How often do you upgrade turntable ?

I last upgraded my turntable in 1982.

No doubt about your memory, man.

Current ClearAudio from 2007, previous Thorens from 1989

I bought an LP12 ca. 1987, after using a Thorens TD126 Mk II for some years. The LP12 fell into disrepair and wasn't used for a long time. Then I got a Rega RP3 in 2010, a Clearaudio Ovation in 2011 and a Clearaudio Innovation in 2023. On the last upgrade I got two 12" tonearms for it.

I might upgrade the Innovation to a Master Innovation this year, depending on some things I expect to happen.

@inna I graduate college and started my first job on June 15, 1982.  i bought a new system with turntable a couple of months later.

I see. That's unusual, I think, to keep a turntable for such a long time. Without perhaps adding another better one.

@inna  I never said to kept it.  I did answer the original question accurately though.

@inna Big step. Always ask the best looking girl in the room to dance. Buy the best you can’t afford. That way, you’ll enjoy better music longer in this finite life.

Big steps, small steps ?

Since the early eighties, my turntable upgrades have come along at fifteen year intervals.

At that rate, I’ll never do another one.

inna,

I too have a Nottingham Spacedeck. On its Ace Anna arm I have had a Koetsu RSP affixed for many years now. I tend to use my Linn LP12 most of the time now, but on the occasion I do put the Nottingham on the TT shelf, it is and remains wonderful. It is my wife's favorite table as she was in charge of using it when I underwent several joint replacement surgeries some years ago and had limited mobility. Last year I did purchase a new Rega P10 to see what all the hype is, and although I do like it (especially the RB1000 arm) my bliss is still with my older tables.

noromance, I agree - big steps.

awise1961, I really like the Spacedeck, mine has Space arm and Goldring 1042 cartridge. I was thinking about upgrading both the arm and the cartridge but decided to postpone it. It sounds good as it is.

I jumped directly from a ~$1,000 hobbyist belt drive transcription turntable to a Technics SP-10R because I'm in the practice of selling records I've bought and transferred and didn't want to have regrets about the transfers possibly having been better. It took some saving and a lot of sales of good records after buying the table, but it was 100% worth it. There have been other bumps in the road with cartridges, tonearms, and stylii, but overall very few of the transfers I've made since upgrading to the top table on the market have problems. The SP-10R is leaps and bounds above the Rek-O-Kut tables made by Esoteric Sound. Is a SP-10R that much better than something like a 1200-G? Probably not, but I highly value the speed control box's extreme accuracy.

mke246, now that's a huge jump. What tonearm and cartridge do you use ? And what is your phono stage ?

ELAC Miracord 630 (ca 1970)

Rega Planar 2

Rega Planar 3

Garrard 401 (currently in storage with broken tonearm and cart)

Technics 1210D Hana ML

Future? Another Technics w/mono cart

I think my first turntable was a Kenwood that I got from my Dad when he upgraded. I must have been around 15. I played the heck out of it. A decade later I bought my first new turntable, a Kyocera.

A few decades later I picked up a used Michell Gyrodec SE that I still use. I think it will be my last. I upgraded the tone arm to a SME M2-9R and I have a few cartridges and headshells that I rotate through on a regular basis.

When I’m listening to that turntable, I feel like the luckiest human on the planet.

I have had quite a few turntables. After getting my updated Garrard 301 and comparing them, the others were all sold. I have not had a desire to upgrade for a long time. Based on my listening an upgrade to something I like better will cost more than I can afford. 

I have had my VPI Scoutmaster since 2005 or 2006, I do grease the  bearing every few years.  It replaced the earlier entry level VPI that I bought in the late 90s - my daughter now uses that,

I had a Thorens before the VPI, before I entered the high end phase.

In the late 60s early 70s it was a Garrard 301.  That (and my Quad 33/303 ESL) setup was lost when I moved to the USA in '72.

I owned a few fine turntables in succession (including Denon DP-80, Oracle Delphi III) until around 1995 when I bought a VPI TNT III. I’ve been using it happily ever since. I did upgrade it with an SDS controller, later had Steve Leung at VAS modify the SDS, and I’ve also upgraded the feet.

Never… streaming and remotes the way to go! 

1966 various low/mid-fi turntables 

1975 Garrard Zero 100

1977 Empire 598

1999 Pro-ject Pearwood

2000 VPI HW19 MkIII, Audioquest arm

2016 VPI Classic SE, SDS, 3d uni arm

2024 Pure Fidelity Harmony Mk2, Origin Live Illustrious SE arm

I lived with the Rega Planar 2 that I bought in 1981 until the start of Covid. At that point I began a major upgrade to my entire system and over the past years went through the following:

Rega Planar 6

Pure Fidelity Harmony 

Palmer 2.5i

Kuzma Stabi R

CS Port TAT1M2

For me, the CS Port is the end game and it never fails to make me appreciate its ability to deliver an exceptional listening experience. 

