2. analog
  3. 1040266367

Help with TT recommendations.

I'm rediscovering my love for analog and wanted to bring it to the forum for some helpful advice. I inherited a Dual CS-505-3 and an outstanding collection of pristine vinyl. In the few months I've owned the Dual, I've upgraded the cart to a Sumiko Blue Point Special (MC) and modded the tonearm cables (same concept as the Incognito harness mod, only with custom cables & RCA). Although I'm pleased with the results, it's not as responsive and lively as I'd like. It's an older table, albeit well maintained, and it's not giving me "ahhhhhh" that vinyl can deliver.

So, I'm thinking it's time to invest in an entry-level table that scratch my itch. I've come up with several combinations based on threads I've read here and various reviews. I'm hoping you all may have some insight for me.

I typically listen to (1) vintage jazz & classical pressings (all pristine thanks to my benefactor); (2) new remastered 180-200g pressings of jazz (99.9% trio/quintet and some vocal), blues and some funk; (3) 70's-90's folk-rock (wilco/csny/rem/etc.) from my old collection; and virtually no true rock albums.

My current analog rig is made up of:
(1) Dual CS 505-3
(2) MS Phonomena Phono Stage
(3) JPS Superconductor FX IC's
(4) C-J PV-12al pre
(5) C-J MV-2250 amp
(5) Straight Wire Rhapsody S Cables
(6) B&W N805's

I've got a budget of $1500-$1700 for new or used gear and I've conjured up a few combinations that I'm considering:
(1) Basis 1400/RB-250 (w/ OL mod)
(2) Basis 1400/Graham 2.0
(3) Rega P25/RB-600
(4) VPI Scout/RB-250 (w/ OL mod)
(5) VPI Scout/JWM-9
(6) VPI Scout/Graham 2.0

Please keep in mind, I'm not up on all the price points, so some may be far out of my budget. Also, if some of these combos seem a little off or mismatched, that's due to my of TT education, or lack thereof.

Having said all this, I'm seeking your opinions/experiences on which would me the best in terms of value, quality & upgradeability.

One last note, I did read that the Basis 1400 is acutely accurate and almost emotionless in terms of delivery - not that accuracy is a negative characteristic, but one of benefits of analog is it's warmth & emotion it can convey. Although to use an analogy, I've seen some movies that I've absolutely loved that got panned by the critics, so.... I guess your mileage my vary.

Thanks very much for entertaining my ramblings and I look forward to your feedback.

Hat
hatfield
sean
6,231 posts
 
Twl, i've always agreed with your choice of the Denon 103 being a great cartridge ( regardless of price ) and your statements that it needs ( at least ) a medium to ( preferably ) high mass arm to work best. Between that, the loading requirements and the lower output, it simply is not suitable for a lot of vinyl rigs though. That is what resides in my ET-II.

While i've not heard the Shelter, i know enough people that have heard / own it to believe that it is a very fine cartridge. The Lyra Helikon is also another fine cartridge that comes to mind, but definitely getting up there in price. Some of the ZYX's are supposed to be quite nice sounding also. You can find them for sale on Ebay from the Far East sometimes at VERY reasonable prices. As you mentioned though, matching the cartridge to the arm is very important. Sean
>

PS... Hatfield, don't feel bad about your cartridge / arm selection. I found out the hard way after taking the advice of a VERY well known dealer that specializes in vinyl. Mating a Benz MC cartridge to an arm with an effective mass of about 4.5 grams is NOT something that i would ever do again. Live and learn....hopefully : )
twl
3,251 posts
 
Yes Sean, I agree that the Denon 103 is a tough cartridge to get the right match for. But I believe it is worth it, because then you can get awesome sound for very little money in your cartridge. This allows more to be spent on the quality arm that is needed, but still gives low replacement cost for cartridges.

As a person who has actually tried and used all of these cartridges personally, the Denon is the best low cost cartridge I know, and the Shelter 501 is the same type of value at the $800 price point. I have the Shelter 501 on my rig right now, and it just replaced a DL103R. The Shelter is a significant step up from the Denon, which is saying quite alot, because the DL103R is a very very good sounding cartridge.

I also agree that the Lyra Helikon is an excellent cartridge, but is about the same level of performance as the Shelter 501, so I think that the Shelter is a far better value, considering the costs of the Shelter($800) and Lyra($2000). And remember that the Lyra Helikon is one of the best cartridges around, and the Shelter competes well with it, at a much lower price. This is outstanding value.

Also totally agree that the ZYX Fuji is one of the best sounding cartridges available. I would definitely get one of those over a Helikon, at the same price of $2k. But my tastes would lean a little more toward the Shelter 901, which is just as good, and only $1500. For an arm that can't easily handle a low-compliance cartridge, I think the ZYX Fuji is the cartridge to beat at this end of the scale. The Shelter 901 has a bigger sound, and is better on the bass, and in larger scale music. The Fuji is perhaps slightly more delicate, and slightly better for smaller scale music. They are both very close, and could be considered as the 2 best cartridges available. If anything is better, it is very little better, and may simply be a personal taste issue. In any case, anything that MIGHT be any better will cost way more than twice as much as either of these.
hatfield OP
20 posts
 
ok... sooooo much food for thought! but i did come to some conclusions:

based on the majority of the feedback (thank you all for offering your suggestions!), i feel confident that the decision to go w/ the OL Silver is one that i'll be very satisfied with.

additionally, i can't really go wrong matching it with the DL103R - although a new cart will most likely have to wait, as the tt/arm will soak my available funds. it gives me something to look forward to, right ? ;^)

now, the final issue is TT choice. for the most part, all the suggestions (new or used) fit w/in my budget and offer compelling reasons for favoring them, although, i didn't see any mention of the SOTA Star III (if i'm reading correctly, $1295 for a factory refurb). i initially overlooked this option; however, after more combing through threads w/in the forum and on-line reviews... this table seems quite attractive, from both an engineering design standpoint and esthetics. any positive/negative feedback on these tables?

in the home stretch now!

thanks,
hat

hatfield OP
20 posts
 
i'm a fan of AZ products, and i'd love to see what they'd do in my system, but for now, i'm satisfied w/ the rhapsody's.

eventually, i'm planning on moving from the C-J MF-2250 to the MV-55 or MV-60... @ that time, i'll most likely move into another speaker cable.

thanks for the cable advice... it's great to hear from someone that has experienced an upgrade path that is similar to my future upgrade (rhapsody's > AZ's).

hat
hatfield OP
20 posts
 
btw, the above was regarding JD's cable post. i was a little late on the draw getting this one out.
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