Low end TT vs. Hi end CD

The following is from origin lives website;
http://www.turntable-kits.com/upgrading_hi_fi_kits.htm

Assessing priorities to upgrade your system is not always easy and so we have tried to provide some guidance from the experience that we have acquired over the years. Much depends on your the level of performance you aspire to, coupled with your future plans (if any) and budget. For this reason the following guidelines are a matter of opinion and judgement.

If you are using a Vinyl front end then the accepted wisdom is to break down your budget approx as follows: Please note that if your system is CD based, then this breakdown is not valid as CD players do not vary in performance anything like as much as turntables.

VINYL BASED SYSTEM SPLIT
Turntable / arm / cartridge = 50% of budget
Phono stage = 8% of budget
Amplifier = 21% of budget
Loudspeakers = 21% of budget

CD BASED SYSTEM SPLIT
For example if you have a £200 GBP CD player you could easily apportion up to £1000 GBP on the amp and £1000 GBP on the speakers which is the complete reverse of the philosophy for Vinyl.

If you are planning to upgrade over a period of time then you will split the budget based on your final investment in the system - needless to say there are all sorts of exceptions to the above guidance.

BREAKDOWN OF FRONT END PERFORMANCE
To break things down further we would suggest the following in terms of contribution to a front end performance - Please note that the price of a component does not does not necessarily mean that it will deliver more performance for the money than something else and the percentages indicated below are based on the average performance contribution to the system - not the price of the item.

Turntable = 47%
Tonearm = 33%
Cartridge = 11%
Phono stage = 9%

Ivor Tiefenbrun, the guy who developed the Linn lp12 also says, the table itself is 50% of th equation.

So as you can see the turntable itself is very important. This info will help you understand what Twl,Lugnut and Tok2000 have been saying.

The reason a lot of audiophiles went to cd in the eighties was because they had dual's or some Japanese direct drive turntable, with most times a shure m95ed, these rigs were very noisy and full of distortion. Now compaired to a good cd player, the absence of noise, and a lowering of distortion, decided cd was better.

I to need to upgrade my playback system. I am analog only based in my listening room. Because of my budget I will soon purchase the Origin aurora turntable, with the silver arm, this is arrox.2K$

You could add the shelter 501 mc $800 (the same cartridge Twl uses) and never look back. If your budget allows you can get better preformance in the origin live lineup. I suggest you read the reports, checkout the web sites.
Have some fun investigating, and when you get your analog rig, you will then hear all the music you have been missing.
Roni

you guys are throughing good money away, trying to polish a turd. I guess you guys are dj's, in that case DD Turntables and Stanton cartridges are the ticket. good luck!
Roni

Gentlemen,
First let us remember the question at hand.
Low end TT vs. Hi end CD
Do you think a technics 1200 can sound better than a wadia 860x?
This question was asked by a man who owns a $6000 CD player, VAC amp, Martin Logans etc. He has little analog experience, and is asking a serious question. Can a $500 turntable, better a 6k cd unit, used on a very revealing system.
The answer to this question is only common sense.

In my first response, I explained that the turntable itself, is most important in the analog chain. This is not only my opinion, but I quoted 2 highly acclaimed hi fi manufactures as references. Only to be put down by a self proclaimed turntable expert that stated, and I quote, "The above mentioned references are from turntable equipment manufacturers--and biased, of course". Psych do you honestly think you are giving Denis the best advice based on his equipment. Or your personal preference for your beloved turntable. I know he said he was broke and you are trying to hot rod his rig. The rest of us think he would be better served saving his money for something more complementary to his other components. I know only to well, what a revealing amp and speakers, can make a entry level front end sound like.
I am sorry I hurt your feelings with my thoughtless comments, but I do not think I am the fool here.

Zaikesman,ok I give, the 1200 sounds better than any cd player. This is GREAT news. All I know is the last time I put a cd player (Nad) into my system to check the cd vs. vinyl thing was about 8 years ago and vinyl still ruled. In all the equipment reviews I have read, reviewers really praise those megabuck cd rigs. Take the Linn for example.
Denis you might as well keep your wadia, because I hear its only worth about a hundred bucks used.

Psych why are you buying cd players?

Rockinroni: Lame. Hope you got a laugh out of yourself for me. what does this mean? I really do not know what you are trying to express to me only that it sounded negative. Every man is entitled to his opinion. I was not being sarcastic, I thought I made it clear, I did not know how the top end cd players sounded. Only what the reviewers said. I to am open minded and hope to learn something from an exchange of thoughts. After reading stereo mags for 30 years I feel I know when A reviewer is doing a good job. Seams too many people in this thread are getting emotional. The turd comment was made to express my feelings to Denis, That I felt he should spend his money on something else. Not to hurt anyones feelings. I think most people make their equipment choices from their pocketbook restraints, and most of us feel there is a pricepoint associated with every item we choose, where price to us exceeds value. The reason I read so much and buy so little is because I cannot afford it. Its easy to put together a system when price is no object, and you can afford to try the new flavor of the month. That's why we search for knowledge about Hi Fi. So our choices do not negatively impact our wallets. It's great to have a forum like this, where we can all combine our thoughts, and at the end come up with a better understanding of a given topic.
Ron