Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Turntable recommendations

hey...they're old to me. Those Cosby records came out nearly a decdade before I was born.

Oh Shut up!!!!!!!

Jack,

Did that Shure cartridge make a big audible difference? I'm starting my preliminary turntable research right now and want to get a similar bang for the buck like my Axiom speakers.

OY, this is as tough a question as speaker break-in. It is my humble opinion that the Shure cartridge was a considerable step up from the Stanton cartridge that came with the turntable. It is possible that I've experienced the placebo effect, but I don't believe that's the case.

Ajax,

When it comes to turntables, there's no debate that replacing components (e.g. needles, tonearms) or using tweaks (e.g. vibration damping) can noticeably and measurably affect the sound -- but that doesn't mean the placebo effect can't make it sound sweeter than it actually does.

player8,

The Shure M97XE is an excellent cartridge. In a general way, the Shure cartridges tend to track highly modulated grooves (vinyl that is cut "hot," which a lot of pop recordings are) better than Stanton or any other cartridge. The Shure cartridges also produce significantly less IM distortion (in whole percentages!) than any other cartridges when tracking highly modulated grooves.

To counter some of the recommendations above, I'd suggest that even expensive belt-drive turntables (even the Linn) have intrinsically greater flutter than quite inexpensive direct-drive models. Many also produce less rumble than belt-drive designs. Back in the vinyl era, my tests conducted for Sound Canada magazine (both lab tests and listening tests) showed that all belt-drive turntables produce some audible flutter, mostly detectable on sustained piano tones and other solo instruments.

The only turntables with totally inaudible flutter and rumble were direct-drive designs. Of course, many LPs have audible wow and flutter that is traceable to the cutting lathe and open-reel machines used to master the disc. I did own two turntables, one a higher-end Scottish belt-drive with a custom tonearm; the other a massive direct-drive with an integrated arm that isn't as refined. I sold the high-end belt-drive and kept the direct-drive because of its inaudible flutter and rumble.

Regards,

Thanks Alan. So my best bet would to find an affordable (around $100) direct drive turntable and get a quality cartridge like the Shure? How about the tonearm? I've read that this is important as well. Are many supplied arms not adequate for good quality sound?

Hi,

The tonearm bearing friction and mass of tonearms on integrated direct-drive tables like the Stanton, Technics (consider a used one) are adequate for cartridges like the Shure M97, a mid-priced Stanton or Grado. If you get into higher-end top of the line cartridges, you must go to a separate custom (very expensive) tonearm in order to realize the performance potential of these cartridges. For occasional, routine use, the M97 in a direct-drive will be fine. If you go the other route, you are into thousands of dollars. The Shure cartridges also include a viscous-damped stabilizer brush that is very effective at smoothing out warp-induced artifacts.

Given the severe, intrinsic limitations of vinyl playback, I don't think it's worth spending huge amounts on turntable/arm technology, unless you entirely reject modern digital recordings and CD.

Regards,