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

@elliottbnewcombjr 

You were responding to @billstevenson’s -

 "Yes, well please don’t be offended, but the simple answer for me is to use Rega cartridges on Rega turntables. If I wind up buying a Rega TT that is what I would do. There are many other excellent options for other brands of cartridges."

Your specifically underlined, to which I responded

"bill,

I’m not offended, there have been several members lately who want to do this.

Apple and Rega may make terrific products, they are both proprietary greedy, neither one will get a dollar from me. 

I would rather run out of gas than buy Exxon, since the Valdez."

Then after the thread has intermittently gone off the rails!

 

 

Post removed 

@faustuss 

My Exxon comments make me seem like a rabid mouthed long haired unwashed hippie.

You could have said ’I like Rega, it’s a shame you don’t’, but you went off the deep end, and seemed to me like a MOONIE. (Rev. Moon devotees).

There were so many of them outside and inside Penn Station, they used to ’slow me down’ trying to catch my train.

This thread, the many Rega fans ’slowed me down’ trying to get simple answers. It was you, finally, who led me to the null point answers, I again thank you.

As I said before, there is no way it should have taken me such repeated, persistent effort to get the answer.

I don’t compare Rega to Apple, but I put them in the same category, there is NO reason to make 14 mm high cartridges combined with a fixed arm height.

’Nasty’ seemed to stir the pot, I overstate things often, but I find it UNFORGIVABLE, like the Valdez, like printing light grey on white, like no printed measurements, like a ’new’ method, only 1 mark (not measurement), on a template that might be lost, rather than the long established industry standard of two null points. They do not, purposely do not, because they do not want to encourage using non-Rega cartridges!!!!! I will Never think otherwise.

/////////////////////////////////

To ’beat that exclusion’ Ortofon made some 14mm high models.

Where’s the list of 14mm high cartridges? Anyone?

btw, I don't recall seeing a Moonie 'on his knees'.

Getting back to the subject at hand...

I highly recommend Wally Analogue (WallyTools) for cart set up. I did the entire process including microcopy analysis (see the report in my system profile) but that part is optional. There are a bunch of videos on their website that are free and instructive.  

+1 @macg19 - going to use WAM services and pick up an assortment of tools, especially the anti-skate.