[pawlowski6132]

Where's Macedonia? Is that a real place or did you just make that up.

 

[InSides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawlowski6132 Where's Macedonia? Is that a real place or did you just make that up.

Funny I always get that question when I travel to the US.

Macedonia is a country, Southeast Europe, south of Serbia, north of Greece, east of Albania, and west of Bulgaria. Let me see if I can find a graphical map to augment my case:

That red blob on the image is Macedonia. For further information, please consult Exploring Macedonia.

 

[pawlowski6132]

We're dumb. At least I am.

Thanx!!

 

[Ori]

Quote:

Originally Posted by InSides At this point, would it probably be wisest to go with a Debut III [everything setup, cartridge included] and use the Rotel's phono stage?

I agree. The RPM is a "suspect" setup. I'm not sure if they are the same unit, but Basis used to have a TT that looks similar. My friend bought one because "it looked good" and got rid of it before you know it. He said it simply sucked...

It just drained the life out of the sound.

He later bought a Harman TT and had much more fun with it, but in the end he moved up to a Horizon.
Your monetary risk is very minimal with the Debut, should you decide to upgrade soon. Go for it - and have fun!

 

[InSides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ori I agree. The RPM is a "suspect" setup. I'm not sure if they are the same unit, but Basis used to have a TT that looks similar. My friend bought one because "it looked good" and got rid of it before you know it. He said it simply sucked... It just drained the life out of the sound. He later bought a Harman TT and had much more fun with it, but in the end he moved up to a Horizon. Your monetary risk is very minimal with the Debut, should you decide to upgrade soon. Go for it - and have fun!

Aargh. This is getting harder and harder with each post. To make it even more difficult, note my dillemma. The RPM5, being a display model, can be had for ~$380. Auditioned by customers in the shop, but comes with the full warranty.

The Debut III, on the other hand, comes with a price tag of $300. For a measly $80 more, I get a better tonearm, a better cartridge, and as a bonus, a cooler looking unit. What's to lose here? Anyhow...

Will post on the final decision. Thank you for all your replies and suggestions.

 

[mikeliao]

I just wrote a mini essay on why I bought a Rega P3 over a Pro-ject Expression. Needless to say, I'm in the same situation you are in; limited choices, not much help, and can't listen to the equipment. But this is your thread not mine, so to sum things up...

Go buy the RPM. + Its a great value for $380. - It may have some "suspect" points but hey, you won't know till you lived with it for a while whether its a major issue for you or not.

Music and the associated equipment is a journey. You'll eventually upgrade so think of the RPM as a better investment.

Its a learning experience. Once your baseline is established (with mistakes here and there), you'll know where to start spending your money smartly. As with headphones, everyone wants to jump right into a HD650 or K1000 or RS1. Without a PX100 or portapro or just stock ipod earphones to compare to, people might find HE90 to be plain and boring.

 

[memepool]

Yes mikeliao is right. You are bound to want to upgrade this at some point so don't sweat it.

I can't see anything "suspect" about it either. From a design perspective there are many fine turntables like the Ariston RD40 and Systemdek II from the 80s' that have taken this skeletal approach, not to mention of course all the modern ones who do like the Michell Gyro Spider, Acoustic Solid and Nottingham Analogue to name but a few.

the reasoning is that a conventional box plinth serves no purpose and is a resonant sounding board so why have it?

Also you will find a fair bit of MDF wooden composite used in most turntables since the 1960's so I don't see that it's particularly "suspect" either. It has good acoustic properties and is resonably dead so why not use it in a platter?
It's cheap but hey the whole project range is designed this way.

Also I wouldn't take advice from anyone who hasn't heard of Macedonia... Its not in Iowa guys (although Im'sure there are probably a few in every state of the Union) ....ever hear of Ancient Greece, birthplace of Western Civilisation?

 

[Ori]

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool many fine turntables like the Ariston RD40 and Systemdek II from the 80s' that have taken this skeletal approach

Hey, I own an Oracle Delphi...

Nothing against the odd shape of this particular unit - just a mechanical issue. The tonearm is hanging "over the edge" and might be easily hit. Also the pivot point for the tonearm on the narrow end may not be as solid as on a wider plinth.
Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool Also you will find a fair bit of MDF wooden composite used in most turntables since the 1960's

But which decent design uses MDF for the platter?!

Macedonia... I first encountered it in Hebrew scripts many years ago... You can tell it has some history...

 

[InSides]

Right... go ahead and state that I am only bound to spend more and more as time goes by.

Seriously though, I've become more and more convinced on getting a TT - whether I manage to snag that RPM5, or settle with a Debut III, I know who to talk to once I decide that source is lacking.

Thanks, guys, for reminding me what a great community this is.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ori Hey, I own an Oracle Delphi...

nice.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Ori Nothing against the odd shape of this particular unit - just a mechanical issue. The tonearm is hanging "over the edge" and might be easily hit. Also the pivot point for the tonearm on the narrow end may not be as solid as on a wider plinth. But which decent design uses MDF for the platter?!

Turntables are all pretty fragile things but I guess they think it's a worthwhile trade off in sound quality terms. There are many companies out there supplying third part covers like the Michell Unicover which will help protect it from dust. You must keep it scrupulously clean of course.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Ori But which decent design uses MDF for the platter?!

The Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck above I believe.

 

[Ori]

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool The Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck above I believe.

The platter is made of some composite material, not MDF.
Quote:

Originally Posted by InSides Seriously though, I've become more and more convinced on getting a TT

You can't go wrong with this decision!
Either one of these tables would beat most digital playback systems. It may not have the lowest noise or an ultrasonic treble extension, but it will give you a whole different view of what music ought to be...

 

[InSides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ori but it will give you a whole different view of what music ought to be...

Hopefully.

I don't mind the hassle of setting up equipment and tweaking it in any form - but it is the enjoyment of music we come finally to.

 

[Publius]

Phonopreamps.com sells full-discrete preamps for under $50. Near as I can tell, there are no obvious flaws with the circuit design itself, and they are constructed well, but the power supplies that come with them are utterly cheapo atrocious. If you're particularly handy you can replace the power supply and get a fairly solid noise floor.

 

[Ori]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Publius Phonopreamps.com sells full-discrete preamps for under $50

The prices are good but I wonder about the circuit. I like some headroom, even in a phono stage, just to have a bit more linear operating point. Unfortunately, 12V won't do it.

I recommend to go for a zero-feedback design with JFET input stage. The decent units won't fit in a small budget, so for now the Rotel preamplifier should do the job just fine.

 

[GeekGirl]

Not to sound like a traitor, but there are a number of good turntable threads in the AVS forum. Like this one http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=639926 - Part of the CD Players & Dedicated Music Transports (NEW) forum.

They don't have much interest in headphones (I referred them to head-fi a few times), but you can get a lot of information about turntables and vinyl.