ajxd Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Honestly, I'd save up a bit more and at least get a Debut III. I'm just not a fan of anything AT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanRees Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Ive pretty much decided im gonna go w/ the debut iii. In regards to the cartridge, it looks like they come stock with a Ortofon OM5E MM cartridge. Is the Ortofon 2M Red Phono Cartridge a significant upgrade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Not significant. Real slight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Anybody ever heard of replacement styluses for shure cartridges made by JICO? I'm looking for an upgrade for my m97xe cartridge, and from what I read this is definitely it. It's like three times as much as the shure one though, so I'm hesitant to just throw down for it. Any advice is helpful http://www.lpgear.com/product/e007498.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 For that price buy a 2M blue or Clearaudio Concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Anybody ever heard of replacement styluses for shure cartridges made by JICO? I'm looking for an upgrade for my m97xe cartridge, and from what I read this is definitely it. It's like three times as much as the shure one though, so I'm hesitant to just throw down for it. Any advice is helpful http://www.lpgear.com/product/e007498.html Depends on how much you like your M97xe. If you're happy with its performance, then yeah - the Jico SAS is going to bring it into an entirely new stratosphere. Seriously, we're talking more detail, clearer highs, better bass attack and a lot of all-around awesomeness. If you're not all that jazzed on the Shure ... well, the Jico will still make it that much better, but you might want to look into other options as well. There are plenty great mm carts for $180 or less. Ortofon is well-respected, but personally the ones I've heard were far too clinical and sterile for my tastes. Shures are generally warmer and well suited for rock music. Dave from Lucky Lacquers will tell you that the m97xe is the most neutral cart out there. It's what he uses as his reference cart when he cuts vinyl masters. Keep in mind that you should also be aware that certain carts work better with certain tone arms. The general rule is that high mass tonearms should be paired with low compliance carts and low mass arms need high compliance carts. Just something to be aware of if you decide to buy something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Anybody ever heard of replacement styluses for shure cartridges made by JICO? I'm looking for an upgrade for my m97xe cartridge, and from what I read this is definitely it. It's like three times as much as the shure one though, so I'm hesitant to just throw down for it. Any advice is helpful http://www.lpgear.com/product/e007498.html Depends on how much you like your M97xe. If you're happy with its performance, then yeah - the Jico SAS is going to bring it into an entirely new stratosphere. Seriously, we're talking more detail, clearer highs, better bass attack and a lot of all-around awesomeness. If you're not all that jazzed on the Shure ... well, the Jico will still make it that much better, but you might want to look into other options as well. There are plenty great mm carts for $180 or less. Ortofon is well-respected, but personally the ones I've heard were far too clinical and sterile for my tastes. Shures are generally warmer and well suited for rock music. Dave from Lucky Lacquers will tell you that the m97xe is the most neutral cart out there. It's what he uses as his reference cart when he cuts vinyl masters. Keep in mind that you should also be aware that certain carts work better with certain tone arms. The general rule is that high mass tonearms should be paired with low compliance carts and low mass arms need high compliance carts. Just something to be aware of if you decide to buy something new. Thanks for the advice. I've been reading a lot of similar things online, and what Dave said is the exact reason I got the m97xe. It makes a lot of sense because I have a pretty high mass tonearm on a Stanton t80, I've been extremely satisfied with the shure stylus, it sounds great and I do listen to a lot of rock, hardcore, metal and jazz for the most part. I bought the shure because it was recommended highly by a few friends and I didn't want to break a $100 budget. It was a huge upgrade over the stock Stanton cartridge in terms of sound. Now I'm looking to take the next step to really get the most out of my set up without throwing an insane amount of money down since I'm perfectly happy with the TT, preamp and receiver. I was considering the Ortofon 2M Blue when ajxd threw it out there b/c it's about the same price and has amazing reviews, but I think the JICO S.A.S. is probably best for my set up since I don't want to drop another $500 on a nice linear tracking table (even though I would love to be able to). