I`ve suddenly got this urge to buy a turntable after finding 100 or so albums i`d forgotten about in the attic. The current system comprises of an eastern electric minimax cd player, cairn 4810 amp & monitor audio platinum pl100 speakers. There is a plug in phono module available for the cairn for £150 or would i be better with a standalone unit? It`s very difficult to audition things for me without a long journey. My cd collection is pretty sizeable by comparison so i want something that will do the rest of the system justice for the least outlay. Don`t have any issues with buying used or ex dem either. Any ideas? Thanks.
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When should you upgrade your hi-fi? How to control ‘upgradeitis’
Which turntable & phono stage?
- Thread starter neil fd2
- Start date
Depending on your budget, i'd probably get the clearaudio emotion package (Satisfy tonearm/MM wood cartridge - £650) with the Clearaudio Smart phono stage(MM/MC) (£265). Consistently rated the best turntable in its class with exceptional build quality and absolutely stunning looks. Try to audition though as I've heard the sound is not entirely neutral, being slightly warm. Definitely should be on the shortlist 
EDIT: OK just saw your current set-up Maybe the clearaudio Champion deck with your own choice of tone arm/ cartridge ( maybe Satisfy arm and Dynavector 10X5 cartridge). Alternatives: Origin Live aurora deck with Ol-1 Arm and dynavector cartridge (they recommend arms and cartridges on their website -good for a browse). Anyhow, I'd obviously recommend having a demo though I appreciate this may not be easy. I personally couldn't risk buying a whole setup 'blind'!!
EDIT: OK just saw your current set-up
Maybe the clearaudio Champion deck with your own choice of tone arm/ cartridge ( maybe Satisfy arm and Dynavector 10X5 cartridge). Alternatives: Origin Live aurora deck with Ol-1 Arm and dynavector cartridge (they recommend arms and cartridges on their website -good for a browse). Anyhow, I'd obviously recommend having a demo though I appreciate this may not be easy. I personally couldn't risk buying a whole setup 'blind'!!Depends what you are looking for, budget-wise, however the Audio Note TT1 turntable took the former Systemdek design and brought it up to date. Very nice deck indeed and comes in around the £750 mark (or did anyway).
Rega's P3-24 is also worth a look at £500. There's also the used market and you could pick up some very nice examples (Roksan Radius, etc) for a reasonable sum.
I think you probably do need to consider a good midrange deck to complement the Minimax CD player which is apparently an excellent performer.
Rega's P3-24 is also worth a look at £500. There's also the used market and you could pick up some very nice examples (Roksan Radius, etc) for a reasonable sum.
I think you probably do need to consider a good midrange deck to complement the Minimax CD player which is apparently an excellent performer.
Thanks for the advice. I`ll try & audition the ones you`ve mentioned & maybe also the project xpression x-pack which seems good value for money & comes with a half decent cartridge. Still a bit unsure about the phono stage though.
I have the x-pack and a Trichord Dino/Dino+ phono stage playing through Linn pre/power and Ruark speakers...I've been very happy with it. (which isn't to say I don't still lust after a Gyrodec
)
Well the LP12 is always a winner....
Failing that the pro-ject RPM5 has a strong following round here. I have the Xpression II, I'm very fond of it. If you go the Linn route (or high end) I'd recommend Graham Slee or 47 Labs phonostage, if you go project then Cambridge's 540p and 640p are great for the coin, even cheaper but also great value for shrapnel is the Pro-ject phonoboxII.
Failing that the pro-ject RPM5 has a strong following round here. I have the Xpression II, I'm very fond of it. If you go the Linn route (or high end) I'd recommend Graham Slee or 47 Labs phonostage, if you go project then Cambridge's 540p and 640p are great for the coin, even cheaper but also great value for shrapnel is the Pro-ject phonoboxII.
Hi neil fd2. I have an Xpression X-Pack and so far have had no regrets. It sounds and looks great! Welcome back to vinyl!
Thanks. The xpression is probably going to be the one easiest for me to audition, but i`m sure if i don`t audition some of the other contenders i`ll always be wondering if i missed out on something. On the other hand that`s the problem with this hobby, the likelyhood of finding your audio holy grail is going to be as nigh on impossible as finding the real thing. Regardless of budget you`re never going to be 100 percent happy.
matthewpiano
Well-known member
Try to stretch to a Michell Tecnodec. Its WELL worth it IMO, though the other decks mentioned are all good as well.
Hello again neil fd2. Regarding the Xpression I just wanted to add that I am a lifelong vinyl lover with a fairly large collection and as I`ve said I`m really enjoying playing them on the Pro-ject. Good luck!
Just an update. I auditioned a few decks & finally decided on the clearaudio emotion package which i`ve just got set up today. To me it was the best i listened to in terms of £/performance ratio. I`d forgotten how relaxing listening to vinyl can be & how edgy & bright cd versions of the same recording can be. The remarkable thing is it`s playing through a budget project phono box 2 (only thing i could get at the time & had to get started) so there will be scope for big improvement shortly. Many thanks for all your suggestions.
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