I own the Rega 6, but it was a tossup with the Concept. Musichall was also in there. I would also suggest you go with the one you like the looks of the best. VTA is a nice extra. Didn’t impact my choice. I would add for you to go with the MC. This is the first table I had with a MC cartridge and I doubt I’d go back to MM again.
Help buying first analog rig - Clearaudio Concept or Rega P6
I am in the process of purchasing my first major analog rig since I was teen back in the 80's. My system has been digital. I had a period of about 8 years where I did not do much with audio as we were moving and building a new home. Shortly after our home was built, but before the basement was finished and the alarm was installed, we had a break in. Among the many things other things taken, they took a box of my CD's, basically all my SACD's. So when I the basement was finished and got setup again it prompted me to get into streaming. I have a dedicated listening room which is pretty big 16 x 25 and 9' ceiling on a concrete slab (i know that helps with turntables) with laminate flooring and area rug. My System is pretty straight forward digital.
-Innuos Zen mkIII to stream and play my ripped CD's along with other hi-rez digital I have purchased and some DSD's
-Chord Qutest fed with a Shunyata Alpha USB from the Zen
-PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated
-Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII
-Purist Audio Venustas Luminist Speaker and RCA cables, Shunyata Venom NR V10 power cables
The only small stack of vinyl I own is what I had as a teen, 80's rock which I may listen to occasionally, but I plan on buying new vinyl. I listen to a lot of Jazz - Coltrane, Davis, etc, a lot of modern bluegrass mostly female vocal like Sarah Jarosz, Sierra Hull, Alison Krauss.
The 2 tables that I seem to have gravitated towards are:
-Rega P6 with Hana EL
-Clearaudio Concept wood with the black satisfy arm and either their Concept MC or Maestro V2 cartridge.
I know the Concept does not come with a dust cover, no big deal for me, I can always add one down the road.
Phono pre
-Sutherland KC Vibe
-MS Phenomena 2+
My budget was originally 3000 for the table/cart and pre, but I really like the concept wood ascetically, it would fit nicely in my rustic/industrial decor which has a lot of wood. I know its not about ascetics, but I am just not crazy about the look of Rega, but it does get great reviews. My rack is butcher block and iron pipe, so the table would sit on the top shelf next tot he PrimaLuna. I am the kind of person that does not mind tinkering and I understand the inconvenience of records vs digital, but I am looking for the natural, openness and beauty that vinyl brings to the system. What am I missing?
-Innuos Zen mkIII to stream and play my ripped CD's along with other hi-rez digital I have purchased and some DSD's
-Chord Qutest fed with a Shunyata Alpha USB from the Zen
-PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated
-Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII
-Purist Audio Venustas Luminist Speaker and RCA cables, Shunyata Venom NR V10 power cables
The only small stack of vinyl I own is what I had as a teen, 80's rock which I may listen to occasionally, but I plan on buying new vinyl. I listen to a lot of Jazz - Coltrane, Davis, etc, a lot of modern bluegrass mostly female vocal like Sarah Jarosz, Sierra Hull, Alison Krauss.
The 2 tables that I seem to have gravitated towards are:
-Rega P6 with Hana EL
-Clearaudio Concept wood with the black satisfy arm and either their Concept MC or Maestro V2 cartridge.
I know the Concept does not come with a dust cover, no big deal for me, I can always add one down the road.
Phono pre
-Sutherland KC Vibe
-MS Phenomena 2+
My budget was originally 3000 for the table/cart and pre, but I really like the concept wood ascetically, it would fit nicely in my rustic/industrial decor which has a lot of wood. I know its not about ascetics, but I am just not crazy about the look of Rega, but it does get great reviews. My rack is butcher block and iron pipe, so the table would sit on the top shelf next tot he PrimaLuna. I am the kind of person that does not mind tinkering and I understand the inconvenience of records vs digital, but I am looking for the natural, openness and beauty that vinyl brings to the system. What am I missing?
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- 44 posts total
The life span of an Elliptical tip of any MC cartridge is SHORT! Then you will have to ship your cartridge back to the manufacturer for rebuild or to get new cartridge with disocount under manufacturer special program. For an MC cartridge you need a really good MC phono preamp and if anything wrong with cables or phono stage it will be noisy. Some people have no idea what they are saying, because an advice for MC cartridge to the newby is nonsense. It will cost more and can only cause more problem. Some people damage their cartridge during mounting process, especially on tonearms without removable headshell. A good MM cartridge sound like mastertape and they are superior to cheap MC cartridges, especially if your music preferences is rock. The stylus can be removed during the mounting process to avoid damage. When the stylus is worn you can just buy another stylus. There are absolutely amazing MM or MI cartridges with exotic cantilevers and advanced profile of the stylus. On some models user can upgrade from one stylus profile to another just buying different stylus. I wouldn’t even comment on Rega or some other belt drive turntables. A good MC cartridge will cost you more than a turntable like that. And when you look for LOMC cartridge make sure you’re buying the one with the most advanced profile, because the life span of advanced profile is 3 times longer than elliptical, so you will have more time before you will have to send your cartridge back to the manufacturer for rebuild. Otherwise it’s just a waste of money, a myth, fairy tales from audiophiles who never tried any proper MM or MI (they are better). |
10+ Chakster, given the price differential it almost makes no sense to get a moving coil cartridge and cheap ones Hana included can not compete with moving magnet cartridges in their price range. As an example the Clearaudio Charisma is $2000. It has the exact same stylus and cantilever that the $16,000 Goldfinger has. Soundsmith's Voice is $3000. The Sussurro is exactly the same cartridge with a few less turns on it's coils and costs $5000. I asked Peter why the difference in price and his answer was "different market." |
If I were you, I’d grab the Music Hall mmf-7.3 with the pre-mounted Ortofon 2M Bronze. I’d get it in the more expensive walnut finish, rather than the gloss black. Cost is $1795. It is a real bargain in my opinion. Detached motor, thick acrylic platter, round belt profile, pro-ject 9cc carbon fiber tonearm, speed box built in, dual split plinth design, tip toe feet, threaded spindle & record clamp, felt mat, quality interconnects, great 2m cartridge already mounted and aligned, adjustable azimuth and VTA, and a very nice dust cover. It is hard to beat for what you get, and it is very well designed. A stereophile recommended component. Mike Fremer mentioned that he did not feel that the mmf-9 was worth the extra money, and that he thought that the mmf-7 had a warmer more forgiving sound. He also reviewed 9 cartridges, which included the 2m bronze. He liked the 2m bronze very much for its outstanding tracking and detail retrieval. The mmf-7.3 is the sweet spot in the Music Hall line up. The walnut version would fit right in with your surroundings. https://musichallaudio.com/product/mmf-7-3-walnut-turntable/ |
- 44 posts total