Looking for turntable for under $1000

Bobgates, does your Pro-Ject arm have the three-position anti-skate adjustment with the weight-and-fishing line device? I'm guessing it does because the arm and the arm on my MMF-7 are similar if not the same (yours might be carbon while mine is not).

Anyway, I was checking the anti-skate with the HiFi News Analog Test LP, and even with the fishing line at the last position on the arm, it caused a buzz in the left channel of the test LP on a couple of the test tracks (there should be no buzz). In other words, I am not able to apply enough anti-skate to satisfy the test record.

I mentioned to Roy Hall an idea I had to add a heavier weight to the anti-skate device in order to add more force, and Roy's reply was, "Throw away the test LP and listen to music."

Interesting.

Music does sound good.

My arm does not drift to the outside when lowering to the LP. In fact, it drifts in slightly while being lowered.

Bob, I'm glad you like the table. I think the drift is due to the fact that the Ortofon X5 is too light for the tonearm. 4.1 grams is at the lower limit for the counterweight. The 9c is not a low mass arm. You can see from Pro-ject's web site that the optimal cartridge weight is between 6-10g:

Effective tonearm mass 9,5g
Supplied counterweight cartridge weight 6 - 10g
Optional counterweights cartridge weight 10 - 15g and 4 - 6g

You'll get better sound (in particular, better bass) from a properly matched cartridge. The effective mass of an arm and cartridge plays a key role in how the needle tracks the groove.

However, if you plan to keep the Ortofon and the drift continues to be a problem, you might think about putting a small amount of light tacky glue (like reusable glue) on the lift bar that lowers the arm. I know this doesn't sound elegant, but it works.

Tvad - I had the MMF-7 a few years ago and yes the Pro-ject tonearm is very similar with the weight and nylon thread for anti-skate; it also has the choice of three places on the arm to attach the thread; I have it on the lowest setting or the notch that is closest to the pivot point.

Mingles - what cartidge would you recommend for the Pro-ject RM-5 tonearm? I like to stay under at a $400 or less budget when it comes to cartridges.

Just got a used MMF-7 that has a Grado Gold cart, $710 plus shipping. I'm not lusting for the scout That I heard at my local dealer.

Lucius

Bob, I'm a big fan of the Denon DL-103R. It's 8.5 grams with a tracking force of 2.5g. It's a killer cartridge for the price, but don't take my word for it, read this review:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ranlg&1034089946

Of course, there are better cartridges (Shelter 501, Sumiko Blackbird, Koetsu Black, all come to mind), but you'll pay quite a bit more. There's an unopened DL-103R for sale on Agon right now for $249. You can also buy one from www.audiocubes.com for $259. The only issue you need to be aware of is that it's low output and needs 60 db of gain. What is your phono pre?