I have had 4 tables in 50 years. Changed when I saw a table I had to have |
Using TW AC3 with all BN upgrades good for many years. |
My VPI HW-19MKIV is 20 years old. I'll upgrade when I am unhappy with it. |
I have had my current turntable 17 years. |
its like anything else...when your wallet is too thick decide the best way to thin it. |
Upgrading my turntable is (or any system upgrades), is not something necessary or desired, since I completed my Garrard 401 build a year or so ago.
It's all about the music now.
Regards,
Dan |
If the TT is not meeting your expectation then I guess you upgrade it. If it is, is far more common to just upgrade the cartridge.
I have two tables - one is 5 years old and another 38 years old. Both have seen their fair share of cartridge upgrades and I have never given any thought to replacing them. |
Hey Ebm,
How's the speaker build going? Keep us posted. |
I changed from my AR ES-1 after 30 years. During that time I tricked it out with almost every improvement ever made for it, but as the rest of my system gradually improved over that length of time the day came when I felt like it was time to move on to something that could improve on one or two small areas and give me a bit more flexibility. It otherwise is still a pretty darn good sounding table. |
I have been upgrading every few years but since I got my VPI Aries 3x3 I will be set for life. |
I used an entry-level turntable for almost 30 years before I replaced it with a (better) entry-level turntable. And then I upgraded turntables twice in 5 years. For the first 30 years I was a real vinyl cheapskate and wouldn't spend the money on a new turntable. I upgraded the speakers several times and upgraded the amplifier, but never the turntable.
I came to realize that the turntable (and the cartridges I used) had been limiting the quality of sound I was getting from my stereo; that is, the vinyl setup wasn't in the same category as the rest of the system. So after replacing the first turntable, and enjoying the sound from the improved entry-level turntable, I decided to find out what was possible from vinyl. I bought a turntable and a decent cartridge that was a few steps up from the entry-level setup. Wow, what a difference. And then I bought a decent phono preamplifier. Now we're talkin' great sound! I couldn't believe how much better the whole system sounded. I finally got it;
I listened to that setup for a few years and then I made some extra cash one summer (working lots of overtime) and |
... bought a good vinyl setup that I'll probably keep for as long as my first entry-level turntable.
Regards,
Tom |
I too don't plan to upgrade my Nottingham Spacedeck any time soon, and unless I am ready to go over $10k or so I would only upgrade to another Nottingham.
Theoretically speaking, if I had , say, $3000 for upgrades right now, what would I do? Would I upgrade the table, the arm plus cartridge, cartridge plus phono or integrated amp?
That would be tough. Probably either cartridge plus phono or the amp, also depending on opportunity. |
Back in May I put a new arm and sub chassis on my LP-12. I just bought an SME20/2 with an SME IV.Vi arm. I think I'm done, unless another good deal comes along... |
I’ve owned at least 22 turntables, just counted them up :-).
Always striving to make my source as good as possible. Regardless of the remainder of the chain, you must have great source to make great sound and LP is currently the longest running format.
I agree with comments about tonearm and cartridge but that’s an even longer list. Seems the better we make our system the easier it is to hear the source and vice versa. |
Albert, do you have anything in mind as your next table upgrade?
Agree about the importance of the source. More important than speakers? This is a very old argument. No less important, I think. |
