Need a belt-drive tt for archiving... suggestions please!

 

New member
Username: Mrgerbik

Post Number: 1
Registered: Feb-05
Hi,

I've been archiving electronic/techno LP's to PC for the past year or so. I have a good setup except for the table itself... a technics 1200 (great for DJ use, but not for what I need). I run into too many probs with this deck for my purposes (muddy treble, occasional unwarranted distortion, finicky cartridge alignment, etc).

I've got about $1000 to spend on a belt-drive table w/cartridge. Again, this is strictly for archiving electronic music, so I'm looking for sound-quality, consistency, and an easy to align/balance tonearm, cartidge, etc setup.

You guys seem to know a whole lot more about this stuff than I do... so any help would be seriously appreciated :-) Thanks...
 

Silver Member
Username: Frank_abela

Berkshire UK

Post Number: 339
Registered: Sep-04
Hmmm, there's quite a few turntables in that price range!

If you want a decent deck, then cartridge alignment is always going to be finicky. However, once you've fitted the cartridge you shouldn't have to ever do this again - or do you mean cueing? If you mean cueing (i.e. setting the arm over the appropriate place on the record), then almost all decent decks are the same. Most supply a lift/lower device, but the arm often drifts slightly as it is lowered. If this is what you're complaining about, I should warn you that it's going to be difficult to find one that drops perfectly vertically. Even so, it should be fairly easy to cut the initial noise before the track starts through software. The safest bet is to lower the arm manually, but this takes practice and a lack of alcohol or other abusive substances...:-)

I assume you'd like the cartridge to be a Moving Magnet, Moving Iron or High Output Moving Coil since you'll be plugging it into the same things that your Technics is currently plugged into - and that deck is almost always fitted with a MM cartridge. So I'll go along on this basis.

Rega make several decks. A very fine combination is the P3 with the Dynavector 10x5. You'd need a 2mm Rega spacer for the cartridge. This combination produces a sweet, fast, open sound and retails for about $900 here in the UK. If it's too expensive, then look at the Ortofon 500 series cartridges, but don't lower your sights on the deck! The reason for this is that the deck is the most important part of the whole thing since any noise generated in the bearings is transmitted directly to the cartridge and amplified in the system. The Ortofons also require a 2mm spacer under the arm. It's a simple effective way of adjusting VTA without affecting the integrity of the arm.

Now I understand that in the US the VPI Scout is meant to retail for very sensible money (it's expensive here), so this would be another good place to look if that's where you're based.

Good luck in your search!
regards,
Frank.
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