[doug s.]

with sites like this one, audio asylum, audio karma, 6moons, etc, i find i don't miss the magazines at all.  once in a while, when at borders or barnes & noble, etc, i pick one up to look at the pretty pictures...   

doug s.

[Scott F.]

I thought I felt my ears burning

....big snip.....  I know, I know there would be all kinds of factors to consider, with cartridges, etc. but I think it would be fun, number one, and perhaps illuminating to my ears what the differences in sound may be...you can bet Scott F. in St. Louis has heard a lot of turntables, and he sure seems to be enjoying his Squeezebox...

Not to jump into the middle of raging brush fire but as you guys know, as you climb up the audio food chain things (generally speaking) get better. While its been years and years since I've heard a 1200, I have no doubt that it is a fine sounding turntable.

That said, there are tables and then  there are tables. Perfect example, I own an AudioNote TT-1. It is a very nice sounding suspended design. I've tricked it out as much as I can with a new heavier base, offset counterweight, record clamp, dampened the suspension and removed the dust cover. It now sounds much better than it did when it was stock. Trouble is, it will never be as good as my Opera LP-5 with the Dynavector arm.

Does that mean a less expensive table can't sound really good? No. But every experience I've had with moderately priced tables has led me to my belief that upper end gables do sound better.

Now, is the (say) 20-30% betterment worth the thousands extra you have to pay? That all depends on your priorities.

That said, if anyone around St Louis has a KAB or a 1200, I'd love tohere it next to the LP-5 and the TT1.

Oh and yes, the modified SB is quite the digital front end. The ratio of digital to vinyl playback in my system nowdays is about 90/10. I never thought I'd ever say that being a vinyl guy at heart. Although, some music just belongs on vinyl.

[WEEZ]

90/10? 

Scott, surely when the novelty wears off.. you'll be back to a more realistic ratio..

(only half kidding )

WEEZ

[Lyndon]

Scott,
Thanks so much for the feedback.  I went and read your 2005 review of the Opera TT and Dynavetor arm.
Yes, that is out of my price range...
That said, I bet somebody in the G.A.S. area could do a TT shootout with you.  Now to level the playing field
...we would need to prepare you...perhaps a few hours of St. Louis sunshine, in a rubber KSHE pig mascot suit (with the Koss Pro4AA headphones, joint, and RayBan's)  outside of Fox Theater, handing out flyers to support the St. Louis Symphony...and then a few hours of volunteer time in a kindergarten art project...and your ears should be ready!

I still think the discussion of the audio mags is moot.  They will produce copy that they believe will satisfy most of their readership, and advertisers to survive!  That said, I do wish both TAS and 'Phile would have more record reviews off the beaten track.  I have picked up great music from their reviews.  I am a bit of a magazine junkie, and love leafing through the pages as I am listening.  I even subscribe to a recording magazine, and though I don't understand half of the tech stuff they are talking about, it is enlightening, and I have almost always ordered their last page review of some musician's home brew recording. The "Soul of John Black" was one of them.  Not bad.

Scott, what did you have to buy the wife to placate her after that Opera turntable purchase???

Russell, you got me on the PE turntable.  I've forgotten if it was belt drive, or rim.  I do remember it was a 12 pound platter, and kept rolling and rolling after it turned off.  I think it was a belt drive.  Not the easiest deck to cue songs, that is for sure!

[Scott F.]

That said, I bet somebody in the G.A.S. area could do a TT shootout with you.

Believe it or not, all of the vinyl guys have some pretty darned nice tables around here, VPI's, Sonograph's, Nottingham's, and Systemdek's

Scott, what did you have to buy the wife to placate her after that Opera turntable purchase???

Indentured servitude in this life..........and the next.
If I don't fulfill my vow, she swears that in the next life she'll make sure I come back as tape worm.
And then she made me buy her jewels....and a car that started with a J and ended with aguar.

[Lyndon]

I hope that wasn't one of the recalled FORD Jaguar's that look like an aborted Taurus (R.I.P.)

Is it the Captain James T. Kirk blood in me, or do I just have a thing for blue faux marble plinths?

Darn, I don't know how to load the Nottingham Space Deck from this link
http://www.walrus.co.uk/vinyl/nas.jpg

So, Scott, no one in G.A.S. has a direct drive TT???? Hmmmm.....

