Help a rookie.... kind of....

Thanks for your responses so far gentlemen. It looks like Well Tempered is well respected, but hard to find. Maxgain, I have notice that the SOTA's seem to have the biggest discounts, is there a reason for this? Are they still in business? One thing I've noticed looking through used analog equipment, is that they don't discount like digital. What I mean by this is, for $700, I could buy a CD player that list for $2K. That same $700 will only buy an analog rig that lists for $1K. Hmmmm....seems like analog equipment holds its value better, therefore it must be more desirable.....hmmmmm.......interesting. Thanks again for all your responses. I see alot of those Music Hall all-in-one players out there MMF-5 and MMF-7, Sugarbrie recommended one of these as a good starting point, how do the rest of you feel about these 'tables?

Regards,
John

Maxgain, LOL, I've been in the audio hobby long enough to know exactly what you're talking about. Thanks for answering my questions. I just wanted to know if SOTA was still in business, because I have noticed that when companies go under, there used gear price drops very low. Like Threshold, Counterpoint, and Kinergetics Research have shown (to name a few). I own a Threshold amp, and I have nothing against using last years fashions, I just thought there may be a logical explanation, like company going out of business. I am aware of the non-logical price drops as well. Usually fashion has to do with glossy magazines reviews. With good reviews, a products resale value will be solid, with bad reviews, resale will plummet. If there is a reason for the bad review, that's understandable. I don't always agree with the reviewers though, good or bad. So if I like a piece of equipment that a reviewer says is bad, I'm actually happy, 'cause I know he's saving me money.
Pcs and Miami_al a, thanks for your replies on the MMF-5's, I am considering a MMF-7, it's good to hear positive experiences with the MMF tables. I'm also keeping my eye on some SOTA 'tables as Maxgain has suggested. I can be patient at this point, because my CP-60 hasn't arrived yet, and I've waited 18 years, what's another couple of weeks. I will let you all know when and what I buy. Thanks for all the responses.

John

Egoss, I'm sure all your advice is good, but it kind of scares me. It almost sounds like shipping a turntable is like shipping nitro-glycerin. It also sounds like buying used is a bad idea, since I don't know about bearings/ lube and all that stuff, and if I have to pay to have the table serviced, that would come out of the table money. So your saying, I'd be better to spend $600 and the other $200 on service and setup? That's better than $800 on the equipment? What do the rest of you think? Does this sound correct? Is it really that difficult to ship and setup a turntable?
Jsbail, my digital is a Classe CDP 1, I also have a Sony DVP-NS900V that plays dvds and SACD. You may be right about not being happy for long, but the other option would be to wait another 6 months or so, If I were to spend much over $1K. I just don't have the cash now. Besides, I've heard lots of folks say that a <$1K table sounds better than a >$5K digital rig. So I don't think I should have to wait, from what I hear even a MMF-5 should smoke my Classe CDP1.
Franklapdog, thanks for the link. All you guys are great, this is a lot of information.
BTW, the Classe CP-60 phono section is MM/MC. I believe that the MM is the higher output of the two, is this correct? What are the advantages/disadvantages of the MM and/or the MC? Is it just a matter of taste?

Thanks again,
John

Linn Sondek LP12, with Linn Ittok LV-II arm and Linn Karma cartridge. You all have been very helpful. Ed thanks for your latest response. I have an opportunity to buy the above stated 'table for $700. One caveat, the owner will NOT ship. He lives about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away. The table was new in 1985, he claims there are only a couple hundred hours of use. Photos appear to make it look in great shape. Is this a good deal? Would I be better spending $700 on a table like this, or $800-900 on a new MMF-7? Ed, I don't own a stethoscope, and I'm not sure I'd know what to listen for if I had one. You A-goners are the best, I've also posted this at AR (a waste of time) and at AA, but I've gotten, by far, the best and most responses here. Thank you all!

John

Thanks Maxgain, I've had a couple response on AA as well. My concern now is my lack of knowledge. It seems that it is a very good deal IF in good condition. I've had people tell me I need to check the bearings in the tonearm and the platter. I'm sorry, being such a novice, this may be beyond me. I might be better buying new, since I'm not qualified to judge condition of the 'tables innards. Remember, the only TT I ever owned was a cheap Technics direct drive (no laughing!) I've also been told that the Karma cartridge is very old and esentially useless. Any ideas how old it might be? BTW, the Classe phono stage is MM/MC, so it shouldn't matter.

Regards,
John

Maxgain, I did talk to him on the phone today, he doesn't seem to know much about it. It belongs to his aunt, he said he could sell it for her. His story is in the mid 80's she went into high end audio, but hasn't used much of the gear she bought for many years. He claims the 'tables just been sitting for almost a decade. He doesn't claim to be an audiophile, but it seems to work well as far as he can tell. I told him the earliest I could schedule a appointment would be next Saturday, and I will go, if he still has it. He's got it on Ebay and Audioweb, and claims that he has over 20 e-mails. But many of them want him to ship, and he won't ship. I told him I'll call him Thursday, if it's still open, I'll take a ride up on Saturday. I wanted to go today, but it's my wife's wedding anniversary, and she had other plans. D@mn! Her priorities just aren't in the right place. Thanks again for your response. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

John