I’m open to both! Just not too knowledgeable about what’s out there!
Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice
- Thread starter Joe Mac
- Start date
OnTheRoad
Active Member
@ghostdorado - drop me a PM if you're interested in chatting more, happy to help as I'm a firm believer in vintage setups.
A few options for some reputable restorers are Vinyl Nirvana (very happy customer here) and FixMyDual.com (don't be alarmed by the Geocities type site, his work gets rave reviews).
Another option is to become a subscriber on Audiokarma.org, they've got a buy/sell/trade section (Bartertown) where DIY folks occasionally put up turntables they've restored. Very knowledgable folks there.
A few options for some reputable restorers are Vinyl Nirvana (very happy customer here) and FixMyDual.com (don't be alarmed by the Geocities type site, his work gets rave reviews).
Another option is to become a subscriber on Audiokarma.org, they've got a buy/sell/trade section (Bartertown) where DIY folks occasionally put up turntables they've restored. Very knowledgable folks there.
If you want vintage, @OnTheRoad made two solid recommendations with Bill at Fix My Dual or Dave at Vinyl Nirvana. My recommendations start and stop there. It's too easy to pay too much and end up with a basket case or a botched "restoration". I wouldn't buy a reasonably priced vintage turntable anywhere else.
It would be like me buying a Jaguar XKE. They are cool, they are classics but because my knowledge ends there, it would be pretty easy to put one over on me. MG and Triumph? Different story, because I do have experience.
Many years ago, I owned a Dual 1229Q fitted with a Grado cartridge. Sounded wonderful and built like a tank. I still miss it. The last time I checked, Bill was selling restored 1229s for $749. Considering his labor, parts and knowledge, not unfair. Still, not a good value compared to new with a warranty.
I’d totally forgotten that I’d posted here, so thanks to @Joe Mac @HiFi Guy @Slimwhit33 @SnowmaNick @kvetcha @displayname @Mather and all others that responded.
Now after the amp my attention will turn to the TT. I’m fairly happy with it but would like a change in sound, would I be better off looking for a total upgrade or settling for a change in cartridge? If going for cartidge I’ll probably be looking at the Nagaoka line. Obviously cartridge would be easier to achieve short term.
Now after the amp my attention will turn to the TT. I’m fairly happy with it but would like a change in sound, would I be better off looking for a total upgrade or settling for a change in cartridge? If going for cartidge I’ll probably be looking at the Nagaoka line. Obviously cartridge would be easier to achieve short term.
What are you running now? I'm having difficulty keeping everyone's setup straight.
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I must say the changes I’ve made to my debut over the last few months have convinced me to stick with the table longer term. I would like a better table at some point but given what i blew on amplifiers and that I’d like new speakers too I’m looking to max it out instead.
I was looking at the Nagaoka line too but they seemed a bit pricy so I ended up going with the Grado Gold instead based on the reviews here and the ability to upgrade to the 8mz stylus next time.
There’s certainly nothing to be lost by trying a new cart and if it does it for you it may be a much cheaper outcome but then equally once you have that new table itch it’s hard not to scratch it!
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One thing I forgot to point out- shipping. I'm positive that Bill and Dave know how to ship a turntable correctly.
Years ago, my mother in law wanted a turntable as their console stereo had finally died. I looked around and found a mint Sony direct drive on eBay- a good friend had the same model back in high school and it was impressive.
I won the auction and sent the seller an email with specific instructions on how I wanted it packed- platter removed and packed underneath the plinth, etc.
When it arrived the seller hadn't done any of it. At some point during shipping the platter had come off the spindle and had crashed into everything in sight. The mint dustcover was shot, the arm was trashed, and the plinth was beat to hell. All because the seller couldn't be bothered to take 10 extra minutes and follow my instructions. We ended up getting her a UTurn Orbit instead. The Sony (had I received what I purchased) was superior in every way, so this was kind of a bummer.
I tend not to like shipping turntables as a seller, but when I sold my Rega, it made it from Florida to Hawaii without incident.
That's such a bummer dude. Some people just cant be helped when it comes to shit like that, laziness and being a record collector can not work together.
