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FWIW, regarding the Pro-Ject balanced TT stuff, my buddy picked up the X2B a few weeks ago and did a bunch of testing back and forth between it and his Orbit. Crazy enough, it was too close to call and the kicker was that the Pro-Ject had a terrible hum/buzz happening that he could figure out. Thought it was some weird feedback in his house. So he returns it, gets a newer upgraded uTurn.
Fast forward to like 2 weeks ago when I was also looking at the X2B and I find a Reddit thread about how there are 2 rubber bands and a shim of sorts holding the motor in place for shipping that is not mentioned in any of the included instructions or any review. The OP removed those and the hum that he was also experiencing, unsurprisingly, went away.
So now it's just a case of what could have been.

Also, they do work with regular RCA cables. It just isn't true balanced, as others mentioned. Why they wouldn't include the balanced XLR, let alone a package deal with one of their balance phono stages, is a mystery to me.

My buddy's experience honestly pulled me away from considering ProJect altogether.
 
He didn't. Not sure why he just did a custom build as the Theory has the better tone arm and motor, but he is happy, so whatever
If I ever get around to saving a bit of money, I’ll probably get a theory. Preamp is probably first though.

I’m assuming he got speed control and the new platter at least? I’m also fairly certain and can confirm by looking at the site that the orbit has an upgraded tone arm as well these days.
 
I didn’t read that as he got a theory.
You are correct. I was just hoping it was a Theory versus another Orbit. 😣

I typically say, "buy what makes you happy", but I also hope that some reasoning is built into the decision. The high-end Orbit is a good turntable, but the Theory is a step above for the investment.

Edit: In visiting the U-Turn page, I see that U-Turn has made some very smart business decisions in their lineup since I last looked. They've managed to make their offering highly variable for every level of spend between $250 and $1000. They will take all the money you want to spend anywhere in between. Smart.
 
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If I ever get around to saving a bit of money, I’ll probably get a theory. Preamp is probably first though.

I’m assuming he got speed control and the new platter at least? I’m also fairly certain and can confirm by looking at the site that the orbit has an upgraded tone arm as well these days.

Phono preamps are brill! Still waiting on my new all tube jobbo to arrive…
 
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FWIW, regarding the Pro-Ject balanced TT stuff, my buddy picked up the X2B a few weeks ago and did a bunch of testing back and forth between it and his Orbit. Crazy enough, it was too close to call and the kicker was that the Pro-Ject had a terrible hum/buzz happening that he could figure out. Thought it was some weird feedback in his house. So he returns it, gets a newer upgraded uTurn.
Fast forward to like 2 weeks ago when I was also looking at the X2B and I find a Reddit thread about how there are 2 rubber bands and a shim of sorts holding the motor in place for shipping that is not mentioned in any of the included instructions or any review. The OP removed those and the hum that he was also experiencing, unsurprisingly, went away.
So now it's just a case of what could have been.

Also, they do work with regular RCA cables. It just isn't true balanced, as others mentioned. Why they wouldn't include the balanced XLR, let alone a package deal with one of their balance phono stages, is a mystery to me.

My buddy's experience honestly pulled me away from considering ProJect altogether.
I cannot believe the motor hum thing is STILL a Pro-Ject issue. It's literally been an issue since the Debut Carbon.... debuted! And they're apparently still building 'em exactly the same! Man.

Just an update: I went ahead and ordered that used VPI Prime Scout from TMR. It should be here Friday or Saturday. And I bought the Darlington MP8B that @spydrwebb44 was selling, which should also be here Saturday. I can't wait!
This is a most excellent call. I'm jealous. Enjoy the hell out of that setup when you get it! And to boot I hear nothing but great things about TMR, glad to hear they took care of you.
 
I cannot believe the motor hum thing is STILL a Pro-Ject issue. It's literally been an issue since the Debut Carbon.... debuted! And they're apparently still building 'em exactly the same! Man.
I owned one Pro-Ject table with persistent grounding problems, and I think that was enough. No offense to any Pro-Ject owners present.
 
I owned one Pro-Ject table with persistent grounding problems, and I think that was enough. No offense to any Pro-Ject owners present.
I've had mine for almost 8 years, and had no issues to date, but it's very clear that there is a ceiling with these units and I will likely move to another brand for my "forever" table. Probably after I finally get this SAE installed.
 
I cannot believe the motor hum thing is STILL a Pro-Ject issue. It's literally been an issue since the Debut Carbon.... debuted! And they're apparently still building 'em exactly the same! Man.
Still selling, so why not. I would not be shocked in the least if they have had meetings about fixing this issue and found that most customers who experience this ultimately resolve it by moving up the pro-ject product line.
 
Still selling, so why not. I would not be shocked in the least if they have had meetings about fixing this issue and found that most customers who experience this ultimately resolve it by moving up the pro-ject product line.

The issue with the old debut was solved. It never existed in Europe with the DC mordels so they switched the US to those with the second revision of the debut carbon.

This seems more like a shit manual that doesn’t tell you to take off the transport bands. Shit manuals are pretty much a given in all audio products I’ve ever bought….
 
The issue with the old debut was solved. It never existed in Europe with the DC mordels so they switched the US to those with the second revision of the debut carbon.

This seems more like a shit manual that doesn’t tell you to take off the transport bands. Shit manuals are pretty much a given in all audio products I’ve ever bought….
What’d you buy it for if you don’t know how to use it?
 
So who cares about shit manuals then?

They can be handy down the line for trouble shooting or setting the odd thing deep in the manual but for getting things up and running they’re not all that important.

That said if I’m having problems communities and videos are usually a million times more valuable.
 
1000007175.pngI have an older Sony receiver and Bose speakers, both with spring clips. I have used bare wire as pictured on left, but have had issues. Has anyone used a double sided speaker wire with pin connectors on each end, as pictured on the right? I am wondering if anyone has used this option and whether there were any issues with the spring clips vs bare wire? If so, any recs on best pin connector speaker wire brands?
 
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