Audiophilepure

One drawback of the Grado Labs Timbre line is the stylus is not user replaceable, just like moving coil cartridges. Once the stylus is worn out you have to send it to one of the many phono cartridge re-tippers out there. Or, Grado Labs has a very generous trade-in program, so for about what you would pay for a new stylus for a moving magnet phono cartridge you can purchase a brand new Opus3. This would be the best alternative. It may take a couple of weeks to send your old Grado to the dealer and wait for the new one, especially if it is not in stock. For me, this is where the Audio Technica AT-3600L comes in handy as a temporary substitute.

There are reasons why Grado Labs phono cartridge have been around since 1953. The company may be better  known these days for making some of the best headphones in the world at really good prices. The same can be said about their phono cartridges. I am purchasing this phono cartridge and keeping it installed in my newly acquired Music Hall mmf-1.3 turntable. The $275 price tag got me really close in performance to my Hana phono cartridge. I have to give props to the recommendations of both Music Hall and Grado Labs, because this is a great combination. I now have a third option along with my AR and Thorens turntables. The Grado Labs Opus3 phono cartridge, just like the Music Hall mmf-1.3 turntable, is highly recommended.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/pure-fidelity-harmony-record-player

Aural memory is notorious, but among ‘tables I’ve heard lately, the Pure Fidelity Harmony most closely resembled the Thorens TD 124 DD in terms of energy, inner illumination, and finely wrought detail; less so the Kuzma. All three—Pure Fidelity, Thorens, Kuzma—are exceptional; any one of them could be an end-point turntable for a lot of people.

The Pure Fidelity Harmony brings a beautiful sonic signature to vinyl but with enough transparency to reveal the unique personality of each LP. Every record played on the Harmony, from jazz and rock to electronic and classical, is an event. I couldn’t not listen: Each performance demanded my attention and rewarded it with a deep musical connection.

The Pure Fidelity Harmony is one of the finest analog playback machines I’ve heard, worth every penny of its $9995 asking price.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/technics-sl-1200g-turntable

Then again, I can think of few turntables that offer as much value as the SL-1200G. The quality of its engineering and execution makes typical audiophile products look slightly homemade, and I’m willing to bet that it will remain as bulletproof as the legendary DJ deck on which it’s based. Speaking of which, the similarity between the two is largely cosmetic: The SL-1200G offers performance that the SL-1200 could only dream of. Whether it’s the turntable for you depends on your sonic and musical priorities. The Technics isn’t for romantics: It will not make you smell the cigarette smoke at the Baobab Club in Dakar or feel the worn wood of the pews in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. What it will do is reproduce the music on your records with faultless sonics and probably last into the next century. If this sounds appealing, try to audition one.

One drawback of the Grado Labs Timbre line is the stylus is not user replaceable, just like moving coil cartridges. Once the stylus is worn out you have to send it to one of the many phono cartridge re-tippers out there. Or, Grado Labs has a very generous trade-in program, so for about what you would pay for a new stylus for a moving magnet phono cartridge you can purchase a brand new Opus3. This would be the best alternative. It may take a couple of weeks to send your old Grado to the dealer and wait for the new one, especially if it is not in stock. For me, this is where the Audio Technica AT-3600L comes in handy as a temporary substitute.

There are reasons why Grado Labs phono cartridge have been around since 1953. The company may be better  known these days for making some of the best headphones in the world at really good prices. The same can be said about their phono cartridges. I am purchasing this phono cartridge and keeping it installed in my newly acquired Music Hall mmf-1.3 turntable. The $275 price tag got me really close in performance to my Hana phono cartridge. I have to give props to the recommendations of both Music Hall and Grado Labs, because this is a great combination. I now have a third option along with my AR and Thorens turntables. The Grado Labs Opus3 phono cartridge, just like the Music Hall mmf-1.3 turntable, is highly recommended.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/amg-giro-mk-ii-turntable

While it may not be a Mercedes, the AMG Giro MK II turntable with the Benz Micro SLR Gullwing cartridge proved that another type of machine is capable of transporting you to wonderful, beautiful places. The elegance of the Giro’s design shows that a high-end turntable doesn’t need to look like someone’s junior high school science-fair project to be capable of creating beautiful music.

Five years ago, in his review of the original Giro, Herb Reichert wrote, “the AMG seems to have it all going on: exquisite style, superb build quality, ease of setup, ease of use, and the ability to steer cartridges and play records with the world’s finest record players.” All those observations apply to the MK II version, but now it can accommodate a wider variety of tonearms. Plus, even more than before, while it may look like a svelte supermodel, it can ball with the big boys.

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/thorens-td-1500-turntable-belt-driven-suspended-subchassis-marvel

Now, some vintage gear fans might say, for $2,400, you could get an OG Thorens TD 124 ’table — the best of all worlds if you are indeed a vintage maestro. That said, you’d have to refurbish the machine and add a tonearm and a cart, which could easily raise the price above the TD 1500’s $2,999 asking price. For comparison’s sake, MoFi Electronics’ UltraDeck with a tonearm is $2,499, while the Pro-Ject Debut PRO with tonearm and cartridge is a bargain at $999. But for me, the Thorens TD 1500 is a slam dunk.

For its stupendous dynamic range, rich tone, excellent soundstage abilities and consistently awesome scale, as well its given ability to switch out carts on the fly, the Thorens TD 1500 turntable is a no-holds success. If you’re in the $2,999 neighborhood, including tonearm and cartridge, the TD 1500 is a must-listen. It rocked my world, set me straight, and garnered fantastic enjoyment from my collection of cherished black discs.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/clearaudio-reference-jubilee-turntable

The Clearaudio Reference Jubilee is a fitting milestone for this German brand – taking its first turntable design and updating it with 30 years of experience. Yes, setup is a little fiddly, but the effort is amply rewarded by the performance on offer. The deck can wear its ‘Reference’ tag with pride and with the hope that it sires a permanent version, as this stunning LP spinner begs to break free of its limited-edition shackles.