Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

If 78s are a big issue I’d maybe be tempted to put off the purchase for a couple of months to save the little bit extra to get a Technics 1200/1210 gr. If I upgrade it will be to one of the Technics 1200 range.
 
Dylanfan253 said:
I find out about the holiday bonus situation tomorrow evening so I will officially be looking to replace my orbit w/grado black.

My Current setup is as follows
Orbit Acryllic
Grado black/black
Vincent Pho 8
NAD C 326BEEE
Elac Debut 2.0 f5.2

I do not want to have to move a belt to change speed.
Something that is capable of playing at 78rpm would be nice but is by no means a deal breaker.
Cost of cartridge to be included in the total budget given, recommendations on cartridge choice would be much appreciated.

Budget not to exceed $1000USD.
If possible please give 2 options one at or around the lowest price to have the options listed above that would not be considered a lateral move considering my current setup. As well as an option at or around max budget.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you may provide.
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You might be able to find a demo / open box Clearaudio Concept (with their MM cart) for that price (got mine for around 900€). Not that common though, and I don't know if it's well distributed in the US.

But it does 33/45/78 without the need to play with the belt / platter and is a very solid TT. I felt a great improvement over my RP3 w/ Goldring 2100, even with the default cart (now upgraded).
 
Thanks for all the input everyone I’m trying to decide how important playing 78 records is, at this point I don’t see buying any but I’ve had quite a few given to me that I would enjoy listening to but ultimately it may be silly to spend money to play these because that money could go towards a cartridge and or stylus that would make everything else sound better. I am intrigued by the Technics options, I remember when hearing their rep talk about some of their lower priced options thinking that sounds like a great next upgrade. I don’t remember the specifics but it seemed to me without further research that the points made were quantifiable and that the trickle down effect from their more expensive tables made it sound like a great value. Aesthetics would be the least important factor for me but I like the looks of the direct drive options.
 
Dylanfan253 said:
Thanks for all the input everyone I’m trying to decide how important playing 78 records is, at this point I don’t see buying any but I’ve had quite a few given to me that I would enjoy listening to but ultimately it may be silly to spend money to play these because that money could go towards a cartridge and or stylus that would make everything else sound better.
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FWIW the only time I'm using the 78rpm feature on the Clearaudio is to play the hidden track on this

www.discogs.com

Jack White (2) - Lazaretto

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Ultra LP Vinyl release of Lazaretto on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com

If the ones you have are shellac records, I'd be careful using the same setup, as it's likely to damage your stylus.
 
apassant said:
FWIW the only time I'm using the 78rpm feature on the Clearaudio is to play the hidden track on this

www.discogs.com

Jack White (2) - Lazaretto

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Ultra LP Vinyl release of Lazaretto on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com

If the ones you have are shellac records, I'd be careful using the same setup, as it's likely to damage your stylus.
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If you are to play shellac 78’s aren’t you supposed to have a different stylus for them ?
 
Dylanfan253 said:
If you are to play shellac 78’s aren’t you supposed to have a different stylus for them ?
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most definitely. If you were running something like the pioneer/Technics you could even have multiple carts on the go for each type of record because removable headshells makes swapping between them so easy!
 
yeah i'll probably get a schiit magni and a kind of headphone that will actually take the higher frequencies of the audiophile reissues (M50s only do the normal hearing so analog doesn't do much for me.. i just like my headphones to sound warm.. like to feel the hits of a guitar for an example)
 
Also is there any reason that I would not be able to swap my grado black over to the new table so I can defer the cost and also have a better way to quantify how the new table sounds, if I were to get a new table and cart it wouldn’t be as easy to separate the benefits of either.
 
Dylanfan253 said:
Also is there any reason that I would not be able to swap my grado black over to the new table so I can defer the cost and also have a better way to quantify how the new table sounds, if I were to get a new table and cart it wouldn’t be as easy to separate the benefits of either.
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None at all. Fitting and removing a cartridge is a really doable job you just need to be careful and take your time because the little wires and connections that attach to it are often pretty fragile. I find plastic tweezers an ideal tool because they’ll warp before you damage the connections.
 
Yes and because of my mishap the other night I now have the rest of the stuff necessary to install and align the cartridge properly. At this point I just need to decide how much I want to spend. Right now I’ve theoretically nailed it down too either the pioneer plx 1000 or the technics sl1200 mk7. I’ve read as much as I could find so far about peoples experience who’ve used both and obviously the Technics is generally considered better and it should relative to it being nearly double the price but the main point of contention was that it was obvious with the feel and look of materials and the Technics felt more “solid” and more satisfying to use.
 
Dylanfan253 said:
Yes and because of my mishap the other night I now have the rest of the stuff necessary to install and align the cartridge properly. At this point I just need to decide how much I want to spend. Right now I’ve theoretically nailed it down too either the pioneer plx 1000 or the technics sl1200 mk7. I’ve read as much as I could find so far about peoples experience who’ve used both and obviously the Technics is generally considered better and it should relative to it being nearly double the price but the main point of contention was that it was obvious with the feel and look of materials and the Technics felt more “solid” and more satisfying to use.
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I'll start by saying I haven't used and or handled the Technics in any way. BUT, I can tell you the PLX is built like a tank. That being said, if it's between these 2 at this point, I would definitely start weighing if the extra cash is worth it, if we were talking a couple hundred, ya, go with either. That being said, I think you would be happy with either of these.

In your mind, what are YOU really getting for the extra cost and is it worth it to YOU?
 
The two being at different price points makes it easier because it’s just a matter of how much I choose to spend. Like you said I do believe I will be satisfied with either and if I go with the pioneer I can justify swapping over my grado black and upgrading to the 8mz stylus.
 
My mother in law is looking for Bluetooth bookshelf speakers for my brother in law and asked for suggestions. He's by no means an audiophile and spends just as much time listening to sports talk radio as he does music. I know nearly nothing about the Bluetooth speaker market, so need some advice.

I saw Edifier mentioned earlier (or maybe in another thread). Are these the best bang for your buck given a ~$175 budget?


Or one step up

 
Decided to order the Pioneer table, thanks to everyone who gave advice or opinions. Most of you also guided me towards the entirety of my setup now and this is my second table purchase with all your help. Going to take advantage of the needle store deal and order the 8mz stylus for my grado black to swap over to the Pioneer.
 
Since I will be inevitably searching for new carts to tinker with, are there any cartridges and or styli that are more “forgiving” when it comes to surface noise?
 
Dylanfan253 said:
Since I will be inevitably searching for new carts to tinker with, are there any cartridges and or styli that are more “forgiving” when it comes to surface noise?
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of the ones I’ve had the grado gold is streets ahead of either of the ortofon 2m red/blue
 
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