Here is an interesting comparison:

I have a vintage Marantz 6300 with a vintage audio Technica AT15ss super shibata cartridge MM. Both were considered the top of the line back in the 1970's or at least close to it. In recent time I had been enjoying looking over the modern belt drive super high end turntables, total eye candy for a mechanical type of mindset, but I never thought it would really be much better than what my vintage gear could produce.

Fast forward to this past May. I found a deal on a 10 year old VPI Ares3 TT with the super-platter option. I was also able to find a mint SME Series IV tone arm. Total original cost of this set up was around $9K down here in the states, I picked it all up for around $3K. After two days of machining work in my shop to fit the SME to the tone arm board and doing the set up, I finally was able to do transfer of the AT15ss from the Marantz to the VPI. But not before I modified the SVS Iso-feet (medium durometer rubber isolation feet made for sub woofers) and replaced the stock pointed conical feet. The TT weighs 75 pound in total with the super-platter, so the weight was well matched to the isolation feet as designed for a sub.

This was going to be a really good test of the BS level of audio and spending more money than you have a right mind to so that you can hear more. I was using the same vintage AT cartridge with a NOS stylus from two years ago, and simply swapping it over to a new TT/tone arm and retaining the Clear Audio Smart V2 phono preamp as used before.

RESULT: Holy Moly, I can hear instruments I didn't even know existed in some tracks. The bass is unbelievable, and all other frequency ranges just pop. I can hear instruments playing in what sounds like they are inside my fireplace.

The other most amazing result, I have zero bass feedback resonating up through the TT causing the awful howl which causes me to run for the volume control to turn it down before it blows a driver. There is virtually no feedback with whatever SPL level I want to run. I suspect the isolation feet have a lot to do with this as I can feel the shelf the turntable sits on vibrating with the low frequency hits, but if I move my hand to the surface of the Ares3, I cannot feel anything.

Conclusion: this thing was worth every penny spent! I am not sure that I would spend a lot more at this stage for anything even more high end as I do have to question the level of diminishing return on investment. But if someone is willing to do some shopping for a while to find a really good deal on a used high end turntable, I'd do it. The next big change will be when I wear out the Audio Technica AT15ss MM and go to a modern MC cartridge (I was told by a good HiFi dealer not to rush to change, the difference would be very minor). I'll take his advice and enjoy what life I have in the NOS stylus.

Last edited by Slimpikins; 12/25/17 02:32 PM.