2. analog
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Upgrade my Turntable????

I just purchased a new ZYX Airy 3 from Mehran aka Sorasound and am completely blown away at the difference between it and my Grado Statement Ref. (which was by no means a slouch). I am hearing much more of everything: resolution, extension, tonal color, dynamics, etc. etc. I cannot recommend this cartridge enough.

I currently have it mated to a VPI Aries/JMW 10, and I am wondering how much of an improvement a higher end (see more expensive) TT might make. Would a VPI/HRX, or a Teres 340 be a huge improvement or am I very solidly at the point of diminishing returns with my Aries? As you all know it is next to impossible to audition anything analog in your system before buying, so any advise is appreciated.

If I might add an adendumn to my question; I wonder if anyone has compared the top TT's from the larger companies like VPI and Basis to the Teres products. I sure would like to go for the Teres if they are as good as some people say (and if I ever get that kind of dough) but worry about a small company eventually going under and leaving me with an unserviceable product.

Thanks in advance

Chris
cmo
c123666
871 posts
 
The only item in the Teres that could be a problem..maybe..is the bearing. All of the other components can be duplicated. Well, the platter would not be so simple but platters don't break easily. Buy an extra bearing if you buy a new Teres and that will allay any fears of winding up with an orphan. After all, all it is is a base, armpod, platter, motor, and bearing. The motor can be replicated from other sources. Same for a turntable such as a Clearaudio or Scheu.

You have a very good turntable. The unipivot arm may not be the best match for your new cartridge but that is only a guess not having any experience. I prefer a traditional gimble type arm.
audio999
178 posts
 
"worry about a small company eventually going under and leaving me with an unserviceable product."

SME 20/IV.Vi is a huge improvement over my Aries/JMW10 which i sold on Gon few months ago. (I use various cartridges with a great result: VX-1's,Rua,and Ruby2)

I am going to receive ZYX Airy 2S this Wed/Thursday and i'll let you know how the combo sound as soon as possible.

Hope this is help.
twl
3,251 posts
 
There are discussions of "shoot-outs" in the archives on Audiogon, and on AA.

There aren't any "formal shoot-outs" in the magazines that I know about. It's kind of a thing that enthusiasts do to satisfy their curiosity about which sounds better to them.

The Aries is a solid performer and should give you fine sound. You can do better, but it depends on how much you want to spend, and what brand you might buy.

I personally own a Teres 245, and think it is a very good performer for the money.

You should know that you are already on the "diminishing returns" part of the curve, and you'll generally have to spend significantly more to get smaller incremental improvements as you go up the ladder. This can be mitigated somewhat by purchasing factory direct(such as Teres and Redpoint) which eliminate the dealer mark-ups. But they don't have any dealers where you can go listen to them. Or, you could buy a good used turntable, which can save you some money.

So yes, in a roundabout way, I'm saying you can get more performance out of your analog sound, but you will have to be careful to choose a table that actually will be a better performer, and will likely have to spend some additional money to get it.
sgreentdc78
5 posts
 
Actuall you're correct. The differance would be rather small if anything at all. I found that the cartridge makes the biggest difference. I have an SME V and a Rega and if you set them up properly, there's very little difference in the sound. (Rega has Expressimo Audio's Heavyweight, rewire with Cardas, VTA adjusted properly, etc.)...but still.... The turntable makes little difference if it too is set up properly.
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