Personal turntable/cartridge evolution


I just ran across the two year old personal speaker evolution and personal amp evolution threads. I am amazed that so far nobody has ever posted the question with respect to turntables/cartridge combinations.

Same deal as the other threads. I will start with my short odyssey through the worl of turntables:

1993 Linn Basik/Akito/K9
1998 Rega Planar 3/RB300/Elys
2000 Rega Planar 3/RB300/Denon DL103
2004 Michell Tecnodec/RB600/Ortofon Kontrapunkt A and Denon DL103R

Enjoy!

Rene
restock
1970 ELAC Miracord 620 w/ADC cart
ca 1976 Rega Planar 2, Audiocraft AC300C arm, Grace F9L cart
upgrade to F9E cart
ca 1985 Rega Planar 3, RB300, BluePoint Special
2006 Garrard 401, Scheu Tacco, Grace F9E (in progress...)
Here we go:

Some kind of portable player

Some kind of Garrard

Dual 721 - (whatever came with it)

Kenwood KD-500 - Infinity Black Widow: AKG P8ES (which caused the black widow to oscillate), Pickering XSV-3000, Stanton 881s

Thorens TD 126 - SME 3009: Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk III F (this was a truly great combination and I should have held on to it)

SOTA Saphire - Dynavector DV 501: Dynavector .23R (ruby), Denon 103D

Dual CS-5000 - Denon 103D, Stanton 881s

I'm done; maybe one day I'll pick up an HK/Rabco for kicks.
High School- Clarion. First Lp was The Doors!
Pioneer.
Music Hall 5SE. Just sold it.
Lenco/Rega 300/ Denon 103. Love it! Thanks Jean.
Update time!
1970s Original LP12, Grace 707 with a Dyna 10x4
Stopped for years...then read in Stereophile that no system is complete without the analog experience, so jumped back in again.

1987 VPI HW19 Jr, AT PT9 with a Dyna 10x4. Somehow wasn't quite satisfied with this setup, so traded up to
1989 Kuzma Stabi, Stogi Ref with a Dyna Te Kaitora.
2003 Got the Herron VTPH-1mc phono stage - a real gem.
2004 Got the Living Voice Mystic Mat and the Schroeder Model 2 tonearm - another gem.
2005 Switched to the Denon DL103R - cheaper and better, the poor man's Koetsu.
2006 This should be my final TT upgrade, got the Scheu DL No2 (first in the world). Setup with the Schroeder No2 and the Denon cart.

Scheu DL2
Full system

Funny thing is, I tried to start a thread about the Scheu, but it doesn't seem to appear?
Cmk.....the Scheu sure looks impressive. Is it a new model? What was you decision for dumping the Kuzma and going with the Scheu?
RCA mono luggable (1960-2000) (still have, but inop)
Garrard changer (1960-1970)
ELAC Miracord 620 w/AudioTechnica (?) cart (1970-1977)
Rega Planar 2, Audiocraft AC300C, Grace F9L (1977-198X)
cart changed to Grace F9E (198X-199X)
Rega Planar 3, RB300, Bluepoint Special (199X-2006)
Garrard 401, Scheu Tacco, ??? (still in process) (2006- )
Hi Rwd
Yes, its their latest stab at the SOTA of turntable playback. There are 2 models, just simply called no1 and no2, no2 being their top of the line, which is the one I got.

I bought the Scheu unseen/unheard, only through the pictures and descriptions of the dealer in Singapore and what he could gather from German designer's attempt to translate some musical feature from German to English. Obviously something got lost in the process. Nevertheless, the benchmark for comparison was their Premier model, so I had no reason to doubt it was going to sound better. The question was - how much better?

Now as to whether a suspension or a suspensionless table would be better - I did hear their Premier model(grandfather if you will) and the children, the Teres and Galibier (missed the Redpoint though), at the RMAF'05 and at Thom's lovely home. My experiences with the rigid/high mass school left me with no doubt that these designs were superior to any suspension-based design. As to which to get, I was leaning towards the Galibier, but the previous models were above my budget, besides considerations on support due to distance. My attempts to contact Teres were all unsuccessful and the tables at the RMAF left me disappointed.

Then Scheu came up with these what'd-you-call-it? DL tables and the design of the No2 appealed to me. I decided to pull the trigger on this as my Kuzma Stabi('97) was showing signs of aging. I had heard their Reference model - which was highly raved by the hi-fi press and it certainly is a great table - the design is one of the most elegant ways of implementing a suspension on a rigid plinth. Nevertheless it still had a suspension and a rubber belt and a hefty price tag to go along.

