Low end TT vs. Hi end CD

Dennis,

You've got one really nice system. I don't understand your reluctance to get an analog player of the same caliber. Have you been kidding us all along? To answer your question directly, I doubt the 1200 will get past the Wadia.

Patrick

You need to spend some $$$ on a decent TT setup. The problem with cheap tables (or not so good tables)is that using a better tonearm or cartridge will not necessarily give you better sound. They can expose your weaknesses in your current turntable much more than improve sound.

KF

An SL1200 can do a decent job, and actually is one of the better sounding direct drive tables. I think it might be close, if you had a cartridge like a Goldring 1042 and the Supratek phono stage.

I do agree with the above sentiments, however, that if you have a large amount of money sunk into your other equipment, the TT setup should be consistent with your other equipment.

Considering the fact that a really good turntable could totally obliterate the Wadia, why would you want to skimp in this area, when you have so much to gain there? Even a mid priced TT like a Nottingham or Michell will put you way ahead of the game. A Teres would have you dancing in the living room.

When you really find out what analog is capable of, you will wonder why you waited. Your ears will thank you profusely.

As Dennis and others of you know, I have had an SL-1200 as my only TT all of my adult life. It's not something I'm proud of or anything, it's just that nothing about its performance has prompted me to want to upgrade it as I have steadily done with the rest of my system. True, I haven't had another, presumably better TT in my system to compare it with before, but I have heard lousy TT's and know a little about what sounds decent, and with the few tweaks I've given it*, it still provides me with plenty of enjoyable music with no problems and great ease of use. So I can say with some authority that, compared to my Theta separates digital rig, the 1200 with a mid-priced medium output MC cart through a mid-priced phono stage can still provide sound that is superior in audiophile terms in many ways, and is almost always more enjoyable, than a digital set up that costs around twice as much. I don't know what Dennis will find, and I wouldn't discourage him from going beyond the 1200 if he feels like it, but I do tend to think it's possible for modestly priced analog too exceed some aspects of higher priced CD performance. Let me put it this way: I don't believe that the 1200 will in and of itself so compromise analog playback as to render the advantages of analog moot if the rest of chain is up to capturing and transmitting them. It certainly has some inherent limitations and flaws which I am aware of, but it just doesn't do anything that wrong.

*[For a list of the tweaks, click on my reviews and see my article on the KAB fluid damper.]