How to Buy Analog

Did you know that turntables, tonearms, cartridges and phono stages all have the variance in sound of other components, like amps and speakers? Some tables sound very smooth, relaxed and warm while others are very lively, transparent and accurate. You can picture it this way: A "family sedan" takes out the roughness in the road for a smooth and easy drive but doesn’t give you a feel for the road nor much in the way of ‘hi-performance’. Sports cars have terrific agility and relay the road conditions instantly but can be hard over rough road. Further, like other components, tables vary from not-so-great to excellent production value (parts quality, engineering design).

If you like a "sportier ride" that offers better clarity and dynamics then you should be looking at decks like Brinkmann, Origin Live, Avid and Thorens. If you’d like a warmer, richer sound then consider a table by Sota. Transrotor tables are right in the middle but this doesn’t mean they are better than the others, just sonically in the middle road, like maybe a BMW sedan.

Question: How can you listen and evaluate the maybe 10 tables, arms or cartridges available in your price range with the same components and same acoustical environment to decide which deck is best for you? You can’t. That’s why it’s important to have a dealer to trust who does this day in and day out with a broad selection of brands to work with. If you visit a store and hear one or two tables and don’t get a chance to compare them to other tables with different merits you’ll never know what you are missing. You’d have to wonder did you just hear two tables that are both ‘family sedans’ or what?

Audio Revelation carries 8 turntable brands, 6 tonearm lines and 5 cartridge lines. We currently have 13 turntables with 15 arms and cartridges setup for demo ranging from $3,000 to $30,000 (including arms and cartridges). We have a tremendous selection to choose from and not limited to one or two lines that are supposedly best for everyone (that’s nonsense). Further, we frequently rotate the arms and cartridges on tables, as that’s the only way to know what sounds like what and what works best together.

How to buy a table/arm/cartridge? Consider your preference for a soft cushy ride, a sports car ride or somewhere in-between. Then work with a dealer that knows the ‘market’ and can offer you honest advice from a full selection. And no, you can't have it all!!!!! Even the very best tables have sonic signatures that vary between lively and warm. If someone says their table has it all then run, you’ve met a liar. (Ok, maybe the Continuum at $100,000 does it all; but I haven’t had that one in my store – yet!)

Let us know what you think - it would be my pleasure to help you find the right table that fits your taste and with over 50 models to choose from, we can do that!