Greetings, I just joined AK.
I bought an AR XA in about 1971 ($66), a Dual 506-1 in 1981 ($139) and recently, a Pro-Ject Debut III ($350). I did not care for the Pro-Ject and returned it for a refund. BTW, plugging these prices into an inflation calculator showed that all three tables cost almost exactly the same in adjusted dollars.
I bought the Pro-Ject because my Dual had stopped running. Silly me, I thought after all those years it was time for a new one. However, after removing the platter and diddling with the mechanism, it came back to life and appears to be healthy. At 28 years old it still has its original belt. I've been running a Grado Prestige Red on it for several years and am very pleased with it.
I had hum problems with the Pro-Ject, both with the Grado cart and the original OM5E. The motor itself hummed audibly, which I thought was kind of cheesy for a new table.
A few weeks ago, I bought this TransAudio 1800 off Craigslist. I had a shop tune it up, and it works quite well. I just installed a Shure M97xE and am very impressed with it. TransAudio was a house brand for Pacific Stereo; the previous owner thought the 1800 was made by Marantz. Looking at photos, the chassis resembles a Marantz 6200, while the arm looks like those used on mid/late 70s Technics tt's such as the SL-20 or SL-23.
I think the Dual is a better table and will remain with my primary system. However, I'll run the 1800 on the primary system for a while to get some miles under the Shure. After that I'll swap it into the dining room. Sometimes you just need that rich, warm sound of vinyl at breakfast to help start the workday.
What I like about both of these carts is that inner groove distortion is very low. I used to run a Super OM10 on the Dual but the IGD was quite annoying. It was no better with the OM5E on the Pro-Ject. I read that the 20 stylus is much better on these carts, but at $140, you can buy any number of superior carts for less.
With all this hardware stuff going on, I've been able to enjoy albums that I hadn't listened to for decades.
Thanks for listening.
I bought an AR XA in about 1971 ($66), a Dual 506-1 in 1981 ($139) and recently, a Pro-Ject Debut III ($350). I did not care for the Pro-Ject and returned it for a refund. BTW, plugging these prices into an inflation calculator showed that all three tables cost almost exactly the same in adjusted dollars.
I bought the Pro-Ject because my Dual had stopped running. Silly me, I thought after all those years it was time for a new one. However, after removing the platter and diddling with the mechanism, it came back to life and appears to be healthy. At 28 years old it still has its original belt. I've been running a Grado Prestige Red on it for several years and am very pleased with it.
I had hum problems with the Pro-Ject, both with the Grado cart and the original OM5E. The motor itself hummed audibly, which I thought was kind of cheesy for a new table.
A few weeks ago, I bought this TransAudio 1800 off Craigslist. I had a shop tune it up, and it works quite well. I just installed a Shure M97xE and am very impressed with it. TransAudio was a house brand for Pacific Stereo; the previous owner thought the 1800 was made by Marantz. Looking at photos, the chassis resembles a Marantz 6200, while the arm looks like those used on mid/late 70s Technics tt's such as the SL-20 or SL-23.
I think the Dual is a better table and will remain with my primary system. However, I'll run the 1800 on the primary system for a while to get some miles under the Shure. After that I'll swap it into the dining room. Sometimes you just need that rich, warm sound of vinyl at breakfast to help start the workday.
What I like about both of these carts is that inner groove distortion is very low. I used to run a Super OM10 on the Dual but the IGD was quite annoying. It was no better with the OM5E on the Pro-Ject. I read that the 20 stylus is much better on these carts, but at $140, you can buy any number of superior carts for less.
With all this hardware stuff going on, I've been able to enjoy albums that I hadn't listened to for decades.
Thanks for listening.