If you don't mind me asking, which Rega did you have and why did you sell it? From what you know does the Planar 3 live up to the hype? Seems everywhere outside of this forum recommends the P3 as the $1000 deck to get.
Thank you for the rec's dude. I absolutely love the look of these vintage decks, will have some serious decision making to do come December!
My most recent Rega (I've owned two) was the current P3 which I upgraded like crazy. This was documented at the old place, but all of that info is lost.
I had more tied up in it after the upgrades than the MoFi Ultradeck that I currently own. The MoFi is easily superior.
Rega tables are funny. While I didn't love it for numerous reasons, I still think they are good values for those of us that live in the U.K. By the time the U.S. importer gets their cut, not so much. And I'm not sold on their "lighter is better" philosophy. I won't buy another.
The Pioneer PLX-1000 is a good choice. Budget an extra $200 for upgrades to bring it to the next level- headshell and tonearm damper. Add a suitable cartridge (Grado or A/T) and you are still under budget. @mcherry owns one with the upgrades and really likes it.
The MoFi Studiodeck is an even better choice but adding a cartridge puts you over budget.
No matter what you end up with, you'll want a digital stylus forge gauge- less than $15 on Amazon.
Whether one of these choices or a restored Dual or Thorens- any are light years better than an LP60. You'll be a happy camper.
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zombie.modernist
Well-Known Member
No I haven't compared. I think some folks on the Hoffman board have though if you dig through the longer threads there.
Based on what I know, the 540 is a higher compliance cart, while the 95ML is a mid compliance cart. If you're concerned about resonance (IMO you should be) this could be the biggest determining factor between the two carts. If you have a newer deck with a lighter arm like a lot of them have, the 540 is probably the better pick. For the 1900 the OP had, the 95ML would mate better.
If your arm is a medium or low medium mass and it really is an even choice, the 540 is positioned as the higher end option. The generator in the coil is likely superior. AT specs better channel separation which will give you a better sense of realism or "soundstage". That said subjectively, you could prefer one or the other. I will say to my ears, the 95ML is very neutral and not bright at all into a standard load, with great bass extension. I believe the 540ML is also much flatter than the prior 440 and doesn't require fiddling around with loading, but I haven't heard it in my own system.
Mrjay07
Member
I loved your P3 thread from "The Other Place"!
Totally inspired me to get one and tweak it up! Now I have one, I'd rather just enjoy it, buy records & drink bourbon. Lots of bourbon!
*might still get the Groovetracer Reference sub-platter though!
7yler
Member
I’m trying to figure out what record stabilizer I should buy for my U-Turn table and look I found @Lee Newman ! Any recommendations?? U-Turn says it should weigh around 1lb
TrainFan73
Frothy
O
order the sleeve city weight.
7yler
Member
Knew I could count on you! Thanks Lee
lovehatelove
New Member
I've been thinking about buying the AT-LP 120. I've heard the built in pre-amp makes it sound like shit. Can anyone here recommend it? I have wanted a three speed turntable for a while.
Chucktshoes
Well-Known Member
What table do you currently have?
lovehatelove
New Member
I have a JVC Al-A158 from 1996.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Very happy Vinyl Nirvana customer here chiming in. I wanted something vintage looking that was rebuilt properly versus an eBay purchase I would have to fix myself and eyed the VN Thorens for years. Dave is great to deal with and as @HiFi Guy mentioned, he shipped it extremely well. From what I recall, the whole turnaround time was about 2 months from when I ordered it to when I received it because he did some custom mods for me. I have no complaints! He recommended cartridges to me too that fit well with the tone arm and installed/aligned it for me.
Chucktshoes
Well-Known Member
The AT-LP 120 isn’t a bad table, but the onboard preamp does color the sound. I upgraded to the PLX-1000 from one and it is a vastly better sounding table. It doesn’t have 78, but I my thought process is that if you’re going to get into 78s, along with the different cart that’s required for them, it’s best to have a dedicated 78rpm table.
While there is always an exception the rule, I’ve come to the conclusion that 78rpm is usually a feature that’s added as a way to pad the list of features on a turntable. Upgrades to build quality are a lot more expensive to the production costs which is why you see this mostly on lower end, or budget tables. It looks good on a box but doesn’t add real value to the actual product.