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TT upgrade advice?

Hello. I am looking for some advice about my current turntable. Right now I have a Pioneer PL-514 table with a Shure M97xe cart. I got it from a friend whose father has been storing it for many years. I took it apart, cleaned & lubed, set it all up & it sounds awesome. I'm officially hooked on vinyl.

Problem is though, I know vinyl can sound better. So my question is, if i only had $800-1000 to spend on a table/cart/arm, what would be ideal for that price range? Upgrade the cart & arm on my current table or start with a new one altogether?

The rest of my system is a Jolida 502B integrated amp, Jolida JD9 phono, & Klipsch RF52 speakers. Thanks for your input & advice!
geoffj85
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I have a Denon 47F which I'd be willing to sell. I bought it in college and it has been in the original box since 1988, unused. It's in great shape, though I don't know about the Denon cartridge. If you want to inspect before a local pick up, I live in the Boston area. Thanks for the unexpected opening, Buconero. To others, sorry for the sales pitch.
geoffj85 OP
14 posts
 
Interesting...I live in Iowa so pickup wouldn't be an option lol. Just curious, what would that table go for? I can't find a used one anywhere.
vegasears
1,173 posts
 
I recommend a Technics SL-1200 or l1210. If you ever have problems and sooner or later you will have problems with an older TT's, parts are still available. Their are lots of user installed tweaks. The darn things and built like a brick you know whats. I use a 1210 and my only issue is looks. The darn thing is ugly compared to what would be called audiophile TT's.

Good Luck
chayro
2,997 posts
 
The music hall tables are very nice plug and play. The mmf5.1 sounds very good.
davide256's avatar
davide256
399 posts
 
Geoff85, vinyl is a recorded vibration and it takes good design and physics in a turtable to extract the dynamic range and bass out of a groove. Micro level chassis vibrations distort the vibration actually produced at the stylus, causing you a boring sound. Look to a rebuilt Thorens or a new Rega. Grado is a sure bet for an under $200MM choice, just don't put one on a light weight tonearm as their suspension is stiffer than a Shure. Above $300 for a cartridge high output MC's beckon with siren tones and more forgiving surface noise playback.
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