Thoughts on the Marantz TT-15S1?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by TheRavenPoe, Mar 26, 2017.

  1. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    @CraigVC Just making sure you saw my post about the dealer myself and another member have experience with which is selling it for $300 less.
     
  2. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    I bought mine from another forum member here, via the "Hardware and Accessories" for sale section. It is the S1; not sure if there are other versions, I don't think so. It was sold to me as "New in Box", had been opened to check for damage, but otherwise identical to a new unit, with all parts and accessories. It looked like exactly that to me.

    I felt lucky to get it for $1000, which is why I pounced even though funds hadn't necessarily been "appropriated" for this purchase...I'm currently preparing a vintage Marantz integrated amp and matching tuner to cover the cost of the new TT and recent speaker purchase.

    The shop I talked with in Portland was (as I recall) Echo Audio.
     
  3. dolsey01

    dolsey01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    I would have to politely disagree with MD about the Concept being the better table. Yes it's more expensive and has more features. But it has an inferior arm and a somewhat noisy motor attached to the plinth and a lower end cartridge all for more $$$

    I owned the Concept for one week, and even with a Maestro V2 in it, I'd rather have the TT15 with the Virtuoso any day.
     
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  4. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Thank you for that perspective!
     
  5. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Yes, thank you for that recommendation. Initially I'm going to advocate for buying locally, if I can find a local authorized Marantz dealer with these turntables in-stock, and a good reputation for support/service after the sale.

    I travel extensively for work, so my opportunities to troubleshoot/tweak/adjust a turntable are limited to weekends. Generally, I'd much rather spend my weekends listening to music than tweaking equipment, so it's valuable to me to have a local dealer/shop to take a troublesome turntable to for support -- e.g., drop it off and let them fix it, meanwhile I'll go back home and listen to optical discs on the weekends until the turntable is returned to me. (I am willing to do the initial setup on my own, though, because I value knowing how the turntable works, which will enable me to make some minor adjustments/tweaks to the extent that I can get it "locked in." But once I get it locked in and sounding good, my hope/expectation is that I can not have to worry about it again until the stylus needs replacing.)

    But if local dealers are not available, and buying online is the only option, I'll certainly consider the Amazon sellers who are authorized Marantz dealers and could provide warranty support after the sale, especially if they're selling these units for below MSRP.

    Craig.
     
  6. 12" 45rpm

    12" 45rpm Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Someone locally is selling his table for around $900. It is five years old and he claims it's only been used for 50 or so hours. What kind of person buys a $1500 TT and only uses it 50 hours??? He is also selling his nitty gritty 1.0 machine and 200 lps for an extra $100.. I am trying to bargain him down since I can get a new Rega P3 close to this price range with a full warranty...
     
  7. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Sounds like a steal at his asking price, depending on his taste in music.
     
  8. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    That dealer is authorized, which is good.

    I can see where you're coming from but in all honesty, it's *quite* simple. For instance, there's no way for the bundle cart to be installed any other way than what is indicated in the manual. There are 2 screws which you put in the holes. Turn until it's a little tight. There's a thick paper protractor that came with it as well, IIRC.

    It was the 2nd turntable I had ever set up and it honestly couldn't have been any simpler. The whole thing took me 1h, following closely the instruction manual every step of the way.

    However you opt to proceed, you'll be happy once you start playing records on one of these babies. Don't forget to update the thread with your opinion of this TT. :)
     
    4xoddic likes this.
  9. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Thanks for the encouragement. It is reassuring.

    It's not that I don't enjoy tinkering, but since my career shifting to traveling consultant about 6 years ago, I've been realizing I have to let some things go in favor of more valuable use of my time, and hours tinkering on my own is a tough trade-off when I haven't seen Sara in 4-5 days... (So much more satisfying is spending a few hours listening to music in the same room together! The thought of more blissfully involving and musical vinyl sound reproduction - with a higher-quality turntable - is very appealing to me.)
     
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  10. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I don't enjoy tinkering. What's more, this was for my father-in-law so trust me when I say that I did not want him to call me regularly about issues he'd be having with his turntable.

