I just got back into vinyl and upgraded my gear over the last year or so.

I dug out my old 1980 Pioneer PL-300 turntable from the basement and fired it up and use deodorant it for a few months, but the motor is getting flaky.

I started doing some research and ended up getting a White 2016 Rega Planar 3 and an Ortofon 2m Bronze.  This thing sounded incredible, but being the tweeker I am, I had to do some mods.

I added a TT-PSU (external power supply) and an Isokinetik 3mm spacer to the tonearm.  Spacer was so heavier weight LPs would work correctly.

Then I added an Isokinetik counterweight so I could close the lid with the 3mm spacer installed.

Sound keeps better better.

Added some more tweeks...

Groovetracer Reference Subplatter

Michael Lim dual belt pully and a couple Lim belts.

Achromat platter mat.

Sound is better now then on some 96/24 FLACs that I have in vinyl and digital.

Last update so far...

Replaced the Bronze stylus with a 2m Black stylus, as the Bronze and Black use the same body.  The Black uses a Shibata diamond.

The Black is still breaking in, but after about 15 hours on it, the sound is incredible.  Like nothing I have heard before.  I can hear things on LPs (and music I have both on FLAC and vinyl) that I had never heard before.  The new stylus pulls sound out of the grooves like a giant vacuum.

To say I am happy with my setup would be an extreme understatement.  The Planar 3 isn't a Planar 3 anymore.  It is way beyond it.

Mission accomplished...

For now.  

Edit:  a nice Groovetracer delrin platter might be cool...

Here is a photo of the Groovetracer reference subplatter with the Lim double pully and belts.

Nice work!

We need a good TT/Vinyl thread!

VPI HW 19 JR
Rega RB300 Arm
Creek phono preamp

Crappy Grado Black cartridge.  Used to have a Denon DL103D MC cartridge that was awesome - ran it through a pair of Sowter step up transformers in a project box into a MM preamp.  Loved that cartridge. My kid trashed it when he was 3.  That was 7 years ago, so maybe it's time for an upgrade.

I run an older Marantz and Hitachi setup.

I've had the same Thorens TD 160 since I bought it in Germany in the mid 70s

You know the rules...  Pictures please.

I wasn't ready for that but... it's tucked away in my stereo cabinet and kind of hard to get a decent pic of. I really want to get it to the lake house but it'll be on the second floor of a kind of wobbly house. Not sure how that's going to work out

Attached File

Very nice!

Pioneer PL600 with Sure v15 type IV cartridge. Emotiva preamp.

My current main table:

VPI Scoutmaster, JMW Memorial 9" arm, Soundsmith CI, Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star cart, Signal Cable Silver Resolution Reference interconnects going to a Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE II phono stage.  Table is sitting on  a 2.75" maple Boos Block supported by MapleShade IsoBlocks.  I tried a Gingko Cloud 11 and I much prefer the Boos Block.  Much cheaper, better isolation and better dynamics--especially the lows.




DSOTM Japanese Odeon 1st pressing w/ solid blue triangle at home on the VPI.



MIMC Star riding slightly tail down VTA.




Black Cube SE II


ETA lets keep this thread going!  Love seeing everyone's TT/vinyl setups!

I need a turntable to spin .50 brass while I anneal it.

Two turntables and a microphone.

Picture of the 2M Black in action

Just getting back into HiFi...nothing too impressive yet but this is what I have now:

Attached File



Thinking about Nagaoka MP-500 which is a bit overkill for this turntable which will probably force a turntable upgrade. Been listening to them on youtube/etc and that thing sounds very impressive.  Most of my stuff is FLAC on a media server, probably up to 50 or so records at this point. That's an Akai BT500 btw into-> Schiit Mani -> Emotiva UMC200 (just retired my Carver CT29v)-> ATI 1505 -> Legacy Audio FOCUS speakers.

Very nice!

I love my Schiit Mani.

Pioneer made some damn good turntables.  I still have my PL-300 I bought in high school in 1980.