After a couple of days of living with the Scheu No2, I can safely say it is a significant upgrade over anything I've heard so far - with the exception of the Rockport. As the design was based on an acrylic platter, I had expected it to be a little "dead" sounding in the mids - a typical criticism of acrylic. However the reality was surprisingly the opposite. In combination with the Mystic Mat, the mids are fleshed out even more accurately than any suspension based design. As expected of high mass designs, the bass tightened up tremendously, both in terms of tonal accuracy and weight. Dynamics took a quantum leap, this table being very quiet. The sense of pace/speed was also enhanced now with the string belt as opposed to a rubber belt. A most important aspect often overlooked by some tables, is scale. On the Scheu, the images are big/full/life-sized, not cardboard cutouts.

I just re-listened to Holly Cole's "Don't Smoke in Bed" and now realise what the Trio were doing to make music - on one of the tracks, the pianist was plucking the strings of the piano, and on another track, he was tapping on the piano's woodwork. Things which I hadn't noticed/heard before. Impressive, truely impressive indeed!
CMK....WOW...I am happy for you! I am also interested in upgrading my TT and arm. I am leaning toward the Galibrier Glavia and a Schroder Ref arm. However, the Schroder may take longer then a year to get. So I am leaning towards a Tri-Planer. I know quite a few here (douddeacon) speaks very favorably about the Tri. Did you have to wait long for the mod 2 Schroder?
Did you ever hear a Galibrier??? As to this new model #2 is the belt a string or a flat belt? Doug has commented that the flat belt made a BIG improvement over the original thin belt on his Teres. Now you have me thinking about possibly a Scheu?
1971 Garrard 44M / Shure M91ED
1973 Pioneer PL12D / Shure M91ED
1974 Transcriptors Saturn / Vestigal tonearm / Shure V15-III
1975 Trascriptors Glass Skeleton / Vestigal arm / Denon DL103D
1977 Linn Sondek / Transcriptors Vestigal arm / Denon DL103D
1980 > present Luxman PD441 / Vestigal arm (Rega RB600 after 2002) / Denon DL103D
1982 > 1985 VPI HW19 / Mission 774 arm / Denon DL103D
also Accuphase moving coil & Monster Alpha 1 & Koetsu Rosewood
1985 > 2002 Pink Triangle / Helius Orion arm / Denon DL103D
1992 > 2002 B&O 8000 / B&O MC1
2005 > present Luxman PD444 / Rega RB1000 / Denon DL103D

So today, I still have my 1979 Luxman PD441 on one system and the Luxman PD444 on another.

Phil
Hi Rwd
The Galibier and Schroeder would be an excellent combination. I've heard about the long waiting time, here in Singapore, the dealer said he had trouble getting any Schroeder arm, so I'm considered to be one of the lucky few. Some time ago, I had heard about the rave reviews and decided to see what all the excitment was all about and so became the first in Asia to get a Schroeder. I was on a budget so I went for their entry Model 2 and have never looked back since. I waited about 2-3 months, but that was then. Now, well your guess is as good as mine.

I did have the opportunity to listen to a friend's Reference and it is more resolving and "rounder", though I would not be describe the difference as night and day. System difference would of course make a direct comparison difficult. While at Thom's home, I did hear the Reference and TriP side-by-side. The TriP is as good as any bearing arm will get. The Reference though presented music more naturally, unforced.

I got a wicked idea: get the model 2 instead of those 2 arms and spend the difference on a Loricraft! Believe me, this in itself is a major upgrade.

Yes, I heard the previous top model with the above arms. The Scheu model 2 uses a string. I would not want to comment on what Doug heard having not heard it. However a wooden base would have a color of its own, it does not surprise therefore that a belt would help tighten the image. The main issue here is speed stability and I would reckon that the high mass of the platter would make up for any speed issues. I still strongly believe that the Mystic Mat made a bigger difference than all the exotic platters.

As to tightening/sharpening of images, I once was pulled towards that end of the spectrum. On hind sight, sharp/pin-point images are not natural/real, except in anachoic(sp?) chambers, but no one lives in one. Music should be live, live-sized, dynamic. It would be such a waste if music reproduced sounded precise, pin-point in an artificially small soundstage after spending that kind of money.
Sorry all for derailing this thread....I should add my comments on my TT/arm evolution (if I can remember!)!

