Should I buy this turntable?

eyedrop

New Member
Feb 4, 2018
1
0
0
I have a buddy who is selling his turntable. I've never owned one before and am a total noob when it comes to vinyl. Not sure if I want to dip my toes into it or not. Im afraid of the rabbit hole.

I have heard some high end stuff at meets and always liked the smooth sound and awesome masters of certain albums. I think that a superb digital recording (like Michael Jackson on SACD) sounds amazing without the drawbacks of vinyl (cost, wear to equipment/vinyl, pops, hiss, noise floor, etc..) Unfortunately, the reality is many digital recording masters suck, and it seems vinyl mastering engineers put more effort into high fidelity. So Im trying to decide if its worth jumping down the rabbit hole. I do take my sound quality pretty serious, so may be worth having for select albums...

Here is what he is trying to sell me:

Music Hall mmf-2.3le
Acri-Plat Acrylic Platter
NAGAOKA MM (MP) Cartridge MP-110

$400

Is this a good deal? Can I find anything on the new/used market that competes at this price, considering his upgraded platter and cartridge? He keeps his stuff in excellent shape, and is throwing in 2 good condition, non rare vinyls to get me started out.

Also, Im not sure what flavor this will add to my setup. Ive heard it on his speakers and it sounds great, but his listening room and setup is totally different from mine.

My current go-to "reference" system is a pair of Etymotic ER-4SR, JDS Labs ODAC/AMP combo, and lossless music collection... I prefer my sound to be dry and neutral, distortion free, clinical scientific laboratory type sound, with maybe a slight rolloff in the highs, and ruler flat bass that goes deep with no midbass emphasis... Small soundstage with pinpoint accurate imaging. Can this type of sound be achieved with analog, or am I stuck with added warmth and color that is inherit to analog? Is digital still the last word when it comes to ultimate accuracy?
 

sombunya

Well-Known Member
Oct 18, 2012
133
8
325
Just my opinion, I think it's an OK deal, not knowing your personal financial situation.

I believe in buying the best one can afford. As far as pops and hiss, that all depends on who OK's the TP's. I've had records from major labels that sounded like **** (I've actually returned some and took a loss) and some from micro labels that I liked. Maybe because the label owner cared more.

I always buy vinyl before before digital. I also have a three head/three motor cassette player I really like.
 

sombunya

Well-Known Member
Oct 18, 2012
133
8
325
My current go-to "reference" system is a pair of Etymotic ER-4SR, JDS Labs ODAC/AMP combo, and lossless music collection... I prefer my sound to be dry and neutral, distortion free, clinical scientific laboratory type sound, with maybe a slight rolloff in the highs, and ruler flat bass that goes deep with no midbass emphasis... Small soundstage with pinpoint accurate imaging. Can this type of sound be achieved with analog, or am I stuck with added warmth and color that is inherit to analog? Is digital still the last word when it comes to ultimate accuracy?

FWIW, I avoided a D to A converter that used a valve because I too wanted to avoid any "warmth" being added.
 

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