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New to Turntables

So I was thinking of venturing into the world of turntables…..

I have it narrowed down to 3 possibilities…..

Mofi Ultradeck with Ultragold cartridge…. A $1495 cartridge pre installed….

Music Hall 9.3. with Goldring Eroica Lx ……. A $900 cartridge pre installed

Pro-ject X8 Evolution with Sumiko Moonstone cartridge…. A $350 cartridge preinstalled

All three prices are within $250 of each other….
With the Music Hall having the lowest price…
But I’d have no problem going for the MoFi…the most $$$$
The X8 was the lowest price, but not by much…..

I’m just guessing here, as I have been out of the turntable game for 30+ years, that once you get to turntables in this price range, the cartridge is very important for the sound…. Maybe I’m wrong…..

Should I go with the turntable that has the most expensive cartridge ?
Does price equate to quality ?

Is the most expensive the best cartridge ?

Thanks for any insight

Shelly

shelly40

Showing 1 response by oberoniaomnia

oberoniaomnia
156 posts
 

I would not overthink it too much, but rather jump in at a comfortable financial level. Then try to figure out whether this whole vinyl thing is agreeing with you, and learn what you like/dislike about that platform. Without a reference point, it is difficult to find a direction.

I would think more about functionality than sound. For instance with the Mofi you need to move belt for 33/45 speed change, whereas the Pro-ject has button. Do you have significant holdings in both 33s and 45s? Is that an issue for you?

At that level, there is one more important factor, the phono stage. I would consider PS equally important as cartridge. I would think that with any >1K TT an external PS is step up over a built-in from "normal" integrated amps/pre-amps.

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