Buying a new Gimbal tonearm that is actually close to double what I payed for the actual TT , it's a thinker 🤔 Even w the trade in potential it's steep!
The Delos is the best sounding cartridge i have heard, handily beats the Ortofon Cadenza Blue I had before, cleaner, smoother, clearer and more dynamic.
Shreds to bits the Soundsmith zephyr mimc star es and also better than the at ART9 series XA, XI.
If I had to compromise I would go for the more capable tonearm and cartridge rather than the turntable. They can be shifted to a better turntable in the future if you find the old one not acceptable. I would like to stress that the goal with turntables, cartridges and tonearms is that they should have no sound of their own. They should broadcast what is in the groove at the exact right and stable speed w/o any distortion. It always bothers me when someone quips that his turntable sounds warm, dynamic, with great timing, yada yada yada. Music has timing, turntables do not or are not supposed to. Any timing other than what the music calls for is distortion.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.