Pecking Order

[satanfriendly]

[bastlnut]

[flavio81]

[satanfriendly]

Mmmmm?

You saying a stylus with a wonderful tracking profile is going to drag the information from the grooves when supported by an arm allowing it to trace a less than perfect track?

And the arm of course being on a TT allowing to interact in a non but perfect fashion and adding some vibration in to the act. etc etc

Probably a bit extreme thinking, but it's the way I view the matter. Of course that magical synergy comes in to play and without delving down the wrong road I've deliberately steered away from compatability and compliance etc.

I kind of surrender though and have to go the way of Bastlnut. Finding out for yourself can be a great adventure and one of learning.
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A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree

[flavio81]

[TNTTNT]

[aardvarkash10]

the trick is to take a cold, logical approach to it. Think about what an auto racing team does to extract maximum performance.

Most work within class rules. Formula 3 has very different rules to Formula 1. Within those rules, all the cars look essentially the same - there are only incremental differences and these acheive minute performance improvements that add up to success or failure.

And even in failure, they are significantly faster than your car.

Very few of the improvements that win come from huge change - no new engines, tyres, even driver is a guarantee of success. Witness Mr Hamilton's meteoric rise and fall.

Think the same with your hi-fi and you can't go too far wrong. Make small adjustments and dispassionately record the result. Hang on to those that improve performance, discard those that don't. Optimise, don't reinvent.

When you have got the best you can for your chosen class, you may want to move up - Formula 2 or even 1. You then move into a new set of variables and start the process again.

And just like car racing, many many many people start in karts (off hte shelf mid-fi) some move on ot Formula 3 (hi-fi) but only a select few have the skill and ability ot make the most of a Formula 1 car (ultra hi-fi).

Know your limits unless you want to buy a racing team for your own narcissitic pleasures...
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"I can't complain, but sometimes I still do, life's been good to me so far..." Joe Walsh, 1976-ish

[Eric Weitzman]

[Alec124c41]

Crappy speakers will sound crappy, no matter what you feed them. I started with working my speakers up. Now I can hear differences at the other end.

Cheers,
Alec

[caligari]

[Alec124c41]

Motor, arm, cartridge - a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Cheers,
Alec

[Letitroll98]

[Bigears]

This is going to degenerate into quite a complex debate as has been had many times below unless greatly simplified to give some focus.

Many TT's vary in design, and what's important in some doesn't exist in others! Suffice to say the simple route is deck (plinth) motor/platter/spindle, then arm and cart.

My own thinking is that the point is much more high level to be meaningful.

Your EARS dear Sirs are the most important piece of your audio kit. One of mine is damaged so a dare say I'd never nitice the nuances of tweaking that are valid to some of you.

I subscribe to (all things being equakl and you start with a reasonable deck as the assumption is otherwise rubbish in = rubbish out) that the room itself and the loud speakers coupled to that room are the next most significant. Get these right and all else more easily falls into place.

As for amp over source or source over amp, its only fair to say that each has its influence but the amp must deliver enough grunt to work the speakers best and detract as little from the signal from the source to be effective and have "synergy".

As far as the TT goes (and yes, I know the question was originally about the TT and not the other components, but these things need consideration in context), my humble opinion is that the order is Cartridge, Motor/spindle/platter and plinth (equal) and tonearm/wiring (last) based on nothing more than my own experience.

My recent experience on restoring an old Garrard demonstrates to me the huge difference, even with a modest tonearm (SAU2) that a replacement cart (in this case a Shure M75ED replacing a worn M55) and a replacement plinth has made. Its no good having a Rolls Royce of motors/platters etc etc if you sit it in a crappy casing which resonates to every fly buzzing through the room and then lower a knitting needle into the grooves. perhaps an overly simplistic response but I'm happy that for my system, the points above have been the results of many years of patient research, practice and improvement.
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If it aint broke, dont fix it

[TNTTNT]

[Letitroll98]