The best TT system for under 30K

Grunge is mainly on old records - the diamond dust comes from styli now dead.

But I clean NEW records as well. Opinion is divided on whether or not new records can be contaminated with mold-release compound or some other liquid residue, but with a $10K cartridge I take no chances. No record is allowed to look at the Koetsu before it is cleaned.

Allow me to add my congratulations on your new turntable. A fine unit which you will enjoy for many years - and IMO, that's money well spent.

@terry9

Thanks for the clarification. I follow the same ritual, every new LP gets cleaned and receive MoFi anti-static sleeve. I am only buying new vinyl, even in that I’m very selective as far as record label, pressing quality, collectors editions etc etc. For everything else, I stream my music. I am not pursuing Analog in hopes for building a basement full of LP’s. Been there done that with tapes and CD’s. Only the very best and rare pressings gets my hard earned money :-)

@uwiikz As you asked for suggestions, if you have the opportunity try to hear the Vertere decks, eg MG-1, dealers in Surabaya City and Singapore, or Roksan Xerxes 20, dealer in Singapore. 

Their own arms and MC cartridges match well; or the top Audio Technica MC models are good value.

Dear @uwiikz : You are the fastest " gun-figther " I ever seen in my audio life.

Fortunatelly your chice for analog rig is a good one and I think that before pull the triger so fast due to your " emotions " took a little time to learn because believe it or not speaking of the analog alternative you have a lot to learn. I have over 38+ years about and I can tell you that I’m still learning. We all need learn to walk before we really can run in any audio subject.

Good that the dealer will makes the set up at your place and here the first target is to define where the TT will be " seated " and I mean not only in which position in the room/system but above which damped perfect leveled platform, these issues are extremely important for a top overall quality performance.

Your dealer must teachs you not only all the whole set up proccess but the fine tunning tips/high ligths to that set up, maybe you will need/take more than one " lesson " about to through the time you can be totally " independent " with no help by your dealer or Kuzma.

Other issue along the set up is that your dealer must tells you in specific which kind of maintenance needs the TT and air line tonearm/compresor if any.

Fortunatelly too you meet in your thread to two same Kuzma TT/tonearm owners ( @whart and @ferrari275 ) dedicated music lovers/audiophiles that by first hand experiences are two really authorized " voices " where you can look for help or some advises/tips on your analog rig. You are lucky.

You need too to learn what kind of maintenance needs the cartridge it self and first than all is to mantain the stylus tip in clean condition, there are several " tools " to do it and you need to learn about.

Yes, your new LPs needs maintenance too that means, between other things, that been in clean conditions.

My advise here is that don’t pull the triger on what terry posted about and first go for the @lalitk advise where the same manufacturer has 2-3 models.

At the end terry said that after 1,500 hours a stylus tip was destroyed but 1,500 hours of playing means to listen LPs for 3 hours daily through 500 days and I can tell you ( almost for sure. ) and you can be sure that after 300 hours ( maybe less. ) listening to your your cartridge you will be looking for newer cartridges than can outperforms what you have rigth now.

In the other side the stylus tip it self cleans the LP grooves and ( between other things. ) that’s why you need to mantain clean that cartridge stylus tip. Here you have to really take care when doing it because as other gentleman posted here: the cartridge/cantilever/stylus tip is extremely fragile.

To learn the more in the analog alternative you will need to " move " by what you learned using your brain and not only your " emotions ". Obviously that you can move it as you want it because at the end is your money and your room/system, it’s only an opinion.

These are good and trusty sources to buy LPs and cartridge/LP maintenance products and other audio items:

https://www.musicdirect.com/vinyl/diana-krall-live-in-paris-numbered-limited-edition-180g-45rpm-viny...

https://elusivedisc.com/search?search_query=diana+krall#/filter:custom_format:Vinyl

https://store.acousticsounds.com/


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I think I paid less than $30k for all the gear on this image, purchased everything used step by step, market value can be more and retail is much more... Actually it’s much more than one person need (many speakers, turntables, tonearms, cartridges, cables, phono stages etc).

But when I see a person willing to spend $30k on one turntable alone, without knowing much about analog and being a victim of the high-end propaganda, I think it’s some sort of illness. Looking for a cartridges at $5000-8000 price tag as a started is definitely not right. Don’t let them rip you off. In fact you can buy so many cartridges, tonearms, turntables for $30k instead of one, so it's the only way to understand, there is not such things as "best" for everyone, you can only try and compare yourself.