do turntables sound different

[LousyTourist]

Steve,
thanks for posting that comparison to the Technics. It saves me some anguish over my choice of TT.

I can say that I moved from a Thorens TD125 to a TD124, all I did was take the arm (and cart) off the first, and mount on the second (after I had spent six months refurbing the 124) and I could tell right away it sounded better. That means the only thing that changed was the bit that turned the record, so yes, there can be a difference.

[steve195527]

all turntables can sound different,lets face it a turntable arm and cartridge combo can sound different from another of same combination,if the cartridge is not tightened or lined up exactly the same just those little variations can affect the sound:-so the fact that different makes sound different shouldn't really come as a surprise

[johnmac9502]

I've had the experience of rebuilding an AR with Merrill mods a little at a time. Each change made a difference, from the pulley to the platter to an armboard. There are so many variables with a turntable and each one can change the sound. It might be coloration, but it's a change nonetheless.

[dconsmack]

I made needle drops with a Pro-Ject RM 9.1 and a fully modified Technics SL-1210M5G from KAB USA using the same cartridges (Lyra Delos and Shure V15VxMR) and phono preamp (EAR 324). A/B-ing recordings of the same records with the same cartridges I found that... I couldn't hear any difference whatsoever. This is with different arms. Two different turntable designs. Two different interconnects (although the capacitance rating was the same). Two different price points. I see this as a positive result. I think the influence of the loudspeakers and the turntable's isolation from the speakers' vibration is a factor in the perceived differences in a turntable's sound. All my needle drops were made with the speakers off.

[Zebbo]

While I find it perfectly reasonable that removing the vibration induced by the speakers will lessen the differences between TTs, (simply because they are not being required to "work" to "filter" it out), I cannot accept that two set-ups that completely different sound exactly the same. I suspect it's more likely that the digitevil that's destroyed the subtleties of the existing sound !