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Does a record player make that much of a difference??

Question for all you Audionerds - in your experience, how much of a difference does one record player make over the next compared with the differences that a cartridge, phone pre-amp, and separate head amp make in the signal chain?

Reason I ask: I just upgraded from a MM cart to a MC cart (Dynavector 20x2-low output). Huge difference - the Dynavector sounds much more alive and detailed compared with the MM. I find my current record player (a Marantz TT16) to be a real pain to work with - I have to manually move the belt on the motor hub to change speeds, and the arm is not very adjustable or easy to do so. But, aside from that, it's not terrible. How much of a difference can I really expect if I upgrade to a better record spinner vs the change I heard from upgrading to a better cart? 

My next acquisition is a separate head amp to feed the phono stage.

Thanks for all your insights!

Josh

joshindc
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,838 posts
 

Clearer decay….clearly my observational powers don’t emphasize spelling… regrets.

I think a more appropriate model for the headshell block / fingerlift / armpipe interface is to think about it as two blocks with a tuning fork hanging off one block… damping the tuning fork vs the effects of adding mass probably better explain the increased effect on the Lyra vs Kuzma carts. The thing about models is they are wrong…but by how much ?

but these are subtle things…almost…ephemeral ?

Lew my TP 7 mk2 has a single screw that attach it to the cartridge block.

lewm
12,516 posts
 

"Lew my TP 7 mk2 has a single screw that attach it to the cartridge block."

I will go to the TP webpage and hope for a photo of a modern TP, because I don't get a visual image from your sentence.  I bought mine from Herb himself back in the late 80s or early 90s. I happened to be in Herb's house one afternoon, during the period when Tri was visiting him to learn how to build the tonearm. I was there to have Herb re-wire my TP.  In any case, the nonremoveable headshell on my older TP is slotted as per usual.  Then one used either of the two fingerlifts such that it sits atop the headshell with the cartridge bolts extending from below up through the slots and then through the threaded or non-threaded holes in the headshell, depending upon whether the cartridge itself already sports threaded holes.  You almost have to use one of the two fingerlifts to get a nice sturdy mount.

ossicle2brain's avatar
ossicle2brain
106 posts
 

cartridge>phono amp>tone arm>TT

lewm
12,516 posts
 

Cartridge and tonearm should be viewed as a single unit. Tonearm makes a major contribution (or subtraction) in relation to the SQ perceived to be due to the cartridge alone. I’ve proved this over and over again in my home systems. So I would not insert “phono amp” between cartridge and tonearm in order of importance.

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,838 posts
 

@lewm Tri is a gem. See California system photos, set screw attachment visible. 

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/7100

 

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