The Stax Thread III

[mulveling]

So is Clearaudio TT not any good? Was looking at the Concept.

I currently have the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon and it sounds pretty good with a Stax system.

They're actually very good tables, but overpriced in my judgement. You could certainly say that about Koetsu cartridges too, but for whatever reason I feel some regret at the money spent on my Clearaudio (and therefore come off as hard on it sometimes), but not my Koetsus. If you love the Koetsu sound, nothing else will do that -- at least the other stuff I've tried isn't even close -- e.g. high-end Ortofons sound like they're from a different planet. But the turntable just needs to be a good solid platform. Once you get to a certain point, I'd put all further emphasis on the cartridge + tonearm.
 
To be fair my table is the very expensive Innovation Wood, not one of their budget-ish models.  It's an excellent table. But given a second chance, there are better uses of that money even keeping it in audio gear expenditures (I could've bought a friggin DIY T2 with that money). Clearaudios can be excellent options if you get a great deal used. And the Concept will absolutely be a a big upgrade over a Pro-Ject Carbon.

 

[jibzilla]

  They're actually very good tables, but overpriced in my judgement. You could certainly say that about Koetsu cartridges too, but for whatever reason I feel some regret at the money spent on my Clearaudio (and therefore come off as hard on it sometimes), but not my Koetsus. If you love the Koetsu sound, nothing else will do that -- at least the other stuff I've tried isn't even close -- e.g. high-end Ortofons sound like they're from a different planet. But the turntable just needs to be a good solid platform. Once you get to a certain point, I'd put all further emphasis on the cartridge + tonearm.
 
To be fair my table is the very expensive Innovation Wood, not one of their budget-ish models.  It's an excellent table. But given a second chance, there are better uses of that money even keeping it in audio gear expenditures (I could've bought a friggin DIY T2 with that money). Clearaudios can be excellent options if you get a great deal used. And the Concept will absolutely be a a big upgrade over a Pro-Ject Carbon.

One nice thing about the micro seiki bl series is that it is easy to put further emphasis on the cart and tonearm with different arm boards. A bl-91 has amazing price to performance ratio imo.

 

[PATB]

Wait....the SR-009 sounds good with a TT?  What about surface noise etc.?  I feel my wallet trembling....

 

[mulveling]

  Wait....the SR-009 sounds good with a TT?  What about surface noise etc.?  I feel my wallet trembling....

Ah good, you've put us back on track with Stax talk!
 
I actually haven't tried it yet. Frightened of the consequences if I love it and then suddenly have a need for 2 expensive turntable setups in 2 locations...
Yes surface noise and excessive top-end energy with MC carts would be my concern as well -- but the Koetsu carts are perfect for combating those two issues. My other concern would be large amounts of subsonic energy making into my precious BHSE/Staxens and potentially causing issue. My phono stage has a subsonic filter, but I can still see those hyooge 15" Tannoy woofers flapping with high volumes on certain records (a wonderful listening experience regardless). Tannoys can take some abuse, but I don't want to push my luck with the Stax.

 

[jibzilla]

  Wait....the SR-009 sounds good with a TT?  What about surface noise etc.?  I feel my wallet trembling....

 
RCM (Record Cleaning Machine) Nitty Gritty 1.0 and stick with mid to late 70's if possible. The 60's are great as well but hard to find stuff without crackle which RCM's will not get rid of. Past 1980 and your looking at digital and loudness war victims but there are a few early 80's records that sound great. 
 
Otherwise yeah it should sound ridiculously good. Will make flac from tidal and a great dac like the Pavane sound compressed. My Avid Pellar phono pre is nice but I got it used for $500. New you want to go with Hagerman hands down. No one else comes close to Hagerman to me. 2juki for cartridges.

 

[LaCuffia]

I do all 90 percent of my music listening with a turntable. Just got a 404 LE and paired it with my SRM-T1. Can't wait to hook it up to my phono stage and spin some records.

 

[LaCuffia]

I meant 90 percent not "all" 90 percent. Anyway , nothing like vinyl. I'll leave the DACs, MP3's, CD's to others. I am not saying digital cannot sound just as good. It's just a preference.

 

[jibzilla]

I meant 90 percent not "all" 90 percent. Anyway , nothing like vinyl. I'll leave the DACs, MP3's, CD's to others. I am not saying digital cannot sound just as good. It's just a preference.

 
Shipping is a bear though. Here in America I honestly think you have a better chance of getting a TT from Japan cause people in America are often ignorant of how to ship TT's. The Japan marketplace really seems to have shipping down pat.

 

[LaCuffia]

What are the best vintage TT's in Japan for $1K range ?

 

[Spork67]

Hmm. All this talk of rotating vinyl.
Maybe I should be looking at a new cartridge for my old KD-550 instead of looking to sell it.

 

[mulveling]

I meant 90 percent not "all" 90 percent. Anyway , nothing like vinyl. I'll leave the DACs, MP3's, CD's to others. I am not saying digital cannot sound just as good. It's just a preference.

Have to agree, there's nothing like vinyl (just as there's nothing like Stax). Unless you have big reel tapes, that is...
It's just a damn shame that I like expensive cartridges, and that they're a part that wears down with use.

 

[jibzilla]

What are the best vintage TT's in Japan for $1K range ?

 
My Kenwood kp-9010. You really can't go wrong though. Whether Sony, Technics, Pioneer, Micro, Denon, Victor, Luxman they all have their pros and cons. I really like the 4 Direct Drive and 3 Belt Drives that I recently mentioned if I'm going to be picky. 
 
At $1k your looking at the kp-9010,  bl-51 or maybe bl-77. There are allot of hidden costs with vinyl though. In total I'm probably close to what I paid for my used Pavane, $3500.
 
Yahoo Japan and Paypal will add 11% to the cost. On Hifido.co.jp I see 3 kenwood kp-7010's, almost a kp-9010, for $1k, probably $1250 shipped. Vintage Knob has the skinny on most of the vintage TT's. Stay away from ebay and don't worry about 120v. Just drop the $130 on the acupwr step down transformer. It probably will not seem like a good deal with the hefty shipping, fees and step down transformer but I give you my word with just a dl-110 cart and bugle 2 pre you will be amazed.
 
Just hooked up my Kenwood to the kgsshv/007mk1. Listened to Marvin Gaye-What's Going On, John Coltrane-Giant Steps, Neil Young- Rust Never Sleeps, Miles Davis- Kind of Blue, The Kinks-Are the Village Green Preservation Society, Derek and the Dominos- Layla. Just amazing

 

[LaCuffia]

The Kenwood looks really nice. Seems built like a tank. Appreciate the tips. I had my TT for a couple of years now and always enjoy researching others. VPI is made right here in my home state of NJ and has a great reputation. I can see though that the Japanese models from the 70's are of tremendous quality.

 

[LaCuffia]

By the way, great record selection too. I have Kind of Blue on 45 rpm MoFi edition and it sounds amazing. That set up you have must be really special. The 007 will be next on my Stax journey but not until next year.

 

[jibzilla]

The Kenwood looks really nice. Seems built like a tank. Appreciate the tips. I had my TT for a couple of years now and always enjoy researching others. VPI is made right here in my home state of NJ and has a great reputation. I can see though that the Japanese models from the 70's are of tremendous quality.

 
Nobody did TT's quite like micro. My Kenwood and the Yamaha gt2000 I believe are rebadged micro's. The L07-D does look to be Kenwood's own design. Micro does continue to make TT's under a different name. If I could afford one I would get one but they sell for $20k+. I have talked to many fellow micro owners and they almost never move on to something else.