advice for an old newbie

i tink ewe should strongly consider a used 'table, especially at this price-point - it puts ya on the cusp of the entry to some of the best 'tables out there: linn lp-12, vpi hw-19, sota wacuum 'tables, pink triangle, kuzma, well-tempered, oracle delphi, yust to mention a few.

i'm partial to the oracle - i picked one up in *excellent* condition - w/arm, cartridge & shipping, it was *still* only $850. of course, i got the upgrade-bug, & have more money into it now, but that's the beauty of it (besides its innate beauty!): it can be updated to current spec. even outta the box, the oracle killed my prewious cj walker cj-5, which was heavily-modded, & the sonic equivalent to what's awailable for ~$1k gnu, imho. vpi's, well-tempered's & linn's can also be updated, not sure about the others.

anyway, i believe any of these 'tables will be a significant yump in sound-quality over anyting awailable for a similar price that's purchased brand-gnu.

ymmv, doug s.

psychic, i do *both*, and i woodn't trade my oracle for for a tweeked sl-1200mkll. no problem w/parts awailability or reliability - my 'table is currently 20 years old. as a dust-bug is the *only* ting i'd ever consider using to clean a record while on the platter, this is not a consideration. any hand-held record cleaner designed for use while a record is spinning on the platter, will yust drive more dirt deeper into the grooves than it will remove, imo. lo-output cartridges are no problem w/my 'table, i'm presently using a 0.2mv cartridge. the only problem is i can't do 78's. if i played '78's, i'd get a 'table yust for that & keep the oracle for everyting else. so, even for a record collector, there are other opinions as to the "best way to go".

regards, doug s.

hi psychic,

i had a discwasher, never could get the hang of it! ;~) try a keith monks record-sweeper - like the old watts dust-bug only better - this ting even has a grounding-wire to help eliminate static. it (like my old dust-bug) accurately tracks the grooves - i've never had a crud-build-up problem on my stylus using one of these. arthur salvatore carries n.o.s. record-sweepers for ~$30...

re: costs, while i have a bit more into it now, i paid $1250 for my mint-condition oracle, upgraded to mk-v specs, all except the motor & power-supply. this included customs/shipping to maryland from canada, & having to buy a gnu box. cost wooda been $800, if i'd have forgone the upgrades. oh yeah, it also included a perfect-condition grace 727 tone-arm - a decent arm, tho i don't presently use it.

i dunno if this is *the* 'table to have, but they *are* up there, & not too spendy for a patient shopper... :>)

regards, doug s.