REGA-VPI JR- LINN- OR ? UNDER $800

musikdok is right that the oracle, w/its three springs, requires adjustment at initial set-up. but, it's not hard, & it stays adjusted once set-up. also, easy to check, w/a built-in bubble level on the suspended subchassis.

one of the things oracle learned from their original design was that a subchassis counterweight, opposite the tonearm, was wery effective in stabilizing the suspension - a recommended upgrade to the earlier oracle 'tables, now standard on the mk-v wersions...

doug

wait for an oracle. i got my perfect-condition mk-l for $850, & this included a decent grace tonearm, & shipping from canada to maryland. of course, i now have ~$2k into it w/gnu tonearm, power-supply, & mk-v upgrades... ;~) but, ya don't *have* to do all that to it, and, meantime, yule still have an excellent 'table, and a work of art, as well. shoot higher, if this 'table is gonna ge yer last. my opinion of course...

hi musikdok,

i recently replaced my sumiko premiere ft-3 tonearm w/something a bit more modern, but a steal at the price, imho - an origin-live modified rega rb-250 this mod replaces the internal wiring, and also does structural mods. there is also an external-wiring mod, but i opted for the 5-pin din connection, to be able to use my straight-wire tonearm cable. i also got the o-l adjustable-vta base. i bought everything gnu - as a cheapskate who usually buys used, i felt this was a bargain even brand-gnu! :>) o-l sez the modded rb-250 even beats out their modded rb900, due to differing bearing-mounting schemes, which allows the least-expensive rega arm to sound the best w/the strutural mods.

re: cartridges, i'm currently using an ortofon mc-25fl, which i think is an excellent-sounding budget cartridge. i have a lyra clavis that has been rebuilt by vandenhul, but it's yet to be mounted - i wanted to digest the other changes to my 'table, prior to mounting this cartridge. (i also got the origin-live dc motor/power-supply upgrade at the same time as i got the gnu tonearm. as this was designed w/the lp-12 in mind, ewe mite wanna check it out.)

http://www.originlive.com/index.htm

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/ (where i got the o-l stuff)

regards, doug

i think the o-l modified rb250 is a killer arm, but then again, i've not had any of the really spendy arms in my set-up. this is one area, where, if i like the sound, i take the reviewers' word that it's good... :>) as i replaced the ft-3 at the same time i replaced the motor/power-supply, i can't say how much the improvement was attributed to the arm vs. the motor

i highly recommend replacing your linn's stock subchassis - i fabricated a corian subchassis & delrin armboard for my old c&j walker 'table, & it made a *big* difference...

re: cartridges, i obviously hope to have my socks knocked off w/my rebuilt lyra (which the distributor assures me crushes the stock wersion), but, frankly, i think the ortofon (0.3mv) is really nice - it is *much* more neutral & smoother than the blue-point it replaced.

regards, doug