[matthewpartrick]

You guys may remember a few weeks ago me asking about upgrading the cartridge, mat, etc on my current TT and am after the holidays entertaining the idea of giving my current TT to a friend and upgrading.  Here are a few I am looking at:

VPI Scout
Pro-Ject Extension 10
Pro-Ject RPM 9
Acoustic Signatures Wow XL
Technics 1200 (?availability)
Shinola Runwell

Any others you guys would throw in the mix for consideration?

Thx in advance

[roscoeiii]

4k including tonearm?

I really liked the Well-Tempered Amadeus.

I now use the fabulous Townshend Rock 7. But I think that it may be out of your price range even without a tonearm. But worth looking into finding one used...

[TomS]

A lot of this was just covered at $3-4k in this thread

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=147280.0

[matthewpartrick]

A lot of this was just covered at $3-4k in this thread

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=147280.0

Yes I saw that.  Any additional suggestions would be welcome.  I'd really like to buy the cartridge separately.  What do people do, just hold on to the stock or sell it second hand?

[mick wolfe]

4k including tonearm?

I really liked the Well-Tempered Amadeus.

I now use the fabulous Townshend Rock 7. But I think that it may be out of your price range even without a tonearm. But worth looking into finding one used...

I'm with Roscoe on the Amadeus. The engineering /design is "outside the box" for sure. That said, it's brilliant in that it plays music like no other at this price point. I've owned one for about 5 years with no desire to look elsewhere.

[jarcher]

The well tempered tables sound very good even if the design is "odd" (but effective).

 If you want a more conventional table I would recommend a Clearaudio Performance  or possibly the other German table people are recommending, the acoustic signature.  For us the Performance table has been the turntable of choice for people looking to upgrade from Concepts and Rega planars.

 The new shinola runwell looks  very interesting, but  as it's the first run of the first turntable they've ever made I would want to make sure any potential production issues have been sorted out before laying  my money down.

Projects sweet spots are really in the sub $1300 price point.

The new technics i'm sure is vastly improved over the original, which despite all the lore was a pretty mediocre as a hi-fi table (but bullet proof as a professional dj table). To me technics was never really "high-end" despite however they're trying to market it now.

[Folsom]

Bryston's TT is probably a better choice than several mentioned. The arm on it is... kind of a surprise they can offer it.

[matthewpartrick]

Bryston's TT is probably a better choice than several mentioned. The arm on it is... kind of a surprise they can offer it.

This is a darn good idea, especially since I like Bryston's products already. 

[jarcher]

Bryston's TT is probably a better choice than several mentioned. The arm on it is... kind of a surprise they can offer it.

A good table based on the Italian $2000 Gold Note Valore Plus 425 Turntable. I would put it above a project and technics but not above  Clearaudio Performance. Maybe at parity with the acoustic signature.

[OzarkTom]

No current dealer is going to recommend the Shinola Rockwell, no profit, but I will. At a dealer this VPI designed TT and arm and Ortofon Blue cartridge would cost at least 4K. It  is made in Detroit and limited to 500 units. TT weighs 50 pounds and comes with a limited lifetime guarantee.

There is also a lot of videos on Youtube about this TT.

https://www.shinola.com/audio.html?gclid=CO6d6d2DgNECFRYvgQodfusDHg

[Letitroll98]

VPI supplied their cheapest arm for this table, and while the plinth is certainly handsome, there's nothing in the ad copy on their page about resonance control.  I might wait a bit before jumping in, my inclination would be to go with a Scout at virtually the same price.  This might be a very nice table, but it looks like it's a lifestyle product for well heeled hipsters.

[OzarkTom]

VPI supplied their cheapest arm for this table, and while the plinth is certainly handsome, there's nothing in the ad copy on their page about resonance control.  I might wait a bit before jumping in, my inclination would be to go with a Scout at virtually the same price.  This might be a very nice table, but it looks like it's a lifestyle product for well heeled hipsters.

Only 500 made. This arm will work fine.

The platter looks a lot like the Linn Sondek, still one of the best sounding today after 40 years.
 
But still my all-time favorite is AR The Turntable, best dynamics and soundstage I ever heard.

[jarcher]

No current dealer is going to recommend the Shinola Rockwell, no profit, but I will. At a dealer this VPI designed TT and arm and Ortofon Blue cartridge would cost at least 4K. It  is made in Detroit and limited to 500 units. TT weighs 50 pounds and comes with a limited lifetime guarantee.

There is also a lot of videos on Youtube about this TT.

https://www.shinola.com/audio.html?gclid=CO6d6d2DgNECFRYvgQodfusDHg

 As a dealer, I would recommend it: IF after the initial production run the quality control has been proven. I've seen a lot of quality control problems  with new turntable manufactures, and even with long-standing ones who shall remain nameless. When its you and your reputation in front of the customer every day and they have forked out thousands of dollars  on a supposedly high-end luxury item, you should feel a strong sense of obligation that they are getting their moneys worth.

Everything I've seen so far from videos and interviews seems to suggest that the shinola table is a quality product.  But for most of us patience is warranted  to get the first reports on quality assurance  and most importantly  sound quality.

I am sure many dealers put immeadiate profit before customer satisfaction. Personally I think that's very shortsighted logic. There are too few customers left in this market, at least in the United States, to be able to  afford that kind of attitude.  I personally am also happy to recommend to customers to consider buying things that I don't sell because it shows that I am concerned about them as a human being and not just a wallet.  Ultimately I think that attitude is most beneficial for everyone.

[matthewpartrick]

I like what Acoustic Signature and Clearaudio are offering at that price point <2500 (could get it sooner! ) 

I'll let you guys know what happens.

[ernest787]

Less than $4k can get you a VPI Prime, especially if you check the Soundstagedirect website.  They often have b stock or demo versions up that are great deals.  I got my Prime with a Ortfon 2m black for under 4k as Bstock.

There are also some great deals on the Classic line via SSD. 

[AudioSoul]

   I would stay away from the Pro-Ject turntables. They do not have as high of resale value as VPI and some of the other name brand turntables. I know, I can hear it now "but this is going to be my last TT, im not going to sell it" famous last words....

[SteveRB]

http://www.ptpaudio.com

[Wayner]

http://www.hifigem.com/polytable.html

[jarcher]

http://www.ptpaudio.com

Thanks for that - so cool!  I'm now fascinated by the audiomods custom Rega arm!