kal
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Post by kal on Aug 13, 2021 11:55:11 GMT
How do we feel about PSU upgrades and or audiophile multi socket things?
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Post by Reviewer on Aug 13, 2021 11:56:37 GMT
Nervous.
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Post by dodgypast on Aug 13, 2021 12:48:07 GMT
so, which would people recommend?
KEF R900s or B&W 603 S2 Anniversary Edition. They're similar prices where I am.
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 13, 2021 12:50:44 GMT
so, which would people recommend? KEF R900s or B&W 603 S2 Anniversary Edition. They're similar prices where I am. When it comes to speakers, you have to audition IMO. More than anything else, it'll be very personal what you prefer, maybe tricky just now but if you could demo them side by side it should be clear which you prefer. |
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 13, 2021 12:53:27 GMT
How do we feel about PSU upgrades and or audiophile multi socket things? I have a big German extension block, doesn't have fancy filtering or anything, I'm sure when I got it 20 years ago I heard some difference but no idea nowadays. I spoke to an ex Musical Fidelity employee who does upgrades and repairs and he insisted that high quality connections were really important.. Turntable PSU upgrades definitely do make a difference, that I have experienced. |
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Post by dodgypast on Aug 13, 2021 13:01:38 GMT
so, which would people recommend? KEF R900s or B&W 603 S2 Anniversary Edition. They're similar prices where I am. When it comes to speakers, you have to audition IMO. More than anything else, it'll be very personal what you prefer, maybe tricky just now but if you could demo them side by side it should be clear which you prefer. Unfortunately with less than 10% vaccinated over here and 23K+ cases a day from the limited amount of testing being done I'm not going to be in a position to audition for a very long time.
Just wondering if they're similar level speakers or if one set would be clearly better.
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 13, 2021 13:09:51 GMT
When it comes to speakers, you have to audition IMO. More than anything else, it'll be very personal what you prefer, maybe tricky just now but if you could demo them side by side it should be clear which you prefer. Unfortunately with less than 10% vaccinated over here and 23K+ cases a day from the limited amount of testing being done I'm not going to be in a position to audition for a very long time.
Just wondering if they're similar level speakers or if one set would be clearly better.
The KEF speakers are pretty old, as far as I can see, they're from 10 years ago and have been replaced with newer models in the Reference range whereas the B&W are pretty new..... |
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 13, 2021 13:21:41 GMT
I found the 603s really obnoxiously bright. Frankly likewise the KEFs. I went for the Focal Chora 826 as I much preferred how they sounded. But you have to listen for yourself, it’s all about personal taste with speakers.
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 13, 2021 13:24:36 GMT
How do we feel about PSU upgrades and or audiophile multi socket things? I have a big German extension block, doesn't have fancy filtering or anything, I'm sure when I got it 20 years ago I heard some difference but no idea nowadays. I spoke to an ex Musical Fidelity employee who does upgrades and repairs and he insisted that high quality connections were really important.. Turntable PSU upgrades definitely do make a difference, that I have experienced. Interestingly it’s my absolute piece of shit Musical Fidelity phono stage PSU that’s making me consider an upgrade. Honestly it’s a lovely bit of kit but came with the nastiest cheapest off the shelf shitty PSU you’ll ever see. Same goes for my turntable which was particularly disappointing as it’s petty high end. But spending money on upgrading them when there’s so much more fun things to be buying grates. |
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 13, 2021 13:34:14 GMT
I have a big German extension block, doesn't have fancy filtering or anything, I'm sure when I got it 20 years ago I heard some difference but no idea nowadays. I spoke to an ex Musical Fidelity employee who does upgrades and repairs and he insisted that high quality connections were really important.. Turntable PSU upgrades definitely do make a difference, that I have experienced. Interestingly it’s my absolute piece of shit Musical Fidelity phono stage PSU that’s making me consider an upgrade. Honestly it’s a lovely bit of kit but came with the nastiest cheapest off the shelf shitty PSU you’ll ever see. Same goes for my turntable which was particularly disappointing as it’s petty high end. But spending money on upgrading them when there’s so much more fun things to be buying grates. I'd look at jsaudiorepairs.co.ukI found the guy to be awesome, he upgraded/restored all my amps and transformed them. Maybe worth giving him a call and asking his advice. |
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 13, 2021 13:36:12 GMT
Interestingly it’s my absolute piece of shit Musical Fidelity phono stage PSU that’s making me consider an upgrade. Honestly it’s a lovely bit of kit but came with the nastiest cheapest off the shelf shitty PSU you’ll ever see. Same goes for my turntable which was particularly disappointing as it’s petty high end. But spending money on upgrading them when there’s so much more fun things to be buying grates. I'd look at jsaudiorepairs.co.ukI found the guy to be awesome, he upgraded/restored all my amps and transformed them. Maybe worth giving him a call and asking his advice. Have you looked at the origin live upgrades? |
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 13, 2021 14:31:11 GMT
I’ve bought other bits off this guy and he’s an absolute legend, but he also happened to be THE audiophile power guru, so if I do go down this rabbit hole he’s my guy. www.mcru.co.uk/shop/ |
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Post by Matt A on Aug 15, 2021 12:23:36 GMT
Naim I remember used to have an upgrade path of external power supplies. Designed to upgrade their amps.
