[Laundrew]

Welcome to the world of vinyl.  I don't agree  that you have to start from bottom up.  I understand Wayner's point but why toil with limited sound when you know there is glory to be had.  If you do your research and due diligence, there is no reason why you couldn't plunge directly into vinyl esoterica.  It would be helpful to get someone experienced to help with the initial set up.  I find the better stuff to be easier to set up.  For example, Teres TT and Graham Phantom II arm combo was a breeze to set up.  Having a detachable arm wand with fool-proof cartridge mounting tool (no need for a protractor), on the fly VTA and azimuth control, and movable arm-mount all makes the job very easy.    Origin and Rega arms are much more PITA in comparison especially with fixed arm mounts. 

So do your research and get the best analog you can afford.  Spare some of your money for a phonostage and pickups.  A couple of different flavors will do you good.  Ask a friend or "hire" an expert/dealer for the inititial set up.  Watch and learn.  Then plunge in and enjoy!

P.S. You have to learn how to clean your records too.  RCM is very helpful but not necessary.

Hi woodsyi,

Yes, I do agree with you. When I started my research into my new system, I noticed that quite a few individuals had purchased "component A," then "B" and finally "C" (where they originally wanted to be). I do not want to end up constantly upgrading my audio equipment - buy what you want, and hopefully you are done.

I am also very lucky to have located some great audio dealers. I remember when I received a phone call from my audio dealer that my speakers had arrived. They were too large to transport in either mine or my wife's vehicle. I called him back and told him that I would have to get a friend to pick them up in a week.

He said, "when would you like to have them?" I jokingly said how about today (it was New Years Eve). He said no problems and delivered them to me - I live about 100 Km from his store.

Post scriptum,

I would like to thank each and everyone of you for all your replies to date on this thread. After all, knowledge is power. Looking at some of these TTs, great sound and aesthetics - talk about a "win, win" situation.

Be well... 

[JackD201]

For the 10k price for table and arm, personally I'd look at a TW Acoustic Raven One and Graham Phantom B-44 combination. Half the price goes to the arm BUT when the time comes (if ever it does) that you're tempted to trade up, the arm can stay with you even if trade up to stratospherically priced tables like TW's own AC-3 or Black Knight, Redpoints, TNT HRXs, and most other non-sprung tables.

I'm partial to the Graham because they are in my experience the easiest arms to adjust along with the SMEs. It comes with an alignment jig and uses wormdrives for all parameters. It also comes with a jig to set spindle to pivot distance for tables like the TWs that have adjustable armboards or tables that have detached arm pods.

I used to use and HRX and the Phantom stayed with me and is now on my AC-3. I even got a second one.

As you can see below I'm a dealer BUT these are not my products. I'm just a very satisfied customer of my own competition. 

[TerryO]

If you're new to vinyl, have a pretty generous budget and want pretty good performance I'd look at a really good, reasonably priced TT and invest in a couple of quality cartridges.

If I had that kind of a budget, here's a well respected company that I'd have on "my" short list.

http://www.welltemperedlab.com/

BTW: Take a real close look at the less expensive 'Table, it's very special.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[jrtrent]

Laundrew, thanks for the added information on the arm and cartridge.  That combination gave you a "wow" factor, so you have a nice point of comparison as you research further.  It's great that you have good dealers nearby.  I'm fortunate, too, in having had dealers willing to block out private times in their shops for extended comparisons, do in-home demonstrations or let you borrow gear, and both deliver and properly install the products you've chosen.  All those important things Wayner mentioned about turntable setup your dealer should take care of for you, and teach you how to make changes yourself should you wish to experiment further.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to have such support nearby.

Hard to go wrong with anything in that price range

I think it's quite easy to go wrong with equipment choices even in that price range if you don't know the character of sound you're looking for.  At about the same price point, the VPI Aries 3 and Rega P9 are both fine turntables, but their strengths are so different that a person liking the sound of one would likely find the other totally unsatisfactory.  Dropping either into a system whose strengths don't complement the character of the turntable can result in a confusing mess rather than improved sound.  Again, good dealer support and in-home demonstrations help to make sure a person gets maximum pleasure from their purchase.

BTW: Take a real close look at the less expensive 'Table, it's very special.

Okay, here's where I admit that I was just so intrigued by the design, good reviews from trusted sources (e.g., I usually find myself agreeing with Art Dudley's findings on turntables), and the fact that it fit my peculiarly-chosen component constraints (in response to President Bush's stimulus package, I decided to put together an apartment system made solely of American-made, entry level products) that I bought a Well Tempered Record Player without being able to hear it first.  I really can't imagine better performance for the price, and it is much more satisfying in this system than an LP12 (my main source since 1985).  [system context:  WTRP, Grado Green cartridge, Grado phono stage, Audio by Van Alstine OmegaStar and Insight solid state electronics, Vandersteen 1C speakers; also a Grado headphone amp and Koss Pro/4AA headphones]

[Browntrout]

Also the Schroeder arms are very well thought of. I personally prefer the sound of unipivot tonearms, they are more open sounding and there is more freedom for the music. How are you getting on Laundrew any news?

[kach22i]

Hard to go wrong with anything in that price range

Funny, but we only can hope that holds true.

What I was missing for many years in my experience with records was a properly set up and aligned cartridge. No bass, no highs and a muddy middle are all you can expect without a proper set up using a protractor. Most people who like CD's better have never heard an aligned needle. The others just like the convenience of CD's too much to be open minded.

Cartridge Alignment Protractors
Cartridge Alignment Protractors | Free Turntable, Tonearm & Cartridge Tools | Vinyl Engine

Cartridge Alignment products
Cartridge Alignment


Alignment Proctrators
Turntable Accessories-Audio Advisor

I have the DB Systems protractor, difficult (but not impossible) to use with non-rectangular bodies.


Use one of these too..........I know..sooooo much work.

Cardas Frequency Sweep and Burn-in Record ? Good also to set anti-skating
Cardas Audio

[Laundrew]

Hard to go wrong with anything in that price range

Funny, but we only can hope that holds true.

What I was missing for many years in my experience with records was a properly set up and aligned cartridge. No bass, no highs and a muddy middle are all you can expect without a proper set up using a protractor. Most people who like CD's better have never heard an aligned needle. The others just like the convenience of CD's too much to be open minded.

Cartridge Alignment Protractors
Cartridge Alignment Protractors | Free Turntable, Tonearm & Cartridge Tools | Vinyl Engine

Cartridge Alignment products
Cartridge Alignment


Alignment Proctrators
Turntable Accessories-Audio Advisor

I have the DB Systems protractor, difficult (but not impossible) to use with non-rectangular bodies.


Use one of these too..........I know..sooooo much work.

Cardas Frequency Sweep and Burn-in Record ? Good also to set anti-skating
Cardas Audio

Thank you kach22i

Be well...