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Thoughts About Turntable Upgrades

I hope everyone is having a good Saturday. I'm sitting here listening to CDs because at the moment my digital playback is simply better than my turntable. The Audio Mirror Tubadour DAC that I purchased a few months ago is simply outstanding when paired with my old Cary 308. This leads to my questions/musings about turntable upgrades. 

I got back into vinyl a few years ago and purchased the Rega P3 with a Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 preamp as a starter kit. I upgraded the cart to a Denon 301 II, which was big improvement for me. Looking forward, I'm leaning heavily towards a Sota Sapphire. I want a US made table only because I'm interested in having a US based system. The Sota seems like a good fit because I value sound that is more laid-back and I'm looking for a table that will emphasize warmth, soundstage, presence, solidity. That's the best I can offer in verbally describing my goal. I'm frankly looking for something that will top the Tubadour experience! The Rega is good, but after a few albums my ears are a bit exhausted.

Here are my questions:

Do y'all have any thoughts on my leaning towards Sota? Any other recommendations? Is there any reason to start with a new preamp rather than a new turntable? If so, what are your recommendations? 

I'm interested in your responses to these questions, but also any other suggestions as well. Let me have it! 

 

rblondeau

Showing 1 response by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,485 posts
 

OP,

 

Congratulations on your digital end. It is still difficult to get digital to exceed vinyl in the price category you are in even today. Great work!

A Soto Saphire is a good choice. Also you can look at VIP. By getting a table in the $5K range you can be assured of a very large jump in performance. To get the full value you will probably need to upgrade you Phonostage. My rule of thumb is to spend as much on the Phonostage as the turntable. I have upgraded many times and a great (I like Audio Research) Phonostage is required.

If you do this, you are in for a real treat. But make sure this is what you want. If your vinyl stomps the sound quality of your digital end… well you could have invested that money in your digital / system and elevated it even more. It’s just a question of dilution. The digital end is the future… vinyl the past. If you love playing with vinyl… great, go for it.

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