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Is this Vinyl Rig good for my budget and ears?

post #1 of 22
11/2/09 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry to make another thread, I felt the other died

Ive got my portable rig (Shuree500 + RSA Tomahawk) but I have almost decided on what my first vinyl rig will be. Please let me know your opinion and suggestions because my birthday is November 8th and I am about ready to order! I'm excited! Budget is $2,000

Turntable: Technics 1200 MK2 ($600 new)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2m Black ($500 new) or Shure m97xe(under $140)
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650 ($400 new) I have Senn HD555 already
Phono Preamp: ? not sure need suggestion
Headphone Amp: ? not sure need suggestion
Cables: Besides the RCAs on TT, how does the preamp connect to the headphone amp?
Table:? Ill find one


ive got a shure tracking guage and cleaners already..

Thanks sooo much in advance
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post #2 of 22
11/2/09 at 4:24pm
Personally i'd spend less on the cartridge and more on the turntable, as it is a more durable piece of gear, one you have bought a good one, it can service you for years...the 1200 is a good choiche, just buy an origin live armboard and put on a rega rb250, a medium mass design which is a decent match for most cartridges out there.


For another option on turntable, look up the Project lineup, there are interesting models around 5-600$.

The 2M Black you have suggested is said to be very good, but 500$ is really too much for a MM design, i'd either buy an audio technica 440Mla, which inspite of its comparatively low price offers stellar tracking even in the innermost grooves, and good detail. It does not perform much worse than my more expensive and respected Denon Dl-103, really...
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post #3 of 22
11/2/09 at 4:31pm
Thread Starter 
yeah I was thinking it a bit costly. I hear the 1200mk2 is easy to setup and durable. Ill look into your suggestion though.

what about the rest of the rig? Thanks again
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post #4 of 22
11/2/09 at 4:38pm
If I had your budget to spend on an analog rig I would buy a Well Tempered Classic for my turntable over a Technics 1200 any friggin' day. I'm using a Classic right now and it absolutely murders the VPI Scout I purchased new... Murders! I have a Koetsu Rosewood Signature ($3700 cartridge) mounted on mine and it is NOT out of place on this table and arm. The Well Tempered tables are amazing!

As for a cartridge, I'm very curious about the Nagakoga's. Depending on what is left in your budget you could look at the ones that fall in the line between the MP-11 and MP-30. Or a Denon 301mkII or a used Dynavector or a thousand other options.

The Shure sucks. Don't waste your time with it--really. Its the most boring, unmusical cart I've owned. I hear replacing the stylus with one of the Jico ones really helps it.

Spend some time on the Vinyl Asylum over at AA. You'll learn a lot about terrific sounding bangs for your buck there.
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post #5 of 22
11/2/09 at 4:55pm
About the rest of the rig i'd say the HD650 are a great choice ( i'm using them as i'm writing with my pc rig ), but you have to invest at least a couple of hundreds in a decent amp, even a cheap Little Dot MKIII or IV will be perfect...
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post #6 of 22
11/2/09 at 5:27pm
Thread Starter 
Do the Well Tempered Classics have dust covers? Well what about a Grado Black cartridge? People have mentioned the Well and Rega and Technics the most for the TT.
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post #7 of 22
11/2/09 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by heli0sphan View Post
Sorry to make another thread, I felt the other died

Ive got my portable rig (Shuree500 + RSA Tomahawk) but I have almost decided on what my first vinyl rig will be. Please let me know your opinion and suggestions because my birthday is November 8th and I am about ready to order! I'm excited! Budget is $2,000

Turntable: Technics 1200 MK2 ($600 new)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2m Black ($500 new) or Shure m97xe(under $140)
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650 ($400 new) I have Senn HD555 already
Phono Preamp: ? not sure need suggestion
Headphone Amp: ? not sure need suggestion
Cables: Besides the RCAs on TT, how does the preamp connect to the headphone amp?
Table:? Ill find one


ive got a shure tracking guage and cleaners already..

Thanks sooo much in advance
Turntable: Technics 1200 MK2
Cartridge: Denon DL-110, DL-160, DL-103, or Denon DL-103R
Cables: Radio Shack's best RCA cables sound fine to me and are much
Better than the free ones.
Phono Preamp: Pro-Ject Phono Box II or Cambridge Audio 640p
The Denon cartridges are good choices because their lower compliance ratings will match the heavier Technics tonearm. All of the other cartridges are good but should perform better on a lighter tonearm.
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post #8 of 22
11/2/09 at 9:07pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you everyone! Such informative people here.

