best "entry level" audiophile TT?

Tell me something psychic, have you ever even heard a $5K table? I have heard a SL1200 and it sound nothing like a $5K table. Doesn't even sound like $500 table.

No I haven't heard a $5K TT. I was born and raised in a little Caribbean island with only a few general stores and post offices. Not even TVs were sold. Everybody had little AM radios for listening to hurricane weather broadcasts.

Of course, the 1200 does not sound like a $500 table. You must have come from somewhere other than my little island. The 1200's technology to price ratio goes way above its price point. But then again, it's someone like Raoul the Mexican that gives you first world audiophiles a reality check regarding lowly moving magnets giving multi thousand dollar moving coils a run for their money. Money...ahhhh!

JohnnyB, e-mail me & I'll send ya pictures.

With psychic power and primal intensity,

...now I have to step back and reconsider how much of what I have read is hyperbole.

I got the impression that Psychicanimal was being sarcastic about his isolated background.

Whatever the situation, fortunately, there are some reviews that compare KAB-modified Technics SL1200s with more expensive belt-drive rigs. Here's one from TNT-Audio where the reviewer compares a KAB-modified SL1200/Ortofon/Creek rig with a near twice-as-expensive Music Hall MMF-9/MH Maestro/Creek setup.

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/technics_sl1200_2_e.html

Also, Ed Kobesky has written a lot about the SL 1200 and has had a wide array of turntables and cartridges, plus he reviews for Positive Feedback.

>>Raoul the Mexican that gives you first world audiophiles a reality check<<

Those are only his opinions.

Simply because he has more toys than most of us doesn't mean he's smarter than some of us.

However, the KAB table is a high value component.

I spent 2 years auditioning "high end" tables before making my choice. Part of the problem was that nothing I heard bested the 25 year old Technics SL-150 Mk II or Lenco L75 that I picked up to re-learn analog set up.

A good table will isolate the cart/vinyl interface from extraneous energy whilst providing a stable platform for the tonearm and constant speed platter rotation. Cheaper belt drive tables don't do good enough speed stability. Most direct drives and idler drives are better. The SL1200 is a well engineered table in standard form and the KAB mods are proven to improve it.

My advice is if you want to spend about $5k, buy a Galibier Gavia. If you don't want to spend that much, get a SL1200 and either an Empire EDR.9. AT440 or Dynavector 20X for less than $1k. No half measures.

The SL1200 is way better than Regas, MMFs and similar rubber band driven entry level tables. It has better dynamics, resolution, speed stability and bass articulation.

Regarding isolation, a home made sandbox will suffice. The top shelf should be bigger than the table's footprint and this should rest on about 3 inches of sand in a box constructed from 3/4 inch mdf, with a 1/4 inch gap between the top shelf and the box sides. Use play sand (from a garden center or Toys R Us). The sandbox can be suspended on wall brackets or attached to stout legs (if you have a solid floor).