Thinking of getting me a TT
Ive still got all my vinyl in the loft which has not been played since about 1990 from memory, combining that with my new Valve amplifier I might get me a TT. I would need to get a phono stage, I think initially my budget would be around the £500 mark and would look at the second hand market.
Would anyone be obliged to give me some decent advice on what to get, I was looking at the Luxman for sale on the Wam but read somewhere that the bass is a bit light on the cheaper models.
As always any help much appreciated
Lee
Comments
Robs suggestion is a solid one Lee and is most peoples first port of call for good reason , i am currently running a P3 with acrylic platter ,groovetracer subplatter with jewel bearings,Michael limm dual belt stainless drive pulley ,hercules II LP12 power supply, audiomods counterweight and stub fitted with a diy OL style mounting ,silver wired, and a denon DL103 heavily moded (alloy body and ESC sapphire cantilever and paratrace tip) through a 640p , but, next to that sits a systemdek IIX with either an alphason xenon mcs or rega rb300 or audiomods arm depending on mood with various carts also into a 640p , both sit on a separate Target wall shelf each and would say that the systemdek is still a very,very capable turntable , it just gives a little more than the rega and can be had for just under £200 fitted with a rega arm or less with the systemdek or linn arms, i will be adding an OL dc motor system to the IIX soon but even with the noisy AC motor its great and compared to a rega can be put almost anywhere (but still gives a wee bit more when on a wall shelf ), but having said all that the Rega is still great fun and a nice sounding device for what it is and please dont do what i did and start moding one as you can buy a gyrodeck for the same money as it costs to add all the mods!!
just to throw in a curve ball do get a listen to the humble project rpm 1.3 genie MKII , it really is quite amazing when fitted with a better cart such as the denon 110 or 160 high output MC carts and in my opinion betters the budget rega rp1 and isnt that far off a P3 just a bit different ,
old luxman ,denon,technics, garrards are brilliant if you go for the up market ones but if anything goes wrong then it will cost to get them working properly and consistently so please buy very cautiously if you go this route ,please keep us updated on what you go for in the end and how you get on with it.
have fun and welcome back to the original 'hi rez' format !
all the best for now,
matt
Hi Rob
Many thanks for the pointer on the RP3, when you say keep it away from the speaker, any idea as to how close I could get away with, I did intend putting the TT close to the speaker.
Cheers
Lee
Hi Matt
The Project Genie is a TT that caught my eye, I think they are on the MK III version at the moment and retails new for around the £200 mark, do you know if the MK III is as good as the MK II. I did a quick search myself on the net and found this from Richer sounds web site, being a newbie to TT's I dont have the experience as some of the guys on here, but for less that £200 it doesnt look a bad buy at all!
The Project Genie Mk3 does the seemingly impossible by improving upon the already brilliant Genie Mk2.
Although it looks similar, the changes are many and effect just about every area of this award-winning turntable. First off is a brand new tonearm. The Project 8.6s arm now features a one piece design for improved rigidity around the headshell area. What this means is that less detail is lost and more information can be heard. Other benefits include an improved anti-skating system and better finish.
One of the most striking features with the Pro-Ject RPM1 Genie was the separate motor unit. This means that noise and vibration from the motor doesn't interfere with the delicate pickup area. The new Genie MK3 retains this feature but offers an improved casing with superior damping. For ease of use, the power switch has been relocated by the motor. Subtle changes to the plinth and a re-profiled platter complete the evolutionary overhaul of this much praised turntable. As before, an Ortofon OM3e cartridge is included, making this turntable ready to go, straight out of the box.
For minimalist style and class-leading sound quality the best budget turntable has just got better!
i have only listened to the 1.3 MKII (the forth version )and was quite stunned , if the MKIII is an improvement then it really is worth getting a listen to one at least, i have been keeping an eye on the second hand value of them too and they hold their value well if in VGC with original box etc, this would mean that if you find yourself listening to a lot of vinyl and fancy something better then you will get a good amount back when you come to upgrade,
as i mentioned in my first post i wouldnt say its all that far away from the p3,just different (not heard an RP3 yet ) ,the Genie's biggest weakness is the bundled cartridge which is good for a cheap cart but fitting an ortofon 510 MKII brought much refinement and weight and fitting a Nagaoka mp200 showed that this humble little budget wonder is a very capable device with esoteric and far more expensive looks , it will still need a well isolated support for best results and a few sorbothane domes and a 10mm thick acrylic sheet will help it out too ,
at the end of the day your senses must decide but it should IMO go on any short list for a tt under £300. not to mention the piece of mind that comes with a warranty.
