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Vintage Turntables (EMT, Garrard, Thorens) Opinions please

Posted by Phil_999 (A) on February 9, 2005 at 19:22:25

Vintage turntables experts, opinions sought:
For a long time, I've been using a loaded Linn LP12/Cirkus/Lingo/Ekos with the Helikon SL, Aesthetix I/O Phono with Volume.
Amps are Jeff Korneff SE45 monoblocks and speakers are Edgarhorn Titans + Seismic subwoofer.
I caught the upgrade bugs lately and have been doing lots of reading, and finally nail down to 3 vintage turntables in order of preference:
- any EMT (927,930,948,950) with EMT929 arm and cartridge,
- Gerrard 301,401,501
- Thorens 124.
- Tonearm choice is either SME 3012 or Ortofon SMG212
- Cartridge choice is the Ortogon SPU cartridge (haven't decide which one)
I also consider the Micro Seiki 5000 but it is too expensive and hard to find.
My budget is $3K to $4K, but of course I try to keep it as low as possible. I listen mainly to Jazz music.

Although the EMT is my first choice, it is so hard to find in the USA. The 930 advertised on Audiogon for $3.5K is in Europe and the seller does not have feedbacks yet.

There are 3 killer Garrards on eBay right now: a brand new 401, and two mint 301s, along with a beautiful plinth for the 301. One of the 301 auction is ending in a little more than a day.
I am not looking for the Thorens 124 right now because the Garrards on eBay are just too beatiful to pass up.

I am seeking opinions on the following things:
- Is the EMT performance good enough for me to pass up on the beautiful Garrards on eBay and keep hunting for one?
- Is the performance of the Garrard 301 comparable to the 401? I kept reading that the 301 is more "desireable", for what reasons?
I don't want to pass up on the brand new 401.
- Is the SME 3012 tonearm a significant performance upgrade from the Ortofon SMG212 with the Ortofon SPU cartridge?
- Which SPU cartridge is more suitable for Jazz music?

How do a vintage setup like this compare to the new designs such as La Platine Verdier, or the Basis Debut MkV with Vector tone arm?

I am tempted to bid very high to get one of the Garrards, unless someone can steer me to other directions.
Thanks in advance.
Phil

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