Turntables...Does cost mean improved performance?

[John Holmes]

Aside from cosmetics and reliability, does the higher cost unit yield better sonics? And if so, why? Also, why are belt drives prefered over direct drives by "most" audiophiles? It seems to me that the direct drive, would produce less vibration thus be the better choice.

I understand the importance of having a good MM/MC and stylus. It's the actual turntable that eludes me.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[Crimson]

I can't answer your question but I can say this: If you're looking to get (back) into vinyl like I just did, I think the MusicHall MMF-5 is an incredible value (along the lines of MMG's!). Belt-driven, dual plinth, glass platter, anti-skate adjustment, AZT adustment, level adjustment, stylus pressure adjustment, Goldring 1012GX MM cartridge.............all for about $450. I'm reliving my vinyl, and it sounds oh so sweet!




Q.

[John Holmes]

Crimson,
Hey, that sounds like a great deal. You seem quite pleased with the unit.

I have a functional unit at present (Sony Direct-drive) but, was curious what a higher end unit would bring to the party.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[John Kotches]

Yeah, the MMF-5 is a good starter option. For about twice that you can get into a Rega P3 with cartridge that's another good option.

Also, Rotel was selling a Turntable w/ Cart for about $650.

Pro-ject is another option for an inexpensive table -- you can find out more about the Pro-jects at http://www.sumikoaudio.com

Lots of potential vinylage out there.

For inexpensive phono stages, consider the Musical Fidelity X-LP or the Monolithic Audio PS-1

$250 and $400 respectively.

Regards,




---
Editor, PC/Home Theater
Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
My Home Theater
NEC LT-150 specific page.

[JonMarsh]

Not really an active vinyl man these days, or for a long time, but at the risk of coming across as an old fashioned luddite, if you're interested in vinyl, you shouldn't buy anything else before auditioning a Linn. Most things in the same price range just really aren't as good, and you have to spend scads more to get better. My old setup, currently at ThomasW's, is a top end Denon platter system with a Linn Itok arm. Both platter drive and tone arm are very important, besides the cartridge.

Regards,

Jon




Earth First!
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[John Holmes]

John K,
Nice site! There is a lot of quality names there.

Jon,
I have to find a Linn dealer near me to give a listen.

I've read a few articles on turntables but was hoping that I could get some real world feedback.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's