The problem with almost all the equipment you've mentioned is that it's too good for the limitations and response limits of the 78 rpm groove, which at times can sound quite good!
A good turntable is nice. What's called for is a klutzier arm that can follow the fast warps; spring-loaded is great. Earlier cartridges are better; things like Shure M44, etc., with ordinary 78 rpm styli (3.0 mil is best all-around). Custom-made tips are called for if you want to play the older 78s and other old shellacs.
When I say "custom made," I don't mean anything like audiophile styli or Shure's ultra hi-fi 78 tips for the V15s. A lowly Stanton 500/Pickering V15 makes a superb 78 cartridge, with the ordinary stock 2.7 mil 78 stylus.
Going hi-fi with this will give you the following benefits:
- Definitive reproduction of groove damage
- Superb reproduction of dirt in the groove
The trick is to mute the response somewhat. Typically, there are no extreme highs in the groove to begin with, so why bother to try to reproduce them?
Audio professionals know when, not to aim for extremely-wide response, but to limit the response to a usable range. Indeed, I have worked in recording studios where the response from the mixing board was intentionally limited, not to the audible range, but instead to the range of the instruments being recorded. That's the idea.
Richard Steinfeld
