2004, Music Hall MMF-2.1 - my first. |
started with JH t/t( Australian company)with sansui arm and shure m55 ed cart. Then an EEI(Australian) 700 parabolic - better treble than the shure
Then got a Thorens TD150 with a Shure/SME arm - extremely lifeless sound replaced the arm with a JH audiophile series arm - very good. Used a goldring uml? series cart. -quite good. Then got a Thorens TD160 also with Jh arm - not as good as the 150!!!
Now i've got an Oak turntable with a moth (rega rb350) arm
and an amber(grado) cart. - very nice not as HI-FI as most of the other stuff listed here but I enjoy it and would recomend this set up to anyone on a budget. |
I listened to some pretty dismal TT growing up. First was my parents TT with speakers. My first stereo was from Readers Digest on monthly payments. I kept it for a long time. I think almost ten years.
After I was married I bought several Dual TT the best being a CS 505. When I started getting more serious I bought a used Oracle Alexandria. Next the husband of a lady who worked for me was getting out of HiFi and sold me his Sota Sapphire and VPI 16 record cleaner. After a few years with that I sent it in to Sota for possible upgrades and ended up getting a Sota Star Sapphire instead.
It's been quite a trip from that first TT but what I have now sounds so much better. I have a $3500 CDP but would still rather listen to my Sota/Rega/Benz!!! |
I started out by listening to my Dad's stuff, first a Garrard and then an Elac Miracord. My first TT was a BSR. The when I started earning money, I got a Dual 721 with various upgrades via the Shure V15 line of cartridges. Then I started getting into "hi-end" gear and bought an LP-12/Akito/K5. This got upgraded with a K9 then a K18, then the Cirkus upgrade, then a Goldring Eroica and finally a Dyna 17D II. I don't think I will ever trade my LP-12. It just matches my musical tastes too well. It is the only piece of equipment that I have ever bought that *always* pleased me.
Mike |
1976-82-Thorens TD165C w/Shure M91ED , ADC XLM
1982-83-Denon DP30L w/Shure Type IV
1984-1995-Denon DP45 w/ Shure Type V, Blue Point
1995- 2001-Rotel RB900 w/ Blue Point, Benz Micro Silver
2001- present Rega P3-2000, OL modded RB250 arm, Dynavector 10x4MkII
Goal- Nottingham Interspace or VPI Scout w/Dynavector 20XH (Not for a while, I have to fix up my house) |
at the age of 3 -- the old gromophone played 78rpm.
after complete dissasembling it due to curiosity i was rewaded by
tube radiola(lp-player combined with tuner amp and speakers in one huge box) at the age of 5.
it could play 33,45,78.
than
Arktur belt drive lp-player(aka dual with built-in phono) with AT something cartridge with replacable needle and pitch control.
Technics SL-something DD turntable with Stanton cartridge.
Rega planar 3/RB300/Elys than Benz Glider...
Michell Gyro SE/Incognito RB300/Lyra Helikon regular and Benz M0.9 as a back-up and certainly with help of VPI HW16.5 and other cleaning tweaks.
Future DIY modification onto my current turntable will certainly due. |
In the beginning (1973)I had a Phillips GA 212 with Stanton 681EEE. Next an AR with Lustre Tonearm and Panasonic Strain Gauge cartridge. Then came SOTA Sapphire with same Lustre. Later bought ET-1 arm. Had an early Linn briefly, then went to VPI with MMT all the while using strain gauge with Rowland board. Ultimately settled on Well-Tempered Reference with full Marigo package and Audioquest 7000 into Rowland Concentra. I can't remember all the phono sections I used but Encore, Levinson, Analog Audio, CAT, Audio Research and Classe were among them.
I'm sticking with the WT Ref. indefinitely since there isn't much of anything to wear out. Maybe someday I'll need new fishline or silicone. |
AR ES-1 with VPI medium mass arm and AT-ML-440
Linn LP-12 with Ittok and Denon DL-103
Upgraded the Linn with Origin Live DC motor
Now have a Cocobolo Teres 245 with Morch DP-6 and Allaerts MC1b cartridge via a Michell Delphini Pro phono stage. Just found out about the signature motor upgrade-it's on order! The only other consideration is upgrading the tonearm cable, otherwise, i'm pretty well set. |
I concur with Rcprince. The WTT was(is) a great table for me, and helped me learn what a table should do.
