Analoge Poll.

[jrhymeammo]

I wanted to start a poll to see what analog gear you think is the most important part of analog setup(sorry tape lovers).


Yes Yes Yes. I understand "It all depends......... "

Let just get it going, Okay?

Records
Turntable
Tonearm
Motor Mechanism
Cartridge
Phono Stage
Tonearm wire/IC

-JRA

[jrhymeammo]

This poll is really hard... now I'm leaning towards cartridge

BTW, you can choose to vote more than once. But this isnt American Idol so please behave if you have life.

[JohnMichael]

Tough choice since all components are interdependant on each other. Of course you asked for one so I will say the tonearm. It has to move without friction and allow the cartridge a stable place to convert the groove to an electrical signal.

[JoeE SP9]

If I have to narrow it down to one thing (per the poll)) it has to be the tonearm.

[basite]

i voted for the record, the tonearm and the cart, the record because when your record is kindof destroyed, it will sound like crap on any tt, the tonearm cuz when it is bad, there will be too much rumble (i've experienced this) your cart will drag and the tonearm will take up alot of external vibration, the cartridge cuz when you put a crappy cart on your regular priceless tt it will sound like crap (because of the cart).

[basite]

btw, jrhymeammo, how's your new phono stage?? (vtl tp 2.5 if i'm not mistaking)

[jrhymeammo]

Records can sound good only when a cartridge tracks correctly. I agree that tonearm has a huge part in that.
On entry level turntables, you are basically paying for the tonearm.
BrandonH cheated.

Bastie, I havent had enough time to evaluate my new toy yet. I need to go get a special screwdriver to unscrew the top cover to switch internal jumpers. My Pro-Ject Tube Box is alot more convenient in that department. This sucker weighs 25 lbs.
With MC output setting I got right now, it sounds very solid and not as tuby as PJ. That's about all I say right now.

BTW, is this poll still open? I dont see the "Vote" button anymore.

[emorphien]

I'd vote for all of em except for the cable/interconnect as long as they're decent and shielded...

I want a better stage myself, but I'd say cartridge or tonearm.

[Woochifer]

I think the two most important variables are the record itself and the cartridge. The record is self-explanatory. Well mastered and carefully pressed LPs can sound divine. But, if it's poorly mastered or has pressing defects, it can sound like crap and no tweaked high end rig can rescue something that's already far gone. Although it's not as much of an issue with newer vinyl, back in the vinyl heyday I used to return LPs all the time because of excessive inner groove distortion. The primary cause of this is simply overproduction with worn stampers.

IMO, the cartridge defines the character of a system in much the same way that the main speakers does with the playback chain. Just as there's no such thing as a perfect speaker, there's no such thing as a perfect cartridge and a lot of it ultimately comes down to personal preference. Even with a low end turntable, swapping out the cartridge can make a dramatic change to the overall sound quality. My recent upgrade to an Ortofon OM30 from a Sumiko Black Pearl completely redefined how my vinyl sounded. It was like a homecoming for my LPs because they'd been totally lost in the woods with that Sumiko fitted to my turntable.

I don't have enough experience with switching out tonearms to comment one way or another about their causal importance, but they are very important in that there are compatibility issues in mating the cartridge with a tonearm. For example, low mass tonearms are best suited for high compliance MM cartridges and don't work especially well with MC cartridges.

[emorphien]

Actually yes I agree that the record is up there with the cartridge. The tonearm is important but up to a point I would have to agree... not that important.

[jrhymeammo]

Good point Wooche. I voted for phono stage, but that wouldnt matter if I didnt have a cartridge that can track more precisely on good records. Stylus/Records is the epicenter of sound. Tonearm can be critical also, but the most important part is to match a cart with a tonearm. With a crappy tonarm, cart selection will be limited so Opppssss. Tonearm wins?
Between cart and tonearm, I'm not so sure if we can decide which is more important. But I strongly believer everything else should be considered after finding a good cart/arm match.
Any thoughts?

[emorphien]

sounds good to me! But I don't know half of 1% as much as some of you guys.