Nottingham Space Deck, or wait for something else?

John, I recommend getting the very best sounding turntable that you can afford. My philosophy is to maximize the source component, so you can get the most information into the system. If the info gets in, then you have a chance at getting it out the speakers. Any musical info that never gets off the platter is never going to come out the other end. Generally, the info that is lost is the low level stuff that provides the air, ambience, and life of the recording. This is what separates the good from the great. I have just bought a new analog setup, and I got the Teres turntable with Origin Live Silver 250 arm. It is a great setup. It may not be the ultimate, but it is really good at a very attractive price. To get much better would require a really large expenditure. Most of us will never have a Rockport or Walker, but will try to get as close as we can for the money we can pay. My setup cost me the same $2300 that you are considering spending. That price included my Denon DL103 cartridge. I love it. I am sure that the Nottingham and several others would provide you with a very enjoyable listening experience. Personal taste and system compatibility will be major factors in your decision. I decided on the Teres, as did several others on this Audiogon Forum. Other members chose Basis, Clearaudio, TNT, Michell,Linn, etc.. Presumably they are happy too. They are all very good tables. At that price range, there are numerous good offerings, and almost hard to wind up with a clunker. Personally, I think that you should go for the max, because then you won't get buyers remorse about cutting corners and ruining your enjoyment. I got the most I could afford, but I know that I could have gotten better if I spent alot more. I just couldn't spend alot more, so I am happy knowing that I got a high priced performance level out of a mid priced turntable that was in a DIY package. Most agree that the Teres performs at a level that is considerably higher than its cost. That fit my needs. Just be sure that you are happy with your decision, with no doubts left to cloud your enjoyment.

Hi John 1,

I was in the same situation as you just a few months ago and ultimately decided to go with the Spacedeck, a Modified Origin Live 250 arm, and a Dynavector 20XH cartridge. I have a few hundred albums, but had them stored in boxes for the past several years, having bought the hype several years ago that CD was a vast improvement. Indeed, on the low-to-midfi equipment I had at the time, I would call it a sonic draw and give the edge to CD due to simplicity and durability. Thus, I stopped buying albums and when I finally took the high end plunge about four years ago, I went with an integrated that did not have a phono stage. The albums went into storage. Recently, however, I got upgrade fever and decided to get back into vinyl. At first, I was mildly disappointed--the sound was slightly thin and/or compressed, even though it was great to hear a few old, out-of-print albums again. OK, finally, the punch line. The cartridge hadn't broken in. Now, after 50 or 60 hours of play, the sound has improved beyond anything I would have believed. Now I see what all the fuss over vinyl is about. On my system and for my ears, there is no comparison between the quality of vinyl and CD playback, and I have a very decent CDP (Electrocompaniet 24/192). The EMC-1 is a terrific player, but no CD player I have heard approximates the palpable, organic sound of this relatively inexpensive turntable set-up.

I agree with the previous post--you would probably be fine with any of these choices, as long as the table is set up properly. But if you are leaning toward the Spacedeck, I can tell you from my own experience that it is a keeper in my system, at least until I can afford a Rockport.

Boy, are you in for some good times ahead. Even a friend of mine who is not really into this hobby but does love music remarked that Willie Nelson's LP 'Stardust' sounded better than anything she had ever heard while visiting the other night, and that was after listening for an extended period of time to CDs, including MSFL and XRCD recordings. I paid thirty bucks a pop for those CDs, four bucks for the Nelson LP in the used bin. So now, after spending the last ten years methodically replacing my albums with CDs, now I am spending time figuring out how I am going to replace 2000 CDs with albums.

I hope you'll let us know what you decide and how it works out for you.

best regards,