The centre piece of this system is my (J&R Audio) Essential 3160 phonolinestage preamplifier. All present and future equipment and modifications are selected to meet its ultimate fidelity without colouration. In this light, I am currently working on a potential replacement or second turntable (my Technics SP10 MK2 with a highly engineered bespoke plinth).
Apart from hoping for a change of home and larger listening room, my experimentation will continue with isolation, acoustics and cabling. Any other changes will need extensive in-system A/B testing: I am that happy with where things are at.
Mambo with Jeweltone Crystal Stabilizer on Symposium Ultra platform sat on birch wall shelf. Simply superb
Analysis Plus Silver cables
Scientifically accurate cables at unbelievably low prices. These replaced my Siltech and Kubala Sosna Emotion speaker and interconnect cables
Arm Tower AS
This is the stand alone arm tower arrangement that I currently use. It is the basic Acoustic Signature Mambo arm tower plus weights and spikes at three points. Although a case of expedience and therefore not the prettiest arrangement, its performance has been a revelation
Arm Tower AS 2
A close up to indicate the spikes arrangement on my arm towers.
Audiocraft AC 3300
Dual point oil damped tonearm with s-shaped arm wand
Audio Technica AT-20 SLa
A world beating cartridge. Although these are early days, every aspect of its performance seems perfect.
Audio Technica Pneumatic Footers
Range of three distinct sets of Audio Technica pneumatic footers. Each one is an excellent means of isolating turntables and are highly recommended.
Dynavector XV1-s
A phenomenal MC cartridge that perfectly complements the excellence of performance offered by the Nagaoka MP-50 MM. Audio doesn't get any better than this (unless, of course, the new XV1-t proves to be better and not just different)
Essential 3160 (J&R Audio)
3160 phonolinestage. Offers two MC phonestages, two MM phonostages and a comprehensive line stage in one package. Simply SOTA
Essential 3160 power supply
The dual mono power supply is part of the Essential set up
Glanz cartridges G7 & G5
The two Glanz statement cartridges were produced by Mitachi Onkyo Seisakusho factory in Japan. They need further investigation ut clearly deserve it. More as soon as...
Grace G-660P
12" gimbal pivot tonearm. This is a very rare tonearm but claimed to be an ideal match for the Dynavector XV-1s cartridge.
Ikeda IT-407 silver wired
The top of the Ikeda food-chain
Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine
Rated as the best RCM, a joy to keep your vinyl in mint condition
Marantz CD-7
The best CDP I have heard: resolving and beautiful, similar to a good turntable. See review at http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/frr.pl?rdgtl&1112565957&read&3&4&
Marantz ST-17
A beautiful and greatly underestimated performer. It is a perfect match for my Marantz CDP and outperforms my other more expensive tuners by some distance
Mark Levinson No 23.5
This is a heavily modified model with Eichmann cable pods, top grade resistors and internal cross set to cut off at 70Hz (everything below 70Hz handled by my Velodyne DD12 subs)
Morch DP6 red point
Beautiful. The Moerch DP6 is a dual bearing radial arm with interchangeable arm tubes with either 9 or 12" effective length and various mass options. Moerch's top model, the DP6 tonearm has conventional bearings, a silicone damped high precision ball bearing for the horizontal plane, and two precision sapphire bearings for the vertical plane.
Nagaoka MP-50
An amazing MM cartridge that outperforms top end MC cartridges costing up to ten times its price. Realism
Symposium Isis Svelte stands
Apart from wall shelves, these set a bench mark in my experience of isolation and damping
Symposium Ultra
I use the Ultra, Super and Svelte platforms beneath most of my system. On a sprung wooden floor, these have proved indespensible - along with wall shelving
Talon Audio Hawk
40Hz-40Khz ceramic driver monitors on Escalante Hoodhoo stands. Operating down to 70Hz only - remainder (70Hz - 15Hz) handled by pair of Velodyne DD12 subs
Technics SP-10 mkII
Technics with new bespoke plinth. Works marvelously.
Technics SP-10 mkII
Technics with bespoke plinth sat on AT363 pneumatic footers.
Technics SP-10 mkII
I am trying the Technics with a stand-alone (AS Mambo) armboard. Will report more when certain.
Technics SP-10 mkII
Technics SP10 Mk2 turntable (naked on Audio Technica AT616 pneumatic footers). Early days but trying it out without the still-in-progress plinth following enthusiastic feedback from fellow Agoner
Various cartridges
Selection of Astatic MF100, B&O MMC2, Glanz G5, Andante P-76, Spectral MCR and Nagaoka MP50 cartridges
Velodyne DD12 (1st)
Pair of Velodyne DD12 subs used in perfect stereo with Talon Hawk monitors. Handling everything from 70Hz to 15Hz. Microprocessor controlled with Texas Instruments computer chip; Digital Drive room equalization system; Digital High Gain Servo system; Four listening presets for action adventure, movies, rock pop, jazz classical; Transformer-less Class-D digital energy recovery amplifier; Dual tandem voice coil and Kevlar-reinforced cones
Velodyne DD12 (2nd)
A pair of these used in perfect stereo with my two Talon Hawk monitors. Hearing is believing
Hi Dgob, You have the NAGAOKA MP-50. What would you say about its later incarnation the MP-500, what´s the difference and is it any than the original ? Thanks
Hello Dgob, Glad you have solved your preamp problems. I´ve been enjoying my "new" TT and everything is very well. Interesting that your new plinth seems to make progression. Not surprised as my own plinth makes a huge improvement as well.
