One turntable with two arms, or two turntables with one each - which would you prefer?

wmorrow

I've seen Steve at VAS change his beloved Uni-Pivot arms on his VPI. It seems easy, until ....

change arm: pull out mini-din connector from the VPI junction box: that mini-din connector now dangling from delicate tonearm wires. Simply lift arm up, put down in safe location. 

Pick up spare arm from safe location, with alternate cartridge pre-mounted, pre-aligned. Place on the arm base spike, plug in it's mini-din connector.

NOW, cartridge body height might be different, reset VTA as you mentioned. Cartridge weight likely different, it's recommended tracking force probably different, and thus anti-skate should be re-adjusted.

VPI arms used to skip anti-skate, they said "put a twist in the wire" from tonearm to junction box (oh that's precise), then they started making aftermarket anti-skate devices, VPI now offers them

I have changed arms on my friend's Technics B500 base, no delicate wires involved.

Changing a headshell with pre-aligned cartridge, then the same VTA/Tracking Force/Anti-Skate is needed. 

Second or 3rd arms, very carefully aligned, ready to go is much preferred if alternate cartridges are used.

A true Mono cartridge DOES make a difference, slight or a lot, varies

@noromance 

Same here. I’ve one turntable with 12” and 9” arms going to a solid state phonostage, and another turntable with a 12” arm going to a tube phonostage. Very nice to choose based on the music!

One tt with two arms is perhaps more economical. One platter, one motor, one motor controller, one footprint, etc. And this scenario also allows for a mono and stereo cartridge, both with precise positioning/tuning. (Single arms with multiple headshells and bayonet mounting, or multiple unipivot wands do not offer this.) Not to mention compliance matching limitations between cartridge and tonearm choices. My Brinkmann Balance achieves this nicely. But I also have an AVID Acutus SP that I just can’t seem to part with. I love the ease of set up, that it will hold its set up, virtually forever, and it’s still punches way above its class imho. And just love the way it looks, a beautiful industrial design. So this second turntable and third tonearm offers the opportunity for experimenting with other cartridge ideas while maintaining a rock solid mono and stereo set up with no fuss. All of this runs through a Aesthetix Rhea Signature phonostage that accommodates the three separate inputs. Again, one piece allowing multiple functionality. It’s nice to have choices. But to each their own. It’s all good.

As a professional audio reviewer, I have had to set up three different systems to best match what ever component comes in for review, depending on price point and specifications.

I have three turntables, all VPI: VPI HW40, VPI HRX and VPI Aries 2. The latter two have three arms with different cartridges (two are mono-only). The reason I have been with this brand for more than 20 years is that their tables are easy to set up, not fussy, and just plain work--an important consideration on a day to day basis.

As for the Dullgrin's basic question, I would recommend that those coming to LP playback for the first time, focus on getting the best turntable/arm/cartridge for their  money. Fortunately, there are now many reasonably priced tables and cartridges that yield excellent performance.  While reading reviews of such equipment is a good place to start, the ideal would be to go to a bricks-and-mortar store and check out these components yourself with assistance from a knowledgeable salesperson.

Depends on space and budget