Hi everyone,
After a bit of advice from some of our more experienced vinylphiles out there...
I've got a Bang and Olufsen Beogram 4002 turntable which I purchased a number of years ago. Its fully serviced, adjusted and so forth and runs like clockwork, looks and works like new.
I am using a Rega Fono MM mk2 with my Cyrus 8 DAC, PSX-R and VAF i91 stand mounts.
I had a MMC20EN cart fully rebuilt by a gentleman in Melbourne about 2 years ago, this cart has a boron cantilever and shibata or FG (cant remember) stylus, new suspension, fully tested,etc
I also have a MMC20CL which is in perfect condition and performs really well - the rebuilt EN totally outperforms it though in vocal resolution - the B&O carts were a little 'rolled off' from memory and voiced to match the rest of their gear.
The setup sounds really nice, decent sound stage, nice presentation, reasonably good dynamics and easy to listen to. I listen to everything from 60's Beatles, 70's everything (disco, pop, rock) to modern pressings and re-presses through Speakers Corner, Mobile Fidelity, etc.
I have got to that point where I am wondering if there is more out there to be had with a conventional, modern turntable and cartridge. I also don't want to use the B&O as a daily driver (I listen to vinyl quite a bit) just due to its age.
I am quite aware that for their time the B&O tables were pretty advanced in terms of their design, but perhaps weren't the last word in sound quality in terms of staging and detail.
Curiosity got the better of me a few months ago and I went and listened to a Rega RP6, RP8, Music Hall MMF7.1 and Avid Ingenium with RB303. For the most part these tables sounded great but unfortunately its hard to tell how they sound against your own gear unless you plonk it down beside your equipment in your own listening room.
I had thought the Rega RP6 + Exact II was where I might put my money although I am not really sure if an RP6 would out perform the B&O because I've never put them head to head. The B&O is a fully suspended turntable and you can basically hammer on the bench next to it and get nothing back through the table. Many Rega reviews suggest isolating the table with a wall shelf or some type of isolation platform.
There are a few options for me to borrow some equipment from CAV to try an RP6 or RP8 at home however I was wanting to ask some of those on the forum with more experience across a range of tables, is the RP6 a worthy upgrade to something like the Beogram 4002? Am I going to hear a major difference or do I need to go higher up the Rega line or other lines?
Some general advice would be great.
Many thanks
Drew