New turntable -- Rega vs VPI vs MoFi

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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Emlyn wrote: »
    I still have an SL1200MKII that was built near their end of original production. Great for rocking out and a fun table, but too noisy to use long term. The MMF-7 produces a more refined sound.

    Have you tried any of the KAB modifications on the 1200?
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,529
    edited September 2021
    erniejade wrote: »
    Emlyn wrote: »
    I still have an SL1200MKII that was built near their end of original production. Great for rocking out and a fun table, but too noisy to use long term. The MMF-7 produces a more refined sound.

    Have you tried any of the KAB modifications on the 1200?

    No, the 1200 remains stock except I do use The Clamp on it and have swapped out a variety of cartridges. I did look into the modifications a few years ago but never got around to trying any of them.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    Congratulations on your new turntable, great choice. Also nice cartridge! Enjoy.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,529
    edited September 2021
    Got the EAT C-Sharp turntable in and set up earlier today. Pretty simple to put it together except for having to fiddle with setting the anti-skate weight's hair thin line the right way. I'll just say that anti-skate system is "unique" to me but it's a set it and forget it thing once it's on.

    Initial impressions are similar to the LP playback videos on Youtube that use this turntable and cartridge. Powerful and robust are good words for it. Bass is strong and top end is lively too.

    It'll probably take a while for the Ortofon Quintet Black cartridge to settle in and open up a bit in the midrange, but pretty pleased with it so far for the money. I could hear it start to open up already. Big upgrade from my old MMF-7 which is what I was hoping for.

    Would I recommend this turntable over a Rega Planar 8 or VPI Prime 21? Not necessarily. Each of them does their own thing so they'll appeal to people in different ways. Truth is this was at the price I was looking to spend on a solidly built table that should last a long time with a good cartridge at half price already set up.
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,568
    Emlyn,
    Our group will be talking to Mat Weisfeld on 9/27 via zoom. If you are serious about VPI, it would be a good idea to hear what he has to say and to atleast get some input on the products.
    If your hang up is unipivot, I believe in certain cases you can add a dual pivot option or go with the gimbal.
    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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  • xsmi
    xsmi Posts: 1,798
    This video is one of the videos that I watched during the lock down. I didn't realize unipivot was a problem.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfJnMtolAWo
    2-channelBelles 22A Pre, Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2, Marantz SA8005, Pro-Ject RPM-10 Turntable, Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3B, Polk Audio Legend L800's, AudioQuest Cable throughout.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,529
    No real issues with a unipivot tonearm design. The EAT tonearm has a hybrid unipivot design. The VPI approach, at least to me, has its strengths in having the ability to do a whole lot of adjustments that allow getting everything "just right" in setup. I wasn't looking for that much tweakability at this point. Not interested in getting a thicker platter as an option and then having to raise the entire tonearm to keep it level for example. The EAT seems to be in a middle ground in that regard. Has a lot of similarities with Pro-Ject turntables while still maintaining some differences in engineering.
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,160
    One interesting thing about VPI is their philosophy regarding anti-skate. Their early models didn't even offer it, but eventually they added it due to customer request. Their view is that increasing VTF a smidge, and the curvature of the tonearm coil, are enough to compensate for skating force. In their user manuals, they even have a warning that says:

    If you try adjusting the anti-skate with a groove less record, you will ruin the
    twist in the tonearm wire and void your warranty    . Do this with the
    mechanical anti-skate if you want that much anti-skate.

    I'm not sure how using a groove-less record could ruin the twist, but there must be something to it, or they wouldn't state it with such caution.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,568
    I’m sure you’ll enjoy the vpi set up. I have no qualms with mine.
    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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