Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

duke86fan said:
I already have a schiit Mani so I dunno what improvement I could make
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That's the bad thing about this hobby...there is ALWAYS improvement to be made hah. It all just depends on whether or not the $ investment feels worth it to ya. I'm sure the shiit mani will be great and if you want to upgrade later, you always could. don't think you need to if the new cart gets the sound more to where you want it.

for the record, i didn't hate the ortofon. i have a grado now and they definitely sound different, so it will be interesting to see what you think if they give you some different options to test.
 
also they are probably kinda biased since they admit to NOT liking grado as "they are dark and lack clarity and definition. They also have a huge markup in them, so they really don't cost that much to make."
 
duke86fan said:
also they are probably kinda biased since they admit to NOT liking grado as "they are dark and lack clarity and definition. They also have a huge markup in them, so they really don't cost that much to make."
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You have to find what works for YOU, getting opinions is great, getting opinions from people who have had and or used, whatever, is even better.....the more of THOSE you can get, the better.

That being said, I'm going to respectfully disagree with all your guys comments.......as for the markup, that's always a relative thing.

$275, I would be hard pressed to find a better sounding WOOD BODY cart for the money.
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i finally figured out my issue with the conflicting opinions and which i will upgrade to next

i flipped a coin and it picked nagaoka


whenever im overly paranoid and shit...

always remind me to just flip a fucking coin
 
duke86fan said:
They also have a huge markup in them, so they really don't cost that much to make."
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People throw this term out all the time and to me it’s a bit of a pet peeve. Parts cost does not equal all costs. Parts costs are actually one of the worst ways to assume price on any given product.

R&D people deserve to make a decent living.
Design people deserve to make a decent living.
Machine employees deserve to make a decent living.
Packing people deserve to make a decent living. Marketing people deserve to make a decent living.
Dealer employees deserve to make a decent living.
Shipping people deserve to make a decent living.
Office people deserve to make a decent living.

All of these people and employees deserve decent working conditions and access to other benefits like healthcare.

If you want something that’s a great deal based on parts cost, buy from someone making gear in their garage.
 
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displayname said:
People throw this term out all the time and to me it’s a bit of a pet peeve. Parts cost does not equal all costs. Parts costs are actually one of the worst ways to assume price on any given product.

R&D people deserve to make a decent living.
Design people deserve to make a decent living.
Machine employees deserve to make a decent living.
Packing people deserve to make a decent living. Marketing people deserve to make a decent living.
Dealer employees deserve to make a decent living.
Shipping people deserve to make a decent living.
Office people deserve to make a decent living.

All of these people and employees deserve decent working conditions and access to other benefits like healthcare.

TIf you want something that’s a great deal based on parts cost, buy from someone making gear in their garage.
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also as anyone who has taken on a DIY project can tell you it’s possible to totally fuck up using very expensive materials and to then get a professional in who will then make something beautiful, functional and long lasting out of relatively modest materials...
 
If you’re going to apply that mark up / part cost logic then don’t bother going grocery shopping. Or clothes shopping. Or car shopping. Or house shopping. Just make everything from scratch at home. Buy a cow, sow seeds, take up knitting and sewing, learn to lay bricks and how to manage internal combustion!
 
So one good thing about quarantine for me is that I've been good about saving money, as I told myself that this was the time to finally upgrade my turntable from my long-running Numark TTUSB. The plan would be to upgrade the table now and use the Phono stage built-in to me receiver for now, and put a phono pre-amp next on the upgrade list.

I've been gravitating toward the Mofi Studiodeck, which I know is spoken highly of around these parts. I believe I have found a place locally that stocks it, which I would prefer, but there are some options for getting one online and shipped from within Canada.

The Studiodeck retail at $2000 CDN (approx. $1500 USD). Is there anything else around this price point that I should be considering? I know the closest competitor at this price will be the Rega Planar 3, but I am less of a fan of the looks of it compared with the Mofi. I'm still about a month out from purchase time, so I thought this might be the time to compare.
 
BattleFlag said:
So one good thing about quarantine for me is that I've been good about saving money, as I told myself that this was the time to finally upgrade my turntable from my long-running Numark TTUSB. The plan would be to upgrade the table now and use the Phono stage built-in to me receiver for now, and put a phono pre-amp next on the upgrade list.

I've been gravitating toward the Mofi Studiodeck, which I know is spoken highly of around these parts. I believe I have found a place locally that stocks it, which I would prefer, but there are some options for getting one online and shipped from within Canada.