I know vinyl is a pain but I love that about it.
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post #9 of 22
11/3/09 at 1:14am
Yes, there are dust covers for the WT. I actually have one I use on mine.
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post #10 of 22
11/5/09 at 11:39am
Reviews seem to indicate that the Ortofon 2M Blue is the sweet spot in that line of cartridges. For the Bronze and the Black you are paying significantly more money for only incrementally better cartridges. At $2000 total budget for all of that equipment, I still don't think the 1200 is out of place at all. As a first TT it's great because it isn't all that fussy, it holds its value better than most other tables in the price range, and is arguably competitive or better than anything else you have been considering. I also don't think that there is any reason to upgrade the arm right off the bat. You might as well spend some time getting used to all that new equipment as is, and then if there is something specific you'd like to improve, go from there. Also, if you end up deciding that vinyl isn't for you, a stock 1200 will probably be easier to sell, and you won't take as much of a depreciation hit.

Also, have you considered buying used? Most of the equipment you need is fairly widely available on the used market both here and at Audiogon for a big discount, usually in essentially new shape. I pretty much agree with ssportclay's recommendations above. For the HD-650's you need a pretty solid amp, and fortunately there is a forum here dedicated to that very subject.
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post #11 of 22
11/5/09 at 12:24pm
Consider the Denon DL-160 or 110 cartridge, at $170.00 -$130.00 you can save some money to spend elsewhere.
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post #12 of 22
11/5/09 at 12:39pm
I know the grass is always greener and all that, but I always found the Technics 1200 very interesting - especially the KAB version. But being a Grado fan, I never found anyone using highend Grado with Technics. Maybe I should have tried it.

I own the Pro-Ject Xpression III that has been mentioned and wrote a review if you are interested. .:matthew.hambrick:.: Pro-Ject Xpression III Turntable Review - It is a very nice table for the $600.
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post #13 of 22
11/5/09 at 3:10pm
I second that,I have the Xpression, it's a really good table, but mind that it mounts a very low mass arm, and it can limit your cartridge choiche...but it's usually a non issue unless with very stiff carts ( dl-103 and alikes...), everything else will play just fine even if not a perfect match....
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post #14 of 22
11/5/09 at 5:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zhenya View Post
Reviews seem to indicate that the Ortofon 2M Blue is the sweet spot in that line of cartridges. For the Bronze and the Black you are paying significantly more money for only incrementally better cartridges. At $2000 total budget for all of that equipment, I still don't think the 1200 is out of place at all. As a first TT it's great because it isn't all that fussy, it holds its value better than most other tables in the price range, and is arguably competitive or better than anything else you have been considering. I also don't think that there is any reason to upgrade the arm right off the bat. You might as well spend some time getting used to all that new equipment as is, and then if there is something specific you'd like to improve, go from there. Also, if you end up deciding that vinyl isn't for you, a stock 1200 will probably be easier to sell, and you won't take as much of a depreciation hit.

Also, have you considered buying used? Most of the equipment you need is fairly widely available on the used market both here and at Audiogon for a big discount, usually in essentially new shape. I pretty much agree with ssportclay's recommendations above. For the HD-650's you need a pretty solid amp, and fortunately there is a forum here dedicated to that very subject.
The Ortofon 2M Blue is a good cartridge but not a particularly good compliance match with the heavy Technics 1200 tonearm. I think you will be happy with any of the mentioned Denon cartridges which will work for you much better.
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post #15 of 22
11/5/09 at 5:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by juniperlater View Post
I know the grass is always greener and all that, but I always found the Technics 1200 very interesting - especially the KAB version. But being a Grado fan, I never found anyone using highend Grado with Technics. Maybe I should have tried it.

I own the Pro-Ject Xpression III that has been mentioned and wrote a review if you are interested. .:matthew.hambrick:.: Pro-Ject Xpression III Turntable Review - It is a very nice table for the $600.
The Grados are also good cartridges but they tend to work better on lighter tonearms which makes them a poor choice for the heavy Technics 1200 tonearm.
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