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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
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.
xiekitchen
821 posts
 
I'd second the Rega model 3. It's the quintessential step-up from those direct drive type 70's tables. When I first heard a Rega P-3 in 1986 compared to a Denon d.d. table and cart, the difference was night and day audible. I was sold and kept that table into 2000.
tbromgard
814 posts
 
Rega-get a new one.
geoffj85 OP
14 posts
 
Thanks for everyone's input! My biggest problem I'm having basically is, for my budget, vintage vs. new. From what I'm reading a solid vintage table with the right cart & setup can out perform most sub $1000 new tables if I'm reading correctly. I do enjoy my pioneer table & may just stick a nicer cart on there for now & wait until I can afford to step into a VPI table or a higher rega.
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