1. Home
  2. analog
  3. 197926-22382

Turntable advice / opinion on setup / sound.

Hello all you analog experts. I am seeking some advice, opinions and direction to try, based on my tastes and setup. 

I’m not loving my current TT sound but there are variables that could cause this. For reference, my favorite TT I ever owned was the ClearAudio Champion Level 2 (wish I never sold it) because it was warm and had a huge stage. 

  1. I listen to every style of music, smooth jazz to hard metal. 
  2. I have to turn the volume way up to get the get the level I like which at times has hiss and a tiny bit of hum. Compared to digital sources which have none of these issues. 
  3. I find this setup to lack huge stage and warmth. 

My current system is:

  1. Rega Planar 8 w/ Alpheta 2 MC cart.  
  2. Cambridge Audio -> Alva Duo Phono Pre amp
  3. Mark Levinson -> No 585 Amp. 
  4. Martin Logan 15a Renaissance -> 8FT apart/ 3ft off the front wall and 3 FT from each side wall. I sit 9FT away from the speakers.  

The turntables I am considering are:

1) Musical Fidelity -> M8XTT

What cart would you use?

2) Michell Audio -> Gyro SE Turntable

3) Clear Audio Champion Level 2

Thank you all in advance for any guidance and opinions you can offer. 

necrosuit
lewm
14,671 posts
 

You can download and print an arc protractor on line, for free.

lewm
14,671 posts
 

Here on Vinyl Engine, for only one example of free protractors available.  Just be sure your printer is set up for a 1:1 ratio between image and copy.  Anyway, it further occurs to me that there ARE no set null points for any given tonearm.  The null point locations will further depend upon the chosen alignment algorithm, e.g., Stevenson, Baerwald, Lofgren, etc. And of course headshell offset angle. And all of this assumes you have zero zenith error between stylus and cantilever.

elliottbnewcombjr
7,741 posts
 

BS, what the hell are the measurements from spindle to the two marks on the protractor provided in the box with the RB880?

lewm
14,671 posts
 

I hope and trust that "BS" is Bill Stevenson and not a remark about my advice. 

Does this help?

billstevenson
1,186 posts
 

My ears are ringing.  lewm’s advice seems solid to me.  I want to stay out of this dog fight.  I will offer this observation from past experience.  I have so far had an opportunity to check one P8.  It was fitted with a Rega cartridge and fastened into the arm with their standard 3 screw set up.  I did not need to adjust anything.  AnalogMagik confirmed excellent performance and the turntable and arm sounded quite good.  I personally would not hesitate to buy and happily use a Rega turntable appropriate to the application from P3 on up and have looked pretty long and hard at their Naia for my own system in NH as a possible replacement for my VPI HW19.

More to discover