Like in anything audio, it all depends on your enjoyment and willingness to endure and at times that means cost for quality, and all that might mean is nothing more than better components, some adjustability to match a RIAA curve or to adjusts the tracking force etc… Like headphones some people are ok with ear buds and and a smartphone, where others spend thousands for headphones and thousands for a headamp. The same applies to AMPS, DACs and TT’s, Arms, Cartridges, CD players/transports, Servers, network players etc… as there is no right or wrong, its personal enjoyment. And you are spot on with a stable platform for a TT, vibration will kill any enjoyment.
Regarding steak, it all depends on the quality of the meat and if the chef knows how to cook it. You can go to Bonanza on the cheap and feed your whole family for the price of a steak at a ultra steak house, or you can really move up and enjoy one of the best, Pappas Bros., Houston TX. Like anything, it all depends on you enjoyment and how much you are willing to spend, is it better, vs $$$ some would say no other say yes, same with audio. Thank god we have a choice.
Bonanza is awful.
As far as turntables, I’ve had everything from a kid’s portable (from about age 7) though using Garrard changers, including fold-down portables and actually decent Garrards, to Rec-o-Kut, my trusty AR Xa, Dual, and the VPI Prime Scout. Not counting hours with some radio station equipment. So, I was simplifying. But I recall lots of hype and overblown discussion around anti-skate, for example.
Yes, Pappas rates very high. I think Gallagher’s in Manhattan is the closest I’ve been to a top steak house. And the chains like Ruth’s Chris. But generally, I like local flavor, like “The Stockyard Inn” here in Lancaster, PA or “The Tavern” in State College. At the latter, you have all the servings you want of sides with your entree - and they are very good.
Warning! Do not follow any of the links while hungry.
I swear by Keen’s in Manhattan. It is probably not the very best in the city, but the vibe is timeless. I try to meet my “birthday buddy” there every year close to our mutual birthday week and blow $150 on complete decadence (a lot of cocktails, of course). In terms of just delicious steak, I usually. prefer to just buy the best cut I can find at the butcher counter and cook at home. I rarely disappoint myself!
This is my preferred also! As time goes by, I prefer less marble so now go for New York more often than Ribeye. Skirt cut as an under the radar banger of a cut.
I tell ya when it comes to steak I like them all. Have you ever tried “Hanger Steak”
"The hanger steak is cut from the short plate, on the underside of the cow, and is a neighbor of sorts to the skirt steak. And it’s got plenty going for it, too: it’s absolutely chock-full of flavor, and, because the muscle it comes from does little work, it’s incredibly tender, too.
[Moving to a more relevant thread for you to peruse]
Unless the RME has a phono stage, you’ll need a separate phono preamp to go between the Pendant and turntable (higher tier tables will likely not have a built in phono stage).
I was in a recent similar position and considered VPI, MoFi, Rega, Pro-ject, Music Hall, Technics, Clear Audio, EAT. @pennstac introduced me to Vinyl Nirvana and I’m waiting on a vintage Thorens TM-160 (belt driven, suspended chassis, fully manual).
Besides the table and phono preamp, there’s also the cartridge selection.
I completely understand the rabbit hole I COULD go down if I wanted to get back into vinyl (after a 35-yr hiatus!), but I have no desire to take that path. Can anyone suggest a few options less than about $300 that will allow me to confirm… or deny… how good vinyl can sound through my headphones?
Alternatively, if the consensus is that I can get the same sound out of a FLAC or hi-res audio file then I’ll be fine sticking with that method. I just feel like now that I have some great headphones I’m in better shape to make a call on whether to invest in any vinyl equipment.
Indeed I have… and I might already be scared away! (tongue firmly in cheek)
Frankly though, it does seem like a lot of effort and expense if you’re not willing/ready to appreciate what a TT source brings you. I may try to dust off my old Technics turntable I had in high school and see if it still works with the handful of remaining albums I have socked away. Maybe that will get it out of my system?
I got out of vinyl when I relocated to the US 30 years ago, I get occasional impulses to buy a turntable, then I remember how much space 1000 LPs take and it’s very much not worth it without the media.
Good quality vinyl is getting expensive.
Your old Technics is probably an OK place to start. Suggest you check the cart and stylus pretty carefully. Decent entry level these days, with $125 or so for record cleaning and $100-200 for a pre-amp (if needed) is probably closer to the $500-600 range.
What should I be looking for when inspecting the cartridge?
Also it’s interesting hearing so much about cleaning. Makes perfect sense, but I don’t remember that being a major consideration “back in the day”. Thinking back, I do remember having a “lint brush” type of record cleaner, and also seeing a a “washer” product where the record was supported vertically in a shallow tub of cleaning fluid. I can only imagine the expensive vinyl cleaning products out there today!