Started with a Garrard (in the early 70's so I don't recall the model) and Shure 3
Then went on to...
dual 1219
Phillips 212
Thorens 125 (great)
then the Linn for many , many years and with all the significant upgrades (lingo was the best)
and now the VPI Aries with 10.5 arm (see my system)

Best of all?? I think...VPI-Linn?
Best arm? Not sure
Best cartridge....Decca Gold...1978-79!!!!!!!!!!
Table update

Got a 2nd arm for the Scheu DL2, the Cartridge Man's Conductor linear air-bearing tonearm. Paired this with the Audio Technica AT33PTG mc cart.

The arm is my first foray into linear tracking arms, but knowing their potential and having read the reviews in 6moons and TNT, I had high expections. I am happy to report that so far, I've not been disappointed.
Time I updated mine. Sold the TNT Mk. II with its SDS conditioner/controller. My first re-plinthed Lenco (L78) has been replaced by a two-armed monster Lenco (replinthed L75 by Jean Nantais) with both JMW 10.5 and SME IIIs arms fitted.

The Lencos -- especialy the new one -- totally blew away the TNT/SDS combo.

The JMW arm now has a Decca Super Gold Mk VII cart -- best sound I've ever had.

The SME IIIs arm has three armtubes with vintage Ortofon, Sonus, and ADC cartridges.
Around 1974 on a student's budget: belt driven Pioneer with Shure MM , I can't possibly recall the model designations anymore.
Around 1981 on some of my first earned wages: Technics SL-QL1 linear tracking direct drive with T4P plug-in Ortofon TMC 200 (MC); I wanted something as easy to handle as a cd-player there.
Around 1985: Micro BL 91 with SME 3009 R and Clearaudio Delta Improved (MC)
Mid-nineties: Clearaudio Victory H (MC) to replace the Delta.
2002: Well Tempered Reference with Reference Arm, Clearaudio Victory H remained in place.
2006: Transfiguration Spirit III to replace the Clearaudio.

I now use the Magic Diamond cartridge(purchased from freakyvynil.I guess he is the main man for this cartridge).The best cartridge I ever heard.This cartridge will let you see what the microphone sees.It will tell you if the recording is lean or fat or in the middle.I have listened to a few master tapes during my time working at EAR(UK)and the Magicdiamond reminded me of that.Extremely detailed with superb balance and easy to listen to.You will need a state of the art phonostage and turntable to hear(see)what it can do.
1964 Gerrard Type A
1964 Fairchild 412/Fairchild 500 arm
1967 Acoustic Research XA
1970 Miracord 50 H (bad move)
1972 Phillips semi automatic (worse move)
1976 Acoustic Research
1978 Thorens 125/SME
1981 Ariston R11/SME
1983 thru 2002 CD players
2002 to present Rega P25 and restored A R XA and Fairchild 412
Hi,
since 1996 i restart hearing analog.
1. Thorens 147 with a denon 110 Cart.
2. 2002 Scheu Cello with RB 250 and Scheu Benz High Output MC
3. 2003 Scheu Premier with Cantus tonarm and Scheu Benz Ruby 2
4. 2004 Scheu Premier with Tacco Tonarm and Ruby 3
5. 2005 TW Acustic Raven with Fidelity Research FR66 FX and Shelter 301 MC. later Dynavector XX2
6. 2006 TW Acustic Raven AC with FR 66FX and MSL The Eminent and as second tonearm Feickert DFA 10.5 with Shelter 201 MM.
regards Thomas
www.ravenac.de
KLH 20/?,
BIC 981/Shure?,
Denon DPL40/Grado X,
Ariston RD-80/Grado Signature 8M,
Well Tempered/Spectral,
WTT Reference/Spectral Reference,
WTT Reference/Benz Ruby 2,
WTT Reference/Benz LP Reference
1973-78 a BSR changer
1978-1992 BIC 960
1992-present Thorens TD-318 MKII w/ Grado Signature MCZ

I also have 248,495 miles on my 1988 BMW 325i !!
I still use my beautiful black AT&T rotary phone
I still use my 1973 Panasonic AM/FM "digital" clock radio. The radio is dead, but the clock is a machine!

