You know what I'd do? Give Peter Ledermann over at Soundsmith a call. Or just copy the above and email. His fixed coil cartridges are a fraction of the moving mass of MC. He's supposed to be coming out with a new arm designed by Schroeder and built by Soundsmith. And he's a prolific decades long restorer and rebuilder of all kinds of vintage gear. Even his used gear and repairs come with one year warranties. No interest here and I don't even have any of his stuff yet, I just learned about Soundsmith earlier this year and still find it hard to believe Soundsmith isn't a household word up there with Koetsu and all the rest.
He doesn't so far as I know sell new turntables but maybe used and certainly worth a call to find out.
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Look into the GEM Dandy Polytable Super12.
Acoustic Solid is another brand that might fit the bill.
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We make a great belt drive turntable, the Atma-Sphere 208, but I'll be the first to tell you that the Technics SL1200G is a better machine. It comes with its own arm which is pretty good but it totally justifies any top end tonearm. I like to use it with a Triplanar.
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The Technics is absolutely the right answer. |
Take a hard look at SOTA. Their Sapphire is one of the best out there at any price and is right on your budget target. Very high mass platter, a suspension that is envious and can use just about any tonearm you want. Rock-steady on RPM once you have it set up and absolutely fiddle-free. Entirely made in the US, they have been around since the late 70s and will still service, upgrade and support everything they've ever produced. Check the forums on them here and surf past their website. You won't regret it. I've had mine since 1984 and would put it up against rigs costing far more.
I'm a real fan of Dynavector cartridges, especially the 17D3 and XX2 Mk II. Both of those are a bit higher than your target. They are tight, fast and really reproduce an excellent soundstage. Both can really slam the bass when properly set up and will rock your world with properly recorded guitars and horns. Absolutely linear response. Carts are a very personal thing, though. I'm a real fan of progressive rock and fusion jazz, and DV really works for me because they are so fast. You'll want to listen around if you can, because different combinations of cart, arm and speakers can yield widely differing results.
Arms: In your case, you might want to look at SME or Ortofon. I suspect you would find the Tri Planar (an excellent arm, BTW) a bit too fussy, but it depends on how you feel about VTA-on-the-fly. I consider it indispensable, but others disagree. Ultimately, it's your money so you have to decide what's right for you. I'm given to understand that SME is discontinuing sales of their arms independent of their turntables, so if that's the way you want to go, don't delay too long.
All of the above brands can be purchased new at your stated budget or very close to it. Depending on where you live, a bricks-and-mortar operation might be willing to cut you a deal, depending.
Regardless, you have a sufficient budget to get into a really satisfying set-up. Go forth and enjoy the search. Let us know which way you end up going and happy listening!
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I would agree with helomech, on acoustic solid you might want to look into the Solid 111 Metal, or if you are looking more old style the Solid Classic Wood, or Solid Wood, both come in wood tone or black.You could even try the transrotor line of turntables.
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The same as any turntable you'd use for classical or jazz (eye roll) |
A big thanks to all that have replied so far. Please keep it coming!
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What does playing rock have to do with buying a certain turn table? A high quality turn table should play classical just as good as rock I would imagine. |
What does playing rock have to do with buying a certain turn table? Nothing whatsoever. The idea that any electronics for home audio might be better for a certain genre of music is entirely mythological. |
The table , as mentioned has far less to do with genre choice in music. The cartridge would be more impactful on that requirement to some degree. |
@has2be (and others), thanks for info on that angle. I wanted the "rock" data point listed if it mattered. Actually it's encouraging to know that it doesn't.
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This would be the last turntable most would ever desire: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9h56c-sme-10-turntables Rock-solid speed stability and unparalleled build quality. A bit above your budget but you won't be left wondering if you made the best choice. A $200 Nagaoka will get you by while saving for your dream cart. |
I have a fully modded Acoustic Signiture Final Tool. The new motors dramatically lowered the motor noise. The new platter with 24 brass/rubber silencers cleared up the midrange. Finally a 4 inch block of maple gave it a more precise towards a little mello. I will keep it for life |
Consider the Kuzma Stabi S, with a Stogi Arm, and their Kuzma 20 or 30 cartridge - extremely solid, design has held up for quite some time.
