turntable dilema

[evo6tme]

I'm about to purchase a new michell giro se and cartridge for £1200, after a very long hagle with dealer he has come down to £1000 for the se with the rega 300 arm and i have alowed £200 for a cartridge . Now my problem is have i been taken in by looks ? i know its a good sounding deck . but with £1200 could i buy a better sounding second hand lp12 or somthing else ??? becouse when you come down to it asphetics has to take a back seat to sound ..

Any advise extreamly welcome .

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="evo6tme"]have i been taken in by looks[/quote]

No, it's brilliant.

 

[Andy Clough]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]

No, it's brilliant.[/quote]

Indeed it is. Still a solid five-star performer in our books. Enjoy!

 

[Tear Drop]

I concur, it's a very good piece of kit which happens to look good.

 

[John Duncan]

And at a grand, is spectacular value - bite his arm off.

 

[gregory]

i used to own this tt and for a grand i concur with john it's a steal. the set up initially is a bit time consuming but once it's done it never drifts out of alignment with only the odd adjustment here and there to keep it running smoothly but i have wooden floors so not ideal. i checked it every 3 months or so and in the 5 years of ownership adjusted it 4 times so no real problems there. i had to sell it to finance my sons drumming so i do regret it but you make sacrifices for the kids don't you. anyway i now have a linn lp12 with an ittok lvll tonearm with an ortofon 2m blue this is a great cartridge so if i were you i would go for the bronze or a high output moving coil like the dynavector 10x5. it's no better or worse than an lp12 just different so buy with confidence you will not regret it.

 

[evo6tme]

thanks for all the advise i just got back from the the shop after ordering the tt. After a talk with the salesman about my system and music tastes i was pointed towards the simuko blue note sp evo3 ( at a sale price of £165) , has anyone any experience with this cartridge becouse i dont know it and can change before i pick up the tt next week.???

oh yeh if it helps i listen to most music but with an indie/ rock bias and the michell giro will be conected to aodiolab c/p combo (pre china) and kef 104.2 (oldies but goodies

)

any advise welcome ...

 

[Anonymous]

Get a used Sondek and a load of change that you can turn into vinyl. IMO the Michell is a bloated sounding turntable.

 

[evo6tme]

thanks for that advise . but when i lisned to one i never noticed any fat ?? and at a grand new i think i would be hard pushed to save a lot of money and get an improvement in sound. what linn combo do you have in mind that would do that????

 

[John Duncan]

I find the gyrodec anything but fat, quite the opposite. As for the sumiko, it's the best cart I've heard on a gyro at that price.......

 

[Tear Drop]

As I've said before, and will no doubt say again, the Sondek is the most overrated audio component of all time. Unless you like music reproduction to be completely full of all kinds of distortion then go ahead.

 

[gregory]

sorry john have to disagree on the sumiko, nice cartridge but to bass light. still £165.00 is a great price. tear drop i don't know how you come to that conclusion, i would be interested to know but i find the linn the most detailed and controlled deck I've ever owned.

 

[evo6tme]

[quote user="gregory"] nice cartridge but to bass light.[/quote]

Bass light is not a word i like to hear, what sort of cartrages should i be considering if i up my budget to £300 . AS i might aswell take advanage of the shops sale

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="gregory"]nice cartridge but to bass light[/quote]

Maybe so - I'm not a fan of big bass so maybe I was just unaware of it - I thought it was a big step up from the sub-100 quid MMs anyway. Doesn't touch the Kontrapunkt B, obviously, which is another matter entirely.......

Edit: Ooo jinx. I'm a bit lost between 200 quid and 800 quid tbh, but if I was in that market I'd start with the ortofon 2m black I think - 350 list in theory, but your dealer appears to be a very accommodating chap.......

 

[gregory]

yes I'd agree with the 2m black or the dynavector 10x5 but as john mentions your dealer seems an obliging sort so a few demo's should sort out your cartridge choice and you may well prefer the sumiko saving a bit of money. let us know how you get on.

 

[evo6tme]

Isnt the 2M black a mm cartridge?. I was lead to belive a moving coil was a vast improvment ??? sorry for my ignorance but i'm newish to this hifi thing

 

[gregory]

yes your right evo, it is an mm but a very special one and it works a treat with the rega arm. if you really want a great mc then go out and buy an ortofon kontrapunkt b or the rondo series red or bronze, but any of the cartridges mentioned will be a good choice but as you say your new to this game i would go for the goldring 1042, it's a safe bet and again works a treat on an rega arm.

 

[Tear Drop]

Denon cartridges are well worth a look at similar (in fact lower) prices to the Dynavector and Sumiko

 

[gregory]

agreed.