I've been through a *lot* of gear in my learning process of the last four years. This system is excellent for acoustic jazz - my mainstay - but very, very good for rock too. And classical.
What I've learned about turntables: Less than other components. I haven't owned a ton of them. I did learn that I prefer the solidity of non-suspended designs. After reading so much about how good restored, vintage idler-wheel tables sound, and realizing their purported strengths lined up with my musical priorities, I took the plunge. My DIY project soon became a total cop-out buy buying a "turnkey" OMA (Oswald's Mill Audio)-restored Lenco 75, with PTP, in their slate plinth, but I could not be happier.
What I've learned about digital: I first learned that I like the sound of NOS DACs. Then I learned that the Audio Note philosophy of NOS coupled with NO filters, transformers for I/V, and valve output with transformer-coupling, produces a digital much better and must closer to analog (YES, analog IS the reference!) than I thought possible for anywhere, anywhere near the asking price. (IOW, dCS and EMM might be better, but maybe not, and at 5-20x the price.)
What I've learned about amps: I like DHSETs! Single-ended amps sound better to me than push-pull, at least in my experience, direct-heated triodes sound the best, and the 45 is about the king of them all. 2A3 is very close... but for me the rest are a ways behind. Unless you spend a great deal of money anyway. (I.E., I believe that 211s can be great - but that's a $20K amp done right.)
What I've learned about speakers: that's the toughest one. I've had & heard so many. After being into low-mid efficiency boxes like most, I got my first taste of hi-eff with single-driver horns. Some of them - like the Lamhorn and the Beauhorn, both of which I owned, are amazing. However, on some material at least, the frequency response anomalies that all wideband drivers possess do rear their heads. After trying the AN/Es, I knew I preferred them. They are perhaps slightly less transparent and slightly less dynamic but what they bring outweighs those weaknesses IMO.
I also have a pair of Tonian Labs TL-D1s - simply an amazing speaker.
I think we have similar taste as I also have gravitated to 45's. A couple of questions:
Any comments on your tube rolling experience? I remember you mentioning liking solid core copper cables; what have you tried and what did you end up with. Where did you get the hardware for your rack?
