Fired up the TT for the first time

I agree with all the fawning over vinyl. Just got my VPI Aries and JMW/Grado. It's a dream. What a combo with BAT and Aerial 10Ts.

That Basis/Graham/Herron combination sounds like a real winner, and actually I'd love to own that rig myself, but my bank account is much healthier without spending that much cash. I use the Michell Gyro II SE with the Origin Live Rega RB250 and Benz Ruby II, and that is the best sounding analog I've had in my system by a good margin. I owned a VPI Aries/JMW, with ClearAudio Gamma and Transfiguration cartridges, but just couldn't get that rig to perform like it should have. I also got excellent sound from the Townshend Mk-III Rock with modified RB300 and Transfiguration cartridge, but it always sounded a touch bright for my taste. The brightness may have been related to a slight upper midrange resonance in the RB300 arm, I suspect. I would have really liked to have tried the Townshend with the Origin Live Rega RB250 and the Benz Ruby 2, because that combination might have been excellent too (a beer-budget giant killer if you could get a good deal on the Benz).

This is like giving an alcoholic a bottle of Night Train, but in Kansas City is a shop with at least 3,000 sq.ft. of vinyl. Pretty sure I remember it as Streetside Records and Tapes 816 561 1580. Best of luck and I'm not responsible.

I expect to get back into vinyl after a many year absence from both high-end audio and vinyl. My timetable is approximately within the next 6-9 months. I will be using an Atma-Sphere modified Empire 208 table, probably with Graham 2.2 arm. I am looking for cartridge recommendations. I listen to most music types. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. God bless.

P.S. I would enjoy receiving any commentary on how the Origin Live modded Rega's would sound in this setup.

I am not looking to start a war or anything like that ... just looking to share honestly and see what might be wrong with my memory. As I remember the vinyl experience, it was always a function of how good your taping facilities were. Even with good gear, and my vinyl gear was at least mid-fi most of the time (Technics/Dual/B&O/Shure/Grado/ Discwasher, etc.), the first time I would listen to an album, I would also make a tape copy and I would listen to the tape most of the time. I (and lots of others) would do this, because records just scratched up and acquired noise way too easily. CD was a godsend, for this reason alone. What precisely has changed ... or maybe nothing and my recollections are just off ? I would buy both normal editions, as well as audiophile pressings. Thanks.