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Turntable advise

Darren I doubt you overpaid for the SL-1700 if it has been recently serviced and the physical condition as pictured appears excellent. Treat it well and it can only go up in value.
 
Now for some good records..!
Plenty of old stuff at the thrift stores to clean up and play, but if you want the good stuff, check out acousticsounds.com.
I love them and hate them at the same time.. I want nearly everything they sell!
Practically anything pressed by Quality Record Pressings will sound awesome.

BTW - here’s a pic of the Empire I’m cleaning up. It’s a first generation 598, made about ‘71. Just got an Empire 2000T cartridge for it.

36A5A5DF-E77B-4DF2-83CA-185681384609.jpeg
 
So it’s been a long time coming but I finally got my technics sl-1700. And I love it. Question is this it has a Shure M97xE cart. Is there another cartridge under say 400 dollars that would give me significantly better sound or should I just stick with the Shure. Thanks ahead of time for your responses BCA74440-AA0B-474B-97C0-3119080ED5F7.jpeg3D04D861-0005-41DD-A7C9-443CFB082B44.jpeg
 
Was the M97xe any good? I just purchased one for my Garrard. I may do a different cartridge for my Dual changer, however. The Dual has the M44c on it, and while its a fair cartridge, I will want to upgrade it once the Garrard gets fitted with its new cartridge.
 
darren8 said:
It’s fine and a good fit for the table but there’s better.
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I'm sure, but I really hate the costs of some of those phono cartridges out there. I have already spent for my turntable(s), so I'd hate to spend another handful of dollars on a cartridge; But I've been known to change my mind...we'll see.
 
I understand bro. The way I look at it is at this point in my life 57 yrs old if the improvement is significant I’m going for it. Thanks have a great day
 
lbls1 said:
Was the M97xe any good? I just purchased one for my Garrard. I may do a different cartridge for my Dual changer, however. The Dual has the M44c on it, and while its a fair cartridge, I will want to upgrade it once the Garrard gets fitted with its new cartridge.
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Which Dual changer do you have? The M44C is a good sounding and tracking cartridge and there are several stylus options for it. If it has the original N44C stylus with the light blue grip, it may be too stiff for your tone-arm. Recommended tracking force for the N44C is 3 to 5 grams so it's better suited to heavy tone-arms. The best stylus I have found for the M44 series cartridges is the N44E, it tracks between 1.5 and 4 grams which makes it compatible with most of the tone-arms out there.

https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=1012

The M44 cartridge with a N44E or N44-7 stylus will be louder and livelier than the M97xE.
 
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malden said:
Which Dual changer do you have? The M44C is a good sounding and tracking cartridge and there are several stylus options for it. If it has the original N44C stylus with the light blue grip, it may be too stiff for your tone-arm. Recommended tracking force for the N44C is 3 to 5 grams so it's better suited to heavy tone-arms. The best stylus I have found for the M44 series cartridges is the N44E, it tracks between 1.5 and 4 grams which makes it compatible with most of the tone-arms out there.

https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=1012

The M44 cartridge with a N44E or N44-7 stylus will be louder and livelier than the M97xE.
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Its the CS 1246. So you say the M44C that's on it is ok??? It was a well kept unit, so its last owner probably did a lot for it. Maybe I'll try a different stylus before getting another cartridge. I noticed that the Pickering on my Garrard (before I sent it out for service) had a slight hum on one side (it might not be the cartridge but the wiring) yet sounded a tad better IMO. I do like the performance of my Dual, however. No hum, quiet and it has good sound. I may try your suggestions. Thanks.

Edit: It has the light green stylus on it....lemme see I might have a pic of it...
 

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lbls1 said:
Its the CS 1246. So you say the M44C that's on it is ok??? It was a well kept unit, so its last owner probably did a lot for it. Maybe I'll try a different stylus before getting another cartridge. I noticed that the Pickering on my Garrard (before I sent it out for service) had a slight hum on one side (it might not be the cartridge but the wiring) yet sounded a tad better IMO. I do like the performance of my Dual, however. No hum, quiet and it has good sound. I may try your suggestions. Thanks.