Hello Dgob, It´s been a while since summer... I´ve been working on my own TT project as well and meanwhile wasting my precious time watching YouTube music videos and missed these fascinating things going on there. Heh, it´s so funny when I turned my back to A´gon for a couple of months I just found out that Dave the Messenger, the Trans-Fi TA man is running his new mighty Kenwood L07 DD TT and getting great progression ! That lead to wondering what you have been doing lately... Well, another nice surprise is your new plinth for your Technics SP-10. Absolutety fantastic ! Congrats ;)
I´m a bit worried though. Are you saying that getting rid of that excellent AS stand alone armboard makes progression ? Cheers
The Improved is at 1.4 g/flat VTA & 155 pF/47 kOhm. Unfortunately there´s some distortion in highest levels left, it´s 1 mm off-axis and this is too much. I will send it to Axel in near future to straighten the cantilever and ensure its optimum playing. If he finds other faults he can do the best he can.
I was lucky to hear the Ultra in a real high resolution system at very high volume in the late 1980´s. I had never before heard such a pure & convincing sound from a cartridge. I remember vividly I heard nothing "wrong" and could have listened records, whatever style they were endlessly. I was stunned by the smooth yet very dynamic sound. I went to various "high-end" shows to hear a similar quality level but I couldn´t find a cart that could match the Ultra. The Shinon Red (a Japanese Micro Ridge/LOMC) was the nearest, others were more or less tiresome. I got tired of those shows and bought my Ultra in 1989 and have played 10+ replacement stylii, now I have the superb JICO SAS.
The Ultra has never had any negative issues whatsoever in my various systems over the years. I confirm Raul´s statement: "It plays superbly everywhere". One thing puzzles me: why he doesn´t have one, he never talks about...
Hello Dgob, I´ve sold my LPM315 and have tested the M320 IIISTR Improved I won on an eBayan battlefield, in fact I was fighting against a gentleman at A´gon, Acman3 himself. I´m glad to say it was worth to fight & worth every euro. Unfortunately it is not perfect and therefore can´t perform as it should, so I´m not hearing its best ability. It has the most common fault in vintage/used cartridges: an off-axis cantilever. What a pity, even at this condition it´s a superb performer. According to the seller the stylus may be 35 years old !
I´ve completed my acid test, Al di Meola´s "Elegant Gypsy" (Columbia 1977). My Improved tracks almost flawlessly the hyper transient & dynamic passages, just in a couple of peaks it slightly gets some distortion but this is nothing intrusive. Furthermore it has no sibilance issues at all. It has the rhythmic pulse, the music itself at 1,2 grams VTF/flat VTA in my Trans-Fi linear arm. I will increase the VTF to 1.4 tomorrow, maybe this helps to get rid of distortion completely... If the cantilever were straight the M320 Improved could a real challenger to the SHURE ULTRA 500 that I´ve been enjoying since 1989. Anyway, the Improved is here to stay ! Regards
Hello Dgob, You are right: my original ACUTEX LPM315 STRIII (long nose) would benefit from Axel´s touch I feel for sure. The original Shibata/low mass alloy cantilever must be changed to... that is Axel´s decision. My 315 does not quite make it, it lacks the rhythmic pulse that is really music, also it should track complex hyper transient information such as "Elegant Gypsy" (Columbia 1977) by Al di Meola at lower VTF than 1.8 g without distortions, in my Trans-Fi linear arm. Regards
Apologies for my very late reply but I´m hooked on the most exciting thread on AudiogoN ever as you may have noticed and haven´t had really time for further topics. At the moment I have also begun to study a new profession so my time is limited.
Firstly, many thanks for your guidance. Secondly, congrats for your intelligent choices for TTs !
I will ask Gunther to make me an armboard under my Trans-Fi linear arm. And following the footstep of yours and certain other great persons I will some day soon put my linear arm on the aluminium/plywood shelf that is under my DELPHI, oh yes I will. But please don´t tell Raul, I will surprise him as once he was wondering how the arm performs when attached on a separate stand.
I will ask your help and opinions more later.
Btw, unfortunately I don´t have an ACUTEC M320 but LPM315 STRIII (original Shibata). And my AT20SLa/SS is still at NWA, in the UK for repair (off-axis cantilever and thus very sibilant).
Hello Dgob, Your AS Mambo Stand Alone armboard interests me much. Where can I get one, and could you give me the dimensions & used material ? Is there different heights available ? Thanks.