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Depends on how much you like your M97xe. If you're happy with its performance, then yeah - the Jico SAS is going to bring it into an entirely new stratosphere. Seriously, we're talking more detail, clearer highs, better bass attack and a lot of all-around awesomeness. If you're not all that jazzed on the Shure ... well, the Jico will still make it that much better, but you might want to look into other options as well. There are plenty great mm carts for $180 or less. Ortofon is well-respected, but personally the ones I've heard were far too clinical and sterile for my tastes. Shures are generally warmer and well suited for rock music. Dave from Lucky Lacquers will tell you that the m97xe is the most neutral cart out there. It's what he uses as his reference cart when he cuts vinyl masters. Keep in mind that you should also be aware that certain carts work better with certain tone arms. The general rule is that high mass tonearms should be paired with low compliance carts and low mass arms need high compliance carts. Just something to be aware of if you decide to buy something new. Thanks for the advice. I've been reading a lot of similar things online, and what Dave said is the exact reason I got the m97xe. It makes a lot of sense because I have a pretty high mass tonearm on a Stanton t80, I've been extremely satisfied with the shure stylus, it sounds great and I do listen to a lot of rock, hardcore, metal and jazz for the most part. I bought the shure because it was recommended highly by a few friends and I didn't want to break a $100 budget. It was a huge upgrade over the stock Stanton cartridge in terms of sound. Now I'm looking to take the next step to really get the most out of my set up without throwing an insane amount of money down since I'm perfectly happy with the TT, preamp and receiver. I was considering the Ortofon 2M Blue when ajxd threw it out there b/c it's about the same price and has amazing reviews, but I think the JICO S.A.S. is probably best for my set up since I don't want to drop another $500 on a nice linear tracking table (even though I would love to be able to). I'm going to take a step back here and advise against moving up to the to the JICO stylus. It's not the T.80 is a terrible turntable, but it's really not nice enough to justify such a big upgrade. The problem is that tonearm. It's perfectly straight and way too short to give you anything closely resembling audiophile quality. It was designed for DJs who need something with heavy tracking, and most likely, it's tearing your vinyl to shit. Slapping that JICO on it isn't going to change anything, and chances are you'll end up damaging a really nice stylus in the process as well. My advice is to stick with what you have for now (not too long, cause seriously ... your records are taking a beating) You seem happy with your setup, but if you're serious about taking the next step, focus on upgrading your turntable. You could either go with one of the entry-level decks mentioned in this thread (Rega, Pro-Ject, Music Hall) or spend about $200 - $300 on a nice restored vintage TT. You could still use your m97xe on this new (or vintage) turntable - if it's not already too beat up - and then for your next step I would then consider upgrading to the JICO stylus or a different cart altogether. And then you should upgrade your pre-amp. Then buy new speakers. Finally, pick up a nice integrated amp. There - I've just committed you to like, $1500 in audiophile upgrades. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Thanks for the advice. I've been reading a lot of similar things online, and what Dave said is the exact reason I got the m97xe. It makes a lot of sense because I have a pretty high mass tonearm on a Stanton t80, I've been extremely satisfied with the shure stylus, it sounds great and I do listen to a lot of rock, hardcore, metal and jazz for the most part. I bought the shure because it was recommended highly by a few friends and I didn't want to break a $100 budget. It was a huge upgrade over the stock Stanton cartridge in terms of sound. Now I'm looking to take the next step to really get the most out of my set up without throwing an insane amount of money down since I'm perfectly happy with the TT, preamp and receiver. I was considering the Ortofon 2M Blue when ajxd threw it out there b/c it's about the same price and has amazing reviews, but I think the JICO S.A.S. is probably best for my set up since I don't want to drop another $500 on a nice linear tracking table (even though I would love to be able to). I'm going to take a step back here and advise against moving up to the to the JICO stylus. It's not the T.80 is a terrible turntable, but it's really not nice enough to justify such a big upgrade. The problem is that tonearm. It's perfectly straight and way too short to give you anything closely resembling audiophile quality. It was designed for DJs who need something with heavy tracking, and most likely, it's tearing your vinyl to shit. Slapping that JICO on it isn't going to change anything, and chances are you'll end up damaging a really nice stylus in the process as well. My advice is to stick with what you have for now (not too long, cause seriously ... your records are taking a beating) You seem happy with your setup, but if you're serious about taking the next step, focus on upgrading your turntable. You could either go with one of the entry-level decks mentioned in this thread (Rega, Pro-Ject, Music Hall) or spend about $200 - $300 on a nice restored vintage TT. You could still use your