It's so easy to get caught up on the looks alone of the TT. I can see the budget getting tweaked a bit just like my other gear. I had a firm $1000 budget for the whole system. A mark well missed.
Turntable recommendation
My wife and I are looking into getting a turntable. It would get light use as we mostly stream music via Qobuz. Current system is Bluesound Node, Yamaha CD-S303, Schiit Saga+, Schiit Vidar, NSMT Chorus 25 speakers and NSMT EXP15 sub. We do not have a record collection as of yet. Based on current gear and the fact that it will get light use. What makes sense? The $379 Yamaha CD player gets light use as well. Seems like a reasonable place to start budget-wise unless its all junk at this price point.
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For a budget of $1K the Pioneer PLX1000 ($699) with the Schiit Mani ($160) plus Grado Prestige ($90) and AT record weight ($38) comes in under the wire! Check out the review of the PLX1000 by Herb Reichert a few years back in the Stereophile archives. I bought one when I wanted to add a brand new turntable to my collection. |
jasonbourne71, OP My suggestion for a cartridge upgrade. It has both wide channel separation and tight channel balance, which yields improved imaging. That TT has a removable headshell, having the upgrade cartridge pre-mounted in a headshell is an advantage. https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/cartridges/type/moving-magnet/vm540ml-h It has an advanced stylus shape, Microline, info here https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information Yes, center weight, good idea I use this one https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at618a btw, I don't work for Audio Technica, they just make well priced good stuff!
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Nothing wrong with dipping your toes into vinyl, and seeing where it goes. You can build a nice collection a little at time. There are solid choices in the $500 range. Much of the quality boils down the cartridge and the phono stage. I've been running a modest AT-LP120X (modified) with a couple of good carts for 3 years, and have been totally happy. Several of the AT tables come with the AT-VM95E cartridge, which is a nice entry level cart, plus it has a great upgrade path with the ML and SH needles. The Fluance RT85 offers a decent table with a good Ortofon 2M Blue cart.
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