Not too long ago I went from a very respectable table setup that was tweeked to sound much better than stock.
I went to a Raven One/Graham Phantom (using the same cart I had on the old table).
A fanastic analog front end is the best purchase I could have made. I will most likely never upgrade (Unless I suddenly came unto a ton of money)because the amount I would have to spend to significantly better that system is just way out of range. Sure I'll consider a better cart, possibly an SRA stand, who knows possibly even upgrading to the stand alone motor, but not the table and arm. I believe the level of improvement from a top end analog front end is so profound, that the results would be audible even on a mid fi system!
Now I'm not suggesting someone drop a $10K turntable/arm onto a $5K system, but I think even a modest $10K system would sound that much better with a $10K table/arm - even with a cheap cart!
The cart can always be upgraded down the road, but you would have the building block of a reference system. I doubt that many of us here who actively play LP's wake up thinking "damn I should have just kept my old table."
Not to start any wars, but if your were thinking of dropping $10K on a digital front end, I would not have the same advice for you. In fact I'd tell you to probably get a $1000 PS Audio Dac driven from a computer or perhaps their new $1500 transport.
Analog is mature, fantastic sounding, and a top rig can easily keep you happy for the next 15 years or more while the rest of your system evolves.
And believe me, I am by no means loaded.
I went to a Raven One/Graham Phantom (using the same cart I had on the old table).
A fanastic analog front end is the best purchase I could have made. I will most likely never upgrade (Unless I suddenly came unto a ton of money)because the amount I would have to spend to significantly better that system is just way out of range. Sure I'll consider a better cart, possibly an SRA stand, who knows possibly even upgrading to the stand alone motor, but not the table and arm. I believe the level of improvement from a top end analog front end is so profound, that the results would be audible even on a mid fi system!
Now I'm not suggesting someone drop a $10K turntable/arm onto a $5K system, but I think even a modest $10K system would sound that much better with a $10K table/arm - even with a cheap cart!
The cart can always be upgraded down the road, but you would have the building block of a reference system. I doubt that many of us here who actively play LP's wake up thinking "damn I should have just kept my old table."
Not to start any wars, but if your were thinking of dropping $10K on a digital front end, I would not have the same advice for you. In fact I'd tell you to probably get a $1000 PS Audio Dac driven from a computer or perhaps their new $1500 transport.
Analog is mature, fantastic sounding, and a top rig can easily keep you happy for the next 15 years or more while the rest of your system evolves.
And believe me, I am by no means loaded.