m97xe on this new (or vintage) turntable - if it's not already too beat up - and then for your next step I would then consider upgrading to the JICO stylus or a different cart altogether. And then you should upgrade your pre-amp. Then buy new speakers. Finally, pick up a nice integrated amp. There - I've just committed you to like, $1500 in audiophile upgrades. Good luck! LOL yeah I'm definitely not ready to go that far.. As for the t80, I know its technically a dj table but I have to disagree. I don't think it's ruining my records by any means. I have plenty of friends who play their vinyl on Sony USB turntables they got from best buy, and don't do anything to try to make adjustments to improve the TT. Their records sound messy, distorted and encounter skips and pops. I did a lot of research and spent a lot of time calibrating and aligning the cartridge and tonearm and I noticed a huge difference from the old belt drive Stanton I was using previously (my brother gave me the t80 for free). I did have to move the cartridge and stylus forward quite a bit because the tone arm is shorter but it still hits the in right spot, according to the shure calibation kit. My traction is only set to 1.25g, which is the ideal weight for the m97xe. I never have any skips or pops on new records and everything sounds clean even down to the most inner grooves of the record. Granted I never had a linear tracking table to compare it to, but I still think it sounds really good, and I would bet I'm not ruining my records by playing them on this table, although i know your assumption is justified on this board. I appreciate the advice and could see where you're coming from and will eventually upgrade all of my shit, it just ain't gonna happen while I'm working part time and trying to paying off student loans. And i will probably hold off on the Jico til I'm able to get a better TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I'm going to take a step back here and advise against moving up to the to the JICO stylus. It's not the T.80 is a terrible turntable, but it's really not nice enough to justify such a big upgrade. The problem is that tonearm. It's perfectly straight and way too short to give you anything closely resembling audiophile quality. It was designed for DJs who need something with heavy tracking, and most likely, it's tearing your vinyl to shit. Slapping that JICO on it isn't going to change anything, and chances are you'll end up damaging a really nice stylus in the process as well. My advice is to stick with what you have for now (not too long, cause seriously ... your records are taking a beating) You seem happy with your setup, but if you're serious about taking the next step, focus on upgrading your turntable. You could either go with one of the entry-level decks mentioned in this thread (Rega, Pro-Ject, Music Hall) or spend about $200 - $300 on a nice restored vintage TT. You could still use your m97xe on this new (or vintage) turntable - if it's not already too beat up - and then for your next step I would then consider upgrading to the JICO stylus or a different cart altogether. And then you should upgrade your pre-amp. Then buy new speakers. Finally, pick up a nice integrated amp. There - I've just committed you to like, $1500 in audiophile upgrades. Good luck! LOL yeah I'm definitely not ready to go that far.. As for the t80, I know its technically a dj table but I have to disagree. I don't think it's ruining my records by any means. I have plenty of friends who play their vinyl on Sony USB turntables they got from best buy, and don't do anything to try to make adjustments to improve the TT. Their records sound messy, distorted and encounter skips and pops. I did a lot of research and spent a lot of time calibrating and aligning the cartridge and tonearm and I noticed a huge difference from the old belt drive Stanton I was using previously (my brother gave me the t80 for free). I did have to move the cartridge and stylus forward quite a bit because the tone arm is shorter but it still hits the in right spot, according to the shure calibation kit. My traction is only set to 1.25g, which is the ideal weight for the m97xe. I never have any skips or pops on new records and everything sounds clean even down to the most inner grooves of the record. Granted I never had a linear tracking table to compare it to, but I still think it sounds really good, and I would bet I'm not ruining my records by playing them on this table, although i know your assumption is justified on this board. I appreciate the advice and could see where you're coming from and will eventually upgrade all of my shit, it just ain't gonna happen while I'm working part time and trying to paying off student loans. And i will probably hold off on the Jico til I'm able to get a better TT Sounds like you're all over it then. I didn't do much research on the T.80, but a lot of times those "DJ tables" don't have much in the way of adjusting VTA, cartridge overhang or even tracking force. If you've used some sort of protractor and you're confident that you've got everything set up correctly, you'll be fine, as will your records. Having said that, I still don't think that I'd recommend upgrading the stylus. The Stanton is a decent, utilitarian type deck - and as I mentioned, you