One turntable with two arms, or two turntables with one each - which would you prefer?


Which would you prefer, if budget allowed: one turntable with two tonearms or two turntables with one each? What would your decision criteria be?

And the corollary: one phono preamp with multiple inputs or two phono preamps?

Assume a fixed budget, but for the purposes of this question, the budget is up to the responder. Admittedly for this type of setup, there will be a sizeable investment once all components of the chain are factored in.

I'm curious to hear how people would decide for themselves the answer to this question. Or maybe you've already made this decision - what do you like about your decision or what would you differently next time?

Cheers.

dullgrin

Very kind of you, John, but I shall decline. My two turntables sit atop a very heavy 17th century oak chest, which I have carefully levelled. I don't think a slab of anything, however good it is in the audio realm, will be acceptable to SWMBO.

I started out just trying to find a cartridge I could live with when my London Reference is finally done, and I ended up with a handful of rather nice carts and a second turntable! And now the madness proceeds towards four tonearms...

@dogberry It is not madness to have a plan in mind for Four Tonearms, it is a little unusual to have four in use consecutively, but definitely not unusual to own Four Tonearms and a selection of usable Cart's to match that number or more even. 

I have owned and used approx' Nine Tonearms to get to the place I am today with a Tonearm.

Today with only one Tonearm in use, I still have a selection of Seven retained, along with LOMC, HOMC and MM Cart's, all with a usable number of hours left on a Stylus. I don't know how ageism may be affecting some through the time in storage.  

As for the offer for the Permali, the offer is for a piece of the size that would be able to be turned into a Tonearm Pod, that by design, when finished will be able to be stored in a cupboard when not in use, or only be as intrusive as a Black Brass, if kept in use. 

A Slab to not be accepted by SWMBO will be very expensive to send onto you.

I was given my own room without any dispute for the HiFi, it was like an approval to go off the scale with madness. To get the idea, the Power Amps are seated on a 250Kg slab of Granite. In the Room I would refer to that one as adventurous.

There are more quirks to be found. 

I am also an owner of Manufactured Stone as a Plinth, which has the Brand Name Corian. 

Corian is about 1/3 resin 2/3 mineral.

Engineered quartz stone is 95% quartz  / 5% resin.

These materials are quite different. I would never describe corian as a manufactured stone.

 

Corian is potentially the earliest form of a Composite Stone to be produced an available mainstream material, it has a Patent, and it is this Patent that is the fundamental guidance referenced to produce alternative Composite Stone products that followed.

It is hard to see how a 66% inclusion of Bauxite Stone with the rest as an Adhesive Resin, used in the mixture for Corian, disqualifies it from being termed as a Manufactured/Engineered Stone. 

One TT with one arm and one cart  . Why complicate life. Enjoy the MUSIC. Good sounding music is enough, you done need perfect sounding music as there is no sich thing