New Analog system. where to start?

I am guessing that Psychic's point is that he had a date with a Tart?? ;-)

Psychic is technically correct that, if one wanted to get a DD table the 1200 would be a good choice as there are so few DD tables produced now that the 1200 wins almost by default. I used to have a 1200 (DD was all the rage back then)and they were one of the better low to mid-fi DD tables out there and are especially good if you want to do DJ work.

I later moved up to a P-3 with a hi-output MC which was a very significant improvement sonically- much quieter, more "air", greater presence. Didn't do any of the upgrades that Psychic refers to, but decided that the upgrades were like trying to turn a VW into a Porsche- no matter how much you spend, you'll still have a VW.

Regards
Jim

Psychic- Maybe you didn't understand the question. Allow me to repeat- What is it that YOU found better about the SOTA? Please compare and contrast the SOTA, P3 and the 1200. YOUR experience and thoughts, not someone else's.

If you have any experience at all with these tables (as you say you do), mentioning three or four things should be easy. People do it on this site all the time.

BTW-Why do you always refer us to someone else to explain your opinion?


Regards
Jim

Gumby- I have had a couple of Audible Illusions M3A pre-amps (an early version made in 95 w/standard phono section and a '99 w/"Gold" board) and neither had the tubes soldered in. Maybe some of the older M3's (not "A" versions) or the older L1's had soldered tubes- I don't know about those.

Anyway, the "gold" phono section is a substantial improvement over the standard phono section, but is only for low-output cartridges while the standard phono section handles cartridges w/ outputs >.9 mV. Both type phono sections are tubed.

The great thing about either is that you get a world class pre-amp along with a great (gold) phono section or very good (standard) phono section. And it is equally at home with most SS or tube amps. Excellent value.

Regards
Jim

Gumby- you've posed a good, decent, reasonable question to Psychic as others have before you. The reason he can only come up with smart-ass comments in reply (or no reply at all)is that he has little or no real basis for his "opinion" or the "facts" he presents. Typical juvenile reaction to the fear of being "found out".

I challenge Psychic to answer the question you posed to him on 5/18 ("What is it that you found "better" out of the SOTA....?") No quoting others, no repeating the sales literature or the magazine reviewers, just cogent thoughts on your actual experiences with SOTA vs P3 and your 1200 in a listening (not nightclub) environnment. Compare & contrast and support your thoughts.

Jim

FINALLY!!!! Psychic, you've finally expressed yourself in a mostly positive, thoughtful manner in your post to Seantaylor above. An insightful, informative post on your opinion/experience. Thank you!

I am glad that you found something that suits your criteria/taste/experience/budget, although you surely must realize that others' criteria/taste/experience/budget are most likely different than yours which results in their making different choices. What's right for you may not be right for everyone else (especially on this forum) and visa-versa.

With a very much minority opinion, you are going to have to continue to do a better job of answering questions, educating, explaining, staying on-topic and generally make it less difficult to understand what you are saying if you want people to hear and understand you. Your points are not being made or even heard when you constantly trash threads with mostly embarrassingly un-objective opinions, erroneous facts and way-out kooky stuff.

Regards
Jim

Ohlala- His post was mostly positive, he refered to how he found his set-up to sound to him and he didn't make any un-informed comment about another turntable or person. This is a first.

Do I agree with what he said? No. But I obviously listen differently than he does. The table he has does have a very minor following and it's not unreasonably retailed at $400. If it works for some, bully for them.

Has his credibility stood up? With the exception of his last post, no. But he seemed to have started to turn a page with the last post with and I didn't want to discourage that. At least he wasn't implying that people who don't agree with everything he says are stupid & racist and that everything other than what he has is junk.

Yes, he has severly damaged his credibility and his crusade over the past year but, with the last post, has begun to make his opinions known in a way that might at least gain him a small measure of respect regardless of whether anyone agrees with him.

Regards
Jim

A personal note to Gumby- It's called "research", dammitGumby- if you'd "research" my other posts and the scientific journals, you'd "know" what my other components are. (HeHeHe! Can you believe this stuff?)

OK- here is is- AI M3A (unmodded), Counterpoint SA-20 (unmodded), Maggie 12.1's (unmodded), active x-over (unmodded)to a Pinnacle powered sub (unmodded), Well-Tempered Turntable w/the Classic platter upgrade (unmodded), Benz-Micro LO.4 (unmodded), CAL Icon w/Power Boss option (unmodded), Soundstream DAC (unmodded).

The WT table works very well- the upgraded platter makes a significant contribution and the overall design, while a little "funky", seems to work very well. For the $2500 or so a new one would cost I would think there are some others that might do better, but I couldn't be happier with the $750 I paid for this one.

Clearly though, if I had done some **research** in the scientific journals, I'd probably find that I'm quite unhappy with my system. I'm starting to research your MP3/KG2/RatShack system and am getting the feeling that I missed the boat. Do you think if I sell my system, I could take the funds and buy that stuff and still have enough left to do the mods?? (Ooops, there I go asking a question publicly.... Sorry.)

BTW- Have you considered other mods to the houseboat? Maybe some hydrofoils? (See if those open pipe big-blocks pass you then!) How about turbo bow thrusters? For another $30,000 and several weekends of work, you could add a couple hundred dollars of value- listen to the Jimbo!!

Cheers- and happy boating
Jim

Gumby- The 12" woofers on the stern is a great idea. If you have room, have you considered some old 15" Altecs? (With the cavernous hull, bass response would be as God intended.) Just remember to use some good sealant as you may catch a stern wave coming back to you as the boat comes down from the 'foils. You may also have to do some research to determine who makes a woofer that can take an oncoming stern wave. Maybe those scintific journals cam help you come up with a calculation for determining the forces involved. In any event, don't use paper coned elements......

With regards to sub matching, the key was an active x-over set at a point as low as possible. In my case, it turned out to be around 50 HZ. Both the x-over and powered sub have a volume control and the x-over had a couple of slope selections, so a smooth transition was relatively easy. This particular speaker model seemed to benefit greatly from this set up- MUCH cleaner sounding as it had previously struggled with the low end even at moderate volumes. (Don't know if you were aware that an active x-over eliminates low frequencies from going to the mains while a passive does not.)

Well, got done with the chores this morning and headed out to the lake for some sailing. Have yourself a great Memorial Day holiday!

Regards
Jim

Capitol idea, Gumby. Anytime a product has the word "marine" on it, the price is double or triple. How about we call ourselves the "Marine Audiophile Equipment Corp"? Your marine version of the LP12 (complete with gimbaled macrame hanging ceiling mount and bungee cords) could retail for at least $10,000, plus installation.

Say, BTW, did you decide on a cartridge? On a previous thread you had started, you were looking for something around $250. Update us!

Well, gotta get the boat fixed before our race tomorrow. We pulled the jib track off last time and it doesn't sail as well without it.. (No kidding- 40 kt blow and the nuts sheared, literally pulling the track off!) No big deal though- no damage to the deck.

regards
Jim