For that kind of money you may want to check out the Pro-ject RPM10.1 Evolution if you are still interested in a Pro-ject turntable. However, I would strongly recommend one of the followings over the Pro-ject: Townshend Rock 7, Well Tempered Amadeus GTA MKII, Sota Nova, VPI Classic 3, Acoustic Signature Wow XL, Clearaudio Performance, or.......... Rega's top of the line, the RP10, for $5,495.00. Again, big fan of Rega :) |
Well I purchased a Pro-ject Debut Carbon after scouring the net for threads like this. I bought a demo online, waited for the delivery, powered it up andÂ…it doesn't spin. The power switch doesn't seem defective as I get a hum when I lightly touch the motor spindle, but it won't turn, major bummer! I was more than a little surprised that a major online dealer of Pro-ject would ship an obvious customer return unit without basic testing to see if the damn thing works! Anyway, a BNIB unit is on the way. I've read about the Rega and Pro-ject entry level models having some occasional hum issues, but the Pro-ject seems to have a simple enough fix that's making its way around the net. But on top of that, my defective model's power supply seemed to be an issue. It's a wall wart that supposedly takes 120 VAC and steps it down to 15 VAC. This one measured 18.2 VAC when receiving 117.3 from my wall. Would that over voltage be a possible source of hum issues? |
The WOW is a "steal" at the selling price of $1,995.00 with a Rega 202 included. As I said, I'm a BIG fan of Rega products and, IMHO, Rega tonearms are amazing when you take price/performance into consideration: The base is constructed of a MDF and acrylic sandwich with their proprietary Tidorfolon bearing and a 24 mm polished aluminum platter. The motor is fully separated from the plateau to minimize unwanted vibration. The major highlights of its design include: • same Tidorfolon Bearing design used in all Acoustic Signature turntables, with 10-year warranty; • same AC motor used in all Acoustic Signature models; • heavy 9 lb. CNC-machined platter with leather mat; • high gloss acrylic black or white finish and; • Rega 202 tone arm. You get to choose white or black finish. Now the Townshend Rock 7 is in another league of its own and you will be hard pressed to find a better sounding TT in its price range. Everytime I visit my friend Larry at Hollywood Sounds I have to listen to this table. To my ears, you will need to spend up to $10,000.00 to match the sound: The Townshend turntables incorporates a unique approach to arm-damping, involving viscous damping at the front end of the arm, right next to the cartridge, using a distinctive damping trough. The trough-damping gives a solidity to the sound that one seldom encounters in vinyl playback. The arm in the Well Tempered Amadeus, with its bearing via damping only, comes close. The cartridge is supposed not to vibrate at at all, to sit still except for the motion needed to remain centered over the groove as the record plays. So based on this unique approach, the tonearm is not as important, an old Rega RB250 will do justice just fine. Caveat? Extremely fuzzy to set up but once its set up properly, satisfaction will be endless! Hope this helps in your quest for the right TT for you. Happy listening! |
I'm a BIG fan of Rega tables and I cannot recommend the RP8 enough for $3,000.00 but I will throw in 3 other extremely reliable and well built brands/tables just for fun: Acoustic Signature WOW for $1,600.00 w/out arm. Well Tempered Amadeus for $2,850.00 w/arm. Townshend Audio Rock 7 for $3,000.00 w/out arm. |
It was just easy to listen to. Nothing super hifi about it but it still had good sound stage and with that cartridge combination it delivered warm natural sounding vocals, which for me is pretty important since I don't listen to a ton of instrumental records. That being said I was not a fan of their pairing with the stock Blue Oyster cartridge, or whatever it was. That cartridge with the carbon fiber arm was a little harsh sounding and lacked body. |
Notec; so what then is your advice if all the under-$1000 TTs are crap? And at what level does a turntable newbie start at? The Orbit TT by U-Turn Audio |
I started with a Project Xpression, which I believe used to cost less than it does now, and I loved it. I Just had one of the wood bodied Grado carts on it with the Grado phono pre....of course all of this snow balled into my currently $10kish Garrard 301 rig, but my little brother is still using my first project setup and I have to say I still like it. |
Ok, thanks again. Much appreciated. There's so many options in the $2500-$6k range, that it's a bit confusing to me. You have Avid, Clearaudio, Luxman, Nottingham, SME?, Transrotor, etc. I personally like the Luxman out of those at the moment. It has the functionality of my Technics with better build and is belt drive. I could change my mind, which I usually do, haha. My phono stage is internal in the Bryston BP6 preamp. Bryston says it's broadcast quality... |
I have the exact same turntable, but I've gotten significantly better performance out of it with some tweaks--the KAB tonearm fluid damper, a Sorbothane mat, tonearm wrapped in Teflon plumbers tape, an LPGear ZuPreme headshell, and a platform made of some gel pads, a heavy 3-1/2" thick maple butcher block, and some Vibrapod cones and pads. Here's a picture. However, if you're considering the $2500-5K range, you can do better a couple of ways. One is to get an SME armboard for your Technics and mount an SME tonearm. Tone Publications did just that and the review is here starting on p. 15. Another alternative is to go for one of the overachievers in your target price range. My nominees would be something from Well Tempered such as an Amadeus or Simplex, or the $3K-ish Townshend Audio Rock 7. |
$2500 can buy you a pretty sweet rig, but don't forget to factor in the cost of a good phono stage. If your budget is for table, arm and cart, now you should start to research phono preamps. If you are just starting out with vinyl and do not have an existing collection, then there are many good budget units available. And BTW, keep in mind that the cart and phono stage need to be a good match. |
I've heard the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. At $399 it's crazy good. I bought my first stereo in 1972. The Debut Carbon (with Ortofon 2M Red cartridge) at $399--adjusted for inflation--would have been $76.72 in 1972 money. Back then $76.72 would buy you a mid-pack Garrard with 10" aluminum platter, plastic base, and entry-level Grado cart. with conical stylus. If we'd have the Pro-ject Carbon by the mid-'80s, CD would never have overtaken LP. |
Dave 72-I did a lot of research regarding affordable but true high-end decks. My research told me the Acoustic Signature-Challenger mk2 had the most potential but customer service issues made me shy away. I settled on a one owner Rega P9 due to the RB 1000 tonearm, which gives me the opportunity to upgrade to a first class cartridge. Hope you consider a used P9 because IMO you can't get better sound for around $2500. |
The wall wart for the Xtension 10 has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of sonic reproduction. In fact, it keeps a noisy power supply AWAY FROM the tonearm wiring. That fact that it powers the equivalent of the Speed Box SE makes it a moot point: good, clean, steady power to the motor is what matters here. The wall wart is quite high quality, and a clever design which takes slide-in adapters for worldwide use. That and it apparently auto-senses or converts any worldwide voltage. As for the plinth, I can assure you it's about as dead as it can get. It is filled with metal "sand" and is very substantial in mass. It's about as uncolored as I've ever heard a turntable get, at least in its price range. |
