[Eagle_Driver]

[Originally posted at Audio Asylum, with additional findings and a moniker signature changed for the purposes of Head-Fi]

Right now I have a P-mount Technics SL-QD33 turntable with a Grado Silver cartridge. I am happy with this setup in many ways, but I'm beginning to feel that the P-mount is limiting me to cheap, mediocre cartridges. Also, its arm has no height adjuster on its pivot (and thus its VTA is fixed). Therefore, I'm looking to upgrade my turntable setup.

My budget is about $500, with a new cartridge. And I don't want to trust used or vintage tables, due to the lack of available parts or service, especially in my area; thus I want to limit myself with a brand-new TT. That said, which turntable do you recommend?

As for the cartridge, I've read mixed impressions of the lower-end Grado cartridges here at Head-Fi; acidtripwow didn't care much for the Grado Black, fredpb didn't like the Grado Red at all - but Tuberoller liked the Grado Gold and the Grado Platinum. But even so, the turntable that I'll be buying will almost always come equipped with a non-Grado cartridge.

I sincerely hope that your answers are helpful in making my decision.

Happy analog listening,

Eagle_Driver

 

[Ebonyks]

Well, the general concensis is that the MMF 5 is the best table in that price range. They appear on audiogon every once and awhile, or you could just order it new from somewhere like decibel audio (485 is the price as i recall)

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Now I've found a new problem:

I've tested my backup system - a Panasonic SL-2900 DD turntable fitted with a Grado Red cartridge and connected to a Technics receiver - and lo and behold! The distortion on the loud piano notes is gone! But switching from a 5mV Grado Silver to a 3.5mV AT92E on my main SL-QD33 turntable and Pioneer receiver setup only reduced that distortion, rather than eliminating it!

So, I've determined that it's the built-in phono preamp in my Pioneer receiver that's overloading with the higher-voltage signals. And upgrading to a MMF 5 with its Goldring 1012 cartridge will only make that nasty distortion worse, since the 1012 delivers 6.5mV.

So, I have a few choices: Either buy one of the lower-end turntables and fit it with one of the 2.5mV high-output moving-coil cartridges, or buy a really low-end TT/cartridge combo and a good separate phono stage. (That is, unless I'm willing to stretch my budget to about $1000.) Or stick with my present turntable/Grado cartridge setup and buy just a phono stage. (I've listened again, and the AT92E cartridge sounds drier and more analytical than my Grado Silver cartridge, while delivering less overall detail than the Grado.)

 

[Sol_Zhen]

I'd go with a used MMF-5/7 or a new Pro-Ject 1.2/MMF-5. Upgrade to the AT440 cart and not a Grado cart because the motors on the MMFs and Pro-Jects are not shielded and neither are the Grado carts. The AT440 is a great value.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sol_Zhen I'd go with a used MMF-5/7 or a new Pro-Ject 1.2/MMF-5. Upgrade to the AT440 cart and not a Grado cart because the motors on the MMFs and Pro-Jects are not shielded and neither are the Grado carts. The AT440 is a great value.

Just purchased myself a NEW MMF-5 today. The MMF-5 already comes with a good-performing pre-installed MM cartridge (a Goldring 1012GX, which can be upgraded to a 1042GX by simply replacing the stylus) with a line-contact stylus.

Speaking of the Goldring 1000 series cartridge, there are currently four models: the 1006 (with a regular elliptical stylus), 1012GX (Gyger II line-contact stylus), 1022GX (Gyger I line-contact stylus) and 1042GX (Gyger S line-contact stylus).

I will have to get used to fully manual turntable operation all over again. Why? Because the last time I've ever operated a fully-manual turntable was when I had a cheap mono portable idler-wheel-drive (also known as rim-drive) record player with a heavy-tracking crystal cartridge about 25 years ago.