5-6 in the 70's and 80's...

since i got back into vinyl in 1999:

2 yrs

2 yrs

19 yrs (still use in a/v system)

3 yrs (soon to be sold...)

just got a new one

My mono table is from 1976 - Technics SL-1300MK2 (the cuing arm and lift all fixed).  

My main table is Luxman PD-171 from 2002.  The tone arm was upgraded to Jelco TK850S.  

Unless either of them break, i will probably never replace these tables.  

You are supposed to upgrade your turntable?

I had some Pioneer table back int he 70's, Early 80's, acquired a Denon DP-79? at a dealer fire sale (literally). Purchased a Technics SL-1200MK2 in 2005. Everyone can smirk now. However, to me it's the last turntable I'll ever need. Dead quiet and has that PRAT that everyone is so fond of. Currently using a Goldring cartridge and really pleased with what I hear.

Got my Close & Play when I was around 7 … at 12 upgraded the cart to a Grado MC Cart and Mac external phono pre… At 15 modified it to accept an external power source, and just recently added the acrylic platter and isolation platform… Killer. Piece … LMAO 😂😂😂

1984 Technics SLQ-200 - AT P-Mount ?

2018 Orbit Uturn - Ortofon Super OM20

2021 EAT B Sharpe - AT VM740ML

1- (2) Pioneer PL a45d in 1977.

2- (2) Technics 1200s 1984

3-Technics GAE 2019

4- EMT 948 2022

I sold off one 1200 & gave one Pioneer to my Son. My basement system has the 1200 & a Thorens 126 mk lll

My main system carries both the GAE & 948. Both systems run tubes for my taste, even my phono pre’s are tube drivin. I see no reason in the future for any upgrade, but cartridges. 

@huang - Not unless you want to! 

Still have a SYSTEMDEK IIX from the mid 1980's that I bought almost 20 years ago. 

Great sounding TT for very little money that has been quite durable, and does scale nicely with a better tone arm and phono cartridge. 

Like an oil change in the car, every 5,000 miles. ;^)

Sorry @inna, don't mean to make light of your question.  But it seems as long as one is satisfied with the performance and nothing breaks or wares out, why replace?

Yes, why replace ? Only to have something even better. Many keep their turntables for years, I suppose their speakers too. The rest usually gets upgraded more frequently.

"How often do you upgrade turntable ?"

I wouldn’t call buying 40yr old mint TT an “upgrade”! I have bunch of TTs, and  “timeless engineering marvels” regularly added to my collection.

In one system here there is a VPI that started off as a junior. Over the years it has finally been upgraded as far as possible sans the SAMA.  The Superplatter was a huge upgrade for this unit. Also the SME V arm was huge as well.

I went from a Yamaha when I was a kid... to CDs are wonderful, to a VPI Scoutmaster, to a Brinkmann Bardo. If money is right a Kuzma four point and a Lyra Atlas will grace it, but I'm pretty happy so if nothing is changed I would be happy.

My original comment was tongue in cheek as audiophiles we are always searching for that next improvement. My buddies refer to this condition as "needles for junkies":!

My first decent turntable was a Dual 1019 I bought around 1973.

Upgraded about 10 years later to a lower-level Thorens (TD 165, maybe?).

Then in 1988 I bought the SOTA Star Sapphire Series III I still use and have no intention to upgrade.   I love the vacuum hold down platter--eliminates mild warps and vinyl resonance. 

Same TT since 1987. Bang and Olufson Beogram 8002, now with a Soundsmith smmc1 cartridge. Still sounds good to me!

Got an LP60 and upgraded to a Uturn almost instantly. Kept that for about 2 years, and then moved up to a Mofi Ultradeck. Coming up on 7 years with that table, and just got a Hana ML so I suppose I’ll keep it for a few more years. 

I’m mostly drawn to belt drive tables, particularly from VPI and a few others. But I think my next table will be the 1200G, unless they make something more interesting before I move forward. As much as I’m drawn to the romance and upgrade options with other options, the near zero maintenance of the Technics will likely satisfy me longer term. 

After 14 years of using a mediocre Audio Technica LP120 with the stock cartridge, I upgraded to Rega P3 with an Exact 2 cartridge about 3 years ago. Considering, that I'm not DJing and listening for pleasure only, I'm extremely pleased with my current setup. If anything, I'd dip my toes into the MC arena first before upgrading the deck. I'm not one to cycle through upgrades - both because I don't have the disposable income or desire to churn through equipment but because I haven't felt the need to.

