Well, here is my newbie system. Put together on a budget, almost every piece was bought used. Actually "preowned" sounds better. The tonearm and cartridge were new. Now I guess that I am in tweak mode, my next purchase will be some kind of power conditioner, and some vibration/isolation devices of some sort. My room is over the garage, so its a suspended floor. The TT is sensitive to noise in the room (usually my 4-yr old child), so I've got to work on that. Also I have a pesky ground loop hum through the TT that needs work. Please comment on my stereo or offer any advice on how to improve it without breaking the bank!
System edited: The stylus has been damaged on the AT-150MLX, so after much hunting I was able to find a Supex SD-901. Soundsmith rebuilt it with a new stylus and cantilever. Switching to this MC cartridge has eliminated the ground loop hum.
I agree that power conditioner(s) would be a good step. What sonic deficiencies do you feel you need to address with upgrades? What are you not getting with your present setup?
For cables, I have good interconnects. Power cords are stock, and I am planning to upgrade those. I've done some research on room treatments, and have thought about some DIY panels. Any suggestions on an easily available material to use?
hi, i have a furman pfi15 power conditioner in a budget system of emotiva and magnepans. i also use very good cables. one thing i found out thru research and listening. my amplifier has built in protection and the ac conditioning is redundant. so i plug the amp into the wall in stead and it performs better to my ears. very nice system. do you think room treatments would be of use? these can be made yourself w/o much cost to experiment. thanks
