Seeking turntable upgrade advice

Riley804: You're absolutely right. I had a ton of issues when I first got into analog. It wasn't just related to my TT though - my first cartridge was whacky as was my Rhea (which had to be repaired). For a long while I wasn't happy, but over time I've learned a fair amount and lately I've been enjoying analog a lot; I just feel I'm not getting the full benefit of my cartridge with the arm I have.

Sonofjim: I hear the 5As often as a friend of mine has a pair. I adore them to be honest - they just wouldn't work out for me in my room (I move my speakers between HT and 2 channel mode and the 5As aren't conducive to that. I am very happy with the Sophia's as a compromise. I recently switched to the latest line of Pass amps and am very happy with them (XA 100.5's).

I did try to purchase a Galibier but finally gave up (I think Thom is just too busy). I too am interested in TW, and while I have yet to locate a dealer for them, I have a hunch they may be out of my budget. I recently visited a friend who had an SME setup and it sounded wonderful. I didn't know analog could be that quiet.

In any case, I'm looking to find a good table that I get my hands on sometime soon (as opposed to 6 months from now).

Regarding the Doshi: it's an impressive unit, but not for me. Mine is now for sale.

Go with a Galibier, you won't regret it.
Yes, you'll have to wait, but it's worth every penny (and minute of wait!).

Any particular price range you want to stick around? The SME tables are great. If you want adjustable VTA, go with a Tri Planar or Graham on the SME.

Madfloyd,

We first met because your system was unable to reproduce full harmonics without distortion (as Riley804 obviously remembered). I assumed you wanted to reduce the distortions while retaining the harmonics. Sorry if I misunderstood.

As you said, we demonstrated during your visit that there are no serious harmonic distortions from your present vinyl rig. Nor are there any with Nick's preamp, as you know from hearing ours (best DSOTM you've ever heard, or so you said).

Your last email indicated you're still hearing the same distortions, and the harmonic capabilities of the Alaap have highlighted them if anything. Since the problem's not with your source components or preamp, it's presumably with amps, speakers or room. However, if a simpler, cleaned up sound is more appealing than working on those, then almost any SS preamp will provide it. If you want a really good one, Raul's Essential 3160 is the best I've heard (though in fairness there are many I haven't).

Regarding a new rig, the SME arms would be well aligned with the above strategy, because they're less transparent to harmonics than the TriPlanar, Graham Phantom or a Schroeder. A very damp arm like a IV or V should pass fewer harmonics to be distorted elsewhere in the system and provide a cleaner, more manageable sound.

As for VTA on-the-fly, if your system isn't geared to the full reproduction of harmonics it's doubtful you'll get much benefit. With any good cartridge (including your XV-1S), the main effect of varying VTA/SRA is to properly integrate the fundamental of a note with its harmonics. If a system reproduces fewer harmonics, altering VTA has less effect. Given the goals I summarized above, I wouldn't place on-the-fly VTA anywhere near the top of the list of needs in a tonearm.

As for turntables, the SME and Raven are both fine choices. Pretty hard to go wrong with either one. Buy whichever one you like the looks/price of and which is available in your time frame. SME table/arm synergy and the chance to work with a single dealer might tip the balance.

Hope it works out,
Doug

Doug,

When we met, the problems with my analog rig (as I saw it) were:

- low frequency ringing
- slight lack of high frequencies

The ringing was heard by all, the lack of high frequencies wasn't, although I often heard the comment that my tonearm was holding things back.

I tried various things to get rid of the ringing (damping etc) and even asked VPI for advice. Their answer was to increase VTF to 2.5 or higher. This did help but wasn't a total solution.

Having dealt with other issues in my room (which is still not as lively sounding as I'd like) and improved the playback chain, I now want to change my tonearm so I can take full advantage of my cartridge. It's really as simple as that - except for the fact that my table is a VPI and restricted to VPI tonearms (please correct me if I'm wrong). I've purchased a Tri-planar arm and now I need to find a table that is a good match.

I'm not sure I understand everything you're saying about harmonics, but my take-away is that you're suggesting I get a less than detailed tonearm because my system or room can't handle harmonics.