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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
jimbo3
304 posts
 
I had a P3 with a Talisman (HO MC)with an Acurus P10 phono pre and solved the upgrade dilema by upgrading the pre to an Audible Illusions M3A w/ the optional MC phono section (used, $1400)and hooked up a Well Tempered Classic ($900, used)with a Benz LO.4 (used, $500). Any single upgrade would have yielded significant improvements in clarity, quietness and dynamics. Collectively, this seems to be all I could want, short of going hungry. Well worth the extra $$, and to no small degree. As my non-audiophile brother-in-law said (after sitting in dis-belief that he was listening to a record), "It's so....CLEAR!"

The P3 with a good MC cartridge would be a great start, though. It would be relatively easy to sell the P3 later when it's time to upgrade and keep the cartridge for the new table.

Regards
Jim
fzxguy
62 posts
 
#1 Can YOU hear the difference??? Many of the so called upgrades require a refined sonic palatte. Don't get caught in the upgrade to what everybody else thinks is best, or thinks you should have.

#2 What shape is your vinyl in?? What does it justify in terms of cost?? Then don't forget the record cleaning system, and all the other goodies that send you over budget.
ljgj
955 posts
 
VPI has a new table out that resembles the Aries which I own - it is a bit smaller but looks really nice and retails new with the new JMW 9.5 tonearm for 1500. I saw it debuting in the latest MusicDirect brochure. It is called the Scout.
gregm
3,021 posts
 
New: a big Pro-ject w/arm + Benz Glider or similar, OR, VPI scout (as ljgj above), OR, small Clearaudio w/arm. Used: many choices, Oracle (as per Jeff above), smaller VPI's, big Thorens w/ SME arm... ...many choices out there, at least these should cost less than 3k. Other cartridges to consider (new)are the cheaper Clearaudio, Ortofon and a superbe Denon (can't remember the number -- but it's a very popular model). Cheers
alfagil
5 posts
 
With a $3000 budget I would consider the Teres or Redpoint kit. Those two seem to offer genuinely high returns for your hard earned dollar, and that is something seldom offered nowadays.
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