Space Deck

Lol. That escalated fast.

Reference points are useful. I can't help it if my local Nottingham dealer demos his tables with expensive shit bolted on. But I can learn from what he uses to balance the end result and approximate it with less expensive alternatives that have similar characteristics.

 

+1 for the Nagaoka house sound. Been spinning an entry level MP100 for a while here and I really like it. Fully intend to buy a MP500 when this one is done.

 

@bushdoc Congrats! I am trying to put together a very similar setup based on the Space Deck. I had a demo of some of the higher up Nott tables last week, but none with the Space Arms. The dealer mentioned to me that the Space Deck with Space Arm is a little warm which jives with what I have heard from other sources. If you are aiming for neutral you might not want to go with a warm cart as well.

What I can tell you is that the setups he had were not warm at all. It makes me think the tables are neutral enough to let you tune the sound to your liking. My plan is to start with something well known and relatively neutral. Right now I am leaning to a 2M Bronze. It is a known quantity that seems like a good compromise between price and performance. Worst case scenario is you have a good reference point for deciding what to try next.

 

Got it.

 

Oh, BTW, I prefer the Etna.

Hahaha.

 

I didn't mean to create a shit storm but it seems like everything worked out and no feelings got hurt.

I'm a big fan of used gear but it seems like with a higher end tt it might be a good idea to have a warranty and some factory support, even if I don't speak Polish. Also I figure that I'm spending enough up front that this really might be the last table I ever buy.

 

As a vinyl new guy I have the same feelings about going through a dealer. You have to decide how much it is worth to you to "pay" for that service when buying new. No doubt there are some killer deals to be had in the used market. You can always try to barter with the dealer for a discount (especially if you are buying a package deal with a cart/phono).

Buying new from a brick and mortar shop also has some advantages to buying new from an online shop. It is much easier to go in to a physical location if you have an issue than it is to ship the table back.

 

I live in a small town south of Tucson so brick and mortar stores are non existent. The three hour drive to Phoenix is an option but then I have to deal with the Scottsdale audio snobs that look down at anyone that's not a pro athlete or a member of the seven figure salary club.

I don't have a problem buying online and I really think that the inferwebs has made some great gear available to commoners like me.

 

I was a commercial A/V contractor for many years so I'm pretty comfortable setting up gear, but I think I've reached the point in my life where I don't want to have to f**k with stuff...too much.

 

I have been looking at arms for the Spacedeck and The Wand caught my eye. Does anyone have experience with this arm?
https://designbuildlisten.com/pages/shop-where-to-buy

I heard the 12inch model on the Ace 294 and thought it was quite good. It is hard to tell from a demo with unfamiliar gear the true sonic characteristics of any one component so I was hoping someone might know a little more. Ease of use and adjustability are also a factor under consideration.