treeinrock:
The PLX-1000 is pretty much a souped-up, improved Technics SL-12x0 turntable. It has twice the torque, better feet, an internally damped tonearm, and contstriained layer damping between the plinh and base.
My turntable has been the Technics SL1210 M5G for eight years. I listen extensively to classical and jazz, both small combo and big band, with or without vocals. A quartz-locked direct drive turntable has advantages here. For one, leaders such as Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Oscar Peterson, and Ray Brown have an uncanny sense of tempo. The speed accuracy of quartz-locked direct drive helps convey that magic. So does the high torque motor, which maintains speed even through stylus drag during heavy modulation. It also translates into better dynamics in classical records where massive crescendos don't slow down the tempo.
As for versatility, it has its own in that it has a removable headshell, which makes cartridge mounting *infinitely* easier than mounting on a fixed headshell. In fact, you can get multiple headshells and mount different cartridges on them (e.g. a mono cartridge) so cartridge swapping is as simple as it gets.
There are some phono preamps that have a built-in headphone amplifier, such as the Bellari VP 130.
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BLVP130
The PLX-1000 is pretty much a souped-up, improved Technics SL-12x0 turntable. It has twice the torque, better feet, an internally damped tonearm, and contstriained layer damping between the plinh and base.
My turntable has been the Technics SL1210 M5G for eight years. I listen extensively to classical and jazz, both small combo and big band, with or without vocals. A quartz-locked direct drive turntable has advantages here. For one, leaders such as Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Oscar Peterson, and Ray Brown have an uncanny sense of tempo. The speed accuracy of quartz-locked direct drive helps convey that magic. So does the high torque motor, which maintains speed even through stylus drag during heavy modulation. It also translates into better dynamics in classical records where massive crescendos don't slow down the tempo.
As for versatility, it has its own in that it has a removable headshell, which makes cartridge mounting *infinitely* easier than mounting on a fixed headshell. In fact, you can get multiple headshells and mount different cartridges on them (e.g. a mono cartridge) so cartridge swapping is as simple as it gets.
There are some phono preamps that have a built-in headphone amplifier, such as the Bellari VP 130.
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BLVP130