If you want a really good little box phono pre try the Redgum from Australia but they aren't that cheap. E-mail on the side and I can tell you where you might be able to work out a deal with an MMF-5 I own both. The MMF-5 is a great solid table, very quiet, very stable table, but the MM cartridge while being an incredible bargain -the cart is worth $120 by itself- does not yield the detail and finer elements, or dynamics that I have heard, wth MC carts. Still you won't find a better table new for that money, IMHO. Old tables that haven't been refurbed are a crap shoot and a royal pain to fix yourself. If you can get a good one that was owned by an audiophile on the cheap, well try it and pray.
starting from just about scratch w/ $600 to spend
I'm just getting back into vinyl and currently have a old Technics TT, SL-1950, one corner proped up by CD's cause the foot is missing (I bought it for $15 at a tag sale) and a grado prestige red cartride with about 15 hrs on it.
I just bought a Bryston B60 int amp w/o the phono stage, so I def need to spend part of my money on that. My speakers are signet sl280ex.
So how much and what would you spend on TT/cart/phono pre. It looks like I can get entry level used MMF-5 or NAD 533 with cart for ~400, leaving $200 for phono stage. Are those $200 carts they come with really that much better than my grado?
Or should I buy a more stable vintage DD TT (with feet intact lol) for ~100, and spend the remaing $500 on cart and phono pre. ie, Are the cart and phono pre more important at the price points I'm looking at?
I can go a little over budget if it gets me considerable sound quality upgrade in return.
There seems to be quite a few budget phono pre's around, and I have no way of ABing them, so I could really use opinions on that.
I just bought a Bryston B60 int amp w/o the phono stage, so I def need to spend part of my money on that. My speakers are signet sl280ex.
So how much and what would you spend on TT/cart/phono pre. It looks like I can get entry level used MMF-5 or NAD 533 with cart for ~400, leaving $200 for phono stage. Are those $200 carts they come with really that much better than my grado?
Or should I buy a more stable vintage DD TT (with feet intact lol) for ~100, and spend the remaing $500 on cart and phono pre. ie, Are the cart and phono pre more important at the price points I'm looking at?
I can go a little over budget if it gets me considerable sound quality upgrade in return.
There seems to be quite a few budget phono pre's around, and I have no way of ABing them, so I could really use opinions on that.
- ...
- 8 posts total
My suggestion: You can upgrade your TT to a new Technics SL-1200mk2 for $400 if you shop around. Your Grado Red is fine with the SL-1200mk2. That should leave you $200 for a phono stage. A gently used SL-1200mk2 is also an option, but at $400 I would opt for a new one, given that some DJ-used decks are subject to abuse. If you decide to buy a used SL-1200mk2, you better read what Joel at the Turntable Factory has to say. An obvious upgrade to the SL-1200mk2 is a tonearm damper at $150 from KAB USA. I also suggest that you read the recent test of the SL-1200mk2 at TNT-Audio Good luck! - Harald |
In your price range, an extra $100 can buy you a lot more cartridge, but only a little more preamp. So don't sweat the preamp. (You can always upgrade it later.) In your shoes, I'd spend $100 on a preamp, and get the best table w/cartridge I could afford. BTW, $400 for a used NAD 533? You can buy the same table new (the Goldring 1.2) for $300. Neither comes with a $200 cartridge. It's a $70 Goldring Elektra. It's pretty good, but there's always something better out there. |
- 8 posts total