Looking for a table $2000 range

If you can find a pair of used Revel Concentra/2 F36 floor standing speakers you will be highly impressed.

 

I think the Ania was a step up over my Bronze, which by comparison should answer your question. But an $800 cart versus a $300 cart should sound better. It's a fine cart. Give it time to break in. Enjoy the upgrade process, you just bought a great table. Whether the cart is worth $800 or not, I can't tell you. But its a significant upgrade for you IMO.

 

My recommendation as well. Especially since low-end is important to the Op.

 

The P6 is a great turntable and despite a couple of familiar personalities here who poo-poo it, the Ania is a great cartridge. The low-end output coming from the P6 is fantastic. Especially if you prefer your bass to be well controlled, that's one area where the P6 betters the SL-1200GR. But if you're going to run the Ania cartridge then you're going to need to make sure that you have a suitable phono preamp capable of dealing with a low-output MC cartridge (which the Ania is). If you don't already have such a preamp then that's going to cut even further into your speaker budget.

I'm guessing that you're using the built-in phono stage in the Technics receiver which is is likely restricted to moving magnet cartridges such as the Rega Exact. If that's the case you might consider the P6/Exact combo over the P6/Ania and save yourself a whole bunch of money in the process. The P6/Exact should come in a few hundred dollars cheaper than the P6/Ania combo and you won't have to shell out any more money for a MC compatible phono stage. You'll likely want to upgrade your phono stage at some point, but you'll be able to put that off until later on down the road if you go for the P6/Exact. You could take the money you save this way and apply it towards better speakers which you'll definitely want if you make such a major turntable upgrade.

 

What would you suggest for a MC compatible receiver? I'm ok with used and vintage

 

Or better yet, 1. get the cheapest Rega cart you can, 2. throw it in the trash, and 3. buy a Soundsmith.

 

Get an integrated instead. Better sound for similar money.

 

Another vote for the Prime Scout. I LOVE mine.

 

Integrated preamp and receiver?

 

Just a preamp and amp. Saves cables and avoids a lot of the junk they load up receivers with which 99% of the time hurts sound quality.

 

ELAC - Element EA101EQ-G Integrated Amplifier | Shop Music Direct

Cambridge Audio - CXA60 Integrated Amp | Shop Music Direct

 

Great. Thanks for all the help. I'm gonna have to do a bit of digging to find a more affordable integrated amp/preamp.

 

What do you think about the Onkyo A-9110 for a budget unit?

 

Here you go. This would work great for you as a phono preamp that does MM/MC. For the price its a great deal imo: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/musical-surroundings-phonomena-ii.808626/

 

Good but also look at Rotel and NAD offerings in that price range.

 

I think that you'll be happier in the long run if you put in more time up front investigating all of your options and coming up with a solid plan of how to get to where you want to be. The benefits of having a great turntable are easily lost if the rest of your system is not up to the job. I think with the money you have to spend, a more balanced approach makes more sense or you could easily end up spending more money than you're currently planning on. Rarely does one go out and buy everything all at once so you can expect to deal with some weak points in your system as you work towards your goal. But when all is said and done you'll be happier if you end up with components that all work well with one another and compliment each other well. (Which is referred to by many as having system synergy.)

 

btw some but not many integrateds handle MC in their phono stage - they're typically just MM. I had to get an outboard MM/MC stage in advance of getting my Ania (a Rothwell Rialto). Decent MC stages don't have to be expensive though - Cambridge Audio and Rega both have cheaper MC stages.

 

If you're going P6/Ania I would suggest the Rega Fono MC. It's not the most flexible phonostage in the world since it's MC only, but it was literally designed with the Ania. They synergy was excellent when I demoed. I've said in multiple places on the forum if you want something straight forward that just works, and you're starting from scratch, this is probably the best bang for the buck. You could get that combo and honestly never really upgrade and be happy. A straight forward quality plug and play system.

 

I just bought a Music Hall MMF 7.3 with an Ortofon 2M Bronze. It has decoupled belt drive motor and it’s very, very quiet. They’re $1600 new, but I found a barely used one for a lot less than that. Big step up from my previous table.

 

I second this. I also have a Music Hall 7.3. Very happy with it.

 

If you call Music Direct for a table - which you should, ask for a discount. They gave me 15% off, made my Prime Scout around $1650. not a bad deal at all.

 

For your tastes and budget, I would buy a Rega Planar 3 and a powered sub. Keep the cart for now. Later you can address the speakers and amp, and cart if you have worn it out or can afford an upgrade.
-Bill

 

Well, yes, and by a big margin. But be aware that many report that the Ania takes a LONG time to break-in and sound its best... like 100+ hours.
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You do need to fill out your equipment profile going forward. It makes for much better help. This way you don't have to continually post what you have when someone is trying help you out.

 

Who are you addressing, and you do realize you are resurrecting a six month old thread?