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 19, 2021 6:47:10 GMT
My Naim amp is actually my one component that came with a decent PSU.
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Post by DakeyrasUK on Aug 19, 2021 22:51:31 GMT
Hi all, am a total Vinyl newb. My Dad just gave me his Goldring Lenco G69 record player that has been boxed up for 30 years.
I have it connected to my av receiver and it works very well. But am aware I need a preamp for the RIAA EQ correction.
Pretty sure the record player cartridge is Moving Coil (the stylus is connected to an Shure M55E cartridge).
The stylus is a diamond tipped elliptical shape, so think that is pretty good starting point.
I'm not looking to spend hundreds, but can I get a serviceable preamp for 50-60 quid? My speakers are also nothing special, part of a 5.1 onkyo speaker package I got for 500 or so with av receiver included about 5 years ago.
Thanks for any help.
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 20, 2021 7:43:03 GMT
If it’s working with your receive there must be a built in preamp.
You might want to investigate the condition of the stylus before you start tearing into precious vinyl with it.
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Post by DakeyrasUK on Aug 20, 2021 9:10:34 GMT
The stylus is in great condition. Looked at it with a magnifying glass and could see it looking very much to a fine point. There was a couple of others in the box, one of which looked a little jagged.
In order for it to play through the receiver I do have to have the volume turned up far higher than I have ever used before.
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Post by DakeyrasUK on Aug 20, 2021 9:12:07 GMT
I also need a preamp to up the bass gains and tone down the treble for the RIAA standards right?
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 20, 2021 9:35:49 GMT
The stylus is in great condition. Looked at it with a magnifying glass and could see it looking very much to a fine point. There was a couple of others in the box, one of which looked a little jagged. In order for it to play through the receiver I do have to have the volume turned up far higher than I have ever used before. I'd personally get a new cartridge, I wouldn't trust a 30 year old one after looking with a magnifying glass. You don't want to screw your vinyl. Otherwise, you're looking at something like Rega Fono Mini A2D or Pro-ject Phono Box but it depends, they're 90-100 quid but should be able to get a 2nd hand one for your budget. Which receiver are you using? |
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 20, 2021 9:44:26 GMT
That Rega one won’t do MC I don’t think. That’s going to be a common issue with your budget.
I had some bad noise problems with the Pro-jet phono boxes. Tried a solid stage and the tube one and both had really bad hums with my system. Admittedly it was a challenge eliminating it entirely with any phono stage but I found the Pro-ject ones particularly bad. YMMV of course.
Cambridge do some pretty good/cheap phono stages that can handle some mc carts, but you just need to check all the specs are matching up.
