Yes, not a ton of mono. Was just curious what others have done or what comparable turntable at this price point that has removable headshells.
Question, how are you guys getting these from online dealers for a discount? Just call and negotiate?
There's a "like new" one on Amazon Warehouse now for $1367, so a bit discounted from new. I bought mine from Music Direct, initially as a factory refurbished unit for a discounted price. But it looked to me to be more used than factory refurbished, so I called their customer service and they sold me a new one for not much more than I paid for the refurb. They don't seem to carry it any more, but I would just search for local or online vendors who carry it and then call in and see if they're willing to deal. Esp now, given what are likely slow sales due to the corona situation, I'm sure many would be willing to deal. Also, if you're ok with a used unit from other audio enthusiasts, I've seen a handful come up for sale here, Audiokarma, and other sites from time to time, often at quite a discount from the new price.
You could get a MM that has a mono stylus option from AT and just swap that out. Would need to adjust tracking force for the different tips.
Probably one of the best buys on the market - bar none. Well matched package. I have since modified mine to have a Signet XK-50 tonearm that has been modified so it now has a carbon fiber tonearm with a 15" effective length. Currently running a AT ART9 MC.
I found one at ABT that was an unopened UPS return for $960. I had to drive to northern Chicago to get it though. 10 hour drive total but well worth the savings. I had the time too due to covid19.
...And if you are ever in Chicago i highly recommend visiting their only store. Its like an electronics mall of America
Has anybody tried using their TT15S1 with a Clearaudio Smart Synchro PSU for maximum speed stability and push-button speed switching? It's compatible with the TT15. Price is $800 in America. Clearaudio | High End - made in germany
Just got one of these yesterday, it's a bigger upgrade over my Debut Carbon/Ortofon Blue than I expected! I do have a question about the dip switch settings on a Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 - any idea what the correct settings are? Im new to this stuff and my settings were muffled and so bad sounding, so I have the table straight into my Marantz PM6006 at the moment.
Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge demands 100pf to sound at its best, and 40db gain, these are the correct settings
FWIW, the Pro-Ject Phono Box (which I'm using with my Marantz TT 15S1 + Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge) has no adjustable settings, but sounds very good to my ears, with these factory specifications: Input capacitance/input impedance, MM: 47kohms/120pF Gain, MM / MC: 40dB / 60dB
It's true, i have used that little phono box and it gives a very pleasant sound; anyway 100 or 120pf it's not a dramatic difference so you are fine with your pre-phono
I thought I answered your question, but I could not find where I did, if so, please excuse the duplicate, but you have a keen eye. The wires are on the cartridge wrong, and the reason they are is because Marantz or Clearaudio color coded the cartridge wrong from the factory. The way I found out it was wrong is when I switched my Parasound JC-3 Jr to mono mode and got NO sound output. On a hunch I started looking at the wiring in many pictures where this turntable was featured and discovered that they indeed did mark the cartridge incorrectly. I got that switched around and now all is good!
Has anyone tried the Mofi StudioTracker Cart on their TT15S1? I’ve had my TT15 for a longggg time now, long enough to have run through the ClearAudio cart and a Denon DL-110. Loved the match of the DL-110 on this table, sounded great. But am considering trying out the StudioTracker since it’s been getting such great reviews. Any thoughts?
I would like to ask if anyone with the Marantz TT-15S1 table has tried switching the provided Virtuoso Wood cartridge for a Moving Iron Soundsmith cartridge. I believe the carbon fiber arm on the table has an effective tonearm mass of 9g, and the Virtuoso Wood Cartridge has a compliance of 15um. The engineering folks at Soundsmith recommended a low compliance and low output model from their line. They recommended the following as choices: 1. Zephyr MK III 2. Zephyr MIMC 3. Paua 4. Sussurro One of the great advantages of Soundsmith is the much reduced cost of rebuilding or retipping their cartridges. Can anyone give me feedback on their recommendations or the Soundsmith cartridges in general, their CEO does a great job in promoting the Soundsmith advantages, he is very convincing!
