Good turntable needed, need recomendations.


I am not a vinyl guy but want to become one I have a pair of Vandersteen Sevens coming in and want a source to match. With speaking with my dealer he recommended a Basis turntable. Everything I read states they are good and the vacuum system is the way to go. This puts me into a 20K table though. I am thinking that is just too much money for what I see there.

My problem also is that although the basis tables look nice they all looks like a 3K table, unless you go to the insane models.

So I really think 15K on the top end is my budget I rather be around 10k. But really want something I will like to look at as well.

Part of my issue is being an amateur machinist and a wood worker a piece of cnc plexi glass for thousands of dollars just doesn’t excite me.

Any recommendations, or is the Basis the way to go, thanks in advance for you input.
programmergeek
The IO is a great phono stage; good choice. How far are you from the Brooklyn NY area? Highwater Sound might be a good place for you to take a look at the TW tables...
Since vinylphiles continually cruise the digital site with there one sided opinions telling all that analog is so much better , I thought I would come over here and tell everyone how inferior analog is . I trashed my vinyl years ago and have been happy ever since .
Digital rules .
Tmsorosk, it all depends on your system and what you like. One day I went to listen and the person had a recording on vinyl and the same recording on cd. The table was nothing special maybe a 5k table the cd was a wadia si7 a 15k cd. We listened to both. The record clearly had more depth and information but the cd was cleaner no pops and maybe less background noise. All depends what you like I am a computer guy so I like digital but I have to admit it does miss something somehow it is not as harmonic and just well more digital. But I do think I would listen to cd more than records because of convience.
Programmergeek I agree , I just don't think either format is superior in every way . I have also heard moderately inexpensive vinyl rigs that out classed more pricy digital rigs , but I have also heard the reverse , I no the turntable wasn't set up properly right . There's alot more to setting up and voicing a good digital rig than just buying an expensive player , it's taken me many years and fair bit of $ to get things right , conditioning is of paramount importance . Convenience was one reason I chose to put all my resources into one source , digital , but now it's strictly a sonic preference . I always felt I would hear a friend or club members vinyl rig that would make me want to go back , but so far that hasn't happened , so far . Regards Tim
I'd like to add two somewhat disparate thoughts to the excellent comments above.

a) The recommendation by your dealer to use Basis as a source may be very well grounded in fact, with Basis possibly being a proven, synergystic match with the Vandy's.

I listened last week to a pair of Vandersteen 5 Carbon's that were sourced by a Basis Turntable and powered by ARC signature amps. I'll spare you the platitudes except to say that the result was mindbendingly good. Actually, both Vandersteen rooms had Basis source and ARC amplifications.

I also (after meeting Jim V himself!) spoke with one of the ARC owners who described how ARC and Vandy, and to a lesser extent, Basis, have been used together and have presented together for years.
Not sure what other (sonic?)issues there are, but at least the form factor for all of the 2000 series and above seems at first glance to be very much the same.

b) With your system quality and budget for source component, please do not assume that you have heard anything near the best attainable from digital.
Also give very strong consideration to auditioning one of Playback Designs' products, such as MPS-3 CD/DAC that plays 24/384 KHz PCM and 6.1 MHz DSD over USB from your computer. This system was designed from first principles by the legendary Andreas Koch from Dolby Labs, Sony, etc.
If not as good as high-end analog, it's amazingly close.

http://www.playbackdesigns.com/computer.html
http://www.playbackdesigns.com/technology.html