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Help buying first analog rig - Clearaudio Concept or Rega P6

I am in the process of purchasing my first major analog rig since I was teen back in the 80's. My system has been digital. I had a period of about 8 years where I did not do much with audio as we were moving and building a new home. Shortly after our home was built, but before the basement was finished and the alarm was installed, we had a break in. Among the many things other things taken, they took a box of my CD's, basically all my SACD's. So when I the basement was finished and got setup again it prompted me to get into streaming. I have a dedicated listening room which is pretty big 16 x 25 and 9' ceiling on a concrete slab (i know that helps with turntables) with laminate flooring and area rug. My System is pretty straight forward digital.
-Innuos Zen mkIII to stream and play my ripped CD's along with other hi-rez digital I have purchased and some DSD's
-Chord Qutest fed with a Shunyata Alpha USB from the Zen
-PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated
-Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII 
-Purist Audio Venustas Luminist Speaker and RCA  cables, Shunyata Venom NR V10 power cables

The only small stack of vinyl I own is what I had as a teen, 80's rock which I may listen to occasionally, but I plan on buying new vinyl. I listen to a lot of Jazz - Coltrane, Davis, etc, a lot of modern bluegrass mostly female vocal like Sarah Jarosz, Sierra Hull, Alison Krauss.
The 2 tables that I seem to have gravitated towards are:
-Rega P6 with Hana EL 
-Clearaudio Concept wood with the black satisfy arm and either their Concept MC or Maestro V2 cartridge.

I know the Concept does not come with a dust cover, no big deal for me, I can always add one down the road.

Phono pre
-Sutherland KC Vibe
-MS Phenomena 2+

My budget was originally 3000 for the table/cart and pre, but I really like the concept wood ascetically, it would fit nicely in my rustic/industrial decor which has a lot of wood. I know its not about ascetics, but I am just not crazy about the look of Rega, but it does get great reviews. My rack is butcher block and iron pipe, so the table would sit on the top shelf next tot he PrimaLuna. I am the kind of person that does not mind tinkering and I understand the inconvenience of records vs digital, but I am looking for the natural, openness and beauty that vinyl brings to the system. What am I missing?
128x128jmphotography

Showing 3 responses by chakster

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Another MM cartridge so you can change stylus by yourself.

Ones your Hana MC is worn (after ~800 hrs)  you can’t use it and you will have to ship it back to the mafufacturer (no cartridge for some time). Also expensive.

There are better MM or MI availavle and styli are user replaceable!
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
The life span of an Elliptical tip of any MC cartridge is SHORT!
Then you will have to ship your cartridge back to the manufacturer for rebuild or to get new cartridge with disocount under manufacturer special program.

For an MC cartridge you need a really good MC phono preamp and if anything wrong with cables or phono stage it will be noisy.

Some people have no idea what they are saying, because an advice for MC cartridge to the newby is nonsense. It will cost more and can only cause more problem. Some people damage their cartridge during mounting process, especially on tonearms without removable headshell.

A good MM cartridge sound like mastertape and they are superior to cheap MC cartridges, especially if your music preferences is rock. The stylus can be removed during the mounting process to avoid damage. When the stylus is worn you can just buy another stylus. There are absolutely amazing MM or MI cartridges with exotic cantilevers and advanced profile of the stylus. On some models user can upgrade from one stylus profile to another just buying different stylus.

I wouldn’t even comment on Rega or some other belt drive turntables. A good MC cartridge will cost you more than a turntable like that. And when you look for LOMC cartridge make sure you’re buying the one with the most advanced profile, because the life span of advanced profile is 3 times longer than elliptical, so you will have more time before you will have to send your cartridge back to the manufacturer for rebuild. Otherwise it’s just a waste of money, a myth, fairy tales from audiophiles who never tried any proper MM or MI (they are better).

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Do yourself a favor and buy Japanese MM cartridge with long history and good reputation. All those Rega or MoFi are inferior carts and people compare them to some other inferior cartridges trying to hear the difference.

Even dirt cheap Empire MI from the 70s is better than all of them.

Audio-Technica carts are great, I’m a big fan of AT-ML170 OFC and AT-ML-180 OCC, but they are very expensive. 
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