Excellent thread. I have been using a Pro-Ject RM 1.3 with Sumiko Pearl since 2012... I wanted to replace my turntable, simply because I wanted to upgrade... And after being all over the map - going from looking at getting a McIntosh MT2, to not getting anything and staying with what I have... to going with a Clearaudio Concept... looking at the Technics SL-1500C, to recently coming across this Marantz... - now looking at replacing my Pro-Ject RM 1.3 with the Marantz TT-15S1. It will be a few months before I get it... but now that I finally decided on it, I can start looking for places that offer some kind of discount. Can't seem to find those from recent searches. They all seem to stick to US$1,499.99 Thank you all for the contributions made in this thread.
Find a local dealer willing to negotiate on price. Though I have to say, when I was in the market for mine two years ago, I checked with local Marantz authorized dealers and none had it in stock, so they didn't want to hassle with ordering one for me at less than the regular price. So I found a refurbished one on Amazon.com from an authorized Marantz dealer, for $1,199, and it worked out great. I just checked that product page, though, and there don't seem to be any refurbished ones for sale right now: https://www.amazon.com/Marantz-TT-15S1-Reference-Turntable-Transparent/dp/B000EI2I76/ It's such a good deal, though, and sounds so amazing, that if I had it to do over again I would've happily paid $1,499 for a factory-fresh one.
Thank you. I will look for any discounts. Was given a suggestion for a vendor, so will try that first. If all goes well, discount or not, I will get it before the end of July
I picked mine up refurbished on accessories4less.com a little while ago. They sell refurbished Marantz gear. Nothing there right now, but could be worth checking. They also come up used on Ebay pretty frequently. Great table!
This turntable is incredible! Maybe I’m only an audiophile wannabe but I’ve experimented a little with a few and I have not played my records on anything other than a turntable since I upgraded to a Garrard with a Pickering cartridge back n 1968. I used a Dual for a long time and upgraded to an AudioTechnica AT120LP with a Shure M97XE. Not impressed so I got a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC with an Ortofon 2M Bronze and I thought I was in heaven. The TT15S1 blows it away! For whatever reason the Marantz is bringing out detail that I didn’t know was there. Maybe the Marantz is playing detail that the others could not. Maybe the stylus on the Virtuoso stock cartridge finds detail that all the previous cartridges could not. It stands to reason that low volume high frequency detail creates only comparatively tiny ridges in the vinyl groove that can only be sensed by a high quality stylus. Imagine that: The first album I ever owned has ridges in the groove that had never touched a stylus! Good as new. So, yeah, I’m hearing things I never heard before. Comments I have seen on-line comparing the Marantz to others are: 1. A turntable is only as good as its cartridge. A $1000 table with a $99 cartridge is a $99 table. 2. The real value of the Marantz is more like about $4000: This thing is a steal! 3. The Clearaudio Virtuoso V2 Ebony moving magnet sounds as good as a $2500 moving coil cartridge. If it’s true that a cartridge and table should be comparable in market value the Marantz should be valued around $2000 based on the $1100 cartridge price tag. Based on the value of the equivalent $2500 MC cartridge, $5000! Concerning the correct alignment of the TT15S1 with the guide buttons in the cartridge slot (latest model?); There appear to be only two choices. The Baerwald will be perfectly aligned with the cartridge at maximum extension as per manufacturer’s instructions. Maybe that’s why no protractor is supplied. Or Loefgren A can be achieved with a shorter location of the cartridge along the headshell slot. Since this tonearm allows no cartridge angle adjustment you would have to align it by changing the cartridge extension to the Loefgren null points. And that is a TON easier than screwing around with headshells that allow movement of both the angle and extension simultaneously. That is a daunting exercise for anyone other than an alignment professional. Another plus for the TT15 is its protection of the stylus as compared to the Debut Carbon; The TT15 blocks tonearm movement to the right side beyond the tonearm clamp. Not so with the Debut which sent the stylus crashing onto the plinth. Not knowing about stylus retipping I started looking at better turntables and ended up with the TT15. Not such a bad accident afterall! A little long-winded I suppose but I am so happy with the Marantz that I just have to say it out loud! If you have read or heard that term “soundstage” this thing has it! I didn’t know what it meant until now. I’m right in the Studio.
I was dead set on getting it next month until I started reading and seeing videos on the VPI... before that, everything I saw got me going back to my decision of sticking with the Marantz... Now I do not know East from West... my head is spinning with so many questions... Will I still like the looks of the Marantz 5 years from now? Is it a timeless design? I want to buy my last turntable... do not want to do this again...
