Hi all,

I'm in the market for a $400 or less TT/arm/cartridge. The rest of my
system is Rotel and Vandersteen. I listen to live music (wind ensemble
and orchestra) virtually every day.

Music Hall? Pro-ject? New Goldring with the Rega-like arm?

Your opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Jenn -

Well, these days, finding a TT and Cart new might be difficult, and
likely those under $1,000 are totally plastic... so for under $400.
maybe try looking for a vintage AR-XA or AR-ESL. The arms on the AR-XA,
were not so great, but the later AR-ESL did have several nice optional
arms. One was a thin diameter Carbon Fiber arm with a removable
lightweight standard fit headshell. I bought one of those AR Carbon
Fiber arms from someone who decided to go for another type on his set
and I installed it on my older AR-XA, and have never looked back. It
truly makes my vintage Signet, B&O, Ortophon, Shure, and other vintage
cartridges sing at their best. So if you can find this vintage AR-ESL
setup with a reasonable cartridge under $400. on todays used market, it
would likely be a nice complement to your existing system.

-Steven L. Bender

Jenn wrote:
Hi all,

I'm in the market for a $400 or less TT/arm/cartridge. The rest of
my
system is Rotel and Vandersteen. I listen to live music (wind
ensemble
and orchestra) virtually every day.

Music Hall? Pro-ject? New Goldring with the Rega-like arm?

Your opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Try to find a nice used Thorens. TD-125 Mk II is a place to start.

Steven: Well, these days, finding a TT and Cart new might be
difficult, and
likely those under $1,000 are totally plastic... so for under $400.
maybe try looking for a vintage AR-XA or AR-ESL. The arms on the AR-XA,

were not so great, but the later AR-ESL did have several nice optional
arms. One was a thin diameter Carbon Fiber arm with a removable
lightweight standard fit headshell. I bought one of those AR Carbon
Fiber arms from someone who decided to go for another type on his set
and I installed it on my older AR-XA, and have never looked back. It
truly makes my vintage Signet, B&O, Ortophon, Shure, and other vintage
cartridges sing at their best. So if you can find this vintage AR-ESL
setup with a reasonable cartridge under $400. on todays used market, it

would likely be a nice complement to your existing system.

Thanks very much for that info; it's an idea I hadn't considered! The
inexpensive TT/arm/cartridge combos from Project, Goldring, and Music
Hall are interesting to me, and I'm seeking out places where I can hear
them. Another option is a TT I already have but haven't used in years:
an 80s vintage Denon direct drive. It was their top of the line at the
time, the one with the very large base. I could fit it with at good
cartridge and see what happens. But... long ago, I became a devote of
belt drive, as I came to believe that they sound better, as shown by my
use in the 90s of an Oracle Delphi, and then a used VPI TNT. I don't
want to spend that kind of money now, though, as my LP listening will
mostly be limited to about 30 disks by my mentor Frederick Fennell,
from the Mercury days, and a few others.

So, we'll see! Thanks again.

Try to find a nice used Thorens. TD-125 Mk II is a place to start.


Thanks! I'll try to find one and take a listen.

I purchased a used Rega Planar 2 from echo hi fi in Portland, Oregon,
with Sumiko Blue Point, for less than $400.

Check around, quality used gear is readily available; I built several
systems almost exclusively out of used hi fi gear.