What's next?

[klamsoss]

I'm listening to my Pro-ject debut carbon DC (the updated one with the decoupled motor to minimize vibrations) turntable with ortofon 2m blue cartridge. It sits on a 6lb slab of butcher block on top of sorbothane hemis on my audio shelf(see pic, the butcher block slab is not depicted here, though, nor are several room treatments that have happened since the photo date). I've treated the platter with 5 ultra thin coats of vibration absorbent spray (such that there is no weight distribution issue). It sounds really good.
But....
I am wondering, what's next?
For under a kilo buck.
If anything.....

I'm thinking vintage, I'm thinking MC compatible (so I'm also thinking about the tonearm, because I understand that the low mass tonearm on my pro-ject isn't great match for mc carts) and I'm listening through tubes, specifically Fisher X-100-B integrated (and I have an embarrassment of excellent preamp... old teles, mullard bburn, more NOS Ei than you can shake a stick at, westies both short black and long grey plate, sylvania, tung sol, RCA black plates, ge, Motorola 7058s, NOS matsushita, those are all old stock, mostly 7025 , and I have a pair of the new sovtek LPS........ and power tubes. 2 dozen vintage sylvies and RCAs under different brand names).

So I can roll sound one way or another to get the tones I like. But what else can I do here? How can I get more resolution and better staging in my less-than-ideal smallish room with my big speakers (tekton lore). And what will sound good with a SET in my future?

I have a lead on a thorens TD-165 for small small money so would invest in a nice cartridge but it also needs some work. I'm wondering if an AR would be a more viable alternative or if I should hold out for a linn, or maybe a vpi of some sort...
I just had an lp12 pulled out from under me for small $ that needed a motor.

What are my options, and the merits/drawbacks of each in the sub $1000 market?
Why are they better than my debut carbon, ya dig?

 

[Djcoolray]

Schitt came out with a new turntable for less than a grand with detachable tonearm so with two tonearms it’s still just under a grand. Since your running tubes, I’d check out inexpensive speakers from the late fifties and early sixties when tubes were popular, doesn’t cost much to rebuild the crossovers if the drivers are in good shape.. Wharfedale and Bozak from the early sixties sound great after you rebuild the crossovers if you want something totally awesome. If you subscribe to this site, you can buy things on Bartertown....

 

[Isaac C.]

Are you set on a belt drive? The TD 165 is one of the cheaper models. If environmental vibration is an issue, a solid plinth direct drive from the 70s should work just fine.

 

[twiiii]

I'd want a better cartridge first. . Maybe you can find a sweet deal on a Technics DD turntable second. You can always upgrade tone arms later on. third.

I have a 50 year old TD 125 and it still runs like new. I am on my 4th or 5 th arm. Have a 40+ year old Rabco that gets touched up every time I change a battery with a 20 X dynavector. My new TT is a VPI/Levinson with a motor control and Gimbaled tone arm the the Prime signature doesn't have. I use a 20 X2 dynavector with it. There is an over all improvement in sound quality with the new TT. The Thorens uses an external Mac MP 100 phono pre-amp. So I would say I have about $2900 invested in the Thorens set up and easily twice that in the new set up. Is there that much difference, no. Is there a difference yes. But upgrading your cartridge to a Bronze or different series would be a bigger change. I used HO Dynavector so I don't have to deal with SUT's. Why do I have a Mac phono pre-amp, because I don't like the sound of my C-34 pre-amps phono section. Oh I can touch up the sound a bit with the Graphic tone controls coming in a close third in reproduction. But the main reason for the MP 100 is if I add an XX-2 low output some day. Its all about allowing the cartridge to perform at its best.

 

[klamsoss]

I have no specific dedication to belt driven tables, and it would seem that I should at least try out one of the Technics families of direct drive 'tables.

As for cartridges, I also have an AT120SLa that I just have never mounted. The Pro-ject came with the ortofon red, and I picked up a blue about a year ago. The bodies are the same so I just swapped the stylus. Part of the reason I have yet to try out the AT is that I am lazy, part of it is that I cant decide if I want to put it on my pro-ject or my Dual 504, but I also am slightly reluctant to disturb the factory alignment of the existing ortofon cartridge body on the pro-ject arm. I have done alignments before and I'm not afraid of it, but I also can't claim to be an expert with it. (I will be getting a test record soon, which should allow me to do some better, more objective analysis about my alignment setup, though).

I realize that going with a MC cartridge, I either need to modify my X-100-B phono stage, or get a separate preamp. I would be okay with that in theory, but it does just add to the cost overall.

I'm surprised not to have anyone offering their opinions on AR tables, or other quality vintage options.

 

[klamsoss]

In the end, I have gone with the TD-165 because I spent very little on it, there are a lot of upgrade paths to explore, the lead I had on the technics 1200 evaporated, and I got it in a package deal with some KLH 6 speakers that have pretty decent looking cabinets and just need a little TLC.
I'll surely be posting threads on my work as I am able.