Beginner Vinyl Thread

Discussion in 'Music and Recordings (vinyl , 8-track, etc.)' started by velvetx, Apr 5, 2016.

  1. pedalhead

    pedalhead Friend

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    Excellent info, thanks again. I'll dive into those threads...
     
  2. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    What's the upper limit of your budget for the turntable (plus arm and cartridge)?
     
  3. pedalhead

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    Well, I can probably find up to £2.5k all in (eventually) if it's worthwhile.
     
  4. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    I'd recommend checking out JA Michell Engineering which is more or less on your doorstep right there in the UK. The TechnoDec is their entry-level model and quite excellent for its price. The GyroDec is even better. They offer bundles with modified Rega tonearms which aren't too shabby, and down the road you can always look into upgrades for the tonearm.

    Clearaudio offers pretty good all-in-one packages that make excellent first turntables or are just good for those who don't want to fuss too much with setup and maintenance. They're definitely an improvement over similarly priced Rega stuff (which has the same sales pitch).

    Kuzma is another manufacturer you should seriously look into. They offer some of the best upgrade paths of any manufacturer: you could get the Stabi S and eventually upgrade it to the SD if you want two tonearms (or longer tonearms), which is a pretty rare thing in the world of turntables at that price point. Heck, my current table costs three times as much and only supports one. Later on you can get an improved platter and an out board power supply to upgrade it even more if you so choose.

    Other upgrades to consider down the line, regardless of what model you choose, woule be an isolation platform, better phono cartridge, and better phono stage. This will give you a ton of mileage out of your turntable and is a good way to deter "upgradeitis" if you feel like you want to experiment with sound improvement.
     
  5. pedalhead

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    Thanks so much for the advice. Clearly I'm headed in the right direction as I had a demo of the Gyro SE last year, along with the more expensive Orbe. I enjoyed both, and it's good to know there's an upgrade path to the Orbe as it did show a good improvement. Also helps that I reckon the Gyro looks stunning. Thanks again, I'll revisit the Gyro for another look when funds allow.
     
  6. Mikoss

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    I've been quite enjoying the Denon DL-103R, which was an upgrade from the Ortofon 2M bronze. I find the DL-103R to offer a very pleasing sound for $249, I'm just looking at future carts and wondering if anyone has any recommendations.

    I was considering going for a Lyra cart, as I've enjoyed the sound of the Delos, although I've never heard it on my own system. It's also going for around $1500CAD/$1150USD here used, which is much more than the Denon cart.

    I'm still using the Ray Samuels F-117, so probably looking for an MC cart that will play nicely with it. Appreciate any advice/thoughts!
     
  7. Wfojas

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    That Denon DL-103R does voices really really well, so depending on what you listen to, a Lyra may be a side grade (different, but not better).
     

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