Quote:
Originally Posted by Piatnik
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Is it day and night between TT, is it more a question of taste ? Will I have to have a separate Phono preamp or the C52 built-in is good enough for a higher-end TT?
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Of course personal preference is always a factor for any piece of audio gear.
The primary job of a turntable is two-fold. Spin the record at 33-1/3 rpm and do so quietly. The more stable the rotation at 33-1/3 and the quieter the 'table the clearer the sound. Improved timing means less signal smearing which means improvements in sonic characteristics related to time, such soundstage, tonality, articulation, etc. As you'd expect, the better the design, materials and implementation, the better the 'table. There can be significant sonic differences between different 'tables.
So yes, since you mentioned direct drive, I would expect a Technics SL-1000R, SP10R or Grand Prix Audio Parabolica or VPI HW-40 to sound better than a Rega P6 and not by a small amount. The phonostage brings the largest and perhaps most significant gain increase of the tiny signal coming off the cartridge. I'm not familiar with the CS52 preamp but there are quite a few excellent phonostages available as separates, often on the used market.