19th Nervous Breakdown...



Here I sit on the fence again, trying to decide whether it's worth it to shatter my budget one more time, wondering if the sonic differences between the following gear justifies the sacrifices necessary to pay the toll.

Should I live on beanie weanies and cheap beer for a good while and spring for a Basis 1400 or 2001 table with a decent arm, cartridge and phono stage for about $3K, or do I "settle" for one of the Regas, a P3 or P25, or one of the Music Halls for less than half that, upgrade my diet, and buy a few albums to boot?

I realize that this is in some ways a hopeless and hedonistic calculus, and that there may be no "right" answer. But I suppose what I am looking for are the opinions of those who have traveled the upgrade path and already paid the price. Was it worth it? How would you describe the sonic differences in moving up to that next level?

If you were starting over and COULD manage to stretch your budget to $3K or even $3.5K, what would YOU buy (entire rig, including phono stage, and, of course, buying used)? Or would you go for one of the "entry' level, non-upgradable units and be happy with it?

I have a good collection of albums from my mid-fi days, and I have a pretty good system (First Sound/Bel Canto EVO 200.2 monos/Vienna Acoustics Beethovens), so I do have an interest in more than 'dabbling'.

I have already received a LOT of help on this site and I appreciate every bit of it. There are many friendly and helpful folks around here. I am very happy with the system I have built so far.

Now if I can settle this analog business, I can relax for awhile and just enjoy the music. So what will it be, oh audio gurus, a VPI, Basis, or Oracle table, or a Rega, Music Hall, or Thorens table? Which arm? Which cartridge? Which phono stage?

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I wish I were in a position to audition this gear, but I'm not.

thank you all...

128x128waltersalas

Showing 1 response by ezmeralda11

If it was me I'd buy the better turntable. Food isn't that big of a deal. And with audio to me, alot of the better/best stuff is only the standard to just keep me listening, not even necessarily thrill me. When I had to buy a tuner, just because I didn't have one and wanted to listen to the radio, I knew anything less than a grand probably wasn't going to do it for me. I wasn't going to go for the top-of-the-line Magnum Dynalab, or a Day Sequerra, or the Linn Kremlin (although there was one up for bid at a *very* attractive price), partly because I knew I couldn't give it an antenna to do it justice, so the Fanfare was the only option (it seemed better than the comparable Magnums). I wouldn't've liked the cheaper tuner though, I don't think. That's just me though.