Next Turntable


I've been reading, digging through archives, studying anecdotal comments, and the like, here and on the Vinyl Asylum, to figure out my next TT move. I am strictly a vinyl-only guy, and for those of you who remember my other posts, recently came back to audio after a decade long hiatus. I have been revamping my system, the only remaining piece from the early 90's being a Well-Tweaked, Well Tempered TT.
I want to take a step up in the TT world. Here are my parameters:

1. No twenty thousand plus investment. I could see 10k for a table, sans arm and cartridge, but that's about where I'm going to draw the line; obviously, if I don't have to spend this, I won't.
2. Not too tweaky. Don't want to worry about air pressure in suspensions or arms, constant adjustment, or endless fine tuning. While I'm not against the occasional adjustment, I want to listen to music, not pay homage to the equipment.
3. No overt colorations, but the TT does not have to be the
last word in technology, exotic materials, or dramatic looks. It just has to play music, and combined with an appropriate arm, give me deep bass, 'jump' or thwack, open
airy and non-bloated mids and extended highs. If I have to trade off anything, I suppose that would be the highest octave extension in favor of musicality and palpability of the rest.
4. Some of the contenders- Kuzma Stabi Reference; VPI TNT 6
(perhaps Hotrod, but the changes in the platter and bearing, given some of the negatives I've read about the HRX, make me hesitate); Brinkman- overbudget, unless slightly used; Simon
Yorke, ditto. Others might be a Basis, Sota, or Well-Tempered Reference. All are fine tables, but I think I would like to get as close to
state of the art in this step; on the other hand, I'm not
looking for this month's 'hot product' since I tend to hang on to equipment. Turntable comparisons are pretty close to impossible, I dunno, maybe a dealer would be willing to set one up in my home, but I don't see that happening even at this price point, and even if it did, having one table for a short period of time is not going to be too telling.
As to arms, I like the Graham. The Kuzma air arm looks neat, but it violates my set it and forget it rule. If I went with the Brinkman, I'd probably do their arm.
That's it for now. TIA.
128x128whart
oracle delphi, linn sondek, origin, rega9, well tempered....if you are going used add wilson b, thorens, ar
Having just written a note on another subject, I spotted this thread on the "Next Turntable"... It's quite premature right now, but let me just say this: If your plans don't involve an immediate purchase for a new turntable, you may, from time-to-time, want to watch our website (graham-engineering.com) for news of our next area(s) of interest. In looking at what's out there for use with our Phantom tonearm (and the older 2.2 models, too), and seeing examples of what's right (and wrong) we believe we'll have something good to offer in this competitive market. We'll have information posted when the time comes.... In the meantime, perhaps this will provide some interest for future plans! Thanks, and Stay tuned! Bob Graham/Graham Engingeering
Bob- thanks for chiming in. One nice thing about this 'hobby' is that you can interact directly with the designers. I'll keep my eyes out- your products are among the most highly regarded in our analog world. Regards,