Cartridge-- M/M or M/C

No, I'm still with you. I have negotiated a price on a AR table. Still wondering if I should get it. Is it much or even better than my MMF 7 ?

Hmmm, difficult subject. The thing is this, there is the road to Audio Hell which is paved with detail and a soulless presentation of the music, and the road to Audio Nirvana which is paved with musical equipment. Emphasis on detail means an endless series of upgrades and a lot of dough; musicality means a fairly stable system and a lot of hours spent listening to your entire record collection, and not just Amanda McBroom. But we each get off in our own way. Your choice of tubes for amplification suggests you belong to the musical camp, but nothing is certain.

The AR is tremendously musical, and quite good at detail, depending on the quality of the arm you put on it. Detail is tricky too, as some 'tables and cartridges strip the music and emphasize some upper-frequency detail, while others present the whole enchilada, emphasizing nothing, and so appearing less detailed. The AR is one of these. Sam Tellig of Stereophile used one for years mounted both with a Rega tonearm and a SME 309. Now he uses a Rega 25.

Considering the money, which is pocket change relative to your budget, consider it a learning experience. You're a newbie, so I say experiment without spending a whole lotta cash. But I also know newbies want to be dazzled by detail and such, and I don't want to be blamed for any shortfall. Last night, I sat awestruck listening to my AR with outdated Mayware toneram mounted with a Decca, which I had taken the trouble to assemble due to this discussion! (I've just come back from some serious travel and everything is in boxes). The detail! The slam! The immediacy! But much of this is due to the Decca, which given a suitable tonearm will perform miracles due to its bizarre technology. I suggest the ubiquitous Rega in any of its incarnations for a tonearm, but listen to the stock AR arm first, with a new cartridge, as Jependleton has reported some bum Eroicas. Some people like to spend a lot of money, in which case there is a large variety of musical 'tables which will suit your budget. If you go the money route, read advice, but then seek out a physical specimen and listen. The soul, or soullessness, of a table will reveal itself by whether a smile does or does not appear on your face. May the Force be With You.

I like this guy. He's going to overthrow TWL very soon...

Yikes! I don't want to overthrow anybody! Besides, Twl has a much better understanding of the physics involved than I do. I'll be looking forward to knowing more about his designs. You sure like to stir it up, don't you Psychicanimal?

Johnnantais,
Your posts are very informative. I enjoy them. Thanks for the commentary. The old AR has a special place in the heart as well. I went from it to the Linnie route and then heard a Merrill Heirloom that simply did everything right. The Merrill has had an honored place in my system for about 10 yrs and is still going strong w/a ET 2.5. About a month ago I picked up a Music Maker II, a MM that is blowing my socks off. Check out the reviews on 6moons and TNT. It seems to combine the best of the MCs w/the best of the MMs for an extraordinary listening experience.