Choosing Turntable

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abhijit

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I have short listed 3 turntables which are given below:

1. Michell Orbe with SME SR IV/V arm

2. SME 10 with M2 or SR IV arm

3. VPI Aries 3 with JMW 10.5i Tonearm

Can anyone one advice me for the best of the above in terms of reliabilty, technical support and and durablity? All are more or less in the same price range
 
abhijit said:
I have short listed 3 turntables which are given below:

1. Michell Orbe with SME SR IV/V arm

2. SME 10 with M2 or SR IV arm

3. VPI Aries 3 with JMW 10.5i Tonearm

Can anyone one advice me for the best of the above in terms of reliabilty, technical support and and durablity? All are more or less in the same price range


Hopefully Tim (MiTT) will chime in here since he is a VPI afcianado, but I would say the VPI Aries 3 is certianly the Bargin of the group, given that it's MSRP is 20-30% less than the other two. One thing nice about the SME and The Mitchel are their "Plinthless" designs which addresses some of the resonance issues associated with more conventional rectangular plinth turntables. From what I know and have read I think you have a winner picked in any of the three you have selected.

Good luck, keep us posted, also which cartridge are you thinking about ??
 
I wish I had your problem. I'd seriously consider both the VPI and the SME. But I'm actually waiting for the new TT from Linn
 
abhijit said:
Why not Michell Orbe?

Simple, I haven't heard a Michell table in years and have no idea what they currently sound like. The other two tables I know.
 
Thanx for your suggestion. Does anyone has any experience with Michell Orbe Turntable?
 
Abhijit, I've listened to the Mitchel, but not at great length so comment wouldn't be fair. As Dave mentioned above I'm a big VPI fan personally so you already know what I'm going to tell you. I really do believe that for the money you are talking about spending the Aries 3 with the 10.5i arm is the standout performer. As a base unit this is an absoultely stunning looking and performing table. You needn't worry about the plint, the sandwiched layers of acrylic and aluminum will be absolutely inert I assure you. The 10.5i arm is the best they make, only differing in length from the 12.5. It comes with the ability to precisely adjust VTA while the record is spinning, it's also very easy to adjust azimuth and it now includes the new anti skate mechanism and a dropped counterweight (lowers the CG of the arm for better tracking). Spend the extra $300.00 and get the i version with the Nordost wiring, it is a worthwhile improvement.

One of the things I like most about VPI's philosophy is that you can always upgrade. A person on a budget can start with a Scout and eventually work their way up to a full Super Sout Master as finances allow. Same thing with the Aries 3. It comes with the same platter and bearing as the HRX, so you can eventually add the perifery ring clamp, and the external flywheel, and the SDS motor controller at your own pace. You can also add additional tonearm wands to the 10.5i if you have multiple cartridges. Once properly set up it literally takes seconds to swap out arm wands.

The VPI products are very revealing, subtle changes are quite apparent. I've dialed VTA in to where you really do get that "SNAP" into place concerning imaging and soundstage - you know when it's right. I also just switched from the standard VPI center clamp to a Black Diamond Racing version. Even this rendered a noticble improvement.

So there you have my opinion. If you want a turntable that sounds marvelous once properly set up, this is a true "set & forget" solution. On the other hand, if you want to spend some time tinkering, and engaging in the ritual of vinyl devotion, the possibilities are only limited by your budget and time.

Good luck no matter what you choose, always good to have another vinyl addict in the group...
 

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Many thanx for your info. In fact the I am looking for 10.5 i tonearm only. Do you need the addtional stuff for the anti-skating? How does it compate with SME 10 table?
 
SME 10 with SR IV or Mitchell Orbe with SME SR V

I have now short listed SME 10 with SR IV and Mitchell ORBE with SME SR V arm. Can anyone advice me? Mitchell is powered by microprocessor controled DC Motor whereas SME 10 is powered with Syncronous AC MOTOR which is also microprocessor controlled. Both the platters are about 3.5 kg against VPI Aries which is much lower!
 
