Best turntable under 10K - suggestions ?

[bruno2009]

... ups - looks like I got something wrong - McIntosh seem to come with a special own Tonearm and Cartridge... that would make the models very attractive for the price... (as I would then also sell my Tonearm and Cartridge)...

[dantes0929]

Originally Posted by bruno2009

... ups - looks like I got something wrong - McIntosh seem to come with a special own Tonearm and Cartridge... that would make the models very attractive for the price... (as I would then also sell my Tonearm and Cartridge)...

Make sure you dont use the cart it comes with mcintosh mt10. Look a bit better cart for mt10, Concerto v2 or higher...

[joe_marsh]

I've had two SOTA turntables over the years and find them to be rock solid, a great company, and a good value for the money.

[greekgod]

I would stay away from the McIntosh turntables. They are made by Clearaudio for McIntosh but not nearly as good as the Clearaudio branded turntables. Since you already don't like Clearaudio, I think you would be making a huge mistake by buying one. I would just stick with your Avid turntable.

[bruno2009]

Obviously this is an option, if no significant improvement is to be expected from an upgrade.

I do think that my DIVA II SP with the SME 309 and the EMT 75 sets the bar pretty high. The thought has actually occurred to me, that it may not be easy to top this under 10K - so that maybe - to make a real improvement - the step will have to be up to the Acutus SP.

In this case it might actually be worth to consider saving up a little longer and then to go for the "big jump".

Also - which I am still trying to figure out - maybe no more significant steps up can be expected at all - in this case I will just stick with what I have an live happily ever after (but that`s the thing with this hobby, isn`t it - always trying to figure out whether there`s a way to still upgrade or not)...

[John49]

Originally Posted by bruno2009

Obviously this is an option, if no significant improvement is to be expected from an upgrade. I do think that my DIVA II SP with the SME 309 and the EMT 75 sets the bar pretty high. The thought has actually occurred to me, that it may not be easy to top this under 10K - so that maybe - to make a real improvement - the step will have to be up to the Acutus SP. In this case it might actually be worth to consider saving up a little longer and then to go for the "big jump". Also - which I am still trying to figure out - maybe no more significant steps up can be expected at all - in this case I will just stick with what I have an live happily ever after (but that`s the thing with this hobby, isn`t it - always trying to figure out whether there`s a way to still upgrade or not)...

I would save up a little longer and then go for the 'big jump'... You then can upgrade to Reference and then to Conrad Mas's new Reference Mono power supply when funds permit!

[bruno2009]

@John49 - I am actually getting pretty comfortable with this thought... maybe it`s the right thing to do... :-)

[John49]

Originally Posted by bruno2009

@John49 - I am actually getting pretty comfortable with this thought... maybe it`s the right thing to do... :-)

@bruno2009 - of course it's the right thing to do!

[tom_hankins]

If you have the SME arm, the Sequel SP is a good step up from your Avid you have now. It gets you fairly close to the Acutus SP.

[ctsooner]

Dollar for dollar it's very difficult to beat any of the Basis TT's. If you are able to get one with the Vector 4 tone arms, then you have hit the jackpot. It is one of the highest rated arms regardless of price. There are not a ton of dealers, but they are handbuit in New Hampshire by CJ Conte who's a great guy. Brinkmann and Basis and AMG are three great TT designers. There are so many that it's hard to go wrong. I went the listening route a few years ago before choosing Basis. I didn't like REga at all and the Linn fully loaded was so expensive for what it was I felt. I like, but don't love the Clearaudio and VPI isn't for me. The Well Tempered tables are outstanding values also. Lot's of great choices that all sound different. Just need to listen and enjoy like anything else. If you need to start adding a bunch of mods to make a standard rig sound better, then maybe that rig isn't designed quite as good as some of the others out there. Great luck