$800 Cartridge Shootout and Upgrade Path

I have to agree with Tom here. I had a budget (that I blew all to hell) and wanted to get the best bang for the buck. By being able to build my own plinth for the Teres, I saved a considerable amount of money. And I am extremely happy with the end result. I also believe in the "rules of analog" as Tom states them: TT, then arm, then cartridge. I understand why you wanted to do the cartridge first, but I went the opposite direction. That's all a matter of opinion. But, so is everything else here.

So I started with the Teres, 2 different Rega based arms, and the 103r. The more I listen to other setups with high dollar arms and cartridges, the more I am amazed by how good this low-dollar rig sounds. I've got a buddy with a full-blown LP12 setup. He can't believe how much better my rig sounds, considering I spent about 25% of what he did. And our electronics are very similar, both of us being of the tube school. I think his next purchase will be a mass-loaded table, after he takes a beating on the Linn. He has finally seen the light!

I know people who spend shitloads of money on their analog rigs. I'm trying not to. In fact, the best "analog" purchase I made was my Supratek. More so than the RCM, which I also believe is essential. As much as I hate to say it, that may be the only thing I agree with Romy, I mean Raul about, the phono stage being critical. It has made more difference than other single change so far.

While I will one day have a Schroeder arm, the only other thing I may change is my platter. And only if I build one myself. The 103r stays, not because it's only $250, but because I like the way it sounds. If it's good enough for Frank Schroeder (one of these days I'm going to get a keyboard with an umlat), it's good enough for me! I think I value Frank's opinion a little more than Romy's, I mean Raul's. I'm not an idiot, I know there are better cartridges out there, but the important thing is, once again, I like the way it SOUNDS, and it is a great VALUE. Of course, if the right deal comes along, well, this could all be changed!

Like Dave said, it's a great time to be in the market for a new turntable. There are some great choices out there for relatively small money. And for various reasons we have definite TT "camps" here on the Gon who champion what we like and think others will too. Without this advice here, I probably would not have what equiptment I do, and spent more time and money finding what I like. And dealing with people like CB & TM makes it even easier and more enjoyable. Do you think any of the "big" TT companies care about your opinion? VPI excluded, as I know they go out of their way for their customers. The nice thing is, they let us have a lot of money left over to spend on vinyl. After all, without the black plastic, what's the point?

It is a simple question to answer, and can be easily proved.

Pick your favorite $5k cartridge and tonearm, and put them on a Rega 3 or some other $500 turntable. Play it.

Then put a RB250 and a DL103R($250 + $250 = $500) on a $5k turntable, and see which sounds better, musically. And, which makes more difference.

The prices are the same, but on one system the cartridge/tonearm is maximized(and turntable minimized), and on the other the turntable is maximized(and cartridge/tonearm minimized).

The question of "order of importance" will then be solved.

I'll leave the conclusions to whoever tries it.

I've done this many many times, and am 100% confident of the outcome.

Very well said, again. Too bad there are those that can't see it.

I am very encouraged by the number and by the quality of posts being made here. It tells me there is a very genuine, and perhaps spreading, interest in all things vinyl. Just look at the number of very fine quality turntables and tonearms available today, maybe that’s a strong indication of an interest in vinyl that will not die despite the proliferation of the digital format. Turntables are even being used at my daughter’s high-school dances even though CDs still predominate there. Nevertheless, it shows that vinyl is here to stay and has a good chance of growing.

I have to run now. My daughter wants to go shopping and won’t let do anything else until we do. : > (

I guess that’s what I get for being indulgent!

Like Twl said, it's easy to demonstrate and I've done exactly what he described - though mostly by accident. I ordered my Teres, OL Silver and Shelter 901 all at the same time, but the cartridge showed up first. Being as impatient as any other little kid with a new toy, I mounted the 901 on my old low-fi/mid-fi rig, an HK/Rabco ST-8.

It would be difficult to imagine a less suitable rig for a 901 than that, though I think Artar 1's friend with the Koetsu Tiger Eye Platinum/Denon DP-500MX gets the prize for most absurd pairing. At any rate, the 901 sounded damned impressive compared to the ADC XLM MkII that it replaced, duh, but only when it was mounted on the Teres/OL did it really perform near its full capabilites. On the cheap rig I wasn't hearing more than 1/3 of what the cartridge was capable of. For the few weeks until the Teres arrived, I had paid $1500 to hear $500 worth of cartridge.

The table/arm/cartridge hierarchy should not be overdone of course. Once you get to about a $4K table (Teres 265), the diminishing returns curve really flattens out. At that point your next multi-thousand $ upgrade will buy the most improvement if spent on a top quality arm. Going from a $4K Teres to a $6K Teres will be audible of course, but less so than going from a $1K arm to a $3K one. As Twl advised above, it's important to maintain balance. "Table first" does not mean "table above all else".