Fired up the TT for the first time

As a confirmed Audiogonoholic, I bought everything except the cartridge on-line, demo or used. I ended up getting a Basis debut 5, a Graham 2.0 (soon to be 2.20) tonearm, a Herron phono stage and a Harmonic Technology crystal phono cable. I bought a Benz Ruby 2, series 2, low output cartridge, through a local dealer so they could mount it. When I get more adventurous I will try mounting my own.

David

For what it's worth..if anyone is searching for high-buck
vinyl sound...on a budget, try to find a used Townshend
Audio MkIII Rock turntable. It is the one with the damping
thing on the cartridge end of the arm...and comes with an
improved version of the RB300 (RB600?) arm. This table
was well reviewed some years back in Fi... The whole thing
is built into a version of the seismic sink. Set up with
a top Grado or Benz is a good way to get into..or stay in
analog without spending 3 to 5k. You also get to use your
own choice of cable via high quality RCA jacks on the back
of the sink.

I agree with all the fawning over vinyl. Just got my VPI Aries and JMW/Grado. It's a dream. What a combo with BAT and Aerial 10Ts.

That Basis/Graham/Herron combination sounds like a real winner, and actually I'd love to own that rig myself, but my bank account is much healthier without spending that much cash. I use the Michell Gyro II SE with the Origin Live Rega RB250 and Benz Ruby II, and that is the best sounding analog I've had in my system by a good margin. I owned a VPI Aries/JMW, with ClearAudio Gamma and Transfiguration cartridges, but just couldn't get that rig to perform like it should have. I also got excellent sound from the Townshend Mk-III Rock with modified RB300 and Transfiguration cartridge, but it always sounded a touch bright for my taste. The brightness may have been related to a slight upper midrange resonance in the RB300 arm, I suspect. I would have really liked to have tried the Townshend with the Origin Live Rega RB250 and the Benz Ruby 2, because that combination might have been excellent too (a beer-budget giant killer if you could get a good deal on the Benz).

This is like giving an alcoholic a bottle of Night Train, but in Kansas City is a shop with at least 3,000 sq.ft. of vinyl. Pretty sure I remember it as Streetside Records and Tapes 816 561 1580. Best of luck and I'm not responsible.