My search is quite over.... Thanks Jean Marc !

[Jerome W]

Hi guys,

Today I listened to 2 great TT's.
First one was the LP12 SE with the new Radikal and Urika/ Akiva cart.
This was at a Linn dealer. Maybe the worst demo I ever had. Preamp was a Klimax Control. Amps were 3 Linn Klouts, driving active Linn Majik speakers.
Why was it bad ? because the Linn Majik speakers are very limited compared to my PMC EB1 i. So after 10 minutes, I said to the dealer: you should have put better speakers. In this set-up, the sound is far from whatt I have at home, with an old LP12 !! He said he was sorry he did not put more serious speakers and I left. He told me he could receive me next week with a pair of 800D....

After that, my friend Jean Marc ( jmajama) called me to invite me to listen to his Clearaudio Champion level II / Satisfy Ebony arm / MC Symphony cart.
So I went there.
Preamp was C1000T and amps 1.2KW. Speakers : Wilson WP8's.
A great set-up.
I realized there that the LP12 SE is maybe just 5 to 10 % better of this one. Bit it costs 4 times more !!!!
Ok, how was the sound ?
Cristal Clear !! we listened to Norah Jones, Shelby Lynne, Patricia Barber, Stacy Kent, Ella Fitzgerald, Paperboys...

The bass was deep, tight, tuneful, marvelous.
The medium was to die for
The treble was detailed and smooth, yet very very transparent.
The WP8's are great speakers when properly set-up.
They are very refined. They sound always musical. And they can bounce like real BIG SPEAKERS. Terrific dynamics.
So I decided to go for the Clearaudio. Jean Marc has the "transparent " finish. It is a real beauty.
I just have to decide which cart.
As my 220 does not have an MC input, I have 2 choices :
- buy an MM like the Maestro. Alberto told me it's great so I'm sure I will like it.
- buy the MC Symphony but add a step-up transformer to fit with my 220.

I would like to thank Jean Marc sincerely for this wonderful listening.
He made a VERY GOOD choice. And thanks to him, I will make one too....

Cheers,
Jérôme

[80B]

Jérôme,
Great to hear you have things figured out - always helps to hear another's setup in 'real world' conditions. Jean-Marc's setup sounds like something to really behold as well!

[jdandy]

Jérôme.......Nothing like a real world audition in a friend's home with fine equipment to support the audition of a turntable. The Linn dealer was foolish to have his demo table displayed with less than an ultra premium system. His loss.

About the cartridge and preamplifier combination, you have a third choice. You can replace the C220 with a C2300 which has both the moving magnet and moving coil phono stages. The C2300 is a gorgeous preamp, a caliber above the C220 in my humble opinion. Both phono stages, MM and MC, have been compared favorably to the C500 and C1000 preamp phono stages. The C2300 also offers higher quality input and output connectors, aluminum side panels, and the glass tube window in the top. The remote control allows bass and treble control, adjusting moving magnet resistance cartridge loading, adjusting moving coil capacitance loading, trim control of all inputs, and meter lighting on/off....all from the remote. There's a lot to love about the C2300, not to mention its beautiful sound. Something to consider, while you are also considering adding the outboard phono preamp to the C220.

[KMC45]

That's a nice TT, you'll be very happy.

[PHC1]

Jerome, I've always thought that the Clearaudio TTs were a bit forward sounding. The suggestion of an MM cart may hit the balance point nicely. Of course some of the smoother/warmer sounding MC carts can also work nicely when you get a step up tranny.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jérôme.......Nothing like a real world audition in a friend's home with fine equipment to support the audition of a turntable. The Linn dealer was foolish to have his demo table displayed with less than an ultra premium system. His loss.

About the cartridge and preamplifier combination, you have a third choice. You can replace the C220 with a C2300 which has both the moving magnet and moving coil phono stages. The C2300 is a gorgeous preamp, a caliber above the C220 in my humble opinion. Both phono stages, MM and MC, have been compared favorably to the C500 and C1000 preamp phono stages. The C2300 also offers higher quality input and output connectors, aluminum side panels, and the glass tube window in the top. The remote control allows bass and treble control, adjusting moving magnet resistance cartridge loading, adjusting moving coil capacitance loading, trim control of all inputs, and meter lighting on/off....all from the remote. There's a lot to love about the C2300, not to mention its beautiful sound. Something to consider, while you are also considering adding the outboard phono preamp to the C220.

Dan,

I thought about that one many times. Especially if I don't buy an expensive TT, I will have money left to upgrade the preamp.
I was a bit affraid of what some said about the 2300, being colder than the 220 with CD's. There is no doubt in my mind that for LP's, it would be better.
If I remember correctly, Alberto considers the 2300 as a lateral change compared to the 220. He thinks we should really look higher or we could be disappointed... But you could be right of course, as you're generally so !!
The Clearaudio Maestro MM has the exact impedance of the 220 : 47kohms.
Maybe that's why Alberto loves it so... ?

Thanks again,
Jérôme

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Jerome, I've always thought that the Clearaudio TTs were a bit forward sounding. The suggestion of an MM cart may hit the balance point nicely. Of course some of the smoother/warmer sounding MC carts can also work nicely when you get a step up tranny.

Thanks Serge,

I had that feeling also, but I thought it could be coming from the extraverted WP8's...
Yes, an MM is supposed to be "softer"...

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by KMC45

That's a nice TT, you'll be very happy.

Thank you !!

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Jerome, I've always thought that the Clearaudio TTs were a bit forward sounding. The suggestion of an MM cart may hit the balance point nicely. Of course some of the smoother/warmer sounding MC carts can also work nicely when you get a step up tranny.

Once again Serge "reads my mind" and posts almost exactly what I would have posted . I.e., balancing the forward Clearaudio table with a warm cartridge.

I am not a big fan of the sound (and looks) of acrylic/non-suspended tables, but I know a lot of people who love both the precise sound and cool looks.

I am also not a big fan of MCs in general. I've not listened to dozens of them, or the $5K+ models but - somehow - there is something about the MC sound that I find a bit distracting and irritating. But I have to admit that they seem to extract more information and more detail.

The one thing I am going to STRONGLY recommend to anyone considering a cartridge is to go with a micro-line stylus design. The micro-line geometry does wonders for inner-groove distortion and surface noise. I no longer dread reaching the last couple of tracks on an LP.

Alberto

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by C220MC275

If I remember correctly, Alberto considers the 2300 as a lateral change compared to the 220. He thinks we should really look higher or we could be disappointed... But you could be right of course, as you're generally so !!
The Clearaudio Maestro MM has the exact impedance of the 220 : 47kohms.
Maybe that's why Alberto loves it so... ?

Thanks again,
Jérôme

Hi Jerome,

Since I've not evaluated the 2300, I don't think I could have said that it would be a lateral move from the 220. I must admit that I've been tempted to get the 2300 (I love the idea of remote tone controls and cartridge loading, and I also think it looks great.) But when I listen to my system these days it sounds EXACTLY the way I wanted it to sound and I have to ask myself what would motivate me to get a new/different component.

I can confirm that I still love the Maestro + 220 combination. I listened exclusively to vinyl last night and it was REALLY hard - harder than usual - to turn off my system. I kept wanting to listen to one more side.

Keep in mind, though, that my preferences for warmth and tone over resolution/accuracy are quite extreme compared to those of most audiophiles. As a guitar player, I spent many years in search of a great tone, by combining guitars, pick-ups, amps, speakers, etc. The tone I was after was round, warm and rich - with a bit of a mid-bass boost. I guess I am after the same tone in my audio system. I am not after the absolute sound, but a delicious sound.

Alberto