[Affordable$$Audio]

After spending a few days checking out a Denon TT, I became hooked on the old-time fun of listening to vinyl.  So much so, I bought not one, but two turntables on eBay recently.  A Denon DP51F, and a wood/silver Pioneer PL-530. Both seem to have some intrinsic quality that sucked me into bidding on them.  At some point I'll pick one over the other, but in the meantime I'll thoroughly enjoy the journey.

[TheChairGuy]

Way to go, Mark

I think the Denon DP models 47-on-up (the double digit models only, no the 4 digit DP models) had the servo damped arms - you're halfway there to as good as vinyl can offer with a damped (in this case, horizontally and vertically) arm 

Go the rest of the way and take care of the inherent weakness of direct drive decks...that their platters and all sympathetic vibrations go right to the stylus and on up into the amplification chain. Spray the underside with rubberized damping compound (a la Cascade or my favorite, quick-drying Dupli-Color UC103) AND put an isoplatmat or old AQ sorbothane mat under a good mat that'll work as a good interface for your records.

Once you damp that platter fully, you'll have all the benefits of zero-drift, speed accurate direct drive with most of the eery quiet that belt drivers have...via their inherently superior (for best isolation and blackness, it is superior) semi-detached status from the motor.

The Denon motors may well be superior to Technics/JVC servo's I've been told.

Enjoy, John

After spending a few days checking out a Denon TT, I became hooked on the old-time fun of listening to vinyl.  So much so, I bought not one, but two turntables on eBay recently.  A Denon DP51F, and a wood/silver Pioneer PL-530. Both seem to have some intrinsic quality that sucked me into bidding on them.  At some point I'll pick one over the other, but in the meantime I'll thoroughly enjoy the journey.

[Affordable$$Audio]

John:
Thanks for the tips, as it's been 22 years since I've owned any vinyl.  To think of all those discs played just once when I had them and with LAST preservative applied!

[TONEPUB]

Im with Scott on that 90/10 ratio myself.  I too love analog, still have four turntables
and about 4500 albums, but good digital has just gotten so good, it's tough to perform
the ritual as much as I used to!  I still love it, but am finally at a point where there isn't
any advantage to analog for me anymore, so it boils down to convenience.

It does go in streaks though.  If I come home with a big pile of LP's, I end up back
in that world again, so it's all good either way.

But I have to say that since I put my hands on a pair of great CD players, my turntables
are definitely collecting more dust than they used to!

[Lyndon]

Tonepub said:

I, too, love analog, still have four turntables
and about 4500 albums, but good digital has just gotten so good, it's tough to perform
the ritual as much as I used to!  I still love it, but am finally at a point where there isn't
any advantage to analog for me anymore, so it boils down to convenience.

It does go in streaks though.  If I come home with a big pile of LP's, I end up back
in that world again, so it's all good either way.

Jeff, since the passing of an old college audio friend in Minneapolis, I have about that many albums as well.
And it does go in stages...sometimes I just put on the cd jukebox and hit full random play while I am in the kitchen working on a coconut milk-based Thai meal...but there is something nice about that limited time segment of a vinyl side.  I also love album covers and notes.  I miss the art and information on the recording that was so prevalent on many album backs. I have been so tempted in the last year by the discussion of hard drive based music servers and a Squeezebox interface...but maybe I should also consider a simple hookup with my lossless music on my Sandisk Sansa e260 or my Zune.  I love that Sansa flash based player on my bike riding.  Just have not mastered breaking down audio books into "chapters" and bookmarking.  But now that the summer is out with long distance bicycle touring, I am happy with just the tunes.  I am getting inspired by the Chair Guy to do a little fiddlin' with my two junker TT's, just to see if I hear any improvements, despite Scott's comment about his modded Audio Note vs. the Opera.  And on the back burner is a secret project on a diy phono stage to get me into the MC stage of things.  Got to finish my 12b4 linestage first.  2 years and parts from Germany and Denmark...got to get it done, and move the Grounded Grid to the third system.

[TONEPUB]

I have to say I've gotten spoiled with the Sooloos music server, because it allows
you most of the pondering you used to do with albums.  The art is nice and big, it
lists all the credits and even allows you to pull down a review if you like!

But I like all formats of music!  I listen to prerecorded cassettes, RTR tapes,
Mini Discs and even 8 Tracks when Im in the mood...

It's always fun to reminisce....

I try not to get too locked into any one thing.

As long as you are hanging out listening, that's what counts!!

Good luck on the TT projects, that can be a ton of fun!