Help with TT ideas for my first TT


Hi All,

I have been reading alot of reviews and searching around for my first TT.  ALot of recent recordings that i want are basically only coming out on vinyl or super crappy mp3.  I have an Aaron integrated amp, with some custom built SB Acoustic Monitors (Bromo).

I am looking at the marketplace in the 1 - 1.5k range and see I can find alot of different solutions and wanted to get peoples thoughts:

Marantz tt-15 - Seems like  bargain at 1500, but difficult to setup
Clearaudio Concept - good reviews, bumps against the magnetic arm (Cement floor at my place)
Music Hall MMF 7.3 - Seems like a great solution
VPI Cliff Wood
Pro-ject X1 or X2 - Have read some reports of motor noise
Rega Planar 2 or 3 - Seems to be they are what they are

With such a crowded field how do people choose?  I live in Central Mass, and dont have alot of options in terms of auditions so would love to get peoples thoughts. 
kro77

Showing 5 responses by knollbrent

@kro77 each cart has it's own flavor. Most of my carts have been aligned for certain arms, but once you get the hang of it, adjusting to a different arm isn't that difficult. Mine have all been aligned by my Japanese time traveling friend. At the moment, I just use my TechnicsGR but Luxman is ready and my Victor TT101 is on JP's bench getting adjusted. It was just 3 years ago that I started this journey. It was destiny. 
Technic's 1200GR with vintage Nos cart and your good to go. Such an easy table to set up and the arm is quite decent. It will last forever too!
Congrats @kro77  on your first deck! What cart did you choose? I'm with @bkeske go with modern cart like a MoFi to start. My first cart was a MoFi Master Tracker. It's good for the money!
Yes @kro77 now look for reviews regarding albums you want. I bought 10 of my favorite artists albums right out of the gate and the mastering/press was terrible. Blonde, Mellencamp, Springsteen, Amy Whinehouse to name a few. Never made that mistake again. I research a lot before buying any album. 2 1/2 years ago, I had no albums. Now I have over 500 from all genres and just ordered 5 more. I love the ritual with vinyl.
This voyage is a fun one @kro77  Glad your enjoying it. In three years, I'm at 3 TT's, two of them vintage. 6 vintage arms. 14 vintage carts. I love this ride! Vintage tubes are nice to add too.