I ended up buying the PD 151 mk 1. I've been quite impressed here in the early going. I think the Volare would have been fine, but I wanted to keep this second system simple. The removable head shell is really cool. I'm considering the following cartridges. One of the Clearaudio MM's... I guess the Maestro. I have also heard great things about the Sumiko MM's. My price range is $500-$1000, give or take a few bucks.
Luxman PD 151 mk 1 or Feickert Volare
Price range is $3500-$4500, new or used. I'm considering a (likely used) Luxman pd 151 MARK 1 w/ the standard Jelco (250?) Arm or the Feickert Volare w/std Origin silver arm. If there was a dark horse 3rd option, it's a Kuzma (Pipe Bomb) Stabi S with a Jelco 250 or the like. I think all of the tables are very competent platforms so I think the Tonearm may be the deciding factor. I could see myself going with a Kuzma gimballed arm down the road, so future flexibility is important. As far as arm adjustments, the Jelco would have the edge because I could change the head shell out to another brand that would allow Azimuth adjustment. Beyond that the OL Silver and Jelco both allow VTA and anti-skate....This is a 2nd table for a second system...I want things to be simple and user friendly...sort of like how Technics users describe their experience of owning the 1500 or 1200G/GR.
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- 9 posts total
- 9 posts total