New turntable

VPI at your. preferred price range

That is a decent budget, Is that to upgrade everything? You should check out Acoustic Signature. Their DoubleX might be to your liking and budget. I have the TripleX with the Umami Red. I had the Hana SL before and just loved it but the Red is just from another world in terms of dynamics and imaging. Good luck!

VPI is always a good choice IMO. Then I also have to throw Origin Live in as well. Their arms play well beyond their price range. I suspect the TT's do also. They used to be awkward to set up but I believe they have changed that now. VPI Prime 21 was advertised as an  easy setup. The 21+ offers cart and Nordost tonearm cable.

That is my budget for table and arm. Vpi has a couple dealers in my area, was planning on visiting. The acoustic signature looks really interesting. Thanks for the ideas.

I agree, VPI 21. Owned an Aries for 20 years. This should give you just enough for a good cartridge. I really can’t say too much good about them. If I had more space for a second turntable I would have one. For a cartridge I would research the VPI. I had a Van den Hull… frog, great cartridge if that is the sound you are going for.

I now own a Linn LP12, a level up. They are no longer difficult to set up… but still for people like me, and sounds like you… I don’t want to touch them. I would break it. Also, my dealer is a master certified Linn technician and actually likes to set up turntables. 

Former VPI owner X2 plus a bunch of others. Given your stated preferences and budget you should give the Pure Fidelity Harmony paired with an Origin Live Illustrious. This combo will vastly outperform whatever VPI you might get for the same or more money. Seriously great table. Send me a PM if you want to learn more—I’m working on a review that will drop after the holidays.

In truth this budget covers a lot of good choices.

Aside from the vintage candidates and re-imagined idlers ( which are great fun )  I would mention the STST Motus DQ ( long standing and totally sorted direct-drive from Germany.)

Caveat I am the N America sales rep for STST so wont comment on subjective aspects...

If selecting table and arm separately, I just installed this Technics EPA-250 Tonearm and EPA-B500 Base Combo for a friend, it is as good as everyone says, and it has two wonderful features if you are going for a Single Arm TT:

1. removable headshell, so you can have several mounted, i.e. MM stereo; MC Stereo; Mono. (there is an optional arm/ fixed cartridge version)

2. VTA on the Fly, superb, turn the dial, up/dn while playing: stays where you put it. Change headshell, adjust VTA, adjust tracking/anti-skate: play on!

My friend’s had been unused for a long time, the lifter and anti-skate both were frozen, I had to carefully get them working.

verify with seller: arm lift works properly! anti-skate works properly. OEM Phono Cable (with integral ground pin) included? Not critical, you can and perhaps want to use a different rca/rca phono cable. Then you adapt the ground wire to a bullet pin, same diameter as the rca pin.

Verify you have room for the base, it is a larger diameter than many.

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Here is the fixed cartridge arm A501H on the B500 base

OEM phono included here

@catahula_bill - Nothing wrong with VPI - great turntables.

However take a look at Music Hall MMF11.3 - why?

• Unique quadruple-plinth design wtih sorbothane vibration isolationn
• One-piece Project ‘9cc Evolution’ carbon fiber tonearm
• Arm uses four hardened Swiss ABEC 7 ball races in an inverted bearing design
• Tonearm is internally wired with flexible wire drawn from high purity copper with only two contact points from cartridge to output connectors
• Counterweight’s center of gravity is level with the stylus tip is decoupled from the arm and acts as a resonance damper
• Fully adjustable azimuth, VTA, and dampened arm lift
• Exclusive microprocessor electronic speed controlled dual motor single flywheel drive system
• 33 1⁄3 and 45 rpm speed change at the touch of button
• Motors and flywheel assembly are isolated on mass loaded resonant sink connected to the lower plinth
• the dual motor flywheel system sits on the left side of the turntable thus eliminating all motor and belt vibration from the cartridge
• Magnetic-levitation adjustable isolation feet
• inverted ceramic main bearing for super quiet fluid operation
• thick acrylic platter with a removable acrylic dustcover
• high quality, gold RCA connectors with detachable phono cable
• low noise fully manual belt-drive design, dustcover, 45rpm adaptor
• ships securely in a substantial wood box

It’s well within your budget and there are deals out there (so shop around) and you will have enough for a really great cartridge - maybe a Sound-smith? And a good interconnect cable !

The MMF 9.3 is even more affordable and almost as good

If looks matter - there is a really nice Walnut plinth option

https://musichallaudio.com/

Good luck - Steve

+1 for the Acoustic Signature and they come in at different price points and with a 15 year warranty (for the table)! I have the Hurricane Neo with a Kuzma 4Point9 arm. Obviously above your budget, but you may be able to get a deal on some models. Check out the Double X NEO.

bombproof SOTA Sapphire refurbished from factory, Origin Live Arm and the best Soundsmith or Ortofon or Audio Technica with the $ you have left.  I love the Hana Umami suggestion but it’s $4 k…….

I am a direct drive robot

+1 for VPI, just on the basis of their great customer service.

I would avoid Music Hall at all costs, just on the basis of their customer service.

I recently purchased a reconditioned Sota Sapphire.  I went old school with a NOS Jelco 750D, but there are a lot of great choices for tonearms.  It's really a beautiful table and sounds wonderful.

That was an upgrade from an Acoustic Signature Wow XL with the TA-1000 tonearm.  That was also a very nice table and before that a VPI Classic 2 with Classic 3 tonearm.  All very nice tables.

I have not gone as far up the Music Hall line as suggested by another poster, I stopped at the 7.1.  They are decent and affordable tables, but I wouldn't put them in the same league with any of the three I just mentioned.

Thanks for all the suggestions. In the last week I have listened to linn majic, rega p10, acoustic signature double x neo ,vpi avenger, and Gold Note Valore 425. The acoustic signature had a mm cartridge going through mcintosh s.s. Ma8000 sounds were nice but a little flat and no depth in the sound stage. The gold note valore with donatello mc cartridge, had great stage, tone, I thought it was by far best bang for buck in listening condition  I was in. Every dealer new I was coming to listen to the products with exception of gold note so I would think they had them sounding good to their liking. My ears are what’s important for this journey, but things get pointed out in this forum that make you want to check out things you never thought of. The sorta and pure harmony look very interesting but not offered in my area. Thanks again for the help guys. Right now my thoughts are the next step up in the Gold Note lineup the “pianosa” or the acoustic signature double x and use my current cartridge. Any thoughts or opinion on gold note?

I came home today with a gold note pianosa with Hana ml cartridge, and gold note ph10 phono stage.

Nice set up. Merry Christmas to you.