Turntable Upgrade Advice


Hello all!

I am considering upgrading my Clearaudio Concept TT in the near future to something a little more substantial. I have a short list at the moment, so was wondering if anyone has any insight into these and whether or not they would be an upgrade worth the investment. 

1. Michell Gyrodec SE with Technoarm 2 ($5445)
2. Transrotor Darkstar with RB-330 ($5635)
3. Transrotor ZET 1 with RB-330 ($6365)
4. Nottingham Hyperspace with Ace-Space arm ($6590)

The Nottingham and ZET 1 are 'stretch' possibilities that are technically a little above my budget.

Mostly listen to Jazz on vinyl, but do play a variety of genres occasionally, if that makes any difference. 

128x128mmcgill829

Not sure about current pricing but maybe take a look at the Feickert Volare. As long as you have a good place to site it it is a great value with the Origin Live Silver and you can upgrade it later to a higher end model like the Encounter or Illustrious that will add significantly to the performance.

@dodgealum with the origin live silver, it comes in at $3995 new, which is a fair amount less than the other options I listed above. Is it a significant step above the clearaudio concept? 

Go with the Michell. It is a lot of turntable for the money and the arm is excellent. I think it is just as good if not better than the other turntables you mentioned.

@vinylshadow I have. The Resolution and Sovereign models seem pretty nice, but I can only find one dealer in the US that sells them online and they are pretty barebones with no descriptions or data or info on what comes with them (if anything). I'm assuming these are sold without arms, which would put the Sovereign out of my price range, but the Resolution could be possible depending on arm choice. I just don't know much about them at all.

@mijostyn The Michell has been one of my favorites for a long time (I really like the orbe as well, but it approaches $8500 new with the TechnoArm, which is beyond what I'd be able to budget - however, it is one I'd also be considering used if at a good price).