seem to be content with your current setup - but if you're eventually looking to move up to something more audiophile quality, I'd start with the turntable. And there's a good chance that whatever you upgrade to, you'll be able to use the m97xe on it, and then you can think about the JICO. That's just my two cents though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 So since I'll be hitting the 2 year mark of vinyl collecting I'm considering dropping some dough on a new set up. I really enjoy the look of the Pro-Ject Debut III w/ the acrylic platter. From what I've read over the last several pages this is a better buy for the extra $100 over the Essential (Even if I upgrade the cart and platter.) So this is my question, If I bought the Essential w/ the Acrylic Platter and spent the extra $100 towards a new needle. Will the Debut III still be a better buy? PS Chuck you should make a TE 12" Bundle package w/ all the 12"s also when will Dikembe PO's go up? I need to bookmark the release date for AOTY '12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I need to cop something like this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjb2k1 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 been thinking about upgrading for a while, and while looking up the pro-ject debut III, i saw the announcement for the pro-ject debut carbon: http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debutcarbon&cat=turntables〈=en thoughts? how much of a difference would there be if i went with the OM 10 cartridge instead of the 2m? $400 is reeeeally how far i could go at the moment with my finances the way they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruben Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I just bought a Rega RP1. It's the first TT I bought, I never played my vinyl so far, I bought it more for the Artwork, Support, . . . . But it would be stupid if I never try it. But when I adjust the arm weight to the max (nearest to the needle side as possible) the needle is hanging next to the splatter. Is this normal? Because that seems a bit to low, not? I really have no idea but I want to be sure before I'll go for a spin. Don't want to damage anything at a first attempt. Thanks in advance and sorry for using the wrong topic but there seem to be a lot of smart people on this one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 If you got the standard set (not the performance package) then you're fine. The needle has to be hanging, with just enough force to properly track the record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pushbacktosquare Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 So I'll be getting an Audio Technica ATLP120 Turntable. I know there are better tables out there, but for the time being, I have a budget that I have set and can't afford to spend outrageous amounts of money on a set up, as much as I'd like to. But this is a decent table, from the reviews I've read. My question is, what would be a good, budget friendly, pre amp to go along with this turntable? And will the cartridge that comes equipped with the turntable be one that I should be looking to replace or not? As for the speakers, I'll be looking at yard sales / used outlets to see if I can find something good and cheap. Until I can fork some money over for some decent ones. Thanks for the inputs guys. Edit: Both the turntable and pre amp shipped on amazon is 398.00. Not bad, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 So I'll be getting an Audio Technica ATLP120 Turntable. I know there are better tables out there, but for the time being, I have a budget that I have set and can't afford to spend outrageous amounts of money on a set up, as much as I'd like to. But this is a decent table, from the reviews I've read. My question is, what would be a good, budget friendly, pre amp to go along with this turntable? And will the cartridge that comes equipped with the turntable be one that I should be looking to replace or not? As for the speakers, I'll be looking at yard sales / used outlets to see if I can find something good and cheap. Until I can fork some money over for some decent ones. Thanks for the inputs guys. In the past few months I've come around to the fact that a good-preamp can do wonders for your setup. Even if you have a good receiver with a decent phono stage, bringing in a nice preamp will move you up to another level in regards to the sound ... increased detail, bigger soundstage, better imaging, etc etc ... Depending on your budget and whether or not your using an moving magnet or moving coil cartridge (or both), there are a lot of options. In the lower end, there's the ART pre-amps that people rave about being a terrific bang for your buck. The DJ Pre II can be had for $40 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ART-Pre-II-Phono-Preamp/dp/B000AJR482 I actually have the ART USB PhonoPlus v2. It's basically the same thing except with the USB interface, which makes ripping vinyl to digital really easy. I picked it up for $50 right before Christmas, but every time I've seen it since, the price goes up. Now it's at $99 at Amazon. Anyway, it's a decent performer and has a nice, well-rounded sound. Another cheap option: TCC TC-750 You might also consider the Cambridge Audio 540P for $100. There's