$800 Cartridge Shootout and Upgrade Path

Raul,

Thanks for your kind thoughts and observations. The cartridge is very important, as you have pointed out. I also think that balancing the system, as Twl has suggested, is also important. For me, which I believe it was your suggestion, I will start with the Shelter 501 and put it on an Origin Live tonearm, either the Encounter or the Illustrious.

And thank you for your continued support of the Acoustic Signature turntable. However, I think my heart is set on buying the Teres 245 or 255; I like the look of wood.

Thanks for posting.

Artar1

Jphii,

Because you built your Teres from scratch, it might be useful for some of us if you were to describe the process for us and to comment on the overall quality of the turntable, if you wouldn't mind. I think that would be very instructive and helpful for some of us newbees, like me.

Well, you’re not the only one who has blown his budget all to hell. If you’ve heard of “A Bridge too Far,” right, well my analog saga is becoming “A Turntable too Much!” Let’s see, my budget started out at $3,000 for the turntable, tonearm, and cartridge. Now it’s over five big ones! Help! As of today, I am up to a Teres 255, an Origin Live Illustrious, and a Shelter 501. Why the Illustrious? Hey, I just love that name, don’t you? It looks a little better than the Encounter (I can just see Twl rolling his eyes!), and it has a few more refinements that I like. What concerns me about both the Encounter and the Illustrious is that in some photos it appears that the back end of the arm base is hanging over the edge of the arm board mount, which would be aesthetically unacceptable for me. If this proves to be the case, I will ask Teres to make sure that the arm board mount for my Teres is made larger so there will be no overhang. If they refuse, then it’s back to the Moerch DP-6.

>>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.<<

Right on! That’s one hell-of-a preamp by anyone’s standards! If I had it to do over again, I would buy the Supratek Cortese. But I own a Klyne System 7 line stage that certainly outperforms my Conrad-Johnson PV14L and my Proceed AVP-5. In fact, I have no criticisms of the Klyne so it’s difficult for me to justify taking a $2,000 loss by selling it to buy the Cortese.

Hey, if you like the DL103R, I say go with it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. I can certainly support you one that one.

Artar1, I am not a materials engineer and so cannot comment on your speculations about the various materials. What matters, of course, is the resulting sound quality, and I can vouch for the sound quality of the solid aluminum base in the ALU model. I have no doubt that the Galibier Quattro Supreme would be even better, but that was beyond my price limit. For what it's worth, the designer Thom Mackris says the the platter upgrade makes a much more significant improvement in sound quality than the upgraded base. I will be finding that out shortly when my new Teflon/aluminum platter arrives.

Dave

Salectric,

It's great to hear about your platter upgrade! Let us know how it sounds. I think we're all eager to hear.

Artar1

Dan_ed,

It’s always a good idea to be nice to your wife. Luda asked what I wanted for my birthday, which is fast approaching. I said, “How’s about a contribution to my turntable savings account?” She said, Will five or six hundred do?" “Why certainly!” I replied. I am getting closer guys. : > )

My favorite music for vinyl is classical. That type of music was what I bought first in any abundance, and it is what I am buying now despite the fact I don’t have a turntable. It’s a risk buy so to speak, but I feel that I have to get back into the vinyl game in some way. Shoot, by the time I actually get my turntable, I will have about a hundred albums. Now I know that’s a puny record collection to many, but it’s like diamonds to me!

I will have to say that even with rock, vinyl reigns supreme over CDs. Even though I listen to classic music, what got me going toward vinyl was hearing “Gloria” by the late Laura Branigan. The music was so sublime, the beat was so hot, and her voice was so real and in the room with me I literally jumped out of my chair and commenced to flail myself about has if I had become possessed by the Almighty. Wow! Rock was meant to be heard from a vinyl record on a great analog front end. The music I experienced that moment was better than any live concert of amplified music I have ever heard!