe Raul and others posted about most of the cartridges in existence about 10 years ago.

Even if I can sell a few cartridges on audiogon (just like everyone on this forum), how does is correlate to my opinion about my best cartridges? Does it makes them bad or what? Or does it makes me dishonest about anything I posted? Very few people from audiogon asked me to sell a cartridge over the years, but many people asked for advice.

I have a good friend in Tokyo and there are a lot of work off-line to get some of the rarest NOS cartridges in perfect condition for my personal collection of the best vintage MM and MC. It’s my passion.

If you think you can get them online you are again naive like 17 y.o. kid. What you can get online in Japan is used cartridges listed as “junk” from the seller who can’t test them, and this is a blind deal, you know. Often kids sell their father’s or grandfather’s carts, but they have no clue what it is and don’t know how to grade them even if the cantilever is broken, they can’t make even a good pictures.

But audiophile scene is very strong in my county, some of the rarest stuff already here (speakers, cartridges, amps etc). If you search you will find them in Russia. And you probably missed those Japanese auctions 15 years ago (when the prices were 5 times cheaper).


What I like to do locally is to bring my mid priced vintage cart (and modern phono stage) for a demo for friends in their system. Once they hear it they want to throw away their inexpensive Ortofon, Grado, Nagaoka, AT ...


Local folks in my age, who are deep into music, doesn’t care about digital at all, they want vinyl. I’m happy to be surrounded by younger people who collect records (not files).


As been said before audiogon is for people over 60, but I’m 44.


I see a huge difference in preferred media format between people of different age. 

I have a good friend in Tokyo and there are a lot of work off-line to get some of the rarest NOS cartridges in perfect condition for my personal collection of the best vintage MM and MC.

Chakster, I have a good friend in Moscow who sells the finest Vodka - only the best potatoes are used - organically grown in only the finest of alluvial soils of course.

Didn't know you collect Vodka. 
Can’t help you, I prefer white wine. 
How a good vodka can help in discovering NOS cartridges you should ask your friend. 

The subject as stated by the op is a good one imo. Can we please stay on that subject and take the other argument elsewhere please?