Let's see your turntable.
 

Post pics of your TT! Describe the tonearm/cartridge your using and anything else you'd like to share about it.

Not my turntable but here is a Spiral Groove SG2 that is made by Alan Perkins that I recently auditioned and was very impressed with it.

The tonearm was the excellent Tri-Planar MKVII and the cartridge was the Lyra Olympos which is next to impossible to acquire due to the no longer available platinum-iron magnets.

This TT/arm/cart was the best I have heard to date. I don't think I've heard a better recorded piano reproduction so far. The brass section on one of the Jazz LPs we played was just incredible.


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Here's my new Linn Sondek LP12:

Great looking TT Greg. How do you find the Adikt MM cart? Is it smooth and warm sounding? Have you tried any others?

The Adikt MM pickup came with my LP12 as a "package deal". I had always used a MC pickup before(Linn) but this MM pickup is SPECIAL. It's a $600.00 MM that sounds like it should be a MC pickup at a much higher price- very fine details are revealed,great mids, and bass. I like it so much right now that I'll just keep it for a while. I was all set to get a Naim phono stage(MA6500 only has provisions for MM pickups) but this pickup meshed so well with the Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm that I'm just going to leave it alone. The Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm($1200.00) was made specifically for the LP12($3000.00 for the base with no power supply or tonearm) and is a excellent match too. I see no reason to look at the Linn Akito ($1350.00) for a upgrade on the tonearm- go straight to the new Ekos SE($4950.00) for the next step.
Since this was sold as a package by Linn at $3750.00 for the LP12 base,Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm, Adikt MM pickup, and Majik power supply($750.00 if purchased separately), I consider it to be a tremendous value for those wanting to get into,or return to, vinyl. My MCD500 clobbers sonically the fully tripped out LP12 ,which currently costs $18k, so I saw no need to go that route. But, I still missed playing records so for me it was a very logical choice. I did demo the Linn Lingo($1800.00) power suppy( it comes with a different motor which costs $1200.00) and found there to be only a slight improvement in sound. I elected not to get the Lingo- it's good but not worth $3000.00. My LP12 is still very new and sounds better every time that I play a LP. The Adikt MM pickup does not fit quite a few tonearms and is made mainly for the Linn/Pro-Ject 9cc tonearms.

Thanks for sharing that Greg. Interesting stuff! It's quality posts like that I and I am sure many others enjoy. Keep it coming guys!

The LP12 has a signature sound that needs to be heard rather than described. The Adikt, for all practical purposes, performs like a MC pickup vs MM which in my experience misses out on the extreme highs, part of the mids, and deep bass. The Adikt delivers in all areas.
What can I say, my speakers are British too, so the sound will be a little different with quite a few speakers out there.

You are welcome Serge! Thanks for the nice comments!
What pickup have you decided on? Lyra makes incredible MC pickups, I may get one in the not too distant future.

I am still a noob when it comes to this and trying to get a grip on some of the characteristics of different brands out there. It seems that the balance of the sonic traits of a specific cart matched to the tonearm and the sonic characteristics of a table itself are important. I am probably stereotyping a bit too much but seems that most Lyra's extract tons of detail as do the top Dynavector's without sounding too etched or hyper resolving while some carts such as Koetsu and Miyabi/47 sound more warmer/forgiving. I would say that the acrylic platter tables would pair up nicely with the more forgiving carts while the aluminum would need the more neutral carts and the composite platters could probably benefit from the more resolving carts out there. :scratch2:

One thing for sure, there are many different combinations that work great, just need to do some homework and some experimentation. :yes:

Damm , now I want a better turntable :)

I'm not sure of your budget, but I would recommend checking out: Rega(budget tables with very good sound),Linn, SME, & Roksan. Pickups: Grado,Linn, Lyra,& Dynavector. Grado makes very good budget pickups: moving iron,moving magnet,& moving coils. These, like all pickups, have their own distinct sound.
Tonearms: Pro-Ject,Rega,Linn,& SME.
Pro-ject TT's gets honorable mention in the budget category,stay away from the lesser models as these are prone to various problems. The upper models are decent.
Just my $0.02. :D

Just thought that I would add a quick post.

I have the Linn Adikt MM pickup on my Linn Axis TT with a Basic tonearm. I really love the Adikt, just a REALLY great sounding cartridge for the money.

On my main rig, a LINN LP-12, ITTOK LVII arm, I have a Sumiko Blackbird, a great match for that arm and a wonderful sounding set up.

As much as I love my Linn's I must confess, that I have the upgrade bug a little, not for better sound mind you, just a newer table with some of the new tech built in...

My LP-12 has been upgraded quite a bit but certainly not "all the way".

I'm not sure how old your table is but the newer ones have a much better suspension than before and of course different choices for power supplies. I do know that my new LP12 sounds better that my old one that had the Ittok arm.

Mine is a very early one...

I have upgraded the power supply to Vahalla, replaced all of the springs, rebuilt the motor, I don't even know what all.

