almost done now. Seems like a whole néw micro universe to obsess over.
Well, of course, some of us call that ‘fun’ 😁
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.
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.
106 responses Add your response
Mofi Studio Deck.
https://www.musicdirect.com/documents/pdf/AMFETTSDNC_HFChoice.pdf
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Just stick with the MoFi cart to start. Get your feet wet, and when you desire to get in deeper, by then, you will have done more research to decide if another cart is desired, or not. From what I have read, their carts are very good at their price point, and really, you are getting a good deal with the table package, as purchased separately, they aren’t ‘cheap’ carts. The StudioTracker, which comes with ‘your table’, I believe, sells for $200. The UltraTracker sells for $500. |
Thanks for the feedback. Why Ortofon? I was wondering is there a bug used market for carts or do people just change them out as the mess with them. Sorry for all the newb questions, but how do people decide on one? Seems like hard to demo compared to cables. I have read blue and bronze are good but the mofi has some decent ones. Thinking of sticking with mm to start. |
Pro-Ject The Classic SB as offered with a Sumiko Blue Point Special HO moving-coil is awfully attractive for $1200. I don't care for Rega tables or carts, but I do like their tonearms. Clearaudios beautiful, but beyond that they always seem pretty average. I have no experience with Mofi. My personal favorites are VPI, but 'real' VPI's are $3k for starters with cart. I strongly disagree with those who diss the VPI tonearms. Unipvots are like panel dipole speakers, they are capable of much when properly set up, but are not for everyone. |
I just bought and returned a Rega Planar 3 because it had a very very loud hum as the cartridge moved close to the spindle. If you search for that issue, seems not uncommon. I’m going to try a Pro-Ject X2 now. But do look at the Rega hum issue. Seems some don’t have a problem, but I was already at budget and didn’t want to experiment with different cartridges and such. I just wanted a $1K turntable I could enjoy. Planar 3 wasn’t it. |
Get a Technics direct drive (SL1500C). Great table at a great price. No belts to fiddle with: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-M69FZQj3bRn/p_133SL1500B/Technics-SL-1500C-Black.html?XVINQ=GLX&aw... |
it is a pretty competitive market... all these are similarly well performing products, no dogs in the bunch - just choose based on what attributes/conveniences matter to you -- mofi decks seem to have a lot of buzz, of course, regas and projects and clearaudios have been out there forever for good reason |
Clearaudio did advance the art with the development of the magnet thrust system on their bearings and their motors are excellent but otherwise their turntables do not offer much more than VPI tables do. Their tonearms vacillate between pretty good and downright terrible. VPI's unipivot arms are downright terrible. Their new gimbal bearing arm is a vast improvement. Both VPI and Clearaudio are more interested in cosmetics than performance. Thus the turntables at the bottom end of their ranges give more performance for the money. With their more expensive units both companies become hyper focused on isolating the platter from the motor instead of isolating the entire turntable from everything else in the environment which IMHO is far more important given modern motors are very quiet and are spinning quite slowly. |
I've had a new model Rega Planar 2 and eventually upgraded the arm to the RB330 (used in the planar 3 and 6). My dad has a new model Planar 6 and I currently have a current gen Planar 8. The current model planar 3 seems to be the sweet spot on pricing vs features/quality. I would be looking for a deal on a Planar 3 or 6 if you can swing it. Both are great tables. I dont have any experience with the MoFi tables but they seem well regarded amongst the people who own them. Seems to be a solid choice.. Not 100٪ sure, but I believe Marantz table is made by Clearaudio (or at least uses some parts sourced from them). I have read several accounts of owners saying it was a great table but they ultimately ditched it for something else due to what ever reason. Take that with a grain of salt as I have no personal experience with this table. |
How did you skip Technics? Their new offerings would be an easy pick. Virtually no set-up, too. Aside from them, roberjerman's Pioneer PLX 1000 recommendation is a good one. Do not be discouraged by the idea of "DJ" etc. That turntable works well even with Ortofon 2M Red. Going up to roberjerman's Denon cartridge may only bring it higher. |
Do your self a favor and just seek out one of the many used VPI Scouts, preferably with the acrylic platter and the original 9 arms and forget about it. These are some of the best bang for the bucks in audio. I know I just opened the door for the anti unipivot guys but what the hell. There are several listed here, a little over priced for what they are asking and a few on the other selling site that should be able to negotiate to $1,100.00 to $1,200.00. Enjoy the music |
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Kro 77, Hey I'm up in southern NH! Anyway, you might want to look at the MoFi Studiodeck. I have a friend in the business who thinks that is the best low priced TT. I have not used any of these turntables so I have no direct opinion. Certainly if you are just getting started I would not spend anything more than you are. It would be a pity to spend $5K on a table to find out you don't like it. I would say once you get to 100 records you might consider moving up. |
I've owned a MMF 7.1, the Concept, and a Clearaudio Emotion (very similar to the TT-15). The Concept was a really nice table but super sensitive to footfalls. Didn't work with the springy floors in my house. Shouldn't be a problem with cement floors. Not sure what makes you think the TT15 is hard to set up? My Emotion was easy enough to set up. A little fussy in terms of keeping the motor in place, belts coming off, and grounding. The Virtuoso is really good, but not as good as a similarly priced cartridge like a Hana SL. And it's really easy to break of the cantilever. The MMF 7.1 is solid, not fussy, well isolated, and can sound really nice with a good cartridge. That would be my recommendation of the ones I have experience with. I would also recommend the Mofi deck. I've spent some time listening to one and found it very engaging and it didn't seem to be fussy in any way. |
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Could it be that the Marantz name just does not have the Cache of some of the other boutique brands?Could be one aspect for sure as Marantz is NOT the first name that springs into most audiophools minds when you mention TT. I have always thought it was a nice looking piece which may also help people dismiss it as a "serious" piece of gear. Maybe if they tripled the price........ |
Well, I have heard the Marantz, alas none of the other tts mentioned. In comparing the Marantz to my SME 10 A (using SME V tonearm) I could only be positive surprised i.e. there was hardly, if any, performance difference for me to discern. (Look up my system for perspective of what I'm saying). Depending on the quality of cartridge used it could be argued to sound even better. YMMV, as always. Also it is a VERY attractive looking deck, for who likes a more 'modern' yet solid looking deck. M. |
Clearaudio Concept - lean, analytical Music Hall MMF 7.3 - Warmer, which is what you want in a budget component. "Seems like a great solution" Yes it does. VPI Cliff Wood Another similar warmer more forgiving sound. Pro-ject X1 or X2 - Have read some reports of motor noise Rega Planar 2 or 3 - Maybe not as lean as Clearaudio, but close. Setup and convenience of use are important but difficult setup is almost always exaggerated. More practical concern is cartridge output, since if its too low its hard to find a good phono stage for it in your price range. Really hard to go wrong with any of them. But if MMF seems like a great solution it probably is. |