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 20, 2021 11:42:45 GMT
That Rega one won’t do MC I don’t think. That’s going to be a common issue with your budget. I had some bad noise problems with the Pro-jet phono boxes. Tried a solid stage and the tube one and both had really bad hums with my system. Admittedly it was a challenge eliminating it entirely with any phono stage but I found the Pro-ject ones particularly bad. YMMV of course. Cambridge do some pretty good/cheap phono stages that can handle some mc carts, but you just need to check all the specs are matching up. Yp, you're right and good point on the potential hum issues, DakeyrasUK2nd hand something like this would be great: www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/moreinfo.php?prod_title=parasound_zphono_mm/mc_phono_stage_pre-amplifier&p=phonostage&prod_id=91231&offset=It depends on what your receiver is like, how likely you are to get more into it etc. Could be that upgrading your receiver to something like a 2nd hand Marantz would make sense... |
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Post by DakeyrasUK on Aug 21, 2021 7:34:16 GMT
Here are images of my stylus'. There were 3 packaged up. The first is the one I'm using. I have used the second and the 3rd I think is the diamond tipped one, which I have not used yet and by the looks of it I don't think I should use. imgur.com/a/qkAyjWRimgur.com/a/wDkHUHUimgur.com/a/IBX2kJu |
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Post by jimnastics on Aug 21, 2021 8:52:14 GMT
so, which would people recommend? KEF R900s or B&W 603 S2 Anniversary Edition. They're similar prices where I am. When it comes to speakers, you have to audition IMO. More than anything else, it'll be very personal what you prefer, maybe tricky just now but if you could demo them side by side it should be clear which you prefer. Although I wholeheartedly agree, it can also be quite depressing lol... I remember going to the B&W showroom here in Worthing way back when I got my first 601s, I made the mistake of asking the guy to demo the 601s against some speakers about 5x the price just for fun. Kinda took the shine of my new purchase for a bit! |
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 21, 2021 8:56:21 GMT
Im not sure you’ve got a good enough image on any of those to really judge, you probably need a microscope, but yeah, the third doesn’t look good even at that magnification.
Also it’s not just about wear on the stylus. Over 30 years all sorts of things stiffen up and degrade. These components are highly precise and delicate and the tiniest flaw can have a big effect.
In my experience it’s really not worth messing about with old carts. If you’ve got something super rare and vintage sure, get it restored and go to all that trouble, but while that Shure is a very decent cart when in good condition, my bet is a bottom of the range Ortofon or Nagoaka or something would sound better out the box and give you peace of mind that you’re not fucking up all your vinyl.
At the very very least you can get a new stylus for less than the cost of a record.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Aug 21, 2021 10:07:44 GMT
I’ve got a pro-ject phono box. I did have to send the first one back for hum but this one seems ok. Dunno if it’s build issues.
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 21, 2021 11:14:16 GMT
I think because my cart is particularly low output hum is generally a problem for me. Took some expensive cable to really sort it.
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Post by DakeyrasUK on Aug 21, 2021 21:49:09 GMT
Nevermind on what would be best as a preamp. My dad has found amongst his records a design for a high end preamp circuit that a former colleague shared with him. He has ordered 5 of the circuit boards for £21 and is now waiting and and quote for all the transistors needed. He tells me the quality of this will be equivalent to that if a piece of preamp that cost hundreds.
Just gotta wait for him to build it... says it will be a Xmas present, hopefully an early one!
So can focus that money on a new cartridge and stylus!
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スコットランド
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Post by スコットランド on Aug 21, 2021 22:00:48 GMT
Nevermind on what would be best as a preamp. My dad has found amongst his records a design for a high end preamp circuit that a former colleague shared with him. He has ordered 5 of the circuit boards for £21 and is now waiting and and quote for all the transistors needed. He tells me the quality of this will be equivalent to that if a piece of preamp that cost hundreds. Just gotta wait for him to build it... says it will be a Xmas present, hopefully an early one! So can focus that money on a new cartridge and stylus! What's your cartridge budget? |
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Post by DakeyrasUK on Aug 22, 2021 6:14:05 GMT
Ideally not more than 50. Not really spent any time researching prices as I thought what I had was good...
All I know I want it to be a diamond tipped elliptical stylus which is mc. Beyond that I haven't a clue what causes prices to vary so much.
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Sept 14, 2021 16:26:04 GMT
So here's one, I'm renovating/extending my house atm. I'm just collating speaker wiring diagrams and after speaking to one of the installers he suggested a sub for rooms with multiple ceiling speakers. He regaled some anecdotal story about a client regretting putting in a sub after hearing one etc..
So, outside of home theatre installs, anyone with a sub to compliment their normal ceiling/bookshelf speakers?
/crickets
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