Does a record player make that much of a difference??


Question for all you Audionerds - in your experience, how much of a difference does one record player make over the next compared with the differences that a cartridge, phone pre-amp, and separate head amp make in the signal chain?

Reason I ask: I just upgraded from a MM cart to a MC cart (Dynavector 20x2-low output). Huge difference - the Dynavector sounds much more alive and detailed compared with the MM. I find my current record player (a Marantz TT16) to be a real pain to work with - I have to manually move the belt on the motor hub to change speeds, and the arm is not very adjustable or easy to do so. But, aside from that, it's not terrible. How much of a difference can I really expect if I upgrade to a better record spinner vs the change I heard from upgrading to a better cart? 

My next acquisition is a separate head amp to feed the phono stage.

Thanks for all your insights!

Josh

joshindc

"Could be wrong, but my point is, I think the reason record-loving audiophiles put so much more attention and money on record players vs carts and phonostages is because there is more to look at."

What? How about because turntables cost much more, for commensurate quality, than either tonearms or cartridges?  That answers the "money" part of your hypothesis.  Whether audiophiles pay more "attention" to turntables than to other components of the vinyl chain is a matter of your opinion. Got some data to back that up?

You are speculating from your presumption. The turntable and its support is the foundation for everything further down the chain. While different cartridges may have wildly differing presentations, the turntable sets the fundamental characteristics of how well the transducer retrieves the music from the groove.

Volumes have been written…..my take is given competent speed, bearings, isolation and arm rigidity then the transducer is #1. Try changing one form of energy into another…. 

 

my short answer:

the difference between an expertly made and engineered easily makes a big difference in performance over one thats not. 

among turntables that are expertrly designed engineered and manufactured the cartridge make an  immediate sonic difference and the table makes or can make  a much less noticeable difference.