Should I keep the Turntable or sell it?


I’ve been back and forth on this decision for about a month, and the more I learn, the harder this decision gets.

Backstory: I won the brand new Cambridge Audio Alva TT turntable in an online contest in mid-May, and while it sounds great, I decided to list it for sale a couple weeks ago. I’ve always wanted to try out a Rega P6 or P3 with a really nice cart, because I feel like I’m not getting enough out of my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. Prior to winning the Alva TT, I switched the Red Ortofon out for the Blue, and there was a great improvement in sound quality. But after comparing the Pro-Ject to the Alva TT and hearing what a $1700 turntable can sound like, I definitely am interested in exploring more high fidelity turntables. The issue is that I feel like I prefer the sound of tubes over solid state, and the Alva TT uses an integrated Alva Duo phono preamp for the RCA out, and their own DAC for the Bluetooth out if I want to go that route. I don’t have a ton of experience with tubes, and maybe it’s just the “cool factor” I actually like and I’m just having a placebo effect.

So I decided to list it for sale to try and get a Rega, because I heard so many great things about them. But over the last week or so, I’ve learned more about the Alva TT and how it uses Rega’s famous tonearm. I looked up the cart and it is listed at $500 separately, which is probably why it sounds better than the Pro-Ject w/ Ortofon Blue. I’ve also read on these boards about direct drive being better than belt, which the Alva has as well. It also has the added bonus of Bluetooth that go directly to my KEF LS50 Wireless, but I would most likely just use interconnects.

So I would love to get some advice from you all. I’ve gone back and forth about keeping the Alva or selling it, along with my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and buying/trading for something like a Rega P3 or P6. If you had my first world problem, what would you do?
bignamehere

Showing 6 responses by chakster

Sell them all and buy new Technics DirectDrive like SL1200GR or nearest model
can you provide some details as to why I should do that? Also what cart would you recommend?

Technics is much better turntable and it's Japanese Direct Drive with nice arm, you can't buy anything better for $1800 (new with warranty). If you trust reviews simply read about SL1200GR, but it's a nonsense comparing chap belt drive to Direct Drive from Matsushita, the last one alway win.

Actually everything about cartridges and technics turntable is here on audiogon. 

I prefer vintage MM like Grace (F14, LEVEL II), Audio-Technica (AT-ML150, AT-ML170, AT-ML180), Victor (X-1II, X-1IIe) cartridges to anything new/modern. 
Are you kidding me? " @bignamehere

Technics is the only "REAL direct drive" turntable you can buy and this is the most reasonable priced DD on the market today, just because it is Matsushita, they have been doing it before you was born (probably). Even 40 years old Technics turntables like SP-10mkII are second to none. They don’t make motors for any other companies nowadays. This turntable is "made in japan" if you know what does that mean today, because everything is made in china or taiwan nowadays.

If you don’t want to change anything in your system just use what you have, but then i don’t understand why asking?

Technics brand new coreless DD motor has been introduced not so long ago, this is the best DD motor available today. Read more about new Technics turntables in this thread. In our crazy High-End world the Technics SL1200G is a bargain, the GR is 50% cheaper than G model. Someone should give a lesson to various manufacturers who priced their ugly belt drive at $30k, so Technics will knock down them all at $4k with SL1200G (and you could buy Technics GR for about $1800). All these European companies are simply not on that level, most of the killer Direct Drive TTs coming from Japan since the 70’s. Technics toneams are great, i would not even mentioning Rega tonearms anywhere near the Technics and some other Japanese toneamrs ( i have many).

Wireless speakers is garbage along with usb turntables designed for hispetrs who don’t understand what is analog. These speakers are for streaming audio (aka digital).

If you want to use analog gear and vinyl then you need wires.

Audio-Technica made huge range of cartridges from very cheap to high-end. It’s a good brand, but i have recommended their top of the line vintage models of MM cartridges (they are exceptionally good), here is the article.

I appreciate the detailed info on the Technics, although some of your reply was a bit off putting. I know there is a large Technics fanboy club here, so I won’t get into it with you on the turntable. I’ve listened a few times to a high end Technics table at a friend’s father’s house who talked my ear off about it and his Martin Logans. In his opinion, owning anything other than those brands wasn’t good quality. I can’t recall his other components. Luckily we have similar taste in music, but definitely not the same budget.

