$300-$400 TT rec - MH, PJ or U-Turn?

The MMF-2.2 is my favorite option. I feel like the tonearm is good. It's either the same or very nearly the same as the one from the MMF-5. I think it was also on the Pro-Ject 1.2. I had a MMF-5 for a while and liked it. The carbon arm looks nice, I suppose, but I don't know why it would be better.

 

Get the damned Dual fixed! It will probably outperform most of the tables mentioned so far.

I know a guy in Brooklyn, NY who specializes in Duals and he can totally rebuild it correctly for a fraction of what you're looking to spend. Shoot me a message if you want his contact info.

 

I fully intend to. But I wanted to pick up something that doesn't need as much TLC as well. I'll check out that link, thanks!

 

Once they're properly serviced, Duals are actually pretty robust tanks!

 

I popped on the headphones (Grado SR80e) and opened two tabs to try to change drops as quickly as possible. I guess my take would be that the UTurn drops sound richer, rounder smoother. On the Brubeck, Mr. Desmond sounded rather harsh and thin (it is kind of a raucous recording, I guess) on the Sansui. The Orbit sounded like Paul, I thought. Mr. Brubeck's piano sounded more harmonically developed on the Orbit. In Peg, the snare beats kinda hurt with the Sansui. The electric piano was again fuller and more developed with the Orbit. Michael McDonald was more clearly recognizable with the Orbit. I thought.

Is that sounding at all like what you're hearing?

 

Hmmm...If I had the Carbon. I would personally be wishing for a different cart. I think that the Red is of very good quality, but has a more "upfront" signature than I like. (With headphones, too much of the sound is concentrated at each ear for me.) But that's such a personal preference. That may be the next guy's sound. It might be just the thing if the rest of the system is on the mellow side. I would also wish that the headshell lever on the Carbon was more than a stub, as I like to freehand. I would wish that I had the $100 ($120 if one buys a Music Direct 2.2 demo) difference to buy a cart more to my liking. (Grado Blue or more or Nagaoka MP-110 or Goldring Electra)

If I had the 2.2 (well, I actually do), I might wish that I had the carbon tonearm. I figure it "must" offer some improvement. (Right?) I have the "Tracker" cartridge (Goldring Electra) that used to be standard and it suits my preferences, though I will get an upgrade stylus one of these days. I can't speak to the Magic 2 cart (have heard it said that it's an Ortofon OM10), but it would surely suffice until you decided on any potential future choice. (Or you may just like it fine, of course.)

Were I sure I liked the 2M Red cart, the DC would be an obvious choice.

Was that a gutless enough response?

Either table would need a platter mat. (The nice deerhide mats at ebay are back down to $25 after being at $40 for a while. The swiss leather mats from NYC are now down to $22 shipped. They look beautiful with the black gloss plinth.)

 

Roy Hall definitely said it's the 5's arm. I have both the 2.2 and the Pro-ject 1.2 and they look identical, though I can't swear that the 2.2 arm isn't a teensy bit bigger around. (Running back from room to room is inconclusive and that may be my imagination.) The 1.2 is heavier- the platter being noticeably heavier and I don't know if that accounts for all of the difference.

 

I'm gonna check these out today too. I've been very curious about the Orbit, particularly since it's made one town over from me.

I was in a record store in Lowell this past weekend and they were using an Orbit Basic with the cheapest AT cartridge option, but the store only had teeny tiny Bose speakers on the wall, so it was impossible to get a sense of its capability.

 

FYI, Rega just dropped the list price on remaining stock of RP1s in the US to $345 list.

 

Please let me know. Its been forever since I made these, so all I remember is that I liked the Orbit better . Not only that, anyone who has listened has relented that THIS IS A NEW $250 TABLE! Not junk, not even close.

Other tables have had motor isolation issues in this price point (may be solved by now, not sure). The arm could be better on the Orbit (Which is why the Fluance intrigues me), but the ATs I have heard have had some QC issues as well. Being an American company and the story of the company, plus hearing of their Customer Service is why I ended up trying the table. I like it. There are some issues (the dustcover is cheap and the hinges are terrible), but other than that I have been very pleased with the table. I dont have the cue lever and dont miss it now. I enjoy the simplicity amd the design choices. The rega and projects have better arms, for sure. However, listening to the samples I think people who never heard the table are impressed.

 

I used to have an AT-PL120, and found it to sound rather thin, probably due to a large degree because of the lightweight, loss-y platter. Even an ancient entry-level Pioneer PL-12D sounded better.

 

Did you like the sound of the Orbit with the Grado? I do think this was before I upgraded preamps, which I like the sound of my new preamp a bit better...

 

Lemme listen... hang on...

 

Oh, and here are before and after of my preamps (and more of the Orbit)... Dropbox - PhonoPreampSamples »

 

What is the thump thump thumb at the beginning of all of the samples?

It's hard to say for sure which table is more able because a Stanton 500 and a Grado Black are very different animals. That said, the Sansui/Stanton samples have thicker bass and less delicacy, and the the Orbit/Grado samples have more top-end air, are more "quick," and have better bass control.

 

Music direct had it with performance pack for $425 or so

 

U Turn

 

Thank you everyone for your advice. Lots of fans across the board, and since it seemed like a wash, I went with my first instinct and ordered a Music Hall 2.2 from Music Direct.

 

And at least you have the 60-day return policy. I've never had to send anything back from them, so I don't know if they're cheerful about it. (Take pics during unpacking in case a return is necessary.)

Give us a report when it's settled in!

 

Decision update:

I received my Music Hall 2.2 the other day. Haven't had a chance to try it out too much but first impressions were: relatively easy setup (despite the instructions that could have better illustrations) and a more solid build than I was expecting. I think for $299 I didn't expect as much weight.

However, I just got a 40% off code at B&N and, since they sell U-Turn, I couldn't help myself. So I ordered an Orbit Plus for $185 plus tax. At that price I couldn't say no to a side-by-side comparison.

Should be here next week and I'll post my thoughts after a few listens.

Thanks again to everyone on this board. You guys are awesome.

Rob

 

That seems like the silliest purchase. You could have repaired the dual, put a better cart on it, and bought a phono preamp for $485.

 

I'm going to repair the dual. And only going to keep one of the new turntables. So why not?

 

Holy crap, how do you stay in business with deals like that? Second system here we come! (?)

 

Absolutely not. All Rega products are made in England.