also the 640p, which is $80 more, but it give you the capability to use mc carts as well as mm. A couple other choices in the $175 range are the Musical Fidelity V-LPS MKii (for both mc and mm) and DB systems DB-8. Do you have any experience with electronics or the ability to solder? I'm currently using the Hagerman Bugle ( http://www.hagtech.com/bugle.html ) which I built myself ... and it's pretty awesome. You can buy the kit for $39, but then parts (capacitors, resistors, etc etc) are going to run you another $40 or so. Or you can buy it already assembled for $149. I also built the Hagerman power source, but you can run the Bugle on 9V batteries as well. For the money, I think it's one of the best budget preamps out there. As for the cart, no clue what the ATLP120 comes with, but it's probably one of the cheaper Audio Technica cartridges. If you want to do a small upgrade, there are plenty of choices for right around $50. Grado Black, Shure m97xe, Ortofon OM 5E, Audio Technica 95E. And of course you can spend more on something nicer ... you just need to do some research. Those companies are all respected. Denon makes some really nice carts. There's Sumiko, Clearaudio, etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanRees Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I have a older receiver and a older pair of speakers i got when my grandma passed. Sony str-av260 receiver KLH 911b speakers (mind you the receiver is OLD) Its this As far as quality goes does anyone know about either of these? I tested it out and for some reason the receivers inputs for left speakers dont work, just wondering if this is worth getting repaired or buying some like say this. http://www.needledoctor.com/Teac-AG-790-Receiver-w-Remote?sc=2&category=664 I like the fact that it will save me a couple hundred bucks right now but if repairing it costs in the $50-$100 range i might as well just suck it up if its not worth it in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruben Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 If you got the standard set (not the performance package) then you're fine. The needle has to be hanging, with just enough force to properly track the record. Thanks for the quick answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 So since I'll be hitting the 2 year mark of vinyl collecting I'm considering dropping some dough on a new set up. I really enjoy the look of the Pro-Ject Debut III w/ the acrylic platter. From what I've read over the last several pages this is a better buy for the extra $100 over the Essential (Even if I upgrade the cart and platter.) So this is my question, If I bought the Essential w/ the Acrylic Platter and spent the extra $100 towards a new needle. Will the Debut III still be a better buy? PS Chuck you should make a TE 12" Bundle package w/ all the 12"s also when will Dikembe PO's go up? I need to bookmark the release date for AOTY '12 I didn't study the exact differences between the Essential and the Debut III, but I'm sure that the latter's higher cost is based on better materials which make the table steadier and quieter than the former. And at least in theory, that's the gist of what you're paying for with audiophile turntables. The higher the price, the better the performance (again, in theory). The real trick is determining whether or not more money is worth the upgrade. Sometimes a minor tweak can be the difference between simply liking your turntable and absolutely loving it. And sometimes you can pay a bunch of cash and not really hear much improvement at all. So let's look at what you've suggested: Essential with upgraded platter and cartridge vs the stock Debut III. I'd be willing to bet that most people on this board couldn't even hear a difference. However, if you're serious about achieving a really great sound from your system, given enough time with your turntable I think you will start to hear those subtleties and truly recognize and understand all those things that turntable nerds like me talk about: resonance, rumble, wow & flutter, etc etc. If it were me, I'd spend as much money as I comfortably could on a TT, but I'd also consider a deck that was worth modding / tweaking / upgrading in the future should I choose to go that route. I think that I'd choose the Debut because upgrades on that one are going to give you better results compared with upgrading the Essential. Plus, if one day you decide to ditch the table altogether, you'll have an easier time of selling the Debut on Craigslist or eBay. As for the all-important question of Dikembe, I'm about to send the final mixes to Dave @ Lucky Lacquers for mastering. If everything goes smoothly, maybe the beginning of May for pre-orders? If not, who knows. There are a million things that could go wrong. That's the fun of making records! