Low end TT vs. Hi end CD

As Dennis and others of you know, I have had an SL-1200 as my only TT all of my adult life. It's not something I'm proud of or anything, it's just that nothing about its performance has prompted me to want to upgrade it as I have steadily done with the rest of my system. True, I haven't had another, presumably better TT in my system to compare it with before, but I have heard lousy TT's and know a little about what sounds decent, and with the few tweaks I've given it*, it still provides me with plenty of enjoyable music with no problems and great ease of use. So I can say with some authority that, compared to my Theta separates digital rig, the 1200 with a mid-priced medium output MC cart through a mid-priced phono stage can still provide sound that is superior in audiophile terms in many ways, and is almost always more enjoyable, than a digital set up that costs around twice as much. I don't know what Dennis will find, and I wouldn't discourage him from going beyond the 1200 if he feels like it, but I do tend to think it's possible for modestly priced analog too exceed some aspects of higher priced CD performance. Let me put it this way: I don't believe that the 1200 will in and of itself so compromise analog playback as to render the advantages of analog moot if the rest of chain is up to capturing and transmitting them. It certainly has some inherent limitations and flaws which I am aware of, but it just doesn't do anything that wrong.

*[For a list of the tweaks, click on my reviews and see my article on the KAB fluid damper.]

Steve, did you already sell your BAT?

Actually, I've seen an older thread around here, started by Psychicanimal in full provateur mode - championing the 1200 to the skies - with Twl bashing it to the depths...
(I either fall somewhere in the middle, can't hear worth a damn, or am blissfully ignorant :-)

Good grief, now we've got audiophiles hearing "PRAT" over the telephone...Psychic, you would be terribly unhappy (but no less insecure I'm sure) if you didn't have anyone to pick a fight with over your beloved 1200, so what I think the other good members have done here is simply to help ensure for your continued well-being. ;^)

DTM, I'm not implying other TT's are hard to use, but then as I say I've never lived with one of those you mention. But I do find it nice to be able to push a button for practically instant start or stop, and the same thing for speed change. It's physically small and basically maintainance-free (no belt to change or go astray, no motor positioning, no springs to adjust), and so is easy to set up. It has the basics you need: leveling feet, calibrated adjustments for VTF, VTA, and anti-skate, as well as an armrest and lift, plus a couple of things I appreciate, like a hinged dustcover and a removable headshell. It runs at the correct speed irrespective of AC line conditions (but has a strobe readout anyway), and has a pitch-change control which is useful to a musician. It exhibits no bearing play in either the 'arm or the platter, is quiet in operation, and is designed and built to be insensitive to high ambient SPL's. Besides which, I just like using DD TT's - it's nice to be able to spin the platter freely in either direction when trying to cue 30+ tracks for a compilation recording, for instance. The idea of belt-drive has always seemed conceptually inelegant to me (although it may be eminently practical) - but I don't plan on ever owning a Rockport either. What I think I'll ultimately do is have KAB perform the 78rpm mod on my 1200, which will give me an excuse to keep it around forever after I finally succumb and get myself something more audiophile-approved. (I am using the Glider M2, and have not heard any Goldrings.)

Thomas - So I'd noticed. :-)

Roni, I realize what you are saying about the benefits of DTM getting a better TT in absolute terms, but I stand by my statement that the TT he already has can (combined with a decent cart and phonostage) give more *musical* pleasure on some levels than a much more costly (and quite possibly any) "Redbook" digital rig. Such is the inherent advantage of the more information-rich medium. Put another (more relevant) way, the 1200 - without any special tweaking - can serve as a fine intro to the pleasures of vinyl, and if Dennis keeps it for the time being while he gets himself some more records first, I am confident that the TT will not do anything to turn him off from pursuing the analog path long-term.

P.S. - Francisco, don't take the "PRAT" thing personally; I don't believe in this conceptual buzzword from any audiophiles as it pertains to gear, only in its constituent parts as they pertain to music. And about the insecurity crack - anybody who picks fights just so he can defend himself the way you enjoy doing is insecure to some degree, myself included. Surely insecurity about my TT, rather than any particular dissatisfaction with its sound, is what drove me to do all the tweaking in the first place. Guess what? All audiophiles fit the same damn description, which is why we're just a bunch of over-analytical nuerotic sensualists.

Rockinroni: Lame. Hope you got a laugh out of yourself for me.

Ron, apparently I misunderstood you, and I am sorry. I thought your post read like dry sarcasm. My apologies. I have not heard either the top CD players or the top turntables, so my opinion is necessarily somewhat speculative and based on limited knowledge, but some real knowledge nevertheless. For all I know, a $20K Linn blows away every other device ever made, but somehow I doubt it. Every piece of gear and type of technology has its pluses and minuses. (An old NAD CD vs. a 1200, on the other hand - no contest!) I won't doubt your sincerity again.