First jump into vinyl: LINN lp-12

[Sealed]

The Kontrapunkt A ran me $475 because the dealer cut me a break. The "B" goes for about $900.

The world of vinyl, (as I quickly ascertained) is much more inclusive of pitfalls than digital. There is only so much you can screw up with a cd player connection.

Some of the carts I looked at I could not use. A good example would be Grado. The carts may sound superb on other decks, but cannot be used with the light Ittok arm because the carts are really "springy."

The dealer went through a 90 minute setup, and showed me how lowering the arm emphasized bass, raising it...treble.

Once all of the adjustments were made, it is going to run that way for many months.

I cannot recommend the Ortofon cart for other arms, because I have no experiance with what the result will be. Not to mention that certain phono stages may cause certain carts to sound fat.

It's a lot of things to think about, but the results are worth it. I am glad I opted for a totally modifiable deck, vs a deck that can only accept another cart. I don't feel limited by choices, just budget. What I have now is extremely enjoyable.