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To those with multiple tables/arms/cartridges

How do you 'play' your system?
For 30 years I had only one turntable, one arm and one cartridge......and it never entered my mind that there was an alternative?
After upgrading my turntable nearly 5 years ago to a Raven AC-3 which allowed easy mounting of up to four tonearms......I decided to add two arms.
RAVEN
A few years later I became interested in Direct Drive turntables and purchased a vintage 30 year old Victor/JVC TT-81 followed shortly after by the top-of-the-line TT-101 and I designed and had cast 3 solid bronze armpods which I had lacquered in gloss black.
TT-101
By this time I had over 30 cartridges (both LOMCs and MMs) all mounted in their own headshells for easy interchange.
STORAGE

Every day I listen to vinyl for 3-4 hours and might play with one cartridge on one arm on one table for this whole day or even two or three days.
I then might decide to change to a different arm and cartridge on a the same table or perhaps the other.....and listen to the last side I had just heard on the previous play.
I am invariably thrilled and excited by the small differences in presentation I am able to hear....and I perhaps listen to this combination for the next few days before again lusting after a particular arm or cartridge change?

Is this the way most of you with multiple cartridges/arms listen?......or are there other intentions involved?
128x128halcro
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Lewm,
I thought I had passed the voodoo units but when I tried the small acoustic system resonators some years ago I got really puzzled about their impacts.
I heard about the Stein products when I attended the RMAF. My friend in Atlanta took them with him, had some problems when he tried entering the plane on the return trip from Denver. He loves them. So it should be something all about it. Maybe we need giving it a try.
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Dear Nandric,

too old to rock'n roll, to young to... ? sometimes one needs to jump. in your case you may get a good SUT from someone. Just give it a try. Don?t believe the Schaefers of this world. They have good intentions within their own world. I do understand and accept this. It may not block us from other experiments. Don't say No, No, No. Philosophically there are always many ways but running in circles is no achievement. Got motivated? Good. :-)
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Lew, While you was studying 'vintage phono stages' I bought an, uh, modern Chinese Jasmine LP 2 phono-pre for $500. I even upgraded the (MKP) caps with Jantzen Z caps. There is alas no basement in my apartment so I installed my second system in my bedroom. There I test all my carts with the comfort of an chair in front of my SP10
and FR-64S. Well this testing become an addiction such that I spend day and night in my bedroom. I could, by way of speaking, rent my living room together with my main system and earn some extra money for some extra carts and tonearms. If I remember well the original idea was to select the carts in the second system for the main system which is alas not very 'friendly' reg. changing carts. Two tonearms with fast headshells + this damn Basis Exclusive which need to be pulled out of the rack and opened for
any cart change. At my age and my sensitive back ( the chair!) not a very attractive proposition. Besides I nearly forget how this system works...Your philosopher D. Davidson wrote about intentions in generaland even about 'intending' in particular but this was not of much help. I ever emigrated from my beloved Serbia with the intention to become rich in the West... So much about intentions. Still my newest one is to sell all those damn MM carts , move to my living room and start again to listen to the music before I become an second Mexican.
griffithds
852 posts
 
Dear Comrade,

Quote "before I become an second Mexican"!

A sombrero wearing tamale eating Dutchman. What is this world coming too! (grin)
lewm
13,105 posts
 
Dear Nandric, Good choice! I have been interested in the Jasmine as well, but I have a predilection for vintage equipment, as you may have guessed. There is a lot of positive buzz regarding the Jasmine, nevertheless. I imagine it is very good. So I read the remainder of your last post carefully, where you analogized my basement to your bedroom, but I do not see where you've made any comment on the sound quality from the Jasmine. For example, how does it compare to your expensive German solid state phono stage?

I have a feeling that Raul has more cartridges than you, by an exponential amount.
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