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Who will survive? One last table til I die.

I want to buy a final turntable (call it 25 years worth of use until I can't hear or don't care). I want to be able to get parts and have it repaired for the next quarter century. I would also like the sound quality to be near the top or upgradable to near the top for that time period. I don't necessarily require that the manufacturer be solvent that long (the preferable situation), but otherwise the parts would have to be readily available and the design such that competent independent repair shops be able to fix it. I won't spend more than $10,000 and prefer (but don't require) an easy set up that doesn't need constant tweaking. I'm willing to pay for the proper stand and isolation needed over and above the initial cost.

I've got 9,000 LPs, and it doesn't make sense to start over replacing them with CD/SACDs (although I have decent digital equipment) even if I could find and afford replacements. Presently I have a CAT SL-1 III preamp and JL-2 amp, Wilson speakers, Sota Cosmos table, SME IV arm, and Koetsu/Lyra Clavis/AQ7000nsx cartridges.

Thanks in advance for your input. Steve
128x128suttlaw
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Gregadd, I like your posts, and frequently I agree with you (and sometimes I don't :-) ). I've been doing this for 30+ years also, but it seems to me that there have been some pretty significant improvements over that time (speaker driver design is one example, phono cartridges is another).

I absolutely agree with you that we still can't measure much of what our ears tell us. While many equipment manufacturers do an excellent job of actually listening to the equipment they are designing and then making changes based on what they hear, I continue to be amazed at how many people do not listen. For me, the adage "the proof is in the pudding" (in this case, the careful listening) has never been more true.
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twl
3,251 posts
 
TWL out.

Tired of banging head against wall.
gregadd
574 posts
 
It would be a dull world if everybody agreed.
I figured that comment about not much advancemt in audio would get me into trouble.

I say it because there is not that much new.
Moving coil cartridges? Not new.
Direct heated triodes? Not new.
Cables? Not new.
Speakers? Not new...etc.
I couldn't help but notice that the Linn turntable and Quad speakers won Stereophiles product of the year awards.
I thnk what has happened is the dust has settled on a lot of the theories. We have a lot better class of materials to work with. Finally the consumer has a lot more discretionary income to take advantage of exotic designs.
I thnk this would make a good article for a magazine. Put up a vintage system say AR SP 3/ D79, quad speakers/Linn tt/Lin itok arm shure V15 catrdige up against a comparble system of today. For source material you could pit Living Stereo or shaded dogs against some of the best vinyl of today.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Gregadd, Hmmm... Good points, all. I do agree that the vintage system you describe would acquit itself very well against systems today. As you note, quality of materials is probably the biggest change. My "modern" preamp uses a classic audio circuit with 12AX7 tubes: biggest difference from a Marantz 7 is power supply and parts quality.

And for source material, I'm listening right now to a 35 year old piece of vinyl that sounds as good as any contemporary recording, and probably better than most.

And, I'd have to say that the system I'm listening to tonight sounds qualitatively better than any I could have assembled 20-30 years ago, but the cause for that is mostly in execution of the design, not new design, and quality of materials, not the result of anything radically new.
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rauliruegas
13,101 posts
 
Dear Tbg: **** " But the reality with which we all have to live is that speakers cannot reproduct music with much accuracy especially in most rooms. " ****

I agree with you.

**** " As to the laws of physics, I think few scientists would claim we have lawful relationships that much predict the performance of amplifiers or speakers. " ****

You miss the point here: the subject is not the sound, the subject is the heavy degradation that a tube amplier makes to the music reproduction due to the Ohm Law.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
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