I drive everything until the wheels fall off and burn. Thinking about a VPI Scoutmaster.
From my childhood I cannot recall every turntable. Owned a Garrard changer in my teen years. Some Radio Shack models.
As i grew older I've owned:

Denon DP47F
Technics linear
Revox B795 linear
Yamaha PX3 linear
Yamaha PX2 linear
Scoutmaster
First I upgraded, then dumped vinyl and now I've bought a reasonable TT just to listen to my old records:

Thorens TD166 III with various cartridges;
Thorens TD125 with SME 3009/Ortofon MC15 Super II;
Then I quit vinyl.... for about two weeks...
Thorens TD104/AT95
Thorens TD160B/SME IIIS/Ortofon MC15 Super II;
Micro Seiki MB10/Grado Prestige Silver (don't ask);
And finally a Sony PS-X55 with Grado Prestige Silver.
Update!

Started with a Garrard (in the early 70's so I don't recall the model) and Shure 3
Then went on to...
dual 1219
Phillips 212
Thorens 125 (great)
then the Linn for many , many years and with all the significant upgrades (lingo was the best)
and now the VPI Aries with 10.5 arm (see my system)

Now....the T.W. Raven AC/Tri-Planer Vll arm/Dynavector VS-1....absolutely great with a capitol "G".
I'm starting to take some serious steps into vinyl, although I've been collecting and listening to LPs for almost 12 years.

1995-1996 - Some cheap Sears unit that I purchased for $20.
2000-2002 - various Technics (SL-D2's, etc.)
2004-2007 - Thorens TD-125MkII w/ Ortofon X5-MC
2007-???? - VPI Scout w/JM9 tonearm, Dynavector 20X-H, Benz Glider M2

I just ordered the VPI, I can't wait.
Started with BSR changers, then a rat-shack DD, then a belt drive or two (used a Thorens for many years), now using a Garrard 301. So I went from idler to DD to belt, and back to idler. I'm enjoying my records more now than I ever did :-).
g.e.wildcat, panasonic,sony,kenwood,phillips,dual,thorens,denon,revolver,dual again,rega,maplenoll,vpi(three models in sequence)),goldmund,sota,well tempered,linn,wilson benesch....in that order....today all at once oracle paris, goldmund studio, thorens jubilee, mission 774
1975 garrad with Grado?
1986 AR with Grado
1994 AR with Grado platium
1998 Michell Orbe with Rega 250 and Platium.
2003 Michell Orbe with Graham 1.5 and Micro Benz L04
2005 Michell Orbe with Graham 1.5 and Micro Benz L04, Shelter 501 II
2007 Michell Orbe with Graham 1.5 and Micro Benz L04, Shelter 501 II, Ortofon Jubilee.
1980 Technics with AudioTechnica
1982 Thorens with Shure V15
1984 Mission with Grado
1986 VPI HW-19 Mk. II with Grado arm and different Grados
2003 VPI HW-19 Mk. II with Grado arm and Transfig. Esprit
2007 VPI TNT HR-X with Transfig. Esprit
Started with Thorens 150. Hadcock arm Shure cartridge in 1977, could afford the Linn.
Linn Lp12 with ittok, then Origin live silver taper arm.
Now, finally and I mean that, I think, Origon live Resolution modern/OL Illustrious. Koetsu Rosewood Signature.
Why would you want to change? I am sure someone will tell me why though
Too many cartridges to list, but here are TT/Arms and I wish I stiil had some of these arms espeacially the Breuer. Looking back on this list if I just had half the money I spent I could be spinning on a Brinkmann. Still i had all those wonderful analog years

Garrard something
Dual something
SP-10/SME
SP-10/SAEC
SP-10/Grace 707
Linn LP12/Grace 707
Linn LP12/Linn Asik
Sota Saphire/Linn Asik
Sota Saphire/Breuer
Goldmann Studio/3F arm and control (great TT and arm combination)
Basis 2500/Graham 2.0
Basis 2500/Graham 2.2
Basis 2500 Signature Calibration Base/Graham 2.2
Basis 2500 Signature Calibration Base/Graham Phantom/Koetsu Onyix Plat.
next up is a Brinkmann
Down in the bowery:

1972: Garrard SL95B with Shure M93 4x7 elliptical cart. This was perched on top of an Altec-Lansing "premium" compact system receiver.

1973 or so: Upgraded to Shure 2x7 elliptical M91ED

1976: Hitachi all manual direct drive turntable with Grado G3+ (it was their top-of-the-line at $150 before introducing the Joe Grado Signature Series at $300)

1979: Inlaws break the long, fragile Grado cantilever; replaced Grado with ADC XLM mk II. It never sounded the same again (should have replaced Grado stylus).

