So in our never ending quest of upgrades i am looking to get into vinyl again.my last turntable was a technics over 35 years ago. This is my current equipment.Aragon aurum preamp Aragon palladium monoblocks nordost spm interconects and speaker wire.Focal electras 920. Digital playback is a Yba integre cd player. Room is about 12x27 . Budget would be 2500 to 3000. Dollares. More importantly having little knowledge on setting up a turntable i want to buy new and from a local brick and mortar dealer. So here are the choices.Mofi , pro ject, rega ,marantz and denon.
Asw, bad in joke I suppose. Up here in New England we have been led to believe that Hurricane Maria sent you back to the stone age because main land USA did nothing to help you. (political blamesmanship) The rags have you living in caves eating your children. SOTA makes a fabulous turntable but they don't come into there own until you get to the Sapphire which I think is more than you intended to spend. The lesser SOTAs are fine particularly if you like wood over plastic but they are nothing extraordinary. Get a Sapphire and put a Kuzma 4 point 9 on it and you will be happy forever. Otherwise I think the MoFi table is the best value.
I am really partial to Oracle Alexandrias and they can be found, used of course, for amazing bargains. One has to be careful about tonearm matching with suspended decks. I am using a rewired Sumiko Premier MMT which sounds pretty damn good to me. You can bring any used deck in good condition to a GOOD brick and mortar shop and get it perfectly set op for about $125 usually.
That being said, I've never listened to a great direct drive deck and am searching for the opportunity. My only experience is with belt driven ( Oracle, Yamaha, Linn) and idler arm (Dual) models, so consider my recommendations within that sphere of limitation.
I started out with an entry level Rega and upgraded to an Acoustic Solid Bubinga Wood. It not only looks beautiful, it sounds great! Made in Germany in a small town low production and solid machines high quality components. I picked mine up in Canada for $4k cdn which is $3k US. There are no US distributors yet but I Just spoke with Gary at Trueaudiophile And he’s going start carrying it.
Pygmies you’re right.but so many trolls in the internet.l rarely post for that reason.i just read and hope someone asks what I want to know. Makes one think about there sad life. Anyway there is always better people than bad ones . Enjoy our hobby.
There is a beautiful looking practically new Rega RP8 that I just saw posted on this very site. Here is a link to it. At $2,500 (including the Ania cartridge), this is a hard to pass up deal. If I had not just purchased a new turntable and assembled it (meaning I can't return it anymore), I would jump on this myself. Good luck!
There’s a good amount of really nice new turntables which people have pretty much touched on already. Technics, Rega, VPI, Clearaudio, and MoFi are the ones I’d personally check out if I were in the market and are all nice choices.
I would recommend a new Technics 1200 or for a belt-driven TT, a Pro-Ject with the "Signature" tone arm. Too many TT manufacturers leave much to desire in their tone arms. They have worked really hard on the tone arm suspension, but have cut corners o the rest of the tone arm. If you play multiple record formats, as I do, I find a tone arm with a removable, universally interchangeable headshell a must. In seconds, I can switch from a stereo cartridge to a wide-groove cartridge. Then, in seconds I can switch to a mono microgroove cartridge. Each different headshell is set up with it's own cartridge. Makes it easy when swapping them around with different turntables also.
Millercarbon we need more people like you in the hobby.
Yeah, but only if you want a hobby of informed audio enthusiasts keen on building the most musically satisfying system they can on whatever budget they consider reasonable. But if on the other hand you want a hobby of back and forth banter, well then, as you were.
" Myself? I just hate having to get up every twenty minutes to flip the record or put on a new one (PLUS cleaning, tick&pops, storage, etc.). Good luck. "
And dont forget about all the new 45’s that only run for 10 minutes!
Seriously though, Digital is not organic sounding, vinyl has a more grounded or earthy quality. This can be heard on a $50 plastic portable player or a high end 2 channel system. The fact that records do indeed end quickly I feel keeps me alive heck the whole process of having to get up and find a record and unjacket it then lay it on the turntable is part of the event! Hours of digital streaming or long 70 minute CD’s are uninspiring to me, its great for music when your not really listening imo.
ASW, any of the brands would work, if you can listen first then it helps to narrow things down. REGA would be a great start too :-) Matt M
My dream, in "days of yore" (pre digital) was to obtain a reel-to-reel tape deck so I could copy new albums (before they got scratched) and not have to flip them to side-B...
Asw, the MoFi deck is fine. Great Deck for the money. dweller, I suspect you could use the exercise. I lift at my gym twice a week just to make sure I’ll be able to lift my tone arm.
I've heard this said on AGon before: "If you don't have LOTS of vinyl to start with, don't get a turntable". Seriously, digital is so good now and it's only getting better. Myself? I just hate having to get up every twenty minutes to flip the record or put on a new one (PLUS cleaning, tick&pops, storage, etc.). Good luck.
A nice used VPI HW-19 mk iii or iv would be a solid choice and for around 1000 to 2000 depending on arm and cart. easier to work on if need but I doubt you will need to
I would take a serious look/listen to the MOFI Ultradeck. I've heard one at our local dealer. I'm partial to Music Hall turntables. Something like the 9.3 is in your price range. Some others to consider are the Pro-Ject RPM 9 or Extension 9. I'd add Clearaudio to your list.
I prefer to buy used. For the same amount of money, you'll be able to get one or two models up the line than if you buy new. In general, turntables are fairly simple devices and you shouldn't have to worry much about anything being wrong with a used table (of course listen first) or warranty service. The condition of an included cartridge is the thing to be most suspect about, you may be better just buying the table without a cart and then buying a new one of your liking.
I have gone through an almost identical exercise, getting back into vinyl after a 35 years absence. For more information see: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7324 . Based on my experience, setting up a TT/Pickup arm/Cartridge is not difficult, just takes a lot of patience and care. I am extremely pleased with the sound of this system. If you want to hear how good vinyl is now, listen to the MFSL Ultradisc of Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks. Sounds like a master tape IMHO, simply mesmerizing. If anyone is interested the McIntosh C50 is for sale, having just upgraded to a C52.
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