I wish that I had know that Linn was going to offer the Majik pkg.

I would rather have a new Majik than my old LP-12

I have a budget turntable now, Technic SL1200MKV with a AT440MLA cartridge. It sounds Ok. I like CD's and having a music server better, but since I have quite a few albums (few hundred) mostly from the 70's and 80's a new turntable is something to think about. I have heard that the Technics is better then most budget tables ie less than $1000.:scratch2:

You might want to do a A/B with your Technics against one of the the Rega Planar models- prices start around $450.00. I think that you'll be surprised as to how much better your records will sound. Linn dealers usually carry the Rega brand. ;)

Here's my SME.

Excellent table. I wonder, does your dealer like the Graham arms over SME? :scratch2:

He has them both, and he likes the Graham better. The Graham is also on the SME 30 in the store. But, to me I couldn't tell any difference. The Graham was available right then so I took it. I'm still waiting for the Graham cable, and i'm not good at waiting, so I might end up getting a SME IV from Sumiko just because.

I've heard rumors and these could be just rumors and nothing more that Graham's future is uncertain. :scratch2:

Nice pixxx! :yes:

Serge,

There was an article in some audio mag where the maker of the Tri-Planar was discussing how hard it was for him and Graham to produce their tables. The issues involved raw materials and craftsmanship, which of course leads to a bunch of other issues.

Both of these makers do terrific work and it would be a shame to lose this kind of stuff.

Graham's first tonearm design was initially for McIntosh.

I have a Thorens TD126 Mk.III that I picked up about 10 years ago. I started with a Stanton 681EEE-S and moved to an Ortofon Super OM40. Given the relatively small amount of vinyl we listen to, I'm going to stay with the current setup.

Cheers,

Graham

I have a Micro Seiki DD-40 manual turntable with the M505 arm. I use two different cartridges, a Shure V15VxMR, and a Signet TK9eA. Both are moving magnet cartridges. It is installed in the studio system.

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Great looking table Dan. Shame they went out of business. :tears:

Serge.......The Micro Seiki DD-40 is a great turntable, and only in their mid line. There top shelf players still command big bucks, and are awesome. People just don't let go of them. The M505 arm is very nice. It allows me to adjust VTA, tracking force, and anti-skate force, all while playing an album. Truly amazing.

I have heard rumors that Micro Seiki is back in the turntable business.

That would be great news. With the resurgence of vinyl, they would probably do well. Did you know vinyl sales doubled for 2008 while CD and downloads went down?

Nice turntable Dan! :yes:

Nice table Dan :thumbsup:

Interesting Serge, Why do you think LP vinyl sales are up ? I would never have guessed that now that everyone has a ipod or iphone.:scratch2:

More and more audiophiles are getting into vinyl. Even some non-audiophiles/teenagers are getting into vinyl probably because they think its hip when they see the DJ's scratchin' :D. With the tables like the budget Rega's, Pro-ject, Music-Hall, etc... it is pretty cheap to get into vinyl. Some of the bigger vinyl labels/factories are scrambling to find more industrial equipment since no one really makes it anymore and they can barely keep up with the demand for vinyl records.

You should get Michael Fremer's new DVD. Good stuff. :thumbsup:


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Curious ... vinyl quality

Have you [has anyone] done some critical listening to compare the quality of albums from the 70's and 80's compared to today's pressings?

I realize that it is near to impossible to find a mint condition album from that time period which may prevent any true A/B to be conducted.

Not a direct A/B but I have heard some of today's vinyl and it is really good. Especially when it comes from the more popular recording studios. :yes: Come to think of it, I've heard some of pretty old vinyl that is pretty incredible as well.

Did you mean new releases on LP's or older analog recording remastered or re-released on vinyl?
Example: Green Day/American Idiot(LP) vs Steely/Can't Buy A Thrill(original 1972 release LP)- as in something like this?

Yes. Moved to new Vinyl Quality thread.

Not appropriate in this "let's see your TT" thread. Start a new one & go from there.

[QUOTE=2-Channel;2242]Yes. Re-releases of older material.[/QUOT

Response moved to "Vinyl Quality" thread in Turntable Section.

OK I finally succumbed to this group fetish. Don't tell my friends and family. Yes, I do neglect her from time to time. She worked so hard in that radio station for all those years. Never a complaint, a whimper or even any wow and flutter! This is her one minute of fame. Yes she is a classic beauty. Solid as can be, no sass, and you could not ask her for more torque.

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This is my free family basement find vinyl solution, a 1980 Technics SL-Q3. Can't beat it for my modest Mcsetup. The recycled Clearaudio Aurum Beta S cart helps smooth things out as well. When the mood strikes I like spinning the black circle...

Awesome TT.

I had a beautiful Pionner TT years ago that also had the strobe light.

[Q] Why did they abandon the strobe light? It seemed like a simple and very precise way to monitor and adjust platter speed????

Here's mine!

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Gorgeous Howie! What platform are you using for your Avid?