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Motor & Bearing or Cartridge upgrade?

Hi guys - If both upgrades cost the same bucks, which do you think will provide the greater sonic improvement?

1) Upgrading an Avid Volvare to a Sequel with a new outboard motor and bearing. Please consider ANY motor improvement. Lower noise floor and improved PRAT, or,

2) Upgrading from a Lyra Helicon to a Titan with all the great stuff a Titan will add.

I'm leaning to a cartridge upgrade. What do you think? Thanks. Richard
richardmr

Showing 3 responses by rauliruegas

rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 
Dear Richard: I agree with you: cartridge. If you really like the Lyra sound stay with it: Titan i, but if you want something a little diferent you could try the Dynavector XV-1 a Transfiguration or an Allaerts.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 
Dear Tom: I agree totally about the TT importance.

I know very well the Avid line ( the dealer here in Mexico is a friend of mine ) and in my opinion, other than the Acutus, a cartridge change can do a better improvement for Richard. But as I say this is only a single opinion, nothing more.

Regards and enjoy the music.
raul.
rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 
Dear Richard: +++++ " Is it true that one must have a really superior table to bring out all the virtues of a great cartridge? " +++++

It is true for any audio device not only the TT: tonearm, phonopreamp, cables, plataform, set-up, etc, etc. Btw, the phonopreamp do a dramatic/huge difference in the quality cartridge sound reproduction.

let me put the next stage:

in one side: the Helikon with the Sequel and in the other side the Titan with the Volvere.

Which one combination can give you a better quality sound reproduction?

I have no doubt that the Titan/Volvere is really better than the other one.
The issue here is that the Volvere is a very good entry level TT and that's why ( in your case ) in my opinion the cartridge will give you " more ".
Now, when you alredy have the Titan and with that performance level I'm sure that you will want to grow-up to the Sequel and you couild have a subtle but important improvement there, of course you could migrate to the Acutus and that improvement could be better yet.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
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