System edited: Some big changes were made over the years so a system update has been long overdue. The Totems replaced Tyler monitors. Huge gain in transparency, detail, timbral accuracy, and bass quality but at the expense of the big sound of the Tylers. Not surprising I guess considering the cabinet size of the Tylers being at least double the Totems. Amps also replaced with TAD60 which has been by far the most synergistic match for the Totems that I have found up to now after trying Naim Nait XS/Teddycap, Music Reference RM10, Decware Torii 3, Almarro A318B, Plinius 9100, and ARC CA-50.
Hyperreal: That's a very interesting tip regarding the damping fluid. I may have to try that sometime. In the meantime, I've made some small changes to the TT setup.
Tonearm damper is back in, along with a Gingko cloud platform for the TT that I got from an audio buddy. I previously had the TT sitting on a cheap wooden plinth which in turn was sitting on vibrapods, much like your setup. I ditched the stock feet and am currently using Yamamoto wood blocks for feet. I briefly tried brass cones but ultimately prefered the wood blocks.
The sound has improved a bit with these changes, but I'm not too sure whether I can attribute that to the damper or the cloud since they both went in at the same time.
Jimbojrjb: The Denon cart is great for the money. I compared it to the Goldring 1042 and Dynavector 10x5 and found the Denon to be the best value. However, my comparison was done quite a while ago back when I most likely wasnt too knowledgable and spot-on with setup and alignment, so its probably all meaningless.
Anyway, I found that upgrading the phono stage had a larger impact on sound than the differences between the 3 carts, but YMMV.
How do you like your Denon DL-160 Cartridge? I have a vintage direct drive Denon TT and wanted to know if improving my entry level cartridge would be a worthy upgrade? your thoughts?
I was talking to the owner of my local stereo shop the other day about viscous damping. He said the same thing about it being too dark and taking out the dynamics. He switched to a less viscous fluid, in the form of baby oil and was very happy with the results.
What do you have in the way of isolation/shelf under your Technics? I'm trying to dial it in with mine right now. I started with a plinth sitting on vibrapods then ditched the plinth and just put the vibrapods under each foot. It's better than nothing and a bit better than the plinth/vibrapod combo.
Removed tonearm damper, for now at least. I thought it sounded too dark and lacked dynamics with the damper in place...am I the only one that thinks this?
Thanks for the comments Garry. The Cayin is indeed a nice amp and goes great with the Tylers. I have no plans of replacing it.
The shelf was intended to provide some diffusing combined with the absorption panels behind it. I also have a diffuser panel on the wall behind the listening position that helps break up slap echo from the empty wall space above the shelf.
You've got a very nice system there - it is indeed simple and yet elegant in a practical sort of way.
The Cayin is a really nice sounding amp and great value for money. Paired with the Tylers you should have plenty of detail with just the right amount of warmth. It looks like you've got about 2.5 - 3' or so of space from the speakers to the back wall and with the shelving acting as a natural diffuser of sorts added to the corner diffusers/traps, the imaging must be very nice indeed.
Your rig is a perfect example that one need not spend a fortune for good sound.
System edited: Added KAB tonearm damper. So far I haven't noticed an improvement, but I haven't listened to it too much and am still trying to determine the optimal fluid level.
