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19th Nervous Breakdown...


Here I sit on the fence again, trying to decide whether it's worth it to shatter my budget one more time, wondering if the sonic differences between the following gear justifies the sacrifices necessary to pay the toll.

Should I live on beanie weanies and cheap beer for a good while and spring for a Basis 1400 or 2001 table with a decent arm, cartridge and phono stage for about $3K, or do I "settle" for one of the Regas, a P3 or P25, or one of the Music Halls for less than half that, upgrade my diet, and buy a few albums to boot?

I realize that this is in some ways a hopeless and hedonistic calculus, and that there may be no "right" answer. But I suppose what I am looking for are the opinions of those who have traveled the upgrade path and already paid the price. Was it worth it? How would you describe the sonic differences in moving up to that next level?

If you were starting over and COULD manage to stretch your budget to $3K or even $3.5K, what would YOU buy (entire rig, including phono stage, and, of course, buying used)? Or would you go for one of the "entry' level, non-upgradable units and be happy with it?

I have a good collection of albums from my mid-fi days, and I have a pretty good system (First Sound/Bel Canto EVO 200.2 monos/Vienna Acoustics Beethovens), so I do have an interest in more than 'dabbling'.

I have already received a LOT of help on this site and I appreciate every bit of it. There are many friendly and helpful folks around here. I am very happy with the system I have built so far.

Now if I can settle this analog business, I can relax for awhile and just enjoy the music. So what will it be, oh audio gurus, a VPI, Basis, or Oracle table, or a Rega, Music Hall, or Thorens table? Which arm? Which cartridge? Which phono stage?

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I wish I were in a position to audition this gear, but I'm not.

thank you all...

128x128waltersalas
waltersalas's avatar
waltersalas OP
952 posts
 


I'm much obliged for all the good advice, folks. At the moment, I am sort of leaning toward a Nottingham Spacedeck with a OL modified Rega 250 arm and one of the Dynavector cartridges. As for phono stages, maybe the Phonomena or Lehman's Black Cube. Of course, I'll be scouring the used ads. I'm not sure yet about the tonearm, but I'm leaning pretty heavily in the direction of the Spacedeck/Dynavector combo.

Of course, I want to have it both ways--quality and affordability. This path would seem to keep me under budget, where the higher end Basis, VPI, and Oracle rigs will not, while, at the same time, allowing me to take a step up from the Regas and Music Halls.

Once again, I'd appreciate your comments on this plan. Does anyone see any fatal flaws here, or perhaps a better way to go? Your friendly neighborhood neophyte needs your help.

Thanks again, everyone.
jsbail
368 posts
 
I think you are on the right track. I bought a Rega25. Wish I got a Spacedeck.
grandpad
151 posts
 
Gboren, I understand where you're coming from and it's a very legitimate question. Unfortunately I can't answer it because I don't have an Oracle mounting plate that will work with the Space arm. My Graham has a SME mounting base rather than the Graham mounting clamp so I can interchange on my Oracle. And we had a Nottingham SME-style pod to use with the Spacedeck.

I think the Space arm would probably sound better on the Oracle than the Spacedeck (at least it had better given the price difference!), although I don't think it's a particularly good arm, nor would it be a good match for the moving coil cartridges that I prefer. However, I was quite impressed with the Spacedeck and think it's a strong contender at its price point, and probably above.

If you have a Space mounting plate for an Oracle I'll be happy to run the comparasion and report back!
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Hi Walter

Don't worry about food. There are so many organizations willing to help out that you'll never have to worry about eating cheap food let alone going hungry. I would however be concerned about going the cheap beer route, what will the rubbish collector think?

I recently upgraded my analog rig after living many years with one of the original SOTA Sapphire's, chosen over a Rega, big improvement at the time. The extra money spent, after pondering the decision for weeks, brought me many years of satisfaction and I'm really glad I did it. Food on the other hand comes and goes, if you know what I mean. I would stretch the budget as far as my uncle would allow and in the long run, my guess is, you will be glad you did.

A cheap DAC competing with the better ones is realistic, more hype than substantive in my experience. A cheap analog rig competing with the next step or two up is a pipe dream. It is one area where money REALLY buys big improvements. Take this from one who always has both hands and at least one eye on the wallet :) GO FOR IT but also, don't neglect buying the albums. You'll just have to hunt out the garage and estate sales to get them. You'll probably end up with more music and maybe even a new hobby. Happy listening and best to you.
gboren
143 posts
 
Grandpad,
I don't doubt your experience with your friend's table and your arms. I just thought that the best music reproduction starts from the best source. In the mechanical chain of processes that is a turntable, the rotation mechanism is primary and the pickup mechanism is secondary. The best pickup mechanism cannot restore a signal degraded by the rotation mechanism.

I would be willing to make a small wager that Oracle/Space Arm combo sounds better than the Spacedeck/Graham or SME combo. Unfortunately, I just sold my Space Arm/Oracle mounting plate to my cousin, so I guess we'll never know!
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