have fun shopping
all the best,
matt
a few words on cartridge choice Lee, as i dont know your system's over all sonic character or your personal preference , i cant recommend a cart that will work well with it , also the choice of phonostage and TT will also influence that decision ,
be aware that the tempting ortofon 2M carts that will be in stock everywhere have a forward balance that can help a warmer balanced system but in a brighter system with strong upper mid band they become intolerable , Denon carts give the most even handed and finessed sound but avoid the DL103 unless you get an arm with quite high mass ,
goldrings (1000 series) can be fantastic but can get a bit tiresome as they are quite energetic sounding , like a denon with the loudness button switched in but still great,,
if the budget can handle it the new ortofon Vivo carts are superb low output MC but the 640p has provision for this, very easy to live with and a really nice presentation brimming with detail but never pushy, if i wasnt saving for a new benz cart i would be grabbing a Vivo.
Nagaoka carts are also good but are quite costly for the better ones (mp200 upwards) and dodge the mp150 unless your system has a very rolled off treble as it has a few db of lift at the very top end.
audio technica are always worth considering especially if the TT is coming across as a bit warm and woolly
remember that these are all just my findings and what isnt so good to me and my system may be the tonic for you and your system,
the rega p3/genie -640p-Denon 110/160 options will give great results in an already well balanced system ,
all the best ,
matt
the lp12 sounds interesting, but, you could have a garrard 401 and a rega/moth arm for that money, also which incarnation of the LP12? and with the basik arm wont set your audio world on fire (especially if you like soundstaging and depth )but as always try and get a listen , you might love it!
the synchro was a good deck and if its all in fine fettle would be quite nice with a good cart,
if you are looking to hike the budget to £500 for a tt alone then a second hand technodeck with techno arm would be better than the synchro,
as ever Lee, a few words typed in a forum post cant really be a guide , that job is for your ears,
in my experience the longer i hunt for a new component the longer and more expensive the list gets and the more impossible it becomes to get to listen to them ,and remember which sounded like what,
as Dave suggested in his post if you are going to use vinyl as one of your main sources and buy vinyl regularly then the 401 or the rock (in perfect working order ) would be a one stop solution and worth hunting out and you wont be sitting six months down the line wondering what if? they are that good!
the system you have is really very nice and i feel that your ears will need a vinyl system of equal quality to keep you interested enough to persue it as the equal of the digital system, my earlier suggestion of the little genie would be fine while you build up the record collection but if you already have a good pile of records consider saving up as much as you can and get something that will match the rest of the system and let you hear why so many people are turning back to the format, after all digital keeps promising this and that with endless new ways to listen that then become defunct formats ,sacd ,dvd audio etc, i my opinion ,a good vinyl front end along side digital files on a computer of some sort into a high quality dac such as your young is the way forward ,
if i was you i would stop and really think ,am i building a system with a view to upgrade or am i building a system that i can forget about and just get on with buying ,playing and enjoying wonderful music ,
if its the later start saving and do it right .
hope this helps rather than hinders,
all the best,
matt
No worries Dave, I will keep looking around
Thanks
Lee
That reminds me of the man who went to a fancy dress party with no clothes on, but a young lady strapped to his back. He went as a tortoise.
:-))
No, Dave (with an e). I gave up being called Michelle years ago
Excellent choice.
Cart'...?
Which Stanton and Shure...?
Well worth trying out different cart's. Never has a good upgrade provided better vfm (not to be confused with vtf!!! ;-D ).
Enjoy the tinkering!
Shure SC35 C
I have one of those.
...I've not used the Stanton for a while, but I seem to remember that it is has quite a warm sound. A bit lacking in detail for satifying day to day listening, so I'd be interested to read how you feel it compares with the Shure, of which I have no knowledge.
I copied and pasted it from the sellers advert, the link to the advert is below.
Once I get the TT up and running and the carts are installed I will report back on my findings.
Cheers
Lee
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Technics-SL-1210MK2-Turntable-/290613681576?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item43a9ecdda8#ht_1229wt_1398&clk_rvr_id=271274980424&afsrc=1