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To those with multiple tables/arms/cartridges

How do you 'play' your system?
For 30 years I had only one turntable, one arm and one cartridge......and it never entered my mind that there was an alternative?
After upgrading my turntable nearly 5 years ago to a Raven AC-3 which allowed easy mounting of up to four tonearms......I decided to add two arms.
RAVEN
A few years later I became interested in Direct Drive turntables and purchased a vintage 30 year old Victor/JVC TT-81 followed shortly after by the top-of-the-line TT-101 and I designed and had cast 3 solid bronze armpods which I had lacquered in gloss black.
TT-101
By this time I had over 30 cartridges (both LOMCs and MMs) all mounted in their own headshells for easy interchange.
STORAGE

Every day I listen to vinyl for 3-4 hours and might play with one cartridge on one arm on one table for this whole day or even two or three days.
I then might decide to change to a different arm and cartridge on a the same table or perhaps the other.....and listen to the last side I had just heard on the previous play.
I am invariably thrilled and excited by the small differences in presentation I am able to hear....and I perhaps listen to this combination for the next few days before again lusting after a particular arm or cartridge change?

Is this the way most of you with multiple cartridges/arms listen?......or are there other intentions involved?
128x128halcro
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rauliruegas
9,123 posts
 
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
9,123 posts
 
nandric's avatar
nandric
3,263 posts
 
Dear Doug, Your conclusion ( ''I'm not a true audiophile'') does not follow from any of your statements. You are what I called 'selector'. The most of us have limited means and need to be very careful with our choices. So we select those components which we consider to be better and (re) sell those which are lesser. Reselling some of our gear in order to buy some other is the only way possible in such circumstances. But this is at the same time the only way to improve our system. That is how a true audiophile acts I would think.
pryso
1,501 posts
 
Wrm57, I like your analogy. From now on I will think of entering my sound room as passing through the Rashomon Gate.
suteetat
435 posts
 
Multiple tables, arms, cartridges, is like when you go to live classical performance, should it be at Musikverien, Carnegie hall, Boston Symphony hall? Which orchestra, Berlin, Vienna, NY, Chicago etc etc, which conductor?
You could try to search for one absolutely best combination for all things. However, my feeling is that one absolutely best combination is unlikely to be absolutely best at everything. Each hall, each orchestra, each conductor has their own acoustic, their own characteristic. One may be better at certain thing in absolute term but it does mean that other does not have anything good or interesting to contribute. It is not as fruitful to have multiple digital sources but I think top notch analogue front end can offer equally valid but rather different presentation so why not have a few!
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