Every day I see another turntable recommendation...


After digging into this topic, I am convinced now I need to go a bit higher on this first vinyl set up. I think all in, I am prepared at this point to go up to $5k, for the table alone, not including arm or cartridge.

But frankly, being on this forum is like drinking from an information firehose. I have learned a bunch and yet somehow, I am less convicted than before.

With that in mind, to narrow down the decision, I am want to restrict myself to things I can buy, hear and, if necessary, service locally. My local dealers stock, AMG, AVM, Basis, Clearaudio, Michell, Musichall, Pro-ject, Rega, VPI, so I am likely restricted to those brands. I am certain my view will change by the end of this thread.

saulh

Showing 7 responses by holmz

There is more than one way of shielding from vibration.  I favour unsprung TTs, no added springs elsewhere (boing boing) - who says vibrations can't pass through springs?

Hooke?

Your example of an earthquake (caused by seismic movements, not by vibrations), is extreme.  Yes an earthquake may spoil your listening.  It may also bring your house down around you.

 

 

One thing I often see with turntable threads is the telling of experiences and negativity in general for the Linn LP12 backed up with memories from decades ago.

The Linn dealer in the 80’s talked about the live nature of the resonance, and how record clamps and heavy platters were, according to him, a destroyer of good sound as they did not let the vinyl vibrate and sing.

(It sounded like a load of BS)

 

I ended up with a Sota and a spindle/record clamp. Mostly after wrapping the nail of my bird finger onto the chassis. Pretty much like holding the finger with the thumbs and letting the finger go in a flick move.

It hurts a bit if one does it as hard as one can.

The absence of sound out of the speakers from the then sore finger, sold the table.

 

I agree with most of your post here. But the Naim forum thread with 1700 posts is not some form of agenda filled propaganda! I suggest you spend time flipping through the many pages of folks proudly showing their LP12 tables. These guys really love their tables! Some are purchased new and some have been constantly evolving for decades.

It should be noted that there is a real competive rivalry between fans of Naim and Linn. Some of this is friendly and some far less so…

Why would I even consider doing ^that^?
(I would have to be more stupid that I suspect)

People that have the Linn tables split into two groups.
- The diehard supporters.
- And the one that hate them.

It is the same with any other piece of gear from McIntosh done through Bose.
I doubt that it is any engineered propaganda, I believe that it is just heard mentality.

I can turn on Fox news, or PBS or read the New Yorker, to get wildly different versions and meanings of events.

So I would not expect to log into a Naim forum and find anything there except for love of Naim… up to the point of fetishism.

 

A rose by any other Naim, is just a rose.
It is like the Little Prince, reading Shakespeare… It is all a great story, but mostly in the heads of people. There is no Rose, on an asteroid under a glass jar, in fear of sheep.
In the Shakespearean sense, many want the Naim, becuase it is somewhat forbidden as it is not available to everyone. If it was a Sony would it still smell as sweet? Or does it just smell sweet because of the Naim?

 

 

Easter is coming up… and whether it is Mormons, 7th day Adventist’s, or Muslims, or others coming to knock on the door… they too are passionate about knowing the truth. They love their God just as much as Linn or Sota owners love their tables, or Naim owners love their gear.

In the end… who really cares about their stories? we just choose a table and it becomes great (or at least good enough).

I would probably be happy with a Project table if I had one. But I don’t… I have a table almost 40 years old. I am still generally happy with it, and to upgrade would be nonsensical at this point.

 

A used Linn TT is a variable suggestion for the OP’s budget and needs. As are many other options. If someone mentioned a Brinkmann or a Moreiseiki then, “yeah there are also fine tables,” they they are outside of the OP’s budget.

I would like one of those tables too… But I am not going to go to a Brinkmann forum to read about the negatives of Brinkmann tables... or even a balanced review. It would be moronic to even think that I could find such text there.

Andit is not propaganda, it is just natural that, “birds of a feather flock together.” 

 

But heavy platters and record weights are still being debated today.

Plus a dealer conversation from the 80’s is still a single opinion from 40 years ago…

To be sure!

And the 1700 posts on Naim forum are 1700 single opinions, or the same opinion 1700 times. A higher quantity of propaganda doesn’t flip and suddenly become some critical mass of truth.

And my opinion is also “who cares”. It too, is a story, and not any aspect of truth… other than a finger flicking onto my table is quieter than one flicking a Linn.

But we do not usually flick fingers onto a turntable.
It is just a parlour trick.

 

I see the same thing with Technics tables: some forum guys will completely dismiss modern DD Technics tables because of their experience with “cheap DJ tables” from when they were in college 40 years ago…

Modern Techniques?
(I thought that the old ones were good too.)

 

There is something to said about a workhorse of a TT, and it being built to stand up to abuse. They were not transporting delicate TTs to events and worrying about set up slipping out of alignment.

The Denon’s were also good sounding work horses.
(I am thinking of getting one myself)

@pindac have you tried the Korf headshell?

I got one of them and also the top of the line Ortofon (maybe the 10b ??), which does not ring much.
They (maybe) made a big difference.

Ideally I would have used a multi armed octopus of a table with the same arm and cart, with only the head shell differing… but I don’t have that deck.
Then it would have been apples v apples comparison.

 

In any case the cart, or the head shell, or something else, made the sibilance all but disappear. I am attributing it to the head shell, but I know that is intellectually unfounded as being totally reasonable… so it is more of guess.