I am buidling new analog system

[-E-]

I'd almost go a bit down the price chain to say the AMG V12 and then worry about the arm/cart/phono pre more. You tend to get horrific diminishing returns on the actual table above that.

[antipop]

Originally Posted by TOGA

Any good web site for analog newbies ?
I want to know what are VTA, anti skate, azimuth adjustments.
What are the diff. Between shorter and longer tonearm.

I should prepare budget for an effective record cleaner machine too.

Thanks for advises.
Toga

Yes the cleaner is very important mostly if you have some older records. I wouldn't skimp on it and go straight for a Klaudio. You will save a lot of time over time with it.

Since you want to learn, why not go with a lower priced table such as an Avid Sequel or Acutus with an SME V and build up slowly from there. You'll be able to learn little by little and spread the expense.

[TOGA]

After reading articles from those web sites.. I confess I am scared !.

How do I know what cart is matched to what arm..
New VTA setting for 180 g ..

Ok, I know what I want now. I want something plug-and-play !
May be Concept from Clear Audio or Rega RP8 .

Toga

[AndyPandy]

I'd find a good dealer to set it all up for you - give him or her a budget and away you go.

Expensive hobby, vinyl..

[mulveling]

Don't worry about changing the VTA per record weight...that's neurotic. Don't bother re-cleaning records after a few plays, except for a few swipes of a dry brush. Don't worry about hundredths of grams of tracking force. Don't EVER let the cleaning lady in the same room as your TT.

Do be prepared to absorb little bits of information over a long period of time. Be prepared to have to try some things for yourself. Do clean your stylus each couple of sides. Ensure your TT is perfectly level and properly isolated from acoustic feedback. Recheck your settings. Know where your arms/hands/sleeves are in relation to the cartridge AT ALL TIMES. If you have a big nose, keep track of that too! And be prepared to have a few close calls (or worse) with nice cartridges, anyways.

And again, don't skimp on cartridge & phono stage -- diminishing returns don't kick in until much later for these items.

[427]

Originally Posted by TOGA

After reading articles from those web sites.. I confess I am scared !.

How do I know what cart is matched to what arm..
New VTA setting for 180 g ..

Ok, I know what I want now. I want something plug-and-play !
May be Concept from Clear Audio or Rega RP8 .

Toga

I would not jump in as high as the figures you stated, I'd be scared too.

Personally I like SOTA tables & SME Series V arms. As others stated your sound quality will be coming from the stage, cart and IC.

Take a look at SOTA decks like the MILLENNIA or the COSMOS

Ok let me ask you what kind of floor do you have? wood and Joice that might bounce a bit? Cement and solid? The point being you can have a $150,000 table but that would not be that great on a bouncy floor.

I would stick with a conventional high quality deck with superb isolation, over a statement table with overcomplexity setup.

Same with the arm just because you have a complex arm doesn't mean you will get the best SQ out of it and your cartridge. You need easy straight forward setup something you can adjust easily.This will allow for the learning curve to tweak and adjust without fear.

[mulveling]

I had a SOTA Star III as my 1st table and it was a dream. Very reliable, great built-in isolation, and you can use heavier arms unlike most suspended decks -- but you should still avoid any undamped uni-pivot or air-bearing. The vacuum hold-down eliminates fumbling with a heavy ring clamp (a serious vinyl rig must have a record flattening solution in place). I think a modern Cosmos would scale very very far, and they look gorgeous in exotic veneer.

A SOTA is a great recommendation at a reasonable cost

Pair that up with say an SME V and your choice of Lyra Atlas/Ortofon Anna/Koetsu Onyx Platinum/Dynavector XV-1t/Clearaudio Titanium/Statement. ~23K in, and then you'd just need a passable interconnect and a good phono stage

[magoo]

Originally Posted by TOGA

Well.
At this point. It seems the most important things for me is to learn more. A lot more. Before paying big money.
I do may be 98% digital and 2 % analog listening. That 's the reason my first analog system was so average.
I still prefer solid state Phono preamp, I already have tube preamp, don't wanna add more tubes noise, tube cost to the
Equation.
On a second thought, if I keep Denon 100 Anniversary TT, Moon 310+320. How far I can go with the cartridge before
It exceed the capability of TT and phono stage ?
I will check the web sites, thank you.

Toga

Toga, the Denon deck comes up in "Technics Sl1210 v others" type threads, and while it comes with a venerable classic cartridge, it also comes with what looks remarkably like a Technics arm, and its odd geometry. They dont use the Baerwald alignment, and to get it right, you end up with an offset cart .....look here for a protractor to download:

Free Cartridge Alignment Protractors - Vinyl Engine

(the technics one, its about half way down the list).

Longer term, I'm afraid my knowledge of high end TT's is limited, but my messing around with an ancient Technics has convinced me that the pitch stability of direct drive is definitely a good thing, just not at the price VPI want for it!! The Grand Prix Audio Monaco might be an alternative worth considering?

[TOGA]

My floor is steel reinforced concrete, I can jump jump jump and no feed back whatsoever.
I am trying Moon 610LP now. Playing around with phono stage sounds simpler to me.

[antipop]

Originally Posted by TOGA

After reading articles from those web sites.. I confess I am scared !.

How do I know what cart is matched to what arm..
New VTA setting for 180 g ..

Ok, I know what I want now. I want something plug-and-play !
May be Concept from Clear Audio or Rega RP8 .

Toga

Toga, if I were you I'd do it step by step and don't rush. You learn by doing and we are here to help and guide you. I've been through all of this and it's very intimidating at first but you get a joy from doing it. Plus the sound is very different from digital and I'm sure you will enjoy it. Vinyl is a lot more involving which is part of its appeal.

IMHO, you will outgrow the Rega and Clearaudio very rapidly and soon you will be wanting more.

I believe an Avid Volvere SP or VPI classic 4 (or something equivalent) with an SME V tonearm and a Lyra Delos/Shelter501/Ortofon Cadenza Blue/... will help you get your feet wet.

This can be the basis for you to learn while enjoying good sound. That setup can also allow to upgrade with time as you get more comfortable.

For tonearm and cartridge matching, you can use the link below
Cartridge Resonance Evaluator - Vinyl Engine

As an example, the effective mass of the SME V is 10/11g. The Ortofon Cadenza Blue has a compliance of 12 and a total mass of 10.7. Crossing the two I find that I'm in the middle of the green zone. The Lyra on the other hand (12 of compliance and 7.3g) is right at the edge.