New Analog system. where to start?

The Rega tables are more likely to get your toes tapping.

"Fooled by Particle...and glass"????????

I see you never heard one.

Not to spray the decks down in a pissing contest, but in a constructive way..... What is it you found "better" out of the SOTA (lets keep equal $$$ or close though)than the Planar 3?

I must admit, the comparison I did was seven years ago, but such is the vintage of the table I am suggesting.
My friends SOTA, while being more than three times the cost, with a clamp...etc (who wants to deal with that thing??) was not in the same arena. With four different carts, we played and tweaked. Weeks of toying and tweaking.

The SOTA was a bit better in certain bass areas with one of the carts (SME and Grace arms at different times) we used one of his AT's Two different Grados (XTZ and the cheapie) and a Monster Cable.
The Rega blew it away on any kind of "island music." Drums came alive, you were in the groove. I found it hard to believe myself. When you looked at the two, there was certainly no reason to think the Rega would sound so good. But it did. All that suspension garbage to deal with, combined with the clamp thing......forget it.
Blind tests all but one of the carts (the AT) picked the Rega everytime.

The same person who bought the SOTA (I think for arm and table he had 3k in it at that time) now uses a planar 3 with a Dynavector. Go figure.

Now, I am admitting that my info is several years old, but what honestly do you think the SOTA of near cost does better than a Rega table? How can you justify all the fiddling with that suspension, when the Rega is SO easy!

I guess what I am trying to say is that buying a used table is risky. Shipping, stupid previous owners....suspension issues that naturally come from age. They are all things to take into consideration when buying a used table.

I dont think anyone would argue that an LP-12 is one of the top 5 tables under 10K of all time. But, if you had to ship one to Mexico from Boston, would it be the right choice?
I think not. I would send the Planar 3.

Combined with the 300 arm, a used Planar 3 is kind of like a low miles Volvo 240 or a Toyota Camry....you know it is going to be reliable, simple and easy to setup.

Of course, I could be talking out my butt. Maybe SOTA has come up with a new table that requires nothing but a level to set up and no clamp to deal with and slipping belts every three months. Maybe they have fixed those issues.
If so, please educate me.

If not, I think if I was to buy a table/cart with a 1k budget, I would go for the sure thing with the fewest sources for trouble.

Sean: Yep. We spent most of a summer with the two.
Brought them both to the shop the SOTA came from and had them tinker as well. Weeks was weeks!
It took so long because we could NOT understand why we got the results we did. Certainly wasn't for lack of trying.
I was talking about sound, not insulation against poor floors and heavy walking.
I have to laugh about your statement about the TT platform of some type :>)
I have a 4X4 into many feet of concrete under my house with 4 feet of it sticking through my floor. :>)
I can have a line dance in my living room without issue.

Thank God for diversity.

Psychicanimal:Like the bible thumpers, taking a sentence out of context only makes you look like a....well, you finger it out. You certainly have done a good job!

Hmmm, maybe the whole point of this got lost somewhere.

If a person, who is new to vinyl, wants a table.....

"Don't be fooled by glass and particle board."

Not fooled, informed. Glass is a very logical choice for a platter. Cheap and effective. Particle board?? So nice wood makes it sound better?

Keep in mind, I run Linn LP12 with a nice wood base. But if I could have bought it with particle board, I would have to save money. :) (I got mine used) Its all about the sound.

You might have great luck with that 1200, but I think you are talking out of the wrong end when you speak as though you are a Rega know-it-all. Sounds to me like you have heard one or two for a few minutes each.

The lack of VTA adjustment and suspension are issues that are easily dealt with. If used with a Rega cart. the VTA becomes a non-issue completely and there were several carts to choose form when I was doing the testing.

I think we need to be careful when talking about a brand, (unless, like McInto$h, it is a status symbol and sounds like crap :>) he he) that we dont confuse opinions based on nothing with fact.

Gee, dont buy that 1998 Escort, cause I drove one in 1981 when they came out and it was horrible......that is kind of like how I see your advice.

If someone asked about a good first amp, would you suggest a set of Sequerra modded Marantz 8B's? If they asked you about a preamp, would you get them into dual monos?
There are used LP12's that can be had for 600-800 with arms. But they often need new springs and need to be set up properly...and are prone to shipping issues..so would I suggest one for a newer person?
Of course not.
If they dont mind the extra care that comes along with vinyl, the Rega will do one of two things. Open a new world, causing them to broaden horizons, or give them ultimate reliable, good sounding analog playback for years and years to come.

