Turntable upgrade recommendations: SME vs AMG vs Technics vs other

@sokogear 

Yes, I appreciate my Rega P8, but you're right, Rega doesn't get any respect in the audiophile community.  Maybe there's some valid rationale for that, as they don't subscribe to either major turntable paradigms:  mass or suspension.  I am very happy with my Rega P8, but it would be interesting to compare to a "higher quality" turntable to flesh out the differences:  strengths and weaknesses, etc.

@rauliruegas 

Yes, the FM223 is apparently in very high demand, and it is quite expensive, at about 3 x the price of the standard Ypsilon phono stage or 1.5 x the price of the SE version.  I would imagine that the FM223 would be worth it, but for me that would be like going from a base Mercedes to a top of the line Bugatti -- perhaps I need to go to the upper level Porsche first? (less expensive than the Bugatti, but more performance than the Mercedes).

"" As a general rule, every active device (transistor or tube) in the signal path increases noise. ""

and passive device too. So, what? other than different kind of " noise "/distortion.

Dear @drbond  :  We already know that everything ( items. ) in the overall analog rig is critical: TT/cartridge/tonearm and for good reasons.

Now, you can have/own the ultimate: analog rig with the best whole capacity for the cartridge can pick-up " all " the recorded signal in those grooves adding the less every kind of distortions but the next step is the hardest and more " terrifying " for that recorded audio signal because that extremely delicate and sensitive signal must be amplified at a level that can be handled by the line stage or by the speaker amplifier and this kind of amplification is a true challenge for any phono stage that needs to amplify 10K times with no noise and no distortion ( those is imposible to achieve, nothing is perfect. ) or at least mantain at minimum to preserve the original audio signal integrity and things does not finish with the amplifiying steps but it comes additional steps in the phono stage that even degrades higher the cartridge signal than the amplifiying proccess and this is the proccess of the inverse RIAA eq that must be accurated with at minimum everykind of distortions.

The task of a phonolinepreamp will demands the best electronic design you can achieve to mantain at minimum the whole signal degradation that happens in the phono stage proccecess.

Yes, you need the Bugatti and if you think you do not then why to worry to change your RP-8 or your cartridge?

Don't you think?

R.

Hi @lewm ,

Here is a bad thing about a spring-suspended DD turntable: The energy put into rotation of the platter is also going to twist the chassis on its suspension, in the direction opposite to platter rotation (counter-clockwise).

EMT had solution for this issue for "light weight models 948, 938. Look at page 5.

Model 950 had a very light patter and very heavy 70kg chassis.

@rauliruegas 

Thank you for sharing your ideal set up.  I would probably agree with you if I had the chance to listen to that system, but I don't know if I'm ready to make the jump to a FM223 just yet. 

You definitely helped educate me about the true distinctions between a 9" and 12" tonearm. 

However, I do find it interesting that you recommend the Ortofon MC Verismo over the Ortofon MC Anna Diamond.  The MC Anna Diamond is supposed to be a higher quality, but perhaps you know something about the cartridges that I don't?

Thanks.