    He's had it for 6 months and has been enjoying it immensely. No calls yet either. ;)

    Once it's set up, it's darn good and a rock-solid performer.
     
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  11. loki7177

    loki7177 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I just ordered this deck. What do you need in order to get the cartridge and arm setup properly? I have a digital VTF gauge. Do I need anything else? I am coming from an Orbit with 2M Blue that was factory installed.
     
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  12. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I think you're good. Just follow the manual very carefully and it should all turn out great.

    Congrats on your purchase. That's quite the step up! You'll enjoy the major upgrade in sound and looks, too.
     
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  13. ellingtonic

    ellingtonic Forum Resident

    This is a really good table for the money. You’ll really enjoy it!
     
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  14. H8SLKC

    H8SLKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Enjoy. As others have said it is a user-friendly table to set-up. You also have plenty of people on these forums who will be happy to help should you have a question.
     
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  15. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in

    The biggest issue I had is the instructions to set the anti-skating. Unless they’ve changed since I got mine, they’re a bit vague and weren’t even close to being correct. Other than that, it’s a breeze to set up and sounds great right out of the box.
     
  16. loki7177

    loki7177 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    NYC
    How many of you are using dust covers? If you are which one?
     
  17. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    For those interested in better information about the antiskating function, the user manual for the specific tonearm can be downloaded at the Clearaudio website.
     
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  18. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    HERE

    Just reading it now. Bob_in_OKC, the model that comes with the TT15 is the same as the Emotion, correct?

    At first glance, there appear to be a few small differences in installation between what is shown in this manual and the one for the TT15. But this manual is VERY nice for us TT15 owners to have, lots of additional detail! E.g., in addition to the anti-skating, the manual shows how to adjust azimuth (not that that was too hard to figure out).
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2018
  19. H8SLKC

    H8SLKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    No cover for me, also with bare platter. I brush dust off of it occasionally, but don't worry about it much. For me, a cover on this machine would be more trouble than help.

     
  20. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in


    Good info on the arm. Just to be clear. This is still a very general outline for setting the anti-skating. My arm set up nowhere near their recommendation. I forgot which test album I used to set it up, but even using any side of vinyl with no grooves is better than the general info given. The slightest turn of the knob made a big difference in the anti-skating.
    I’ve got too much money invested in vinyl and cartridges to leave it to estimates.
     
  21. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    I assumed that since I'm not having any tracking issues, the anti-skating must be set pretty well. But I know all about "assuming" and where it can get you. So I'm open to any and all methods for setting it more accurately. How did you go about it, ti-triodes?
     
  22. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in

    I don’t want to get into a can of worms because vinyl freaks have their own preferences and are willing to do battle to the death. ;) Some guys over at Vinyl Engine say skating should be adjusted for every song o_O. If anyone else has their own method, don’t rip me a new one. I’d be willing to hear what they do. :)
    The basic method I always used was a vinyl side with no grooves cut in. Put the stylus on and adjust the skating so the stylus doesn’t slide in either direction while playing.
    The test disc I used also does the same thing. It has a ungrooved track on it to do the adjustments.
    Simple and neat.
     
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  23. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    I understand about the issue you mention later of preferences, but keep in mind - the stylus standing still on a ungrooved vinyl is generally considered to be too much antiskating. A stylus shape other than spherical is experiencing more skating force on flat vinyl than in a groove.
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2018
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  24. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    Not enough pictures in this thread.
     
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  25. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in

    That’s why I prefaced my answer. In fact, I’m not even sure if there is a definitive answer. I tried to get an answer over at VE and came away confused. It went from some guys saying the old AR turntable with no a-s did just fine to some guys who stated it should be adjusted for every track on an album. Even they couldn’t come to a consensus.
    One thing I do know is the adjustment for the TT-15 is way too imprecise, though it may work well with the cartridge that comes with it. I’ve put a dozen cartridges on mine since I’ve had it. I need something more definitive.
    Again, if anyone else has a better way, I’d love to hear it.
     
    riverrat likes this.

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