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

"Nevertheless, there is some good stuff in there, I think!  Like a rule of thumb that anti-skating should be about 11% of tracking force ."

@richardbrand 

I posted that video link to illustrate what I was trying to convey using a reflex clamp, solving the OP's warped LP concern.

What I liked was that little hour counter for stylus play👍

I want that guys entire setup!

Reasonable views on audiophoolery.

 

@richardbrand 

OK he's not my new best friend, but not smug either. It was nice to see how relaxed the hour was rather than pre-pared and quicker.

I liked his 'Vinyl is like the Wild West' comment.

Thanks for the link

room, 24’ x 36’ in Chelsea, OMG, our east side studio is 13w x 18l (+ adjacent 6' x 18' row:  entry/kitchenette/bath alongside that.

@tablejockey 

Yes - though I am not convinced by his explanation of the reflex clamp compared with a shaped puck!

The hour counter is a good idea, but I often leave my Garrard 301 to warm up without playing anything.  How about an hour counter that detects when there is a cartridge output signal?

And thanks for the link

Guy’s a new yorker. You must have not encountered smug. He’s fine. He actually has a really nice video with Steve Guttenberg on how to reduce chassis vibration on cambridge cdt. He knows what he’s talking about it.