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Is the Merill "Gem Dandy" turntable far superior in sound than the Project RPM-3 TT??

I am thinking of selling my Thorens TD 145 which was upgraded, but has overstayed its welcome on my audio rack. Therefore,   I have initially looked at the Project RPM-3 turntable which has been improved and is also packaged with a Sumiko Blue Point 2 moving coil. The official retail is $ 999.00 on Audio Adviser and the Needle Doctor


However, I read a recent review in Stereophile about  George Merrill's "Gem Dandy" turntable which retails for $1695 with A Jelco SA-750 (9 inch tonearm), or $1495 with the Jelco SA-250 ( 9 inch  tonearm)  Both  DON'T COME WITH A CARTRIDGE.  I have seen a few already on sale used on Audiogon.

Would like some feedback from any member about either the Project table cited above or the two Merrill tables with different tonearms.   Will either of the Merrill tables be far superior to the Project in sound quality?? And is it worth the extra money, plus a quality cartridge would have to be added.with the Merrill's TT. which ups the bottom line in price 

Thank you

    

sunnyjim
schubert
7,386 posts
 
One thing is for sure , most bang for the buck is Project .
andysf's avatar
andysf
269 posts
 
Don't buy a Scout without hearing/using it first!
YMMV but I can't think of a table in that price range that I like less.
twoerner's avatar
twoerner
2 posts
 
Getting ready to purchase a turntable. Trying to decide between vpi scout and gem polytable. I already purchased a soundsmith zephyr star. Any comments to help my decision would be greatly appreciated!
raceone
18 posts
 
twoerner-- I'm with Samuri on this one and would go with the Polytable. George Merrill is a master turntable engineer and I believe the Polytable is one of his masterpieces of sound quality. I also am a huge fan of both the Hana cart and Jelco tonearms he offers. And yes the 750 is SO much better than the 250 discussed in the earlier posts, but the 750 has been discontinued. They now have the 550, 850 and 950. The 550 is the closest replacement for the 750 but needs the HS-25 headshell with adjustable azimuth IMHO. I use and love the 850 and recommend it because it's better able to accommodate today's lower compliance MC carts (higher mid weight arm), particularly with a Rosewood Jelco headshell that George sells for just $99! That combo handles my Zephyr III wonderfully and even my Koetsu Urushi Gold.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,769 posts
 
@sunnyjim What did you end up doing?
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