The key to any analog playback

I have collected and played vinyl recordings since 1960 and still use only a turntable to listen to recorded music. All things being equal in a good turntable such as a silent bearing, a good motor and power supply and a non ringing platter, there is a most important issue often overlooked: a vacuum hold down of the disc itself.

Take any record, clamp it down on a table and lightly tap the surface with your nail. You will hear the cavity, louder and louder the farther away from the spindle you get. This effect is incredibly audible in actual playback since it becomes hugely amplified from the point of contact. The effect can be easily observed by starting a record and turning on the vacuum after it has started to play. Groove noise drops away, the stage expands and a wonderful ease settles over the musical proceedings. In many recordings I suddenly become aware of not just the room but it's surroundings beyond the walls.

It is way bigger than all other differences in sound I have heard between "high end turntables". I believe that there are just two vacuum equiped lines of TTs on the market today, Basis and SOTA. Oh yes there is of course the Continuum vacuum table from Australia which is the finest turntable I have ever heard, but it comes in at $80K (without it's stand).

In any case this is a major issue that most table manufactures leave out of the equation because they don't offer it on any model. If you plan an analog set-up though you should definitely consider this.

In the end though, the most important issue in analog playback is software. If you like the repetoire look for some of the best labels: Wergo and Telefunken from Germany, BIS from Sweden, Erato and Harmonia Mundi from France, Melodiya from Russia and Black Saint from Italy. Many of these will lead you into musical realms that most big labels such as Columbia have never entered.
The hunt for these great treasures from the middle of the past century is a great hobby in it's own way and each find can give you a regular "upgrade" for a fraction of the cost of a new piece of hardware.
 
HI,
I agree with dbakker completely about the vacuum hold down. It has been so many years since I did not have a vacuum turntable that I don't remember how it sounded without. All I remember for sure is the vac worked--and in several different ways.

Other than rock-solid sound, things like sucking a bad warp flat is worth while. Your woofers will put you into their will.

The two tables I have had with vac is the Sota Star Saphire and the Sota Nova, my current table. Of the two, the Nova is, by far, the better. In all other ways the Nova is a first rate turntable. Couple it with an ET-2 arm, and you have eliminated several of the most nasty variables in vinyl playback.

With vinyl, to suck or not to suck is an easy question.

Sparky
 
Sucking

I may be wrong, but I thought that the Walker Procenium and Kuzma had vaccuum capability also. I should think that you are both correct in that the vacuum hold down would offer that last bit of coupling between the vinyl and the platter. Short of that, I do think that the VPI solution of a center clamp combined with the outer ring clamp would be as close as possible to this ideal via purely mechanical means.

I used to have an old Techniques TT in the 70's that also sucked - but in an entirely different context.
 
MiTT said:
I used to have an old Techniques TT in the 70's that also sucked - but in an entirely different context.

Funny thing, I had a "Yammie" table just like that !! BTW Tim I ordered my VPI Aries 3 with 10.5i today, should have it by mid - Dec ! Who says there isn't a Santa Claus !!
 
Funny thing, I had a "Yammie" table just like that !! BTW Tim I ordered my VPI Aries 3 with 10.5i today, should have it by mid - Dec ! Who says there isn't a Santa Claus !!

Dave, you lucky dog! Good for you my friend, this is one version of "Joeyitis" that I fully understand. You will NOT be disappointed. Did you go with the dedicated Dynavector cartridge then?

If I didn't love my "old" Aries so much I'd be jeleous, instead I'm just extreemly happy for you. Can't wait to read your full report and see photos of it in your system. Congrats!
 
Dave, you lucky dog! Good for you my friend, this is one version of "Joeyitis" that I fully understand. You will NOT be disappointed. Did you go with the dedicated Dynavector cartridge then?
Congrats!

thank you Mr. "B" , yes I decided to try the VPI/Dynavector 20 X-H spl. it's a one millivolt MC, should mate up well with my ARC PH-3.
 

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