19th Nervous Breakdown...



Here I sit on the fence again, trying to decide whether it's worth it to shatter my budget one more time, wondering if the sonic differences between the following gear justifies the sacrifices necessary to pay the toll.

Should I live on beanie weanies and cheap beer for a good while and spring for a Basis 1400 or 2001 table with a decent arm, cartridge and phono stage for about $3K, or do I "settle" for one of the Regas, a P3 or P25, or one of the Music Halls for less than half that, upgrade my diet, and buy a few albums to boot?

I realize that this is in some ways a hopeless and hedonistic calculus, and that there may be no "right" answer. But I suppose what I am looking for are the opinions of those who have traveled the upgrade path and already paid the price. Was it worth it? How would you describe the sonic differences in moving up to that next level?

If you were starting over and COULD manage to stretch your budget to $3K or even $3.5K, what would YOU buy (entire rig, including phono stage, and, of course, buying used)? Or would you go for one of the "entry' level, non-upgradable units and be happy with it?

I have a good collection of albums from my mid-fi days, and I have a pretty good system (First Sound/Bel Canto EVO 200.2 monos/Vienna Acoustics Beethovens), so I do have an interest in more than 'dabbling'.

I have already received a LOT of help on this site and I appreciate every bit of it. There are many friendly and helpful folks around here. I am very happy with the system I have built so far.

Now if I can settle this analog business, I can relax for awhile and just enjoy the music. So what will it be, oh audio gurus, a VPI, Basis, or Oracle table, or a Rega, Music Hall, or Thorens table? Which arm? Which cartridge? Which phono stage?

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I wish I were in a position to audition this gear, but I'm not.

thank you all...

128x128waltersalas

Showing 1 response by tubegroover

Hi Walter

Don't worry about food. There are so many organizations willing to help out that you'll never have to worry about eating cheap food let alone going hungry. I would however be concerned about going the cheap beer route, what will the rubbish collector think?

I recently upgraded my analog rig after living many years with one of the original SOTA Sapphire's, chosen over a Rega, big improvement at the time. The extra money spent, after pondering the decision for weeks, brought me many years of satisfaction and I'm really glad I did it. Food on the other hand comes and goes, if you know what I mean. I would stretch the budget as far as my uncle would allow and in the long run, my guess is, you will be glad you did.

A cheap DAC competing with the better ones is realistic, more hype than substantive in my experience. A cheap analog rig competing with the next step or two up is a pipe dream. It is one area where money REALLY buys big improvements. Take this from one who always has both hands and at least one eye on the wallet :) GO FOR IT but also, don't neglect buying the albums. You'll just have to hunt out the garage and estate sales to get them. You'll probably end up with more music and maybe even a new hobby. Happy listening and best to you.