Thinking about a turntable, questions

AsSiMiLaTeD

So I went over to a guys house over the weekend and heard my first turntable setup, and was very impressed. Most of it was the super high end gear he was running, easily over 200k worth of gear from what i added up in my head. I don't remember what kind of turntable he had, but it was on an air suspension and had a catridge that cost 20k.

Knowing that I'll never have that sound is depressing, but that's a discussion for another day.

What I'm wondering is....how much would i need to spend on a turntable to get better sound that i get from a middle grade CD player. I'm using the OPPO 83-SE, for comparison.

The Guy said he's seen 2k tt rigs outperform 80k digital sources. My question is a little more practical, how much would i need to spend on a tt setup to outperform a 1k CD player? I know it depends on your gear, listen and decide yourself, yada yada yada...but everything else being equal and all that, what would I be looking at?

I'm looking for both open ended discussion and any specific recommendations anyone wants to throw out.

doctor r

I ultimately spent , after a few upgrades, about $2300 on my TT, arm, and cartridge. It certainly outperforms my $2600 CDP. A decent new intro table with a HOMC cartridge or quality MM cartridge Should get you well on the way could and be done for under $1500. Does your preamp have a phono section? If not an additional investment would need to go in that direction. The fun of the analog side is you can get started and upgrade as you go with many tables. Don't forget you need funds to buy the vinyl since the music is what it is realy all about.

doctor r

Reported

george daniel

Used VPI Scout --1200
Lo-Output Dynavector XL 20---- 500
SUT-300-400
I hope you have a tubed phono pre,, if not,,you can substitute the little Dynavecor P-75 phono pre in place of the SUT and phono stage---375


$2075 total--and a very respectable front end for vinyl,, but carefull as you go,,as it gets very slippery at this ponit--good luck,keep us posted.

AsSiMiLaTeD

From what I'm reading you guys are about right in that $2k seems to be about the entry point for a decent turntable rig. That just means I'll have to put if off until I have the coin for a proper rig.

I was kinda hoping one of those cheaper Music Hall, Rega, or Thorens tables at Audio Advisor at around the $500 price point would do the trick.

markmarc

A new Clearaudio Concept w/stock cartridge and a quality used phono preamp would set you back $2500, is another possibility.

I went budget with a Rega RP1 and upgraded the Ortofon OM10 to the Super 40, and have it running with a Sim Audio LP5.3 phono pre. I find it more enjoyable than cd's.

quadzilla

Don't forget, you can put some decent stuff together surfing agon, ebay, etc. I don't have 2500 in my table, but it's pretty decent. You just need to have a good idea of what you're after and what it's worth.

Fongolio

The Clearaudio Emotion with Clearaudio Aurum Beta woodbody cart is on sale all over the place right now and is an excellent table/cart combo in the $1200 range.

doctor r

You can start off with a set up like markmarc's (alot of good reviews of the new Rega RP1) and slowly upgrade over time. Certainly jumping in with a higher investment will get you more, but you can have a system that sounds pretty good at the entry level and enjoy alot of music.

mhardy6647

Another vote for either Cearaudio or VPI as an excellent foundation for a serious but cost-effective playback system for the licorice pizza.

As to cartridges; my hardly humble advice is to listen much before plunking down your cash... hardware performance (tt/arm/preamp) is relatively objective, but buying a cartridge is sort of like buying loudspeakers - there's a big subjective piece to making the choice. I have (after decades in this hobby) finally moved to the LOMC/SUT platform (I could finally afford to) - not high-dollar hardware at all... but I am very pleased. My subjective non-negotiable is "getting the midrange right"... my choice was the ancient (continuous production since 1960), venerable, and decidedly low-tech Denon DL-103 and a DIY SUT built from NOS Triad transformers of modest pedigree. It almost seems that there are more choices for cartridges, SUTs, and preamps today than there were in the halcyon days of polyvinyl chloride (e.g., the 1970s).

Final quantum of free advice (and worth every penny): Don't skimp on the cartidge/SUT (if applicable)/phono preamp; that's where the bulk of the "sound" you'll want will come from.

Disclaimer: My "good" tt is a Marantz TT-15S (essentially a tweaked Clearaudio Emotion); the DL-103 is currently ensconced in a Technics SL-Q2 DD which I found at our town dump (not sure the Clearaudio arm is heavy enough for the very low compliance of the DL-103).

steveinaz

There's a pretty good sweetspot at the $1500 mark with the Clearaudio Concept and Marantz TT-15S1. I'm going to buy one of these myself...

Ricardo

I would suggest you go the cheaper path and try it. Once you confirm that you are in fact ready for the vinyl ritual, you can then upgrade if needed..