Advice and recommendations needed for a turntable rig...

@elliottbnewcombjr … If it is the Scoutmaster you’re referring to, then yeah.. it’s just doing its job well, year after year. Sometimes I’m seduced by a pretty face, or by an exciting design philosophy, but when the time comes to go head to head, it makes me appreciate what I have. I wouldn’t recommend it so highly if it didn’t earn that recommendation from me. I hope you’re enjoying your retirement. I’m still about ten years away. 🤷🏻‍♂️

krelldreams

I meant the Ovaltine Shaped gizmo from Bavaria.

I like your VPI a lot, EXCEPT fixed cartridge tonearm.

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This very positive review included this

"I am glad I had so many different cartridges to play on the Scoutmaster. They helped me characterize its essential quality: accuracy. This turntable does not romanticize, nor does it impose its own sound on the music in any way I can discern. Having swapped out all four cartridges numerous times I can attest to that. I hesitate to use the term neutral because in the ears of some audiophiles it connotes sterility or, worse, a kind of sonic banality. But that’s exactly what you get here. Slap in the Grado and its fulsome midrange comes through the VPI unclouded. Or switch to the Denon (which I like so much) and there is that balanced, unhurried and unflustered sound."

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I wonder how long it took this reviewer to change these 4 cartridges, on ANY fixed cartridge arm, then he says ’numerous times’.

He probably owns a Jaguar 12 cylinder, a member of the Masochist club, (or a JVC TT-801, masochist membership required).

Disconnect the 4 wires; unscrew the cartridge; screw in the next cartridge (often a nightmare); hook up the 4 wires; adjust overhang; adjust null points; check arm height, adjust? check azimuth, adjust (how with that or most fixed cartridge arm?) adjust tracking weight; adjust tracking force.

4 cartridges-numerous times. I’d run out of curse words and I know plenty of them. (don’t drop any nuts/washers/screws)

numerous times: have some clips, silver solder, soldering skills to replace the cartridge pin clip that broke off. Insulation on clip? Rewire tonearm?

I do what he did, numerous times, without hesitation, no masochist me:

with my alternate cartridges pre-mounted in their own headshells. Overhang and null points done, azimuth done. If arm height is not right, my Acos Lustre GST-801 arm has the smoothest easiest arm height I ever touched, I adjust it while playing. I’m pretty quick at tracking weight, and use a blank LP for anti-skate.

What I really advocate is a TT with TWO Tonearms, two cartridges ready to go; one arm with removable headshell, that arm with easy arm height adjustment.

That’s why I think this Technics SP-10 MKII, with Acos arm is a terrific combo, on eBay, $2,995. + shipping

Technics Sp-10 Mkii Turn Table W/sh-10b3 Obsidian Base & Lustre Gst-801

Nice but price is a bit stiff unless both are mint and table is thoroughly refurbished, IMO. 

US Audio Mart

Luxman 441. Acos 801 arm, asking $2,300.

ad says ’air bearing’. it is not, it uses the magnetic field of the Direct Drive motor to raise/reduce the bearing force. 1/4" thick iron plate within.

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I helped my friend get the wider PD-444 (two tonearms), this one on eBay, $1,990. delivered, 60 day returns. Add one arm now, 2nd arm later if desired.

LUXMAN PD444 record player Quartz lock direct drive Arm USED Japan #4903

We put two Micro-Seiki 505s on it (one long). Removable headshell and adjustable fitting for azimuth.

Had I known about it, I would have chosen it over my JVC Plinth, which is deeper rather than wider: I had a deeper 2nd glass top hanging over the back made

The Luxman fits anywhere there is enough width.

I squeezed a 3rd arm on my JVC, couldn’t do that with the Luxman

Luxman has hinged (removable) dust cover (you can play with it raised. My JVC, I lift the big factory dust cover off, and have a nearby spot for it, you need to plan for that to be easy and avoid scuffs with removable ones.