Liquid HiFi in South Carolina is a solid dealer option or I think there is a fairly new one listed
you will be under $5K all in, and put it on an Adona (out of Florida) platform for about $150.00 |
I agree that the brand or type of turntable is unrelated to the genre.
Why does the OP think VPI turntables are fiddly? I have a Scout ll and it’s not at all temperamental or hard to deal with. |
I have the Gold Note Mediterraneo table with the G.N. ph/psu 10's and love it, and I listen to alot of classic rock 60/70 early 80's. I will be upgrading to the bigger B7 tonearm in the spring.
The Pianosa and Gigilo are in your price range, even the 425 Valore Plus is a decent priced table. |
The Technics is a lot of turntable for the money but I'll agree with effischer on this one. The SOTA has one big advantage over all the other turntables out there except the SME, Basis and Air Force turntables and that is a perfectly tuned suspension system that isolates the platter, tonearm and cartridge from just about anything. With the new magnetic bearing, motor and speed controller it is very hard to beat at any price.
SOTA will mount a Jelco arm for you which will handle any mid to low compliance cartridge, the vast majority of them out there. |
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Pear Audio Blue Little John with an Ortofon 2M Black. Comes in under your budget and rocks.
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Why, the Townshend Audio Rock, of course. If you’re into 50’s Rockabilly, Chess Records, etc., it will be the original Cranfeld Rock turntable. For British Invasion, the Mk.2. For Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath, the Mk.3. For AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Queen, the Mk.4. For The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Clash, the Mk.5. For Nirvana and Soundgarden, the Mk.6. And If it’s current Rock artists you play, go for the Mk.7. If it’s for LP’s that have yet to be pressed, wait for the upcoming Mk.8. |
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Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I was out of town for a few days and could not reply to say "thanks".
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I recently upgraded as well. Similar thoughts to your described needs and also in the same budget. I do listen to a lot of Jazz Fusion as well as Classic Rock . However, there is no heavy metal or rap in my collection.
I really wanted to go VPI as it made in the USA, love Matt and the company but in the above $2500 range they did seem like too much fiddling was going to be required. I wanted to set it and forget it . The Acoustic Signature WOW XXL with the TA-1000 tone arm was available and at a discount. Rock solid engineering and 10 year warranty on the motor. They were cosmetically changed with very minor adjustments for 2020 for the next 5+ years of the latest production run. It was easy to set up and after 6 months no adjustments have been needed. I had to upgrade the DIN cable and matched it with a Black Cube se 2 Pre. Major upgrade in sound and clarity over my prior set-up.....as it should at 5X the cost. |
What kind of fiddling? With my Scout II, set up cartridge, level and go. No fiddling. |
I recently upgraded as well. Similar thoughts to your described needs and also in the same budget. I do listen to a lot of Jazz Fusion as well as Classic Rock . However, there is no heavy metal or rap in my collection.
I really wanted to go VPI as it made in the USA, love Matt and the company but in the above $2500 range they did seem like too much fiddling was going to be required. I wanted to set it and forget it . The Acoustic Signature WOW XXL with the TA-1000 tone arm was available and at a discount. Rock solid engineering and 10 year warranty on the motor. They were cosmetically changed with very minor adjustments for 2020 for the next 5+ years of the latest production run. It was easy to set up and after 6 months no adjustments have been needed. I had to upgrade the DIN cable and matched it with a Black Cube se 2 Pre. Major upgrade in sound and clarity over my prior set-up.....as it should at 5X the cost. I have the Wow XL and TA-700 arm. It is much easier to set up than the VPI Classic 1. Also better built and better sounding. Can’t beat its adjustable pitch, which I wouldn’t want to live without in a belt-drive table. Really no need to go direct-drive when you can have the speed stability of which the Wow is capable. My only gripe with the AS arms are finicky tracking force adjustments, similar to the VPI arms. It’d be nice if there was something similar to the Soundsmith Counterintuitive for the AS arms. |
The me, the rule is keep it simple.
The Technics TT's (SL1200 etc) were designed as audiophile grade turntables. Stick with that, and enjoy the music. Maybe change the tonearm wire to Cardas or some brand you trust.
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