2CH Audio Wishlist!

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by richteer

Well, in that vein, another question does come to mind. How "final" is this purchase intended to be? That is, is this going to be your "last turntable purchase", or do you foresee upgrades in the future as funds permit?

Either way, one option is to hang on to your (relatively new IIRC) Grado Platinum cartridge, and use that for the time being (even if you're planning to sell/trade in your Revolver).

As for phono stages; if you can stretch to $1000, the Sutherland Ph.3D comes highly recommended.



Very true. Another option (again, depending on how "final" this round of upgrades is meant to be) would be to get the Delphi and the cheapest SME compatible arm (and use your Grado Platinum cartridge). Then, in a couple of years as finances permit, splurge on the SME Series V or Series IV (the latter is a fair bit cheaper and a better match with the Delphi aesthetically; I wonder if the Oracle branded SME arm is a silver Series V?)

It's also worth bearing in mind that in this troubled economy, audio dealers might be quite happy to negotiate a lower price for the Oracle (or any other gear for that matter). For example, you might be able to persuade your dealer to part with a Delphi and SME 309 for your $5K-$6K maximum; if you use your Grado Platinum, you're all set! (Yet another option is to buy the Delphi with something like the Rega RB301 arm, and upgrade to an SME later. In this case, you'd also have to replace the arm board.)

Yes, I do like spending other peoples' money!

Hi Rich! I'm ashamed to say that I haven't followed up on my own thread in some time, but I did some serious thinking about what you mentioned regarding a "final" buy. And I think I've come to some decisions in that regard.

The TT will be the last buy! But it is very important that whatever I chose has the ability to offer future upgrades. I'm sure that both the VPI Aries3 and the Oracle have that to offer. So that means I need to make a decision in the next few months. I'd love to get the Oracle, but am not leaning there just yet. It's a significant step-up (financially) from the Aries and it would mean delaying my purchase. That in itself is fine (I'm patient), I just want to be sure that my decision is properly thought out.

Regarding my Revolver TT. I've mentioned the "sentimental" value this table has for me, so a sell/trade is not an option. I will own this table forever.

Right now I'm doing some tweaking on my HT setup to maximize its quality (specifically better cabling) and that is the Christmas present to myself for this year. I've dedicated 2009 as the year of the Turntable and it's still a toss-up! LOL!

BTW: How did you like the Vantages with your Prologues?