I am buidling new analog system

[John49]

Originally Posted by TOGA

Hi, I think most members here see me as veteran in this hobby. but regarding analog front end, I am novice. I have hundreds of records from 60's-80's from dad's collection. But I didn't have a player to play them. Last year, I built a simple system in order to play my dad's records and also my own...Toga

A thought that came to my mind is, did you not pick up any knowledge of analogue from your Dad?

[Number95]

Originally Posted by TOGA

Well.
At this point. It seems the most important things for me is to learn more. A lot more. Before paying big money.
I do may be 98% digital and 2 % analog listening. That 's the reason my first analog system was so average.
I still prefer solid state Phono preamp, I already have tube preamp, don't wanna add more tubes noise, tube cost to the
Equation.
On a second thought, if I keep Denon 100 Anniversary TT, Moon 310+320. How far I can go with the cartridge before
It exceed the capability of TT and phono stage ?
I will check the web sites, thank you.

Toga

I bet even with a budget analog setup (compared to the rest of your system) you would find yourself listening to analog more than 50%

IMHO, if you are on the learning/experimenting path, do not invest too much on analog at the very beginning as cartridge alignment, vta, vtf all need experimentation and time spent. Analog is not plug-n-play. Also, do not underestimate the phono cable which is a very critical component. Last but not the least, analog is more prone to the synergy between its components, so a very good performing cartridge in a setup may not sound its best with another tonearm+t/t combo etc. When you also include your musical preferences and tastes into the equation, you will need time and experimentation to build up your analog system. Enjoy

[TOGA]

Originally Posted by John49

A thought that came to my mind is, did you not pick up any knowledge of analogue from your Dad?

When I was 5 I remember seeing he played Lp, R2R. When I was 10 I saw him buying Sony s first CD player. Today, he is music lover rather than an audiophile. Today he lives with his smallish system, using Oppo 93 and Olive4HD As source, Dynaudio Focus 260 as speakers. When I asked him about upgrading my analog system, he just replied that Cartridge is very important. Nothing more. I still keep his old cart (see pic) . I still keep lots of his Audio magazines from 80's - 90's. But his last words yesterday was " stop spending , you have enough " doh !

[antipop]

Originally Posted by TOGA

But his last words yesterday was " stop spending , you have enough " doh !

My dad keeps telling me that but I still do I'm rebellious like that with my money

[427]

Originally Posted by mulveling

I had a SOTA Star III as my 1st table and it was a dream. Very reliable, great built-in isolation, and you can use heavier arms unlike most suspended decks -- but you should still avoid any undamped uni-pivot or air-bearing. The vacuum hold-down eliminates fumbling with a heavy ring clamp (a serious vinyl rig must have a record flattening solution in place). I think a modern Cosmos would scale very very far, and they look gorgeous in exotic veneer.

A SOTA is a great recommendation at a reasonable cost

Pair that up with say an SME V and your choice of Lyra Atlas/Ortofon Anna/Koetsu Onyx Platinum/Dynavector XV-1t/Clearaudio Titanium/Statement. ~23K in, and then you'd just need a passable interconnect and a good phono stage

Thanks I was a bit worried making recommendations in this thread given the dollar figures being put out. The Star Sapphire is a great deck and they can be upgraded with Cosmos platter and arm board (a Nova really). I ended up buying three of them that's how happy I am with the performance and function. They also look great in piano black to match up to shinny McIntosh gear.

The Cosmos is a very nice step up from the Star & Nova with it's billet aluminum and lead sub chassis with a different motor mounting. One thing about SOTA is you don't see a ton of advertising, Stereophile and its own merits did plenty back in the 80s.

I set two of my decks up almost identical except one has the SME Series V the other a 309. Both with Sumiko Blackbirds and SOTA Head Amps in the same system. This way I can play 12" singles and DJ tracks since there are no hot swapping records with a vacuum platter. But the best part is in testing various pressing of the same title side by side for sound quality.

[427]

TOGA
George mentioned the involvement aspect which is not just limited to the actual playing the disc. The hunt for good clean copies and pressing numbers can get addictive. It's not just a scratch free title but really the dynamic mastered into the specific disc. They are no way in hell all the same so the need to buy many copies of the same title arises. First pressings might not be the best sounding especially when stereo just started out with a learning curve.

I also love listening to the same title digital vs. vinyl and a lot of times you will see your system handles vinyl better. All the while never realizing how over blown they mastered the CD. I have had CDs start clipping at low volumes and the vinyl blow you out the house before any clipping happens.

[TOGA]

Like I said, I am a rather plug and play type.
Hunting for best sounding copies will not be my pleasure..haha
I have many albums that I own both CD and Lp, such as some Metallica, Dream Theater and Guns and Roses.
And yes LP mostly win except that I have to flip sides 4 times for 45rpm Kill'em All .

I will have to study more about cart-arm matching, compliance, weight things. Will study from web site Georges suggested.
Now I have no idea about most of brands you guys suggested, I just have to collect data more before I can start.
I hope to see Accuphase C27 replacement by next year too, I am more aware of phono stages than anything on that TT.
But a friend said I should buy Phono stage the last.

Thanks for all suggestions, so valuable.

Toga

[antipop]

Toga, from what I saw you have all you need in Bangkok to listen to and compare. I've seen some pretty exclusive tables over there. I guess it's time for a visit on Ploenchit Road

BTW, I'm using the thread to ask you if you have news from Ron. I haven't seen him here in a while and he didn't reply to my PM

[TOGA]

My dealer suggested me a very basic set up.
Rega RP6,RP8 arm, Phasemation PP300 cart.
How does this sound, is it a big improvement over Denon I am using ?

@Georges
About Ron, I was just talked to him yesterday, I wanted him to accompany me to pick up Moon 610LP phono stage I showed you. But he couldn't join he had to work. He is very happy with his sound system, he just bought my Shunyata Anaconda Zetron PC a few days back, he got new tubes for his Mc, he got his Transparent Reference SC, So.. He doesn't logon to AA much any more. But I will forward your msg to him .

Toga

[427]

Not a fan of Rega at all and your own thoughts in you original post was a better selection on the VIP.