what gear to get started

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Originally Posted by JoeE SP9

Very nice setup you got there. PC's suggestion of a Grant Fidelity tube DAC is a good idea. It will make a plain jane DVD player sound much better.

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I agree with the concept, but if you look closely, what you find is a hybrid affair much like my Bellari VP-129 phono pre. A single dual triode does not have enough gain to provide two volt stereo output. A JFET LF353N op amp is used in the design and appears to do the heavy lifting. I suspect that the tube is used as a buffer stage as with the Bellari. In the vintage system, I use a Manley DAC with a pair of 12AU7s in the output section. Note that the REF series of Audio Research CDPs uses four tubes in the output section.

rw

Looks great!! Congrats and enjoy the ride...

Thanks for all the comments. I've been looking foward to buying stands, some were for sale at av123 around $110...does the base plate have to be the same size as the bottom of the speaker?
i'd like to get a squeezebox to go with a dac...and since this is a bone stock system, i look foward to getting better cables/speaker wire soon..I'm convinced an flac setup will retain good synergy with a dac..not sure how i started the thread with 'i want vinyl' and now it's 'i want selection'...!
So how does the system sound as it stands?
well, as commented the speakers are close together, and, sound close together. The room I have them in really compliments the size of the speakers (small 8x10 carpeted).
Vocals are in your face realistic, pianos are very 3d like (this is something i haven't heard until my hifi journey), and guitars are crystal clear.
If there is one thing i've learned that I didn't know before, it's that the system is half the battle, it seems as though the producer who made the cd is the other important side of the coin in quality audio. So far, my favorite cd, astral weeks, is also the best sounding. Elliot Smith XO a close second. *****es Brew, is oddly enough, the worst sounding, as static noise completely drains out the music.??? I figured exhale on main street would sound amazing because so much stuff is going on in every track, but, not so much...?

again thanks for the comments, any bang for your buck upgrade suggestions welcome!

I'm putting my old thread back to life to ask a question to the hifi people here. Since beginning my journey a few years back, my system has seen some changes. The SB3, although it sounded incredible, I could never get the thing working and ended up selling it. I used a Playstation 1 cd player, which surprisingly lived up the hype and matched well with the tube amp. Now my system has evolved again as I bought a tcc-750 phono preamp to go along with a pro-ject debut II record player which goes through the Onix sp3. Yes, I am somewhat new to vinyl, but the dynamics in the system have really changed. It's almost too warm, too rolled off, as if the speakers are positioned 20 feet back instead of right in front of me. Is this just me getting used to vinyl again, or can something in my system be improved to bring the sound forward again.

thanks :)

I would consider upgrading to a higher end phono preamp. Take a look here-

Phono Preamps


I would not skimp on phono preamp. Give them a call, tell them what gear you have and your problem and they can make some good recommendations on what preamp and cartridge will match with your TT and system. Consider something in the $300-400 range. Check used on Audiogon.

The Clear Audio nano is a very good preamp. If it is above your budget, consider the Cambridge Audio 651p. Correct matching of TT, Cartridge and Phono Preamp is very important.

What cartridge are you using? You may need to upgrade it as well.

Vinyl will not sound nearly as dynamic as digital music especially with a lower priced analog system.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blackraven

I would consider upgrading to a higher end phono preamp. Take a look here-

Phono Preamps


I would not skimp on phono preamp. Give them a call, tell them what gear you have and your problem and they can make some good recommendations on what preamp and cartridge will match with your TT and system. Consider something in the $300-400 range. Check used on Audiogon.

The Clear Audio nano is a very good preamp. If