How Much Is TOO MUCH for a Analog front End?

01-03-08: Audiofeil said:
"If one had a highly resolving system and good listening skills it would be apparent that the differences between $3000/$10,000 table/arm/cartridge are much greater than $500/$3000 table/arm/cartridge.

That's a fact, not a matter of opinion."

Well, no one can acuse you of having anything short of extreme arrogance. Do you live in Colorado? I'd love to show you otherwise.

Dave

Going from a quality $3000 front-end to a $10000 front-end is certain at the point of diminishing returns, IMHO. The gain from $500 to $3000 is relatively large and easy to appreciate. With the next step you must get everything perfect and then it's only a small increment.

You seem to have the bug to do it, so I'd suggest spending some of your budget on travel, if needed, to hear before buying. 10-grand is a lot of money, but it also makes the cost of travel less objectionable. I think this'll greatly reduce the chance of buyers remorse.

Dave

A matter of opinion, clearly.

Headsnappin, yes, I've heard a $10+k SME and some VPIs in the middle price range and, of course, several Linns (in the middle). Of that experience, I'd say my TT/arm/cartridge system gave better results than half of those and was slightly less resolving than the other half.

Problems were that none of those comparisons were A-B, in my system. As a practical matter that's extremely hard to do, since few of us are set up to be reviewers, so we go listen to someone else's system or in a store and don't bring our equipment along. Still, my aural memory is pretty darn good and what I'm saying is as accurate as 99% of what you'll read here.

Proper set up of a TT is at least as important as its price point. I'd love to hear four or five TTs set up by the same tech with the same cartridges in my system (with somebody to swap things out while I sat back and relaxed). Unfortunately, that's pretty unlikely to happen, so, like most of us audiogoners, I have to move around between systems and locales to hear different TTs.

BTW, I respectfully disagree with you and feel like the difference between a $500 rig and a $3000 rig are much larger than between a $3000 rig and a $10000 rig, based on my own listening.

Dave