Starting research for turntable

Never sell digital. As the years go by and you find yourself only appreciating your analog more and more, its very educational to have that digital whatever sitting getting more and more pathetically obsolete. A daily reminder and antidote for when you hear someone say something about the next great digital whatever, the one that really puts the nail in the coffin for analog, and you recall oh gee that's what they said about this doorstop here. Plus they are great for warming up the system. And yeah sure you could put the XLO demagnetization tracks on your phone or iPod and play em that way. But then if you sell the digital its tempting to buy something and any amount on digital takes away from what could have gone into something that actually sounds good. So keep your DAC. Never sell it! Bequeath it to your grandkids. What's that grandad? A long time ago someone said it was perfect sound forever....

I’m have some wiggle as far as price is concerned, $4,000 was a figure to go from and was only for the turntable. As far as experimenting with different setups, I’m retired and enjoy the challenge of getting the best sound quality I can. I do all the mechanics on my motorcycle.

Then you and turntables sound like a match made in heaven. Analog is very old school in that everything is out in the open. You can see what each part is doing. Most of these tables, VPI is a classic example, they are basically a board with a bearing screwed into it, something flat and round on the bearing, a motor with a rubber band running the whole thing. With not too much trouble you can make your own board, although of course you have to remember to call it a plinth, as analog lovers have all these special words to disguise the fact they’re dragging a needle through plastic.

If you’re half as mechanically inclined as you sound then this is all the advice that you need. Look at the turntable as you would any other mechanical device. Understand its job is to remain super stable even while spinning a platter generating lots of drag and vibration. If you look at a lot of the flimsy lightweight tables out there and wonder how the hell is that gonna work? You are on the right track. Good solid heft and overbuilt construction is a plus.

Also the arm can be changed very easily and on any table. The design itself can sometimes be a challenge, but usually the only thing makes it hard is how handy you are and how important it is to look all professional and pretty. Also how willing you are to experiment. An arm can be mounted in a piece of scrap MDF, scrap acrylic, scrap aluminum or steel, and look like crap but work just fine. So then you might try laminating combinations of these. (Sound familiar? Look at VPI!) Guarantee, that’s all they do. Try stuff, find what works, build it, sell it.

Not trying to tell you what to do. Trying only to plant the seed idea that it helps to see a turntable not as a finished product but a starting point. You’re a smart guy. You will be able to see the design of some tables lends itself more to development than others. Everyone can suggest specific tables. Only you can choose among them. Hope this helps.