Is there such thing as a "more musical" turntable than the others?

No..that's inaccurate and not what I mean when I say warm. And I say its the warmth of the record not the record player, who job is to bring you the best accurate sound its capable of. A record reproduced from analog tapes have that warmth, or I would probably do better by saying "analog" sound which I believe is a more natural sound. DSD can come close but still falls short in my opinion. Some records are produced from digital tape and its not even subtle, you sure can hear it right off the bat with a good record spinner...not warm at all.

 

I agree. I have some records that I thought sounded horrible....until I upgrade the cartridge. all of a sudden, the light came on...it wasn't so much the record but the limitations of the cheaper cartridge.

 

I don't even understand wht ¨musical¨ is when it comes to gear.

 

Right? If what's coming from the speakers isn't musical then the whole system is going out the window. I feel the same when people describe the sound as "liquid". What does that even mean?

 

Actually it means different things to different hobbyist. To some it means the music has that "Boogie" factor...others it means the music just moves you...to some it means accurate. To some it may mean other things. take your pick!

 

Still made, as far as I know.
If you located one with the Naim Aro
Tonearm, it would blow your mind
The arm simply unplug and lifts off.
With rebuilt Troika you would get very
Little sleep.
Designed for Linn cartridges I used a Denon DL304 and Dynavector 17D2
( same overhang)
Bw aware, there are no slots for overhang.
But I wonder if SME mount could be utilised as then whole body could be moved to achieve this.
Roksan Nima unipivot same design.
Cheaper maybe on Roksan turntable
Would hit the spot.
Food for thought.
Hadcock also unipivot.
You see with unipivot you get facility
To adjust azmith( stylus perpendicular
To record, to get perfect seperation
And channel balance.
Not many arms provide this.
Big sound with Linn.

 

That music flows smoothly without stutters or graininess.

 

I think liquid means fluid..or it flows like water. Years ago Stereophile Mag had a list of audio terms and what they mean. I believe that list is still over at Audiokarma.

 

That's a great TT but from what I'm seeing, it cost US$10,000+ and I'm not into the rabbit hole yet to invest on a turntable. Hopefully, if finally I find that sound that I like, I would keep upgrading...

 

Those Sota look very interesting and beautiful as well. Any particular model of that brand? In a few words, why would you recommend a Sota in comparison to other alternatives? Thanks you!

 

Yes, living in Costa Rica. No many options at all. Have try all the available except the Pro-Ject ones because I've read anything special about that brand and they sell only the basic ones with Ortofon cartridges...

 

thanks for the advise, I'm eager to test the sound of that cartridge. I've read a lot of good reviews since you recommend it. I just sold the LP120 and kept the Orbit Plus...

 

So, does that mean you plan to buy from a US dealer? Is new the only option? In either case, what it your total budget for turntable + cartridge + phono stage?

 

These cliches are used with reckless abandon on social media and unsophisticated consumers, including people who uses those Crosley and other low-end junk abominations, too.

 

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Yes, I buy all my stuff via online and sometimes I lose a lot of money because it's not that easy to return it so I have to sell it here quite cheap. Regardless, before giving up on vinyl, I'm willing to spend 2,000 or maybe a little more between TT and cartridge...and hopefully, if FINALLY I'm hooked on the sound, invest more and more in the upgrades...

 

The idler TT fanatics all swear that these produce the most musical sound. So you might want to consider going in that direction.

And don't forget about the phono preamp! I you want musicality, then you should seriously consider running an all-tube phono stage.

 

Sotas, in my experience, tend to sound ‘digital’. Terrific clarity and detail, but not much ‘soul’.

A friend of mine back in the day did some A-B comparisons with me between his Sota Sapphire and my Linn Sondek, and the two ‘tables really could not have sounded more different.

The Linn was musical, warm, and boogie-woogie, and the Sota was initially ‘impressive’ sounding, but also cold and clinical.

But my friend actually liked that sound, so, different strokes for diff’rent folks.

This was the late ‘80s though, and newer Linns are a bit closer to ‘neutral’ (though still not ‘digital’), so the big contrast between Linns and Sotas, while still sorta there, may be somewhat less now. For some ppl, that may actually be an incentive to go for an older, used Linn.

UK posters feel free to weigh in here, as I know you guys tend to know these sorts of comparisons inside out.
.

 

I have zero experiences with the Rega tables and carts, but have read good things about both the P6 and the Ania: Rega - Planar 6 Turntable (Ania) **OPEN BOX**

But that doesn't leave you much for a MC phono stage (or SUT + MM phono stage)

 

There are big differences in how turntables and tone arms sound related to the degree of motor vibration break through, tone arm resonances, acoustic isolation, speed and speed stability, etc., that will express themselves in cleaner or less clean HF tracking, frequency response modulation, and especially in differences in the degree of low level detail, soundstage and the sense of a single continuous soundspace (in recordings made that way), dynamic range especially at the p to ppp end of the scale, ability to handle loud ensemble peaks without the soundstage collapsing, etc. If any of those characteristics sound more or less "musical" to you, is a purely personal subjective experience of what "sounding musical" means to you. I don't personally think describing audio gear as sounding musical or sounding more or less musical means much of anything -- it's too completely subjective. I never really think one piece of audio gear sounds "musical" and another doesn't. But different turntables and tonearms can sound pretty different from one another.

 

I get the idea of "warm and lush" but I would be disappointed if my records sounded warm. It's an over-used cliche' to exaggerate the differences between digital and analog sound. The term "musical" is fast becoming cliche' too, and I am guilty of over-use. As other members have conveyed, correctly, a great turntable and cartridge system should reproduce the master recording as closely as possible. It's not "warmth" as this relates more to eq, (adding perhaps some upper bass to color the sound) and even a digital sound recording can sound warm.

The benefit of analog in my opinion concerns greater usable dynamic range with headroom for more realistic dynamics. Analog sounds more organic, less "processed". Of course the specs of any digital device directly contradict my assertion, but.. try listening to a CD or any high rez digital download recorded at an average VU of -10dB or -20dB... it will almost always sound thin, and "black" lacking nuance. The lowered avg VU level in digital allows for similar headroom as experienced in analog.

Both have their perks and deficits.

 

Very concisely stated, I struggled somewhat to express what you just stated very clearly and elegantly!

 

Nearly bought one!

 

Yes. The difference in sound between my JVC QL-Y66F and my VPI Scout was night and day with the same cartridge. Sold the JVC.

 

I already have a phonostage, an iFi iPhono2... thanks

 

Thank you very much. Now I've learned that what I should look for is a turntable that while sounding GREAT does not sound "digital". I'm looking for an alternative to my digital front. Sure, I love hearing via digital, but I wish I could dedicate one day per week to listen to a vinyl album and enjoy as a DIFFERENT experience. Like going one day to the beach and one day to the mountains, both great experiences...