The Studiodeck retail at $2000 CDN (approx. $1500 USD). Is there anything else around this price point that I should be considering? I know the closest competitor at this price will be the Rega Planar 3, but I am less of a fan of the looks of it compared with the Mofi. I'm still about a month out from purchase time, so I thought this might be the time to compare.
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You would need to look into the shipping cost of course, but if you can make this happen I would highly recommend going this route with your budget, I would give them a call and see if they would work out a deal ;)
Note: Waarnty, but No cart included, but there are some affordably awesome options. Just a thought ;)
www.zuaudio.com

MoFi UltraDeck | Zu Audio

Mo-Fi UltraDeck without pickup. Used but in nearly new condition, with no signs of handling or use. The deck has been used in our 2019 trade shows and has been a solid performer. The deck has less than 200 hours of play. Link to the Mo-Fi UltraDeck page. Includes: 1x UltraDeck, tonearm, counte
www.zuaudio.com www.zuaudio.com
 
AnthonyI said:
You would need to look into the shipping cost of course, but if you can make this happen I would highly recommend going this route with your budget, I would give them a call and see if they would work out a deal ;)
Note: Waarnty, but No cart included, but there are some affordably awesome options. Just a thought ;)
www.zuaudio.com

MoFi UltraDeck | Zu Audio

Mo-Fi UltraDeck without pickup. Used but in nearly new condition, with no signs of handling or use. The deck has been used in our 2019 trade shows and has been a solid performer. The deck has less than 200 hours of play. Link to the Mo-Fi UltraDeck page. Includes: 1x UltraDeck, tonearm, counte
www.zuaudio.com www.zuaudio.com
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Very nice deal on this guy!

The problem with shipping anything from the US up here in terms of turntables is price. I've inquired about shipping from a few different places, and once you factor in the shipping and customs importing charges, I'm looking at least at paying another $150-200 at the cheapest. It's the same problem we all run into with getting records shipped from US-based labels. I would love to support a label I love directly, but it literally doubles the price of the record to get it up here.
 
BattleFlag said:
So one good thing about quarantine for me is that I've been good about saving money, as I told myself that this was the time to finally upgrade my turntable from my long-running Numark TTUSB. The plan would be to upgrade the table now and use the Phono stage built-in to me receiver for now, and put a phono pre-amp next on the upgrade list.

I've been gravitating toward the Mofi Studiodeck, which I know is spoken highly of around these parts. I believe I have found a place locally that stocks it, which I would prefer, but there are some options for getting one online and shipped from within Canada.

The Studiodeck retail at $2000 CDN (approx. $1500 USD). Is there anything else around this price point that I should be considering? I know the closest competitor at this price will be the Rega Planar 3, but I am less of a fan of the looks of it compared with the Mofi. I'm still about a month out from purchase time, so I thought this might be the time to compare.
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I'm a contented MoFi owner, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to look into some of the Pro-Ject options in that price range, like the X-2.
 
BattleFlag said:
Very nice deal on this guy!

The problem with shipping anything from the US up here in terms of turntables is price. I've inquired about shipping from a few different places, and once you factor in the shipping and customs importing charges, I'm looking at least at paying another $150-200 at the cheapest. It's the same problem we all run into with getting records shipped from US-based labels. I would love to support a label I love directly, but it literally doubles the price of the record to get it up here.
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Oh, I understand, but the guys over at ZU are pretty decent, I think it would be worth looking into if you can get a better than advertised deal on it........its been on their site for a while, so who knows ;)
 
Here’s my current setup:

Debut Carbon with 2M Blue Cartridge
Pioneer Elite Receiver
Pioneer Andrew Jones Floor Standing Speakers

Where would you look to upgrade first to get the most out of what I have
 
wingclipper said:
Here’s my current setup:

Debut Carbon with 2M Blue Cartridge
Pioneer Elite Receiver
Pioneer Andrew Jones Floor Standing Speakers

Where would you look to upgrade first to get the most out of what I have
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Depends on budget. My first instinct would be to start by adding a stand alone phono stage as I imagine the lack of one in the set up is because you are using the receiver’s in build one.
 
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BattleFlag said:
Very nice deal on this guy!

The problem with shipping anything from the US up here in terms of turntables is price. I've inquired about shipping from a few different places, and once you factor in the shipping and customs importing charges, I'm looking at least at paying another $150-200 at the cheapest. It's the same problem we all run into with getting records shipped from US-based labels. I would love to support a label I love directly, but it literally doubles the price of the record to get it up here.
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I’m not sure what the Technics SL-1200/1210 GR costs in Canada, but if I hadn’t gone with the Ultradeck, that’s what I’d have gotten. Pro-Ject didn’t make the list for me.
 
HiFi Guy said:
I’m not sure what the Technics SL-1200/1210 GR costs in Canada, but if I hadn’t gone with the Ultradeck, that’s what I’d have gotten. Pro-Ject didn’t make the list for me.
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debianlinux said:
So far the 1210GR has been one of those rare things in life that I have felt like I got more than my money’s worth right out of the gate. Assuming it lasts as long as the Technics pedigree suggests it should, it’s a fantastic piece of kit for the money.
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For clarity’s sake, what would be the differences in the 1200 from the G, GR, and MK7 models?
 
BattleFlag said:
For clarity’s sake, what would be the differences in the 1200 from the G, GR, and MK7 models?
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The G is the top of the 1200 series- better everything- motor, platter, plinth, arm. $4k US.

The GR is the step down, and still quite excellent for $1699.

The Mk7 is for someone who has to have a Technics- the price leader. I’d only consider a GR or if I went nuts, a G.
 
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