ajxd

I think the best part of the Marantz is the cartridge. There's a good bit of cons.
Music Hall MMF7.1. That's hard to beat.
Rega p3.
Clearaudio Concept
Music Hall Ikura
Pro-Ject xperience/xpression
VPI Traveler

Got this from Gordon Combs over the weekend.

25EURO.... for that...?

We all can't be Limp Bizkit superfans like you.

Well, the gods of FedEx Ground decided to reward my bad decisions with a gift.  They brought it a day early.   I honored them with listening to side two of Dinosaur Jr.s "Green Mind" (the reissue).  I picked this because it's not a great sounding album and there are some potentially horrible sounding guitar parts.  
 
As I pulled it out of the carton, I couldn't decide if I should be happy or disappointed with the build quality.  The speaker jacks appeared much nicer in the pictures than they looked and felt in person.  There was some decent weight to the thing.  Whatever.  I gave a quick listen to the ARC to give me some context.  I dislocate my ARC, plop it into place on my rack, and plug it in.  And then I look for the power button.  Um...  Power button?  Seems kind of imperative to one of those.  Finally I find it under the giant input select knob, which completely hides it from my vantage point.  Great placement.  Finally, I power it on.  Lights blink then black.  Hmmm...  Press the button again.  Nothing.  Check both sides of the power cable.  Seems fine.  Now it works.  I guess it needed a moment?  I dunno.  I hope that doesn't become a thing.  
 
Now I have power but no sound.  I check the phono preamp.  That's on.  I press the speaker select button.  Ah...  wrong speakers.  I decide I should compare the ARC to the Marantz with the EQ out of the chain, because that makes sense.  Well, that sounds like dogshit.  It sounds better with the EQ on.  Okay,  if not no EQ than a flat EQ with the bass and treble at 50%.  Not distractingly different than the ARC.  As I start listening, things start sounding harsher, more rigid, and I start to get a throbbing headache.  I get the solo on "Green Mind" and it is physically painful.  I put back the ARC and listen.  Within 30 seconds, the sound washes away the headache.  The solo sounds like a real guitar and not power drill.
 
I decide to try again with the Marantz but EQ it more towards what the ARC sounds like.  I bring the treble down to about 40% and the bass up to about 60%.  This sounds alright.  The fatigue is practically, if not completely, gone.  At this point, I'd guess most people would only hear a subtle difference between the two, but that difference is where the magic is.  While sounding better, it still didn't have the air or the width of the music through the ARC.  The holographic 3D sound is gone.  The realness is gone.  You have a, dare I say, good sounding amplifier but not great.  As I sat, sort of conflicted, I realized I had done actually what I sought out to do.  Tears for everyone.
 
 

Not sure why I can't add text to the above message.
 
Anyway.  Do I really have to give back my card when I plugging in a $2000 turntable and  $1000 preamp into it?  Actually, that might make it worse.  Nevermind.

You tell me to get a room so often that I think the two of us should also consider getting one.  

Marantz TT15S1 b stocks are $1k. Can't get a better table. There's about 6 of us with em now. 
 
And slinch if you bad mouth VPI again we're going to build a wall around you. 

Don't buy any. But it from me (after I make sure I still have my kit). 
 
I'll check tonight and let you know. 

Only listen through the sub? 

I have a VPI Classic 1. I can recommend a Musical Surroundings Phenomena II, as it's what I have, and I really like it. But, it's the only phono stage I have used in my current system (but I did compare it to a decent built-in stage in a Yamaha AS700 before I swapped that out for separates, and it was no contest), so I really can only recommend the MS without any relative context. 
 
I have tried four different cartridges on my Classic, though. Denon DL-160, Dynavector XX-2, Ortofon 2M Black, and an Audio Technica AT33PTG/II, which is my current cartridge. My favorite is the Dyna, but it's also the most expensive by a mile. The Ortofon was good, but it didn't really have a sound signature that I liked. Plus it's super fussy when it comes to setup, and that would have driven me nuts. I like what I perceive as the Japanese MC sound, and while Denon was good at first, going back to it after my XX-2 really showed it's limitations. So far the AT has been good, it's not as rich as the XX-2, and seems more even across the sound spectrum, which is what it is known for. I feel like performance wise it easily stands up there with the XX-2, but without the rich presentation and some of the sound texture I love.
 
Well, I was going to recommend a Dynavector 10x5 or a AT cart like mine or the US version of it, but the 10x5 is retailing for $650 now! Damn! So, I recommend you look into the AT33PTG/II, it's a Japan and U.K. product, or the US equivalent which is the OC9/III, I think. 
 
Do your best to listen to anything you are considering, but don't worry too much about it either as differences are usually subtle, and you probably won't be able to hear differences until you start getting used to higher end gear. When you're getting started, you have to buy a bit blind until you get some experience and time with different gear to better understand your taste.
 
So don't sweat it too much, and enjoy your music.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Everyone can have fancy setups. Just allocate your money differently. Want $1k TT? Don't spend money on records, coffee, hookers, etc..
 
I've met poor audio techs in cinemas who make $20k/yr who have killer setups. I BELIEVE IN ALL OF YOU.

RIP Shaizada
He died after he slipped on the one square foot of flooring not dedicated to audio.

I don't care if its almost a year old, this man hasn't seen High Fidelity.

If you get rid of the wife and kids... then you solve that problem. Think about how many records/pieces of equipment you have, vs how many wife and kids you have...
It's a numbers game.

If you get rid of the wife and kids... then you solve that problem. Think about how many records/pieces of equipment you have, vs how many wife and kids you have...
It's a numbers game.

This is serious @kannibal . The outer sleeves greatly change the performance of my records. Do you believe there are some peasants out there without any outer sleeves?

Yeah but does it sound as good as my Crosley? Nope.
Next.

Honestly, if you aren't sterilizing everything in your audio system at a CLIA lab? You're a peasant who should stick to the radio.

Hey don't you edit and ruin my joke.

Honestly, if you aren't sterilizing everything in your audio system at a CLIA lab? You're a peasant who should stick to the radio.

I'm a scientist, so I really can't explain to you how how how how how how how how how how how how how how how

Yeah but does it sound as good as my Crosley? Nope.
Next.

Molecular grade or bust. 

If you would bother to read the threads you crap on, you would understand that I do not need outer sleeves.  I need a good sleeve to go over my outer sleeve to keep it in mint condition.
 
I appreciate any earnest input you may have.  please and thank you.