Hello Calbrs03-
Most the equipment in my systems has been put together by buying used equipment on Audiogon (speakers, amps, preamp, transport, DAC, and wiring harness) my equipment rack (Rix Rax) and speaker stands (Sound Anchor) are custom pieces, so they were purchased new. My turntable, I bought as a demo unit from a local dealer. The dealer gave me a discount on a cartridge, and accessories (RRL fluids, #9 stylus cleaner, zero dust, zero stat, anti-static brush). The dealer came to my house and performed the initial setup, and then returned a year later keep it check the adjustments. It has been about a year since the last adjustment, and he is planning to return in the next couple of weeks to check the setup again. This has saved me from having to invest time (I know I would never invest the time required to accumulate the dept of experience of my dealer) and saved me from having to invest money (for a high-quality tracking force gauge, protractor and level). But just as importantly, the dealer has been a tremendous resource in selecting vinyl for my collection, as he provided me with a list of recommended records by musical style, label, and edition - and the ability to drop by and listen to the items on the list (sometimes comparing the mono and stereo releases). So in retrospect, Im very pleased with the turntable and service my from local dealer. I hope this helps to inform you in your decision making process and good luck! -Don
Most the equipment in my systems has been put together by buying used equipment on Audiogon (speakers, amps, preamp, transport, DAC, and wiring harness) my equipment rack (Rix Rax) and speaker stands (Sound Anchor) are custom pieces, so they were purchased new. My turntable, I bought as a demo unit from a local dealer. The dealer gave me a discount on a cartridge, and accessories (RRL fluids, #9 stylus cleaner, zero dust, zero stat, anti-static brush). The dealer came to my house and performed the initial setup, and then returned a year later keep it check the adjustments. It has been about a year since the last adjustment, and he is planning to return in the next couple of weeks to check the setup again. This has saved me from having to invest time (I know I would never invest the time required to accumulate the dept of experience of my dealer) and saved me from having to invest money (for a high-quality tracking force gauge, protractor and level). But just as importantly, the dealer has been a tremendous resource in selecting vinyl for my collection, as he provided me with a list of recommended records by musical style, label, and edition - and the ability to drop by and listen to the items on the list (sometimes comparing the mono and stereo releases). So in retrospect, Im very pleased with the turntable and service my from local dealer. I hope this helps to inform you in your decision making process and good luck! -Don