Edit: It has the light green stylus on it....lemme see I might have a pic of it...
Click to expand...

When you said "changer" I assumed one of the earlier idlers which is what the M44C works best in. I'd go with a more modern cartridge for the 1246, something that tracks in the 1 to 2 gram range. Save the M44C for when you come into a vintage idler.
 
malden said:
When you said "changer" I assumed one of the earlier idlers which is what the M44C works best in. I'd go with a more modern cartridge for the 1246, something that tracks in the 1 to 2 gram range. Save the M44C for when you come into a vintage idler.
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Ok Gotcha. Oh well....I may stay put just a little while. I don't think I'll get a shure this time for it. I've got a couple of models I'm looking at. What about Grado Black 2? I hear good and bad things about it. BTW the 1246 is a changer, but it is sleeker than the traditional changers from the earlier '70s, and the arm is described as an ultra low mass. Its a fully automatic belt drive TT.
 
MisterDK said:
I’m still happy with the Rega Planar 3 that I bought new in ‘87. I’d recommend a low-mileage used one (either Planar 2 or 3) to anyone. They’re a time proven, simple minimalist table that isn’t fussy about setup, and can sound really impressive with some mods. Mine has been through four cartridges in 30 years (1 MM and 3 MC’s), and everything has sounded good on it. I have several other tables as well, but the Rega is a faithful old friend. ^_^
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Not recommended if pitch stability is important, and/or you have a musical ear stock. Not unless it has a Groovetracer subplatter upgrade. Good once that is done. Our OP also wants easy 33 1/3-45 RPM switching, he'll need the power supply upgrade for that. Both will make it more expensive. Regas tend to be upgrade magnets especially lower models.
 
lbls1 said:
Ok Gotcha. Oh well....I may stay put just a little while. I don't think I'll get a shure this time for it. I've got a couple of models I'm looking at. What about Grado Black 2? I hear good and bad things about it. BTW the 1246 is a changer, but it is sleeker than the traditional changers from the earlier '70s, and the arm is described as an ultra low mass. Its a fully automatic belt drive TT.
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Better to have an Ortofon OM something installed. Duals sometimes have Grado hum issues.
 
It’s always been my understanding that the most important aspect of a turntable is the cartridge. I would put a quality cartridge on your table , especially a Technics 1700 model. I have a Technics SL D303 direct drive “ Vintage “ purchased brand new in 1981 and I put an ADC Series 1 on that table when purchased and I have always wanted an upgrade for a cartridge. After bringing my TT back to life and recently hooked it up to my system , I noticed after the first couple of LP’S that the sound was very blah and not clear and smooth at all. Perfect excuse to purchase a new cartridge , Right? After doing some extensive research , I chose the Audio Technical VM740ML dual moving magnet design with a micro line stylus and an aluminum alloy cantilever and body ( housing ) No plastic which dramatically reduces vibration. After about 50 hours of break in time , I couldn’t be happier. The sound is incredible. Smooth deep rich bass , nice level highs and mid range and the channel separation is phenomenal with this Cartridge. Coming in at $329 including shipping , I purchased a cartridge that competes and or out performs other carts that are hundreds more. Don’t let a few hundred bucks prevent you from enjoying your new table and even more importantly, your favorite vinyl.
 
Brian Tambe said:
It’s always been my understanding that the most important aspect of a turntable is the cartridge.[/QUOTE]
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The turntable and cartridge are equally important. If you put a great cartridge on a mediocre turntable, the performance will be mediocre. Most lower end cartridges actually sound amazing but they rarely shine because they are always installed in lower end turntables. The Technics SL 1700 is a fine turntable, but every turntable has its limits.
 
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