Choosing the 'best' turntable and ignoring 'flavours'

[griffo104]

Hi Griffo,

Good post and nicely balanced. I completely agree

However, just one small thing, being such an annoying pedant :



How would you know unless you've tasted the 'flavour' of a fully modified one? Am I correct in assuming that you haven't yet had that privilege?

If your only basis from which to judge is a stock model then that's like saying you know what spaghetti tastes like because you've had Heinz! Sorry, I'm just lovin' these food analogies

Marco.

I refuse to eat Heinz products since they closed the HP Brown Sauce factory in Aston

This is a personal thing with regards to modifying equipment and I've argued over the point on another forum previously. I remain unimpressed by unmodified decks.

At some point in the future I will get a chance to listen to your deck and share a few

Modified kit can prove to be very cost effective and can bring great rewards from doing such work - I've heard modded kit quite a bit, some very good I think has been degraded by the mods but the owner is happy so who am I to argue ?

I had an argument over email with someone trying to get me to put my beloved Orbe under the knife for his mods when all I wanted was a simple piece of the jigsaw. He didn't understand why I didn't want to do it. Subsequently Michell brought their own mod out to solve the problem - considerably cheaper then the one I wanted to buy and more effective by those that had both.

I find the design and aesthetics to be just as enjoyable as the music - it's another reason why I have so much enjoyment out of Lyra carts, simply reading Jonathan Carr's attitude to design AND music appeals to my nature, therefore I am interested in his products.

[John]

I think for me around value there are few ways to go
For Ultimate value a Lenco would be a good place to start. You could get one up and running for a few hundred quid and it will sound pretty good if you spend more on plinth arm and Cart then you can really get some great sounds
Marco has mentioned the 1210 and if £2000 gets you close to a Brinkmann LaGrange or Raven AC well that is pretty good. I imagine that Mike's Denon suitably mod will get you close as well
The 401 or 301 on slate will get you close to a Brinkmann LaGrange as well
At some point I must hear what a mod 1210 can do.
I really miss my super scoutmaster!!!

[Marco]

Griffo,

I can understand that and respect your buying priorities

For me, I am influenced very little by those sorts of things. I'm not that bothered who made what, where it came from, or what the sensibilities of the designer are, as long as whatever it is sounds superb and is well built. I love retro and classic hi-fi, and so would rather own something old than new, given that it sounded as good or if not better than its newer counterpart. I also love 'proper', solid, engineering. However, I've yet to hear, say, a Garrard or Lenco that I'd swap for my modified 1210 - and old belt-drives, forget it!

An SP10 fully-tricked out with all modern bits including a nice Jelco 12" arm, not forgetting the ol' nail, the 103, is about as retro as I would go turntable-wise in order not to sacrifice on sound quality. Ultimately, Beechy is right: performance is what matters to me most with hi-fi, and what gets me 'closest to the music' whilst adding as little 'flavour' as possible.

Marco.

[DSJR]

I guess I'm asking; "even if the SL-1200 (or similar) comes in at £1500(ish), what else is on the market with similar or better performance for that price"?

How the hell do we put a 'value' on these sort of things?

Ask HiFi Dave, he'll tell you!!!!! I think it was a standard version though without the tweaking....

You want to see a UK made vintage deck with lots of metal (88lbs of it I believe - I can tell you the flywheel was bloomin' 'eavy and needed special screw-in brackets to carry it into position)... Thank gawd the wall was made using engineering grade bricks. i could never have done this on a modern build, let alone the Suffolk Soft Reds the current property's built with..

[Magna Audio]

At some point I must hear what a mod 1210 can do.

You can hear mine with a full OL Rega RB250 arm tomorrow
Not fully loaded though.

[Haselsh1]

Mmmm... I'm now totally confused. Am I eventually to spend 500 on a brand new Technics SL1210 G5 or 500 quid on a what...??? 25 year old LP12...??? If I am to spend it on a Technics I have to be honest and say that I have no intention of ripping it apart but if I am to spend it on an LP12, then what...???

[NRG]

Well I think going for an LP12 would take you down the wrong road but who am I to say what is right for you...and thats the whole point...this is all subjective and down to personal choice. There is no right or wrong here just personal choice...

[Dave Cawley]

How many of you have heard, yes actually heard a Clearaudio Emotion package with an OC9 cartridge fitted? Or an Acoustic Solid Small Machine with SA-250ST arm and a Shelter 501 II ?? Or a SL-1210 with SME 3009 and OC9, or even Marco's SL-1210, Jelco SA750D and 103SA?

And when you heard them, were they playing music you knew though amps you knew on speakers you knew in a room that you liked?

And then again, would you choose a different system for rock and one for classical?

Confused?



Dave

[John]

Mmmm... I'm now totally confused. Am I eventually to spend 500 on a brand new Technics SL1210 G5 or 500 quid on a what...??? 25 year old LP12...??? If I am to spend it on a Technics I have to be honest and say that I have no intention of ripping it apart but if I am to spend it on an LP12, then what...???

Well think you need to hear what a 1210 can do mod there must be someone local near you you can hear a mod 1210 before u decide

[John]

How many of you have heard, yes actually heard a Clearaudio Emotion package with an OC9 cartridge fitted? Or an Acoustic Solid Small Machine with SA-250ST arm and a Shelter 501 II ?? Or a SL-1210 with SME 3009 and OC9, or even Marco's SL-1210, Jelco SA750D and 103SA?

And when you heard them, were they playing music you knew though amps you knew on speakers you knew in a room that you liked?

And then again, would you choose a different system for rock and one for classical?

Confused?





Dave

David most of us have to make the best choices we can and its just impossible to hear every combination in ideal circumstances for the majority of us; for me I want to have my cake and have icing on the top so I want a system that does nearly everything well but in the end for me I will value something that can rock well has a sense of aliveness to it and allows the music flow