Given the significant chunk of change you are considering spending, a trip to a dealer with a variety of tables set up or to a show like RMAF next month would be worthwhile. I second Swampwalker's suggestions - there are several major turntable manufacturers in the Denver area (Teres, Galibier) and you can check out all offerings from other manufacturers at the show. No better time to visit Denver (and you can enjoy the beautiful Fall colours in the area at this time). Otherwise I agree with everyone else, some feedback and more input would help refine the question. There are many excellent tables in your price range: Galibier, Teres, DPS, TW Acustic, Verdier, Nottingham, VPI, vintage tables, but all these go in very different directions. |
Don't listen to audiophiles! Trust your own ears!!!
(By the way, I like a Linn LP12 with a Naim aro tonearm and Lyra cartridge...but that's just me) |
Given the significant chunk of change you are considering spending, a trip to a dealer with a variety of tables set up or to a show like RMAF next month would be worthwhile. You should definitely consider the arm and cart as a system, and then the cart probably needs to matched to the phono stage (w or w/o step up or additional gain stage), esp. if you are going LO MC. With a LO MC, cart loading and gain are critical to getting proper performance. If you use a step up, cart/step up matching is also critical. If you want to be able to optimize VTA and VTF for each LP, then there are a limited # of arms out there that allow you to do that repeatably. The table is important, but it is likely that any well engineered table w good speed control will do a good job for you. Your choice of table may be partly determined by your domestic situation and whether a suspended or mass-loaded design would work better for you. This is a tough area where chicken and egg decision trees abound. AS others have correctly pointed out, you are trying to make music by dragging a very tiny, sharp, very hard rock down a plastic groove containing even tinier indulations, w/o damaging the groove; then convert movement of that rock into an electrical signal, amplify the signal and use it to make a (typically) cone shaped piece of paper (or metal, or ceramic) or flat, very thin piece of plastic vibrate. Its a miracle it works at all, IMO. |
some good advice from all the above I suggest find a good dealer listen to a combination of turntables, take your time and trust your ears |
Dan_Ed asked important questions regarding your musical and sonic priorities. Until we have some sense of those, 500 people could post their favorite table/arm/cartridge and after reading all 500 recommendations you'd be no wiser.
Please come back and tell us more about yourself and your musical/sonic preferences.
Unless of course you're just running an equipment popularity poll! ;-)
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You might try a Rega P9, or one of the top of the line Nottingham tables. |
Go with a Teres or Galibier. |
hard to go wrong with the VPI Scoutmaster or Aries III and the JMW10 arm and Sumiko blackbird cartridge and good phono stage. You can spend a lot more and not get much more. Buy the stand and plc/sds also, worth the money. |
Fpooyandeh,
Much of the advise you have been given is excellent. I happen to be a fan of TW Acustic Turntables. I think the Raven One w. an external motor and upgraded power supply will be your biggest value for the dollar. Having compared it w. the Raven AC (the big one which is well over 10K retail), you get most of the performance for significantly less money. Then you can address the cartridge/arm combination as specified. My leaning is toward a Titan I w. a Phantom as it is a great combination. What is nice w. the Raven One is you can add a 2nd tonearm later and try a different combination. On the lower end, a Lyra Skala is an amazing cartridge which is in my opinion the best value for the money at a mid price. It has advantages over the Titan i in some areas as well. As far as universal tonearm are concerned the Phantom allows you to use damping fluid to allow the arm to match well with most cartridges. If you want to go to a "super arm" then I would look at some of the 10 inch or longer alternatives if you can go there, or add them later. These include the new SME, the Breuer or Schroder. Good luck. |
The best part is that you will have a hard time going wrong with this budget. You will be able to find a great table, arm, cartridge, phono pre and ICs.
If you are looking to hear what our setups are in this price range you will open the floodgates. Is this what you want? |
Dear Fpooyandeh: Well as Dan point out ( with that budget ) there are many choices.
My advise to any audio friend is to put the money where it really counts or where it " weights " for the better/more.
From here IMHO is that your choice ( main subject ) goes first for the tonearm/cartridge items where the tonearm and cartridge choice be a good match, this tonearm/cartridge match is very important on the quality performance level.
Not knowing your music preferences but knowing the quality performance of the Dynavector XV-1 I could say that this one could be my first choice: it is an almost Universal cartridge that performs very well with any kind of music and I could say that match with different tonearms, with the one that I like it a little more is the SME V/IV.
Other than the XV-1 you can try the Colibri/Condor or Lyra Skala/Titan i, of course that you can try other wonderful cartridges ( MM ones ) like Nagaoka, Grado, Reson or B&O.
About TT I second Galibier too where you not only can have a very good build/design but very good advise/support from Galibier designer in self.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
I second Dan_ed's choice (Galibier) and of course also tell you to check the table I have (DPS)
;-) |
Be prepared for a list of everyone else's TT choice. ;-) You can check my system page for my choice.
What kind of music do you listen to most? Do you like a warm, lush sound? Do you prefer a neutral sound? Do you want to hear the micro-details? How are your floors, do you need a suspended table? Are you sensitive to speed fluctuations and/or pitch accuracy? Do you want to set and forget your TT setup or do you prefer to tweak and tune to get the most from each lp? |