1,000.00 is 1,000.00. For a used table and a new cart/belt...the budget is gone. Entering a setup that requires suspension tweaks and is prone to issues due to former "idiot owners" is not a sure thing.

Still have not heard more than an opinion based on little actual test time. I played with them for a summer. I think I am more qualified.
Even more so, because like the first time many of us hear a Nait amp, we are blown away..18 watts??GEEZ!...I was blown away by how good a little bit of particle board, a great!!!!!!!!! arm and a cheap hunk of glass could sound. :>)

KGB540, as the person who asked the question, I encourage you to check out both.
Have you listened to anything yet? Made a purchase?

I dont know why, but my last response seems to have been lost..... I give up anyway.

Kgb540: One more thing. Believe it or not, an Adcom GFP-565 has a very nice phono section in it and can be had for about 200.00 almost anywhere.
I would suggest a listen.
Also, there are some nice Audible Illusions Pre's out there for a decent price, but watch the age. The tubes a soldered to the board and needed to be factory replaced when last I checked.
I would be interested in hearing an update of anything you have listened to/bought and the results. :>)

Hey Jimbo: Sonce I am unwilling to do "research...." WHat is the rest of your system?
I am interested in what you run down the line from those little dual-mono pre's.
Also, what about your deck for vinyl? (Your favorite one anyway.)
TWL, a A-gon member is trying out a homebuilt table that I am eager to hear results from.
The SOTA got pulled from its perch and was found to be touching the bottom plate. The belt is totally toast, and the vac-platter-clamp-thingy is a bit "gummy" or........is it "pokey" hehehe......................
I intend to play later in the year when the boats are not calling. Speaking of boats, I think I will go out and play with that boat right now and listen to some MP3's on my houseboat through my state of the art Klipsch KG2's and rockin, awesome, beyond question, radio shack 17 WPC CD player powering them. Ahh, such lucid highs and soundstage.
As long as you are the kind of guy who likes pillows in front of your tweeters...these should sound great to you.
For me, the sound of passing open piped big-blocks makes it all come together.
I wonder if they make tweaks for boat ex. pipes to improve bass?
Or maybe a Tice alternator stabilizer for better control in mid-bass?
I am thinking of raising the whole thing off the water a bit with sorbethane discs, to see if that will give me better results. :>) The water calls :>)

Jim, I like the foil idea. I think I will mate it to a couple of supercharged fat blocks ordered right from Merc :>)
Then I will be able to know the true meaning of practical.

The system in the boat has been something that I have been considering marketing for quite some time. I mean, it stands to reason that a set of Speakers with a 12" woofer hanging out the rear would make good bass. But the imaging from this thing.....AWESOME! And it makes ANY MP3 sound great!
There is no longer a need for 320 MP3's just do them at 128...and you will be all set.
(Of course it might just be that the sound is so muddy you cant tell......)
"River Tunes" are mostly live shows anyway. Played at night while the boat is beached and the campfire teases your eyes into illusion-as the s'mores get made and the head gets..wasted..well. What were we talking about?

Sounds like you have a good system. How hard was the sub to make invisible?

Jim,
Ahh the hum of a new 4 stroke outboard......... Besides the resonance at about 2,200 RPM, the thing is heaven to run now.
Of course, I have blown all my play money for the year. Guess I won't be trying those Altecs after all. :(

I think we should start a boat audio company. The selection for boat sound is for shit. (Did I forget expensive too?)

I wonder if you came up with a weather resistant system that could be broken up a bit for different installs and kept the thing reasonable....if you could make any money at it?

Hmmmm. I guess you know you could not get perfect imaging out there, but there are advantages to pure DC from a battery. Some of the lower powered CD players out there work well when coupled to home speakers.

We could charge 12,000.00 for our "signature" systema nd send out a tech to set it up after it was built. Get a few guys with some RS/Fostex drivers and to go out and install them. Why not? 3/4 of the companies out there are doing the exact same thing. :)

Sorry I have been so long in responding, but I have been floating a lot lately :)

Hmmm, where was I??
Umm, yeah. It has been that damn sun Ive been getting.
Too much of it and not enough work in front of this wonderful screen.
I have been thinking about your suggestions....and I think instead of the LP12, we should market the 1200.

I know an expert on setting those up.