$800 Cartridge Shootout and Upgrade Path

Dear Dsiggia:".... see a real life issue I don't think you can solve with your reasoning; I don't think your logic can work for folks working on a budget up to $5K...".

Here are some examples of analog rig ( around $5K ) that you can blend according with what you want to hear:

Cartridges: Van den Hul: MC ONE SPECIAL,
Ortofon....: Kontrapunkt b.
Allaerts...: MC1ECO
Benz Micro.: M2
Clearaudio.: Victory
Lyra.......: Argo
Sumiko.....: Celebration
Transfiguration: Spirit MK3
Dynavector.: D172 MKII.

Tonearms: MOERCH: DP 6 or UP 4 ( both has interchangeable arm wands with different effective mass, so you can blend with any of those cartridges. )

Turntables: Transrotor: Atlantis.
Acoustic Signature: Final Tool.
Avid: Volvere.
Nottinngham: Space.
Roksan: Xerxes.
Thorens: 850 BC.
Wilson benesch: Circle.
Basis: 2001 Signature.
VPI: Scoutmaster.

Any of these combinations beats your analog system for a wide margin ( btw, hands down many of the anolog systems of the persons on this thread. ). Try it.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.

Is Raoul dismissing the Teres on purpose? I like the Teres. How could I hate a direct drive in drag? Which brings up the subject of the Creature. Raoul, the Creature kicks ass. It's in the 5K category when fffffffffully modded...

Raul,

You need to run the “numbers” before making specific recommendations in regards to Dsiggia’s theoretical budget of $5,000. Unless one was to buy used components, not always practical with analog, many of your suggestion combinations exceed $5,000. Times have changed and with them prices have gone up!

Since we have already discussed the need for a good arm, one that is both stable in the horizontal and vertical planes of movement when outfitted with a low-output, low-compliance cartridge, and in consideration of the equipment you have suggested, the Moerch DP-6 with the precision arm tubes is the best alternative. Its current cost in the United States is $1,890. Also keep in mind that each precision arm tube is $500 each.

Tonearm = $1,890 USD

Cartridges

Van den Hul MC ONE SPECIAL = $1,500

Ortofon Kontrapunkt B = $950 (On Sale for $675)

Allaerts MC1 ECO = $1,522

Benz Micro M2 = $1,295

Clearaudio Victory = $1,800

Lyra Argo = $1,195

Sumiko Celebration = $1,500

Transfiguration Spirit MK3 = $1,500

Dynavector D17 MKII = $750

With the exception of the Ortofon and Dynavector, all of the above cartridges are over $1,000, and some are way over this price.

Average Cartridge Price = $1,335

Turntables

Transrotor Atlantis A = $3,000

Acoustic Signature Final Tool = $2,500 (This price won’t hold for long.)

Avid Volvere Sequel = $4,000

Nottingham Space Deck = $1,800

Roksan Xerxes X = $3,500

Thorens TD 850 BC = $1,800

Wilson Benesch Circle = $2,400 (With Tonearm)

Basis 2001 Signature = $3,400

VPI Scoutmaster = $1,700 (Estimate without Tonearm)

Average Turntable Cost = $2,678

Cost Summary

System Range = $4340 to $7,690

System Average = $5,903 (A Budget Breaker)

The Raul Special = $5,685
(Includes the Acoustic Signature Final Tool, Moerch DP-6, and Benz Micro M2).

My Raul, you do have expensive tastes, especially when it comes to turntables!

So let’s take a sanity check: I like the Moerch arm, but I don’t like the Space Deck, Thorens, and VPI Scoutmaster; I would never buy these tables for myself. Of the cartridges listed above, I like the Benz Micro and the Dynavector. So let’s say I go with the Moerch and the Dynavector, which leaves the turntable. Of the tables that remain on my theoretical “short list,” I like Transrotor Atlantis, Acoustic Signature Final Tool, Avid Volvere Sequel, and Roksan Xerxes X, all of which have an average cost of $3,250. With the exception of the Final Tool, the others are more than I can afford.

Since we have blown the $5,000 limit, here is the Artar1 special:

Teres 255 = $2,775
Origin Live Illustrious = $2,400
Shelter 501 II = $800

Total $5,975

Raul, with $6,000 to work with, what’s your recommendation? And don’t blow the budget this time!

Twl,

You have provided yet another interesting discourse on the importance of the turntable. Keep it coming!

The turntable’s contribution as a provider of all time-domain information is really a mind twister to be sure, but true. One can make the same argument of the transport mechanism in CD players. Without motion, in either case, there is no music.

The bearing is also important, as you say, and it gets so little attention being buried deep in the plinth. Without robust construction, ample lubrication, and being constructed of high quality parts, the bearing will be unable to help the platter rotate at a constant speed without wobble. Even minor movement can create vibration that is then transmitted from the platter to the cartridge where it’s passed onto the speakers as noise. And if the turntable and tonearm resonate too much from airborne vibration produced by the speakers, these resonances create a feedback loop making the situation even worse, something I head with the Denon/Koetsu combination I discussed earlier.

>>The better turntables…allow the cartridge/tonearm combination to perform at a better level because they are presented with the record information from the groove in a more stable manner, both vertically, horizontally, and in the time domain. Without this proper stability of the record groove, no stylus/cartridge can work at its best, and therefore will perform at less than what was intended.<<

If vibration, wow, flutter, and rumble levels are too high, or if they interfere too much with the proper functioning of the cartridge, no matter how expensive that cartridge might be, the cartridge will not live up to its full potential and may even perform at a lower level than a less expensive transducer on a great table. I experienced this firsthand with the Denon/Koetsu combination. While the sound of that combination was good in relative terms, it could have been easily equaled by a cartridge costing only 1/10th the price, or even less. So my experience does correspond to what you have written above. To hear a truly rock-solid turntable spinning one’s favorite vinyl can be awe inspiring: the background is jet-black and silent, every detail is clearly rendered, bass is thunderous and palpable, and there is a prevalent display of upper-octave bloom and air that cannot be equaled by digital.

>>I only point out that the cartridge can only transducer what it reads, and the arm can only hold it properly over the groove, so that the turntable can feed the information to the cartridge effectively…The turntable provides the environment for the cartridge to work. If the environment is poor, the cartridge cannot make up for it.<<

I think this statement sums it up nicely.

Hey Letch,

I am looking forward to reading your report about the Teres-Galibier shootout. Who do you think will win? Which table grabs your attention more? Inquiring minds want to know!