No offense, but whenever someone has such a high loyalty for one company and downplays all other brands and even downplays huge advances in technologies to be trivial, I have to take the advice with a big grain of salt. And obviously I’m asking the community to get ideas, so it’s hard to digest someone cramming a single brand down your throat when clearly there are many options to consider. But I greatly appreciate the info, and will read up on Technics.

It is funny, because my turntables are two Luxman PD-444 and now Denon DP-80 ... anyway, vintage japanese Direct Drive is what i like in the main system, i sold my Technics SP-10 mkII and SP-20 last year. Still have upgraded SL1210mkII, but not in the main system. 

But as many users pointed out the Technics for you is probably the best you can get (NEW) without payin' too much (and definitely better than some tables you have mentioned). 

So i don't belong to a group of people who prefer new turntables, actually i prefer vintage turntables, but it might be too complicated for newbie. 



Instead, I’m told anything other than direct drive is crap, which is just silly to state, considering the hundreds of high quality belt drive turntables the industry has produced.

Are you sure about high quality ? 

How would you like basically being told “don’t question me, I’m older, just buy the thing I told you.” Age doesn’t always bring wisdom, and often brings resistance to change.

True, i'm 43 and Direct Drive was invented before i was born, so the comment about age is not discriminating, simple fact. 

It may be hard to understand until you will try a Technics in real life, maybe in the shop? The quality of Technics is so obvious since the first contact, try it if you have a dealer in your area. This turntable build like a tank and it's completely different from the plastic toys like those cheap belt drives and many other modern direct drives. As you may heard the Technics disappeared from the turntable market for a long time and it's amazing that they made a return with absolutely outstanding products like SL1200GAE and SP10R, but they made more affordable models for everybody and SL1200GR is one of them you can't go wrong with. Not sure if you know the fact that Technics DD motor always was the most powerful DD in the world with the highest torque. And even $24k modern turntables like Kodo The Beat based on vintage Technics DD motor. 

All you need is to try it, i don't know anyone who will buy a cheap belt drive like Rega after trying Technics. But i know people who never ever tried Technics and such people simply don't understand what they are missing and what they are talking about (especially folks who mix it up with an old discontinued SL1200 mk2 - mk5 models). 

Watch this trailer 

If you want to spend years you can start with belt drives, but when you will be able to compare different turntables i doubt you will stay with cheap belt drives. I don't think a $20k Micro Seiki SX8000 belt drive is what you're looking for. So under $2k you can buy amazing vintage DD or new Technics DD. 
Well, a person with 23 posts on audiogon who has nothing to contribute is not happy about comments and willing to teach us what to post and how to post in "his thread". Ok, this is my last post in your thread.

If you want to expand your knowledge about Direct Drive, find what is Coreless Direct Drive Motor (and why it’s superior) then try to find any manufacturer of such high quality motor today. Maybe you will realize why Technics is the only "real direct drive" today. You can also compare prices for new Technics to anything else, and then you can ask yourself why they did not charge 5 times higher price for their new DD with coreless motors like other manufacturers charge for inferior technology (like belt drive) today.

Remind us who else have been making high-end Direct Drive since the golden age on agalog, and how many of them making turntables in 2019 ???

I can mention new Pioneer and Denon, but none of them can compete with Technics and none of them can compete even with their own older top of the line Direct Drive TTs from the 70’s.

Matsushita is clearly the biggest and the most experienced manufacturer of high-end Direct Drive turntables and they tried to make something equal to their best stuff (like SP-10mkIII and mkII) but in 21st century and they did it. New SL1200 series is the best option for those who’re looking for a brand new high-end Direct Drive (SL1200G has coreless motor).

When the Pioneer will make something equal to their older Exclussive P-3 or P-10, and when Denon will make something equal to the PD-80 or PD-100 i will say we have more "real direct drive" on the market from the original manufacturers.

I think some relatively small manufacturers looking at Technics sucsess with new Direct Drive and trying to make "something direct drive" too, but they can’t make Coreless Direct Drive in their garage where they are making all those Belt Drives.

I remember how SL1200 GAE limited edition has been sold immediately when it was introduced.

P.S. I guess the whole thread was made to justify your purchase and this is what you’re willing to read from the other members, but not the truth.
You may also willing to read than Rega is fantastic choise along with your Cambridge Audio Alva. Or something about superiority of tube coloration over some true solid state design. But this is all false and your experience is limited if you claiming the opposite.

In other words: prepare yourself to read different opinions, you’re not reading magazine review here, it’s audiogon and each of us has personal experience with almost everything we’re talking about.