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19th Nervous Breakdown...


Here I sit on the fence again, trying to decide whether it's worth it to shatter my budget one more time, wondering if the sonic differences between the following gear justifies the sacrifices necessary to pay the toll.

Should I live on beanie weanies and cheap beer for a good while and spring for a Basis 1400 or 2001 table with a decent arm, cartridge and phono stage for about $3K, or do I "settle" for one of the Regas, a P3 or P25, or one of the Music Halls for less than half that, upgrade my diet, and buy a few albums to boot?

I realize that this is in some ways a hopeless and hedonistic calculus, and that there may be no "right" answer. But I suppose what I am looking for are the opinions of those who have traveled the upgrade path and already paid the price. Was it worth it? How would you describe the sonic differences in moving up to that next level?

If you were starting over and COULD manage to stretch your budget to $3K or even $3.5K, what would YOU buy (entire rig, including phono stage, and, of course, buying used)? Or would you go for one of the "entry' level, non-upgradable units and be happy with it?

I have a good collection of albums from my mid-fi days, and I have a pretty good system (First Sound/Bel Canto EVO 200.2 monos/Vienna Acoustics Beethovens), so I do have an interest in more than 'dabbling'.

I have already received a LOT of help on this site and I appreciate every bit of it. There are many friendly and helpful folks around here. I am very happy with the system I have built so far.

Now if I can settle this analog business, I can relax for awhile and just enjoy the music. So what will it be, oh audio gurus, a VPI, Basis, or Oracle table, or a Rega, Music Hall, or Thorens table? Which arm? Which cartridge? Which phono stage?

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I wish I were in a position to audition this gear, but I'm not.

thank you all...

128x128waltersalas
grandpad
151 posts
 
Gboren, have to respectfully disagree. I feel the arm/cartridge has the most effect on the sound.
As an example, a friend has a Nottingham Spacedeck/Space Arm combination (list $2500) with a Grado Reference Platinum cartridge ($300). Sounds very good with his Sonic Frontiers Phono Pre, SF LS 3, Audio Aero Capitole amp (yes amp, and it's terrific), and Von Schweikert VR-7s.

I took over a SME V/Dynavector Karat 17D2 MkII and a Graham 2.2/Lyra Helikon SL. These arm/cartridge cowbinations work very well together, a critical consideration IMHO, and each lists for quite a bit more than my friend's total analog rig. Swapping these in for his Space/Grado combo gave dramatically better sonic results, truly a different level. Did my arms/cartridges sound as good on the Spacedeck as on my Oracle V? No, but we agreed the difference was not as great as the step up in arms and cartridges.
gboren
143 posts
 
Grandpad, I'd be curious to know how his Space Arm sounded on your Oracle V.
waltersalas's avatar
waltersalas OP
581 posts
 


I'm much obliged for all the good advice, folks. At the moment, I am sort of leaning toward a Nottingham Spacedeck with a OL modified Rega 250 arm and one of the Dynavector cartridges. As for phono stages, maybe the Phonomena or Lehman's Black Cube. Of course, I'll be scouring the used ads. I'm not sure yet about the tonearm, but I'm leaning pretty heavily in the direction of the Spacedeck/Dynavector combo.

Of course, I want to have it both ways--quality and affordability. This path would seem to keep me under budget, where the higher end Basis, VPI, and Oracle rigs will not, while, at the same time, allowing me to take a step up from the Regas and Music Halls.

Once again, I'd appreciate your comments on this plan. Does anyone see any fatal flaws here, or perhaps a better way to go? Your friendly neighborhood neophyte needs your help.

Thanks again, everyone.
jsbail
320 posts
 
I think you are on the right track. I bought a Rega25. Wish I got a Spacedeck.
grandpad
151 posts
 
Gboren, I understand where you're coming from and it's a very legitimate question. Unfortunately I can't answer it because I don't have an Oracle mounting plate that will work with the Space arm. My Graham has a SME mounting base rather than the Graham mounting clamp so I can interchange on my Oracle. And we had a Nottingham SME-style pod to use with the Spacedeck.

I think the Space arm would probably sound better on the Oracle than the Spacedeck (at least it had better given the price difference!), although I don't think it's a particularly good arm, nor would it be a good match for the moving coil cartridges that I prefer. However, I was quite impressed with the Spacedeck and think it's a strong contender at its price point, and probably above.

If you have a Space mounting plate for an Oracle I'll be happy to run the comparasion and report back!
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