To those with multiple tables/arms/cartridges

Differences ...

I had Arms for Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday
I had Arms for Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
I had Arms for Winter/Spring/Summer/Autumn
I had Arms for Reissues/Originals
I had Arms for Direct Drive/Rim Drive/Belt Drive
I had Arms for 2k carts/5k carts/10k carts/20k carts
I had Arms for Turntables I even didn't buy
and one day... there
I heard differences

One friend has three tables, each with arms with fixed headshells and a dedicated cartridge. That requires more space but only minimal time to change the wiring.

Anyway he uses one system to listen to instrumental jazz, another for classical, and a third for vocals.

Anyway he uses one system to listen to instrumental jazz, another for classical, and a third for vocals.

I've heard this before.......and also the Hesson method of 'bright' and 'warm' cartridges balancing 'warm' and bright' LPs.

These don't seem to work that well for me as after I have decided that a 'full-bodied' cartridge like say the Fidelity Research FR-6SE is great for my 'bright' sounding LPs......when I switch to a more neutral cartridge directly after listening to this combination........I hear nuances that escaped the previous cartridge and re-listen to that 'bright' LP all over again.

I think that really good cartridges (and arms) are better than just 'tone-controls'.
They give one the ability to discover differences in presentation without changing speakers, amplification or rooms?

Then again there are folk who have different rooms, speakers and systems :-)

'For more than 30 years I had only one turntable,one arm and one cartridge...' and than become member of this forum. I assume nobody would own more cars than just one if there were no neighbours with more than one. Besides there are many diseases which are contagious. In my case however I was straightaway infected with the tonearm sickness. I assume that I have some natural resistance against TT's disease which 'explains' the story above but with the added curious result that I owned 12 tonearms and still just one turntable. But on this one I installed two tonearms with, stupid me, fast headshells. Than with my participation in the MM thread I also learned to hunt for the 'carts of the month' on ebay such that in no time I become collector with more than 30 carts. Changing those in fast headshells + Basis Exclusive phono-pre which need to be opened for each sdjustment caused me at last to buy an second TT on which I installed my 'old love' the FR-64s. Actually it was Henry who 'caused' this change because he asked the question: ''why don't you use your FR-64?''
Henry obviously like to question many things but this thread of his has no sense whatever. We all know that there are no rational answers to those 'why' questions. So we are, so to speak, forced to invent whatever reasons to justify what we have done. How is one supposed to do that without tell tales? The rest of us than need to pretend not only to understand what other have done but also to feel sympathy and/or empathy for the guy in question and hope for some kindness in return. Considering 'some' anymosity between 'some' members I am very sceptical about this thread (grin).

I have 7 turntables set up ready to roll and many others in house. Some perfect classics (idlers, idler plus belt, direct drive) as well as new state of the art.

With all those, I end up using the most neutral, quiet belt drive table as on a wide variety of records it just shows more, has more dynamics, exaggerates nothing, just delivers what is on the record.

In the end, when you have a very low distortion device with extreme speed stability it just is more satisfying than more colored turntables, as alluring as it seems (before you do it) to have a "real warm table" for "easy listening" and others with other colorations. Colorations mean distortion is covering up true detail, and even on less than the best records, that gets old.