Every day I see another turntable recommendation...


After digging into this topic, I am convinced now I need to go a bit higher on this first vinyl set up. I think all in, I am prepared at this point to go up to $5k, for the table alone, not including arm or cartridge.

But frankly, being on this forum is like drinking from an information firehose. I have learned a bunch and yet somehow, I am less convicted than before.

With that in mind, to narrow down the decision, I am want to restrict myself to things I can buy, hear and, if necessary, service locally. My local dealers stock, AMG, AVM, Basis, Clearaudio, Michell, Musichall, Pro-ject, Rega, VPI, so I am likely restricted to those brands. I am certain my view will change by the end of this thread.

saulh

@saulh the OP has made the following statement, which pretty much means he is keen to be able to receive a demonstration of from a local support network.

"to narrow down the decision, I am want to restrict myself to things I can buy, hear and, if necessary, service locally. My local dealers stock, AMG, AVM, Basis, Clearaudio, Michell, Musichall, Pro-ject, Rega, VPI, so I am likely restricted to those brands".

If the OP follows through with this intention they will have at the least received a demonstration of TT's of interest in their locality, resulting in the most important that their ears being used as the Judge, their eyes will certainly have a influence, and any third party influences being introduced from a sales viewpoint will potentially impact on a overall assessment.

Many years ago in my earliest days of receiving demonstrations of TT's and TT's vs CD at a Dealership with a dedicated listening room, I would ask to be left by myself and not be exposed to the Sales Pitch, I would only ask for the support of sales when a device was to be exchanged, I would encourage the OP to adopt this method of carrying out a demonstration as well.

The OP does anticipate that their own selections might be increased with suggestions from others being offered. 

I really do hope the OP does receive demonstrations of devices that are of interest, and even better is using the local suppliers, try and have a follow up Home Demo' as well.

In my Country not too many years past when Dealerships were abundant and regularly available to visit, the idea of a customer requesting a follow up Home Demo' was a recognised part of the service, a purchase made on their premises only was an easy sale. 

To purchase a device on the strength of hearsay or a review is using fantasy as ones guide, no matter what they conjure up in their minds to justify the purchase the reality of a performance from the product when encountered can prove to be quite different during the assessment , to how another's assessment and description relates to it.     

 

For what it is worth, I enjoy my VPI and Hana cartridge a lot. I did have a Tavish Adagio phono stage and it was good, but surprisingly my new McIntosh preamp has a better sounding phono stage, so I sold the Tavish. 

That said, if you have a good enough phono stage or a higher end preamp with a decent phono stage you don't have to buy everything at once and can take your time to build it up. That approach also has the benefit of of hearing each component on its own merits in your system to be sure you are getting your money's worth out of each piece.

@saulh

At the price point you’re looking at, there’s probably no "great" turntable, but alot of good turntables that you can really enjoy. But it’s a great place to whet your analog auditory appetite, so that you hopefully can move up to higher end turntables, where (in my opinion) it’s easier to appreciate vinyl. Rega is very good for a beginner, plug and play (and probably can't be beat for less than $5,000 for table, arm, and cartridge), but at $5,000 for a turntable alone (and probably another $2,000-5,000 for cartridge and another $2,000-5,000 for tonearm), I would look at other brands, with the understanding that whatever you buy, there will be limitations to it. I would just recommend reading reviews here and on other sites, and then you (fortunately) have the ability to audition what you are then interested in. At this price point, you probably can’t go wrong with anything. Just purchase what is available to you where you are, and enjoy it until you’re ready to move up the ladder.

Best wishes with your musical journey.