1982: Cat breaks turntable; I don't replace it, waiting for advent of CDs

1987-2007: Suffer through 20 years of harsh, hashy, bleached-out, threadbare-sounding CDs, especially the reissues of recordings from the analog LP era.

2007 (Feb): Yamaha YP-28 belt-drive semi-auto from garage sale for $2. I catch the vinyl bug. Replaced OEM cartridge with Ortofon OMP-10.

2007 (March): Technics SL1210 M5G, Shure M97xE. Also got P-mount adaptor and 2nd headshell to switch between the Shure and Ortofon carts as my fancy suits me (what a high roller!)
It's been time I revisited this thread:

198? Dual
1993 Linn Basik/Akito/K9
1998 Rega Planar 3/RB300/Elys
2000 Rega Planar 3/RB300/Denon DL103
2004 Michell Tecnodec/RB600/Ortofon Kontrapunkt A and Denon DL103R
2005 Thorens TD150MKII/TP13A/Shure
2006 Thorens TD166MKII/TP16/Denon D160
2006 VPI Scout/JMW9/Denon DL103R and Benz Ace
2007 DPS 2 "Der Plattenspieler" / DPS RB250/ Lyra Argo (i)
Voice of Music changer w. Astatic flip-over

Sherwood belt drive w. Ortofon>Blue Point

AR/Merrill w. Blue Point>Special>V-15

Scout w. Dynavector>Grado

Hm, not too many for all those years.
I would like to see this thread come to life, I have only owned a total of 2 or 3 tt, the only one worthy of mention is my present Vpi that has been heavily and I mean heavily modified. It weighs in at around 430 pounds.
the cartridges; started with a grado inexpensive one, then moved unto the sumikos, from the blue point to the blackbird, then to the denon 103 series, then the zu model which is a total killer. Nothing will beat my tt, serious!!!!!!!
The musicians practically enter my living room!
Pedrillo, love your response! Getting the most out of the equipment you own does take a lot of personal efforts to tweak or modify. My evolution starts with my parents zenith hifi from the early 60's. I remember that table because it had a cobra or snake armwand. I got the phono when i was older but could not get the thing to work right so i got a bsr. Dont even remember the model but it was my first real table. I kept it a couple of years and got a garrard then finally got my first "hilevel" table in a Dual 701. I kept that table for close to 20 years. I found a denon 47f after the dual and kept it for a few years. In 2002, i purchased a gyrodec and my first MC cartridge(vandenhul frog). The arm was the rb300. I tried a few other cartridges (mm and mc) and found the zxy line(airy3s). In 2006, I got my first Maplenoll. It was a modified reference araidne model with the lighter platter. I upgraded the airsystem and balanced the platter and finally installed my own tonearm and onthefly vta system. I also moved to a zyx universe silver coils. My latest project is a ariadne signature with the large platter. Not quite as heavy as pedrillo, but still a heavyweight near 150 lbs.
I would like to see this thread come to life...
I agree - I find the journey of what people with similar tastes have tried not only interesting but extremely helpful in developing my own tastes and finding my own direction. At least this is why I started this thread quite while ago ;)

There has been a very similar thread whcih was started a little later, but which contains many excellent responses: How Many Turntables Have You Owned
I started out with a "Longines Symphonette" all-in-one "suitcase-style" record player, back in the early 70's. I remeber taping a penny to the top end of the tonearm to allow for sufficient tracking force !! Then, when I was a freshman in college in late 1973, I bought a wonderful Panasonic stereo system......record player, radio, 8-track player/recorder, and bookshelf speakers.....all for $ 260.00. (I remember the price because I worked 3 months at a part time job to afford it !) On this great little system, I was able to discover my love of music, first listening to many of the great "classic rock" albums (CSNY, Beatles, LedZep, Allmans, Dead, James Taylor, Carole King, Springsteen, Simon and Garfunkle, Eagles, etc., etc.).

I purchased my first "audiophile system" in late 1981, and thoroughly enjoyed my Yamaha receiver, Mission 717 speakers, NAD casette deck, and Bang & Olefsun Beogram 3404 table (and MMC-20 cartridge) for many years.

Then, in 1998, I "moved up" to Vandersteen speakers, an Arcam Delta 90 integrated amp, and an NAD 533 turntable with a Goldring Elektra cartridge. This system has evolved over the years into what I now own, which includes my latest analog front end.....a Rega P3-24 table with a Rega Exact 2 cartridge. I am incredibly happy with my current system (please click on to see it), and I hope to enjoy it for many years to come.