Pioneer manual, belt-drive (forgot the model)
Technics manual, direct-drive
Oracle Alexandria (poor cartridge choice limited my appreciation of this table)
Mapleknoll(sp) Athena(?) linear tracking/air bearing
WTT Original
WTT Signature (not the Reference)
Basis 2800/Graham 2.2/Nightingale arm-cartridge
The Walker Proscenium has visited my dreams upon occasion, but I'm very happy during waking hours;^) |
I started with a new Garrard Zero-100 with a Shure V15 type II cartridge.
Then I got a B&O 2400 with a MMC-2 cartridge.
Next was a Linn Sondek LP12 with Basik arm and cartridge.
I moved up the tonearm line to an Ittok, and a Trak cartridge. Then an Asak cartridge. Then a Karma cartridge. I also tried out some Dynavectors, Grace Ruby, Supex, Monster Alpha, Koetsu, and a couple other carts along the way.
I kept that for a long time, while I worked at a high end audio store, and heard, sold, and set up a hell of a lot of different TTs, arms, and carts.
Then I got a Teres 135 with an OL Silver Tonearm, and a Denon DL103 cartridge. I moved up the line to the 245 TT, and kept the arm, and moved up to a DL103R cartridge.Also got the battery power option for the motor. Now I have a Shelter 501 cartridge on that rig.
So my current rig is Teres 245 DC Signature TT, OL Silver arm(with my own mods), and a Shelter 501 cartridge.
I use a Cotter MkII MC step-up transformer with it. |
Turntables: Started with a Benjamin portable all-in-one unit
Technics direct drive table (don't remember the model)
Well Tempered TT and arm (original)
Basis Ovation, since upgraded to the Debut's platter, bearing and vacuum
Arms: What came with them all, till the Basis--since then, Graham 1.5T, followed by 2.2
Cartridges: Signet MM (w/Technics)
Monster Alpha Genesis 1000 (w/Well Tempered)
Transfiguration (original low output version), Benz Reference, Benz Ruby, now Koetsu Rosewood Platinum Signature (w/Basis).
I think that the Well Tempered was key in showing me how good a turntable could sound, and how it thrashed any digital front end (in the late 80s and early 90s when I got it and owned it, and probably valid today too to a lesser extent). A great table to get started or re-started in analog. |
Started out, like many, with a Garrard table in 1973. Can't remember the cartridge, I think I remember a Shure Type??
Then in 1975 I got into the B&O line of turntables. I started out with the Beogram 3000 and evolved to the linear tracking 4004 (?) with the highest-level MMC cartridge (the only kind that could fit on B&O turntables).
Finally got a real table circa 1986 with a Thorens and a Grace Ruby cartridge, into the phono section of an ARC SP-14. I owned that for many years, then finally got my first Linn LP-12 in 1993, with a van den Hul MM-1 moving magnet cartridge--still into the ARC SP-14. Upgraded the LP-12 over the years w/Cirkus, Trampolin, Akito, and Lingo. Bought an ARC PH-3 phono pre in 1997 or so. Bought a van den Hul MC-One Special moving coil cartridge in 2001. The MM-1 is still good, I just wanted to try a moving coil after all these years. It sounds great!
Finally in 2001 I purchased (on this site) a full blown LP-12 w/Ekos and Archiv cartridge. Now I have two LP-12s and have decided to sell my first one. I think I only need one turntable. But I may discover I'm wrong. |
Tim:
You have made real progress in your "analog journey". The next step I recommend is to upgrade your VPI HW-19 Mk2 to the Mk4 version (heavier platter, heavier suspension springs, and the spindle/thrust bearing used in one of the versions of the VPI TNT). The upgrade to the Mk4 is cost-effective and substantially improves the performance to the VPI HW-19. (See the description of my system for my analog components.) |
BSR something with ceramic cartridge
Dual 1218 with 91ED
BSR710 with Shure m91ed
Pioneer PL 71 with m91 ed, ADC something (excellent cartridge) then Sonus Blue
Teac TN400 ( fabulous table) with Stax UA7 with Sonus Blue then Ortofon M320 Super, Grado Signature, Shure V15 MR, Supex 900 Still have and use the table with most of the catridges
Lin Sondek/Ittok then Valhalla with Supex 900 then Sumiko Blue Point special |
Technics direct drive/AT cart
AR XA w/stock arm and Denon DL300 - really opened my eyes
Harmon Kardon TD160 belt drive with Grado cart
Project 6.1 with Sumiko Blue Point cart - UPS just destroyed this one on it's way to it's new owner
VPI Scout/JMW arm with Dynavector 20X - awaiting it's arrival |