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 been thinking about upgrading for a while, and while looking up the pro-ject debut III, i saw the announcement for the pro-ject debut carbon:http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debutcarbon&cat=turntables〈=en thoughts? how much of a difference would there be if i went with the OM 10 cartridge instead of the 2m? $400 is reeeeally how far i could go at the moment with my finances the way they are. Well, carbon is stiffer and less resonant than aluminum, so the upgraded Debut Carbon should be an improvement over the regular debut. Of course, without ever hearing both of them back-to-back, it's tough to say for sure. If it were me and I had the money, I'd probably go for it. After all, tonearms are an important part of the turntable's sound. As for the OM 10 vs the 2M Red, there's probably not a huge difference. The Red is probably slightly more detailed. Looks like you could upgrade that one with the 2M Blue stylus if you wanted to, but not with the 2M Bronze or Black. The OM 10 is upgradable as well, and you have more options. There's the 20, 30 and finally the 40. The only real way to decide it to listen to both, but if you're not able to do that, I'd go with the OM 10 for now. Who knows - if you're not familiar with Ortofon's signature sound, you might not even like it, in which case the cheaper option is preferable. And as I mentioned, if you do like it, there are a few stylus upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll76 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 So I'll be getting an Audio Technica ATLP120 Turntable. I know there are better tables out there, but for the time being, I have a budget that I have set and can't afford to spend outrageous amounts of money on a set up, as much as I'd like to. But this is a decent table, from the reviews I've read. My question is, what would be a good, budget friendly, pre amp to go along with this turntable? And will the cartridge that comes equipped with the turntable be one that I should be looking to replace or not? As for the speakers, I'll be looking at yard sales / used outlets to see if I can find something good and cheap. Until I can fork some money over for some decent ones. Thanks for the inputs guys. Edit: Both the turntable and pre amp shipped on amazon is 398.00. Not bad, right? I have this turntable, not the usb version, the regular one. It was about $200 and I think it's great. I never upgraded the cartridge since it's always sounded pretty damn good. I've had it for maybe 3 years now and play records quite often. No problems at all. I run it through this: http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX8511-TX-8511-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B00005T3WF and I have no complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjb2k1 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 been thinking about upgrading for a while, and while looking up the pro-ject debut III, i saw the announcement for the pro-ject debut carbon:http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debutcarbon&cat=turntables〈=en thoughts? how much of a difference would there be if i went with the OM 10 cartridge instead of the 2m? $400 is reeeeally how far i could go at the moment with my finances the way they are. Well, carbon is stiffer and less resonant than aluminum, so the upgraded Debut Carbon should be an improvement over the regular debut. Of course, without ever hearing both of them back-to-back, it's tough to say for sure. If it were me and I had the money, I'd probably go for it. After all, tonearms are an important part of the turntable's sound. As for the OM 10 vs the 2M Red, there's probably not a huge difference. The Red is probably slightly more detailed. Looks like you could upgrade that one with the 2M Blue stylus if you wanted to, but not with the 2M Bronze or Black. The OM 10 is upgradable as well, and you have more options. There's the 20, 30 and finally the 40. The only real way to decide it to listen to both, but if you're not able to do that, I'd go with the OM 10 for now. Who knows - if you're not familiar with Ortofon's signature sound, you might not even like it, in which case the cheaper option is preferable. And as I mentioned, if you do like it, there are a few stylus upgrades. thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillused Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Thoughts on a pioneer pl 71 for $225? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Thoughts on a pioneer pl 71 for $225? If it's in working condition, includes a decent usable cartridge and has generally been well-maintained, $225 is a fair-to-good price for the PL-71. It was Pioneer's top of the line manual deck back in its day and from what I can tell, still well-regarded. For "what's it worth?" questions in regards to vintage gear, I always do a national craigslist search, as well as an eBay search for completed sales. That will give you a general idea of what price people are paying for the item. Right now I can only find one Craigslist ad for $295. For completed eBay sales, there's one for $130 - but it looks to be in rough shape - and then two nice ones that sold for $325+. There's also a couple current sales going on: one with a buy it now price of $299 and another that's up to $101 with a couple days to go. Link is below, but keep your eye on it to see what it sells for. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll....#ht_777 wt_1284 Again, buying vintage gear is dependent on the condition. Not sure if it's possible, but if you can physically inspect and test out the table before you buy it, that's always a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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