NFT: Audiophile Thread

My budget for the TT is about $1500 to $1700.

is a solid record player. If anything I would have upgraded the needle. A really good needle runs upwards of 600 itself.

In comment 14814689 Existenz said:

Quote:

is a solid record player. If anything I would have upgraded the needle. A really good needle runs upwards of 600 itself.

I know it got great reviews, but the bass was pretty muddy on some recordings.

Maybe a new phono preamp would make a difference?

Which needle(s) would you recommend?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I'm not an expert here but producing bass from Vinyl can be tough. It's one of the reasons that masters sound different when they are actually recorded for vinyl versus CD or other methods.
The main thing to check for bass is tracking weight. More tracking weight will produce more bass at the expense of space and treble. If the arm is too light though, then the bass will be thin. The second most likely cause is the space of the room. If you're getting into high end audio, certain speakers work in certain spaces better than others and even the room acoustics heavily influence highs and lows. Height and Angle of the speakers also influences this.
Also, every album print matters. Some people prefer certain pressings over others because of things like thin bass. As for recommendations for high end players/needles, i don't know enough. I'm very happy with my Project. I actually replaced it's needle with the same one that came stock. I think it's a Orofon 2M red.

and not the system?

I use Schitt DAC and really like the sound. I did have to send it back for service but they fixed at no cost.

Regarding the amp, I’ve always had a taste for NAD. But, like most things audiophile, it’s pretty subjective.

Speaking strictly for myself.....I would spend less on the actual turntable and more on the cartridge. The turntable is basically just a motor, albeit a precision one. The cartridge has to follow the little grooves in the vinyl and produce enough movement to generate an electrical signal.

I would also like to look into tube amps, maybe even mono-blocks. They're coming down in price just a little now.

How old are your speakers ?? Those surround rings holding the cones can degrade over time. If you start really pumping those things....could be trouble.

have a great of impact on what you hear.

shitty mix and master, shitty playback...

Or even a tube guy, mostly for $'s reasons, but Hooking 5k+ of source and amp up to a pair of old, not particularly high end or interesting speakers seems suboptimal, like putting a 100hp four-banger in a Ferrari.
As far as muddy bass goes, assuming you have the speaker/listening position sorted decently both your B&W's and Denon are old enough that their capacitors could easily be an issue. Neither one is worth bringing to a pro.
Check the DC offset on your Denon.
A lot of people would consider your amp too weak to properly drive your speakers, but you probably aren't one those people since you aren't asking what sub you should buy.
I know I'm not answering your question, but I have a similar oldish midfi setup and if I had $5k plus to blow upgrading it i'd audition a bunch of pricey speakers first, then figure out what amp I need to drive them, then worry about phono cartridges. If you are in fact an analog/tube guy rather than a specs/measurement guy it's a very different group of amps you will be looking at.

If you want a great all in one solution in that price range you should check out the VPI Player.

It comes with a built in phono stage, headphone amp and cartridge for $1600.

I picked up one used for about half that on Audiogon so that could be another place to check if you don't have an issue with used gear.

Absolutely night and day compared to my previous Music Hall turntable.

And VPI is located in NJ to boot!

your TT for now since its new, the Marantz CD player is fine also. You really need to upgrade from that receiver, and replace those speakers. There are so many choices and options available. I would look into a decent integrated amp (Marantz has a few ) with phono stage and some new (or used ) speakers. Check out Audiogon for great used gear, its a great way to stretch and maximize your budget. If you want new and some safe advice call Music Direct, ask to talk to Bes ,tell him your situation and see what he comes up with. Their stuff comes with a 60 day return. Good luck and keep us posted.

My budget is not like yours though.

The Schiit Mani is a great phono preamp. I liked it so much I also got the Schiit Sol turntable (while it was briefly available). I have a Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge on it. The rest of my system is about 20 years old, a Denon receiver and Kef Q 100 speakers.

I've been tempted by Schiit's preamp and amp and Magnepan LRS speakers, but have yet to bite the bullet.

Nagaoka cartridges are great. The MP-110 is only about $120, but I think the MP-300 is in the range you're looking for.

I'd be surprised if the Pro-Ject Carbon was responsible for the muddy bass, rather than the cartridge, preamp, or amp you were using, or the pressing of the vinyl.

talking about....
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from my old audio/vinyl days. Put your money in the cartridge and speakers. That is where the sound is reproduced from. Try to get a direct drive turntable instead of belt, cuts down on the hum. Also back in my day I had the turntable amps etc. in a room separate from the speakers to eliminate any feedback.

Keep the records clean and use plastic sleeves instead of paper to avoid superficial scratches.

Think of a good system as a chain. Its really only as good as the weakest link....

Lots of good info here!

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