Maybe, I'll entertain an alternate setup like the Technics 1200 for swapping cartridges for fun once I get my listening library/den built in a few years.  But will keep the P3 as well. 

I upgraded my turntable about every 5 years starting out when I was young.  As my disposable income increased I upgraded.  Stopped upgrading when CDs came out and then I started upgrading CD players.  Now I mostly stream and have updated my DACs and streamers.  I find the time to upgrade has shortened as the technology in music listening has evolved.  

I had no idea that in 2003 when I upgraded from a Michell Gyrodec / Rega arm to a Basis 2500 w/ Basis Vector 4 arm & an Art Audio Vinyl One Phono Amp that I would never buy another one! The Basis was amongst some of the very best available back then & the new version ( virtually unchanged) is still considered about as good as you get for under $20K. Two cartridges & belts later, still sounds excellent & now that I’m also streaming quite a bit & I’m past middle age, that will be it. It was a great purchase & I couldn’t be more pleased with it. 

First was a Realistic in 1972, don't remember the model but full auto. No doubt was some version of a Shure cartridge, got me by for a year. I got reassigned to Germany and sold my system to an army buddy. I used to stack the albums on it. Terrible idea. It didn't take me long to figure it out but still trashed a few in the learning process.

Got out of the army in 1975 and bought my second stereo. Included a Pioneer PL 12 D and Shure V15III. It moved around my family and my nephew was still using it last I knew. A lot of people still talk about these as being one of the sleepers. Certainly not high end but a decent performer for cheap. I think it was $89, new. The V15III was around $100. I just bought another one recently, used for around $200. Funny how that stuff goes. 

Nest (mid 80's) was a Yamaha Linear tracking. P3? or something like that. Had a Signet cartridge,don't remember the model. Wasn't bad but started to act up, would stick or hang up. I sold it to a buddy who thought he could fix it. I think his son still has it. 

I moved on to THE AR, used from Ebay, came with a Sumiko Talisman S. The guy had no idea how to ship a turntable, left the cartridge on and it got trashed. I have purchased 3 used TT's off of Ebay and every one of them has shipped the same idiotic way and each one trashed a cartridge. I am rather shocked by this as these people claim to know what they are doing. Anyway, I am currently using the AR with a Sumiko Talisman S that belongs to my son. 

My best rig is now getting quite old. VPI HW 19 III with SME IV arm and usually with Fidelity Research FR1 MK III F, LOMC. This would be the best cartridge that I own and it is also getting old. I bought it as NOS, 20 years or so ago. I actually bought 2 of them but sold one to a buddy who I bought the VPI from. I probably should have just kept both but at least my friend got to enjoy it. As far as I know, he still uses it but he swaps many cartridges. Not so easy on the SME and part of why he sold it. Anyway, as I said, I'm currently back using the old AR as the bearing went out on the VPI. I've swapped it back to the original bearing and spindle just haven't put it back in the system yet. Looking into getting the upgraded bearing replaced. I think VAS does it. 

Other than a few odds and ends Sansui 929, Micro Seki and a Lenco, these have been my main TT's over a 50+ year period. I still own half a dozen or so and have done some fiddling around with a few of them since the VPI went down. Several cartridge swaps, all old stuff. Been kind of fun. With a new (new to me) tube preamp coming soon, it will soon be time to get the VPI back up and running. Still enjoying vinyl since growing up with it from 1952 to present. It still puts a smile on my face and even sometimes a tear in my eye. Good stuff.

Big step. From combo Pro-ject RPM 5 w Sumiko #2 cart to VPI Avenger Rim drive.  The Pro-ject was the catalyst to begin building my first bucket list high-end audio system.  

Had to buy a new Turntable in 2008 to replace my Pink Triangle Anniversary that was destroyed in a move. Bought an SME 10. I've been using the same SME V arm since 1996 and just recently bought a new cartridge after using one for 25yrs.

No plans to replace the unless something catestrophic happens.

I bought a VPI HW MK II in 1985. 

I upgraded to a VPI HW MK IV in 2005. 

I am still using it. 

in the 1980s, Lenco hand-me down from my grandmother.

~1996/7 Project 6.1

2018 a Thorens 203 POS based on recommendation of a local Hi-End shop: lesson: don't trust brick and mortar shops.

2020 VPI super prime scout: wanted VTA on the fly, turns out it does nothing for me. SoundSmith Zephyr cart.

2024 Rega Naia package. Endgame. Don't think I will buy another deck ever again.

Bought an Origin Live Calypso back in 2008, only upgraded the tonearm since. I enjoy collecting records and listening to music more than gear hopping. There’s no point to it after a certain level specially with other priorities in life.

Yes, there is a point, unless you already have one of the very best.

Other priorities ? What are you talking about ?