What do you think of Pro-Ject Signature 10 for a beginner?

M

meNmrsjones

New Member
Hi, we're completely new to this and we hope to buy one that lasts us for a long time, and possibly, our lifetime, with small upgrades in the future like the cartridge or the speakers, or maybe phonostage, etc, but probably not a new turntable in the next at least 5-10 years?

We found a ProJect signature 10 for sale, pre-owned, for around $4000USD. We have nothing now, except a pair of B&O Beoplay A9 speakers. Can we seek your unbiased opinion please?

To add on:
We were told the existing cartridge is a "MC" type
 
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I suggest that you hold-off till you understand more about what you need.

There are a couple of other things to consider with vinyl.

One important one is: How much floor and noise isolation will you need?

Some turntables cope with springy wooden floorboards - and jumping kids - much better than others.

Not to mention turntables that have no choice but to sit right next to thumping speaker drivers.

Are these factors for you?
 
How much floor and noise isolation will you need?
> I am not sure, but I'm probably planning to have this turntable in an approximately 600 sqft room. It's our entertainment area.

Some turntables cope with springy wooden floorboards - and jumping kids - much better than others.

Are these factors for you?
> We're just a couple living together, with no kids, except a dog.

We're really quite new to this, spent some days shopping around, listened to many different salespersons' advice, and now we're quite confused.

We liked a brand new Signature 9 which we auditioned in another brand new shop, with a "MM" type cartridge, it was going for around $5800USD, and this one is $4000USD for a Signature 10, that is 50%+ off a brand new one, we thought it might be a steal to use for a long time. Not sure what else better we could get at this range, or do we deserve this.
 
That is a pretty high end table to start out with and goes with a high end amp/preamp. What does the rest of your system consist of because jumping right into a high level turntable when the rest of your system is plain/inexpensive is not a good idea.

I have found that matching components works really well: a $5K turntable does nothing for you when you have $500 speakers and a $500 amplifier... conversely a $2500 turntable with $2500 speakers and $2500 amp works quite well together. SPEAKERS are the most important part of the system, find ones that you love before you buy anything else.
 
A pair of our speakers is around $8k, but i'm not sure in the audiophile world how you guys would rate it. We have nothing now, except a pair of B&O Beoplay A9 speakers.
 
krautmaster said:
That is a pretty high end table to start out with and goes with a high end amp/preamp. What does the rest of your system consist of because jumping right into a high level turntable when the rest of your system is plain/inexpensive is not a good idea.

I have found that matching components works really well: a $5K turntable does nothing for you when you have $500 speakers and a $500 amplifier... conversely a $2500 turntable with $2500 speakers and $2500 amp works quite well together. SPEAKERS are the most important part of the system, find ones that you love before you buy anything else.
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And it would provide very good sound for years to come.
 
spicer said:
Very stylish. I don't know how they sound but B and O is an audio company in high regard. I would expect them to sound good. I looked at the specs, not bad at all.
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Thank you, we were sold by the sound the speakers could produce, and of course the aesthetics, but having spoken to many audiophiles, we realised it's not highly regarded...we're not too sure why though.

We're not sure if these in your opinion is good enough for the signature 10?
 
IMO, that Project table is way too good for an all in one amp/preamp/speaker system like the Beosound A9.... a Technics SL-1500 table ($1300) would be more in line with your speakers.
 
spicer said:
Very stylish. I don't know how they sound but B and O is an audio company in high regard. I would expect them to sound good. I looked at the specs, not bad at all.
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Like all loudspeakers, the B&O A9 will only sound as good as the source signal fed them.

I've heard the A9 and although they would not be my personal choice of speakers, they are certainly very decent - and have the advantage of being active. This means that you don't need to buy an amplifier - but will need a Phono Stage for RIAA duties.

But you will need to cable the speakers from your source, for best sound. Bluetooth connection will NOT provide the sound quality sufficiently good to make the vinyl option worthwhile, IMHO.

Most high-output MM cartridges will be able to meet the A9 minimum input sensitivity - so a turntable is certainly an option.

My main question at this point is: will the turntable be residing in a room with wooden floorboards, like (say) an old character wooden home? Or will it be sited in a room with concrete floors?

This is a really important question with turntables because the most microscopic of vibrations - from music in a room, for example - can make a cartridge skip a track, or generally just sound underwhelming.
 
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krautmaster said:
IMO, that Project table is way too good for an all in one amp/preamp/speaker system like the Beosound A9.... a Technics SL-1500 table ($1300) would be more in line with your speakers.
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This is very good advice, provided you don't want to site the TECHNICS on bouncy room floorboards.
 
meNmrsjones said:
Thank you, we were sold by the sound the speakers could produce, and of course the aesthetics, but having spoken to many audiophiles, we realised it's not highly regarded...we're not too sure why though.

We're not sure if these in your opinion is good enough for the signature 10?
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Not sure why... exploring that could explode in the audiophile world. If you bought them for the sound they produce and the aesthetics then they are probably well in the zone of good listening for you, plus they have a class about them, would compliment other components, like an attractive table. Experts can give good advice but listen to yourself on the subject. Those are good speakers and you like them.
 
Sondek said:
Like all loudspeakers, the B&O A9 will only sound as good as the source signal fed them.

I've heard the A9 and although they would not be my personal choice of speakers, they are certainly very decent - and have the advantage of being active. This means that you (probably) don't need to buy an amplifier.

But you will need to cable the speakers from your source, for best sound. Bluetooth connection will NOT provide the sound quality sufficiently good to make the vinyl option worthwhile, IMHO.

Most high-output MM cartridges will be able to meet the A9 minimum input sensitivity - so a turntable is certainly an option.

My main question at this point is: will the turntable be residing in a room with wooden floorboards, like (say) an old character wooden home? Or will it be sited in a room with concrete floors?

This is a really important question with turntables because the most microscopic of vibrations - from music in a room, for example - can make a cartridge skip a track, or generally just sound underwhelming.
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We have concrete walls, and marble flooring.

The plan in mind now would be getting the Signature 10, keep the B&O speakers, get a phono stage and cables. Try it out for some time, and then upgrade the cartridge (as we were told MC cartridge is provided instead of the original MM one), then speakers/amp etc later.

Not sure if that is wise
 
Sondek said:
Like all loudspeakers, the B&O A9 will only sound as good as the source signal fed them.

I've heard the A9 and although they would not be my personal choice of speakers, they are certainly very decent - and have the advantage of being active. This means that you (probably) don't need to buy an amplifier.

But you will need to cable the speakers from your source, for best sound. Bluetooth connection will NOT provide the sound quality sufficiently good to make the vinyl option worthwhile, IMHO.

Most high-output MM cartridges will be able to meet the A9 minimum input sensitivity - so a turntable is certainly an option.

My main question at this point is: will the turntable be residing in a room with wooden floorboards, like (say) an old character wooden home? Or will it be sited in a room with concrete floors?

This is a really important question with turntables because the most microscopic of vibrations - from music in a room, for example - can make a cartridge skip a track, or generally just sound underwhelming.
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Oh, definitely wire it, no blue tooth. Very decent is pretty high cotton. I'd think a preamp would be nice, a control amp.
 
spicer said:
Not sure why... exploring that could explode in the audiophile world. If you bought them for the sound they produce and the aesthetics then they are probably well in the zone of good listening for you, plus they have a class about them, would compliment other components, like an attractive table. Experts can give good advice but listen to yourself on the subject. Those are good speakers and you like them.
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Yup, but now if i understand correctly, it's not gonna be suitable for the signature 10?
 
USD 4,000 is certainly a decent budget, given that you already have ACTIVE loudspeakers - and you love the way they sound.

At that level of spend, there are a gazillion ways you can go - and each person will have their preference.

You have asked for opinions, so I will give you mine.

The turntable itself will have the greatest impact on sound quality - over any subsequent analog item, excepting perhaps the vinyl LP itself.

With this in mind, I would buy a brand-new TECHNICS turntable - the highest model that you can afford. They just get better and better!

Most deck sales come with a High Output cartridge as a pack. This will get you started.

TECHNICS has been the market-leader for many years, for good reason.

My 10-cents worth! :biggrin:
 
Sondek said:
USD 4,000 is certainly a decent budget.

At that level of spend, there are a gazillion ways you can go - and each person will have their preference.

You have asked for opinions, so I will give you mine.

The turntable itself will have the greatest impact on sound quality - over any subsequent analog item, excepting perhaps the vinyl LP itself.

With this in mind, I would buy a brand-new TECHNICS turntable - the highest model that you can afford. They just get better and better!

Most deck sales come with a High Output cartridge as a pack. This will get you started.

TECHNICS has been the market-leader for many years, for good reason.

My 10-cents worth! :biggrin:
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Thank you.

Is it because it's not recommended to buy a preowned turntable? 'cause for the signature 10, it's getting a $8k turntable at half its price, i would presume with my $4k budget, i can't get anything as close as the signature 10 from Technics?
 
meNmrsjones said:
Yup, but now if i understand correctly, it's not gonna be suitable for the signature 10?
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Ahh....no, you fell back into the world of audiophile. They will suit each other just fine and give loads of pride of ownership in the bargain. The listening area will be a place of pleasure, enjoyment. Given an imperfect world, that is very close.
 
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