Suspended vs. non suspended turntable

Keith I don't know what you thought of the Sapphire and if you'd go with a Sota product again, but to me they would be a good match for what you're trying to do. You seem to need a suspended table, so if you were to move up in the Sota line, you could get better sound, and a better platform for arm and cart. The reason I recommend the Sota though is if you get to the place where you no longer require a suspended table you can simply cancel the suspension with something like a Stillpoint bearing, or Symposium Rollerblock.

Have you been watching the TTs for sale here? I just sold my Cosmos, but there are good products for sale on a regular basis... and that will help with your 20kAUD budget.

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Either design type will benefit greatly from a top drawer isolation device. You should plan a major hunk of your budget for such a device. Each level of isolation that you add raises the isolation at the cartridge pretty dramatically.

I can see this easily in my own system by rapping the shelf in my armoire with the stylus in a silent groove. I have to rap very hard to hear anything through the system. Next, when I wrap the isolation platform I can hear it more easily, but it's still highly muted. Finally, when I rap the plinth I hear it quite readily but the stylus still tracks.

If there's basement below you listening room, you might put in some extra support below the system and immediately around it. In a rental house, long ago, one 4X4 pole, stratically placed, did wonders.

Take your time, but we're really interested to hear what you finally do. This is a sizeable expenditure that warrant careful study.

Dave

Here's my .02. Get the best table, arm and phono stage you can for now. You can always add a better platform and cartridge latter. If you're handy you can easily build a decent RCM for less than $100.

Maybe break it down to 14K for table and phono stage, 5K for an arm, and let the last 1K buy you a cartridge. I'm sure others will have opinions on this as well.

02-18-08: Dan_ed said:
"Here's my .02. Get the best table, arm and phono stage you can for now. You can always add a better platform and cartridge latter. If you're handy you can easily build a decent RCM for less than $100."

I have to disagree strongly with Dan_ed on this one. Even without springy floors, I believe that a good isolation platform adds an major measure of excellence for any table. The physics of adding stages of isolation is easy to demonstrate and hear, even without springy resonant floors.

Try the Disc Doctor manual record cleaning system before springing for a RCM. Like me, you may find the need for a RCM totally absent.

I think his budget of Aus$20,000 is a very substantial amount and it's reasonable to think that he can expect a complete system within that budget. I don't sense that he wants to do it in stages, but arrive with a VERY satisfactory setup quickly.

Dave

From Sumiko's webpage

Massive 12lb. (5.4kg) sandwich construction acrylic platter virtually eliminated unwanted resonances.

I can see why you need some help with dampening. Dgarretson's VPI runs around 60-70 lbs. Maybe that's a little better, but I see a common theme with those who keep demanding that everybody who doesn't use complete isolation is missing out. For comparison, my table and stand together are well over 300 lbs. Hey, if it works for you.

If I've learned anything in this hobby it's that one size doesn't fit all.