Quote Originally Posted by hifitommy
the SL1200 is a good starting point and one can have a great time listening to music on this easy to use workhorse. yes, good sound can be had here.

HOWEVER, more refined sound can be had elsewhere. whether belt or dd (VERY expensive to do right) there are any number of choices new or used. the tonearm is the weakest link but i DO like detachable headshells. hence my ownership of the mmt arm.

when the novelty wears thin, some careful shopping and listening will yield greatly improved sound. is it worth it to go there? the same question asked about going away from compact disc. it depends how important the better sound is to you. staying with the 1200 may be just the answer for YOU.

denon and marantz electronics may be fine for you, OR audio research and VTL. there ARE differences.

lest you think i havent been there, or at least part way, i owned a SL120/grace 707 setup for a long time. also, a kenwood kd500/707 which has found its way back into my hands. it will take its turn as my backup table after i get the dustcover situation (a bad Agon seller) resolved and when i receive the cardas arm wire onsite.
High Tommy. I'm generally aware of your expereince. I try to read your posts, particularly re: analog and music, when I see them. I don't see the SL-1200 as a stopping point. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in a process of taking several small steps rather than taking a single giant leap. I've been wondering for a while now why I've never taken the same approach with my 2-ch system that I learned while being taught music for almost 10 years. In band, I was taught the importance of a good foundation. Bass and baritone notes should provide a solid foundation. The result should take the form of a pyramid with low notes at the bottom and the highest treble at the top. Obviously, there are less "blocks" across the top of a pyramid than there are at the bottom. I wasn't getting that foundation with my analog setup because the entry-level table I was using just didn't allow for bass extension. So far, the Technics has provided that foundation, but perhaps at the expense of the effortless, airy quality in the treble of a better direct drive or good belt-drive. But I'm not done experimenting with cart setup yet. (Also, I haven't determined whether the Technics is as quiet, yet. The level of background noise, if any, may be a factor.)

Nevertheless, the pyramid model may not be as relevant to music re-production as it is to live performance. Almost everything written about audio today focuses on the "all-important midrange." And, there's always that subjective factor that varies with each end-user.