[esco]

Hey guys, so my roommate received an Ion turntable from his Dad (please stop laughing

) and he hooked it up to my system. Since he received it, we've gone on quite the vinyl binge. Without a proper amp (recently sold my Pico,) I've just plugged my Grado 225's into my receiver when we're not using the speakers. My current setup is:

Ion -> Harman Kardon Receiver -> Grado 225s

What upgrades would I benefit most from? I was looking at upgrading the TT to a Rega P3-24 but then I'd need to spend money on a phono stage as well. Would adding a phono stage to the Ion setup make a noticeable difference? (the Ion has a switch for phono or line output.) Another option would be to get a good amp (I was interested in a MAD Ear+ HD). If I don't upgrade the TT, I could upgrade the cartridge on the Ion, but would it be worth it to upgrade this TT?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[JadeEast]

I'd go with a different TT and keep using the receiver for a first step.

 

[Donald North]

The Rega turntables sound great. Get one and add a good-value cartridge from Grado, Audio-Technica, Denon. Does the HK receiver have a phono input? If not, there are some affordable options from Creek Audio among others.

Setup is critical. See if there is a local shop which specializes in turntables. Buy from them and have them mount and align the cartridge & tonearm.

 

[esco]

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I might go with a Grado cartridge, the only reason being that I like their headphones. I've also heard of Orfoton, how do their products compare? My HK receiver doesn't have a phono input, so I'll look into the Creek Audio phono stages.

 

[Donald North]

I only have experience with Ortofon's moving coil type cartridges which are good. I've heard several Grados, always with an enjoyable sound.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The Rega is an excellent choice, but don't feel like you have to buy a new one. The Planar 3 I had was 20+ years old and ran great. A good friend has it now and it still runs great. You can save a lot by finding a used one at Audiogon.

Grado cartridges are terrific, too. I've run a Gold and a Platinum, and both are great matches for their headphones. Another budget cartridge I've owned and liked is the Shure MX97E. I've just about settled on using the Denon DL103, though. Cartridges are wear delicate wear items. I don't want a loose thumb to wreck a $1,500 cartridge. If I accidentally kill the DL103, I'll live. They offer great performance, however, they're moving coil (MC), so you'd either need a phono stage that handles low output MC or find some step-up transformers.

Also, be sure to browse the used phono stages at Audiogon. You can save a lot of money there, too.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I got a 540P after reading a lot of reviews. Am still waiting on the shipment, but at around 85 bucks shipped, its definitely a cheap upgrade and a guaranteed upgrade to the built in phono stages on consumer grade receivers. Atleast thats what I am hoping will be the case

 

[memepool]

Definitely get rid of the Ion, they really are absolute crap.

If you don't want to spend much money check this list I made of good 2nd hand budget decks which will sound at least 3 or 4 times better than the Ion
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/low...source-228059/

If you want to invest more money then spend the lions share on the deck itself as vinyl replay is mostly about mechanical engineering not electronics.

Get the cheapest cart and phonostage you can find. Unless your budget runs well into 4 figures, you shouldn't even be considering spending much more than a few hundred USD on carts and phonostages altogether.

Putting expensive transducers and electronics on the end of a cheaply made deck is a waste of money as it just won't be able to isolate the musical vibrations on the vinyl from those generated by it's own drive system and surroundings.

Grado carts are nice but they don't match every turntable out there for many reasons so don't get hung up on looking for a particular sound in one element of the chain. The whole thing has to work together and balance and there are so many little tweaks in the sound you can make with a vinyl set -up , that you simply don't need to think in these terms.