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Substantial Upgrade

Longtime lurker, first-time poster:  My wife and I got into vinyl about five years ago and have been steadily collecting records ever since.  We love spinning records, and listen to a lot of jazz, pop, and classical music.  We started modestly with an AT LP120, and are lucky to have a friend who just happened to have a pair of Totem Rainmakers sitting in his garage collecting dust, which he gave to us, along with a TSC sub and all cables.  We have decided it is time to invest in our own system.

I've done a lot of research and read numerous threads on this topic here and elsewhere, and we've narrowed our choices down to two tables: the Rega P6 (in the $1500 price range) or the Feickert Volare (in the $3500 bracket).  Either table I'll be getting the Hana ML.  For phonostage, we've narrowed down to the MoFi UltraPhono or the Sutherland KC Vibe mk ii.  I'm hoping I can solicit opinions here on these choices and, in particular, whether the Feickert is going to make a difference for our use case.  Finally, I recognize that the speakers might be outclassed by these upgrades, but we are separately planning to move in the next year and I want to wait and see where our new listening room is going to be before investing in new speakers.    

Thanks in advance. 
bruinuclafan
tastypeter's avatar
tastypeter
18 posts
 
I recently purchased a Dr Feickart Volare with an Origin Live tonearm, with after a very long and careful process. This is a second turntable in my home, the first being a Spiral groove. Having such a special tt, and buying a second table without breaking the bank was difficult. Very little would compare to the SG. I believe the Dr Feickart line was  a great choice. The Volare uses lots of the same  Feickart build quality for a fraction on the cost as there highly regarded Blackbird, Firebird, and Woodpecker. German engineering as we know they know how to build great products. I think in your budget, that would be an excellent choice without feeling the need to upgrade in a cpl years after the bug really sets in. I also considered a Sutherland phonostage, and had a very nice conversation with the owner. Though it was in my top three, and also highly regarded. Also the Herron, and Manley Chinook. It took   3 phonostages before finally feeling satisfied . I think you would be very happy with those choices. On a side note, Kat the turntable specialist at Upscsle Audio recently purchased a Feickart Volare for herself. That speaks volumes, or at least to me. Good luck and enjoy. Also, you are lucky to take this journey with your wife. 
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liamowen
193 posts
 
I had a Rega RP6 with the Exact 2 MM cartridge.  I paired it with a Pass Labs XP15.  I know you mentioned you will be getting a Hana, which I think will make all the difference in the world, as I found the RP6 with the Exact 2 to be unlistenable-- as in I wanted to throw a sneaker at it every time I put a record on.

I checked in with my very spendy local hi-fi shop and the sales guy delivered the news-- either you are going to have to spend a lot more money on a turntable and cartridge, or I should sell the table and the phono stage and get a better source for CD player.

I gave vinyl 1 more chance and went for the Rega RP10 with the Apheta 2, pairing it with the Pass Labs XP 15.  That was 2 years ago, and I am now totally content with my system.

What I have tried to do is leapfrog over incremental improvements and go up several rungs on the chain.  It's more expensive initially, but not in the long run if you get the right stuff and particularly if you buy good gear used.

Enjoy the search, and trust your ears.
vinylshadow
395 posts
 
Vertere Acoustics Phono-1 is a very good phono stage. $1000 or so. All the capacitance and resistor toggles are at the bottom of the unit. Not inside like some.
The Phono-1 has received great reviews and hits way above its weight...Vertere is a UK company but there are N.A. dealers who carry Vertere in the U.S. and Canada. I can refer you to a dealer if where I bought the same if you ever are interested.


audioguy85's avatar
audioguy85
1,989 posts
 
Hands down, the best $1500 turntable available is the Music Hall mmf-7.3 (best bang for buck in the Music hall line-up). It would take a turntable 2 and 3 times its price to sound *significantly* better. I prefer the more expensive ($1795/Ortofon 2m bronze) Walnut version myself, beautiful. Maybe take the 2m bronze off and stick another killer product, the Hana EL mc cartridge ($475), on the end of the tone arm, nice....and then send the signal to a Jensen mc 2RR-L SUT, and ultimately to a Tavish design Tubed phono preamp like The Classic 😉....sweet.....then roll in some nos tubes...RCA, GE, Tungsram, Amperex, Mullard, Telefunken....even better....😁

Joining the aforementioned are the following;
-Sugden A21se signature pure class A integrated
-Tannoy Legacy Eaton
-Marantz SA 8005 sacd
-Marantz HD CD-1
-Marantz st6000 tuner
-cambridge T500 tuner
-Aiwa AD F-770 3 head deck
-Musical Fidelity V90 dac, *another killer product, low class A recommended component (Stereophile)
-Graham Slee Novo headphone amp
-AKG k550 reference headphones
ocean2059
20 posts
 
To OP, I've gone through a similar consideration last year and went with Dr. Feickert's Volare table with Jelco TK850 arm and Hana ML. I am extremely happy with Dr. Feickert's table and would highly recommended it. The table is very solid and stable. Currently the table is connected to a Manley Chinook amp which I am also very happy with. I could live happily with this system for a very long time. But I have no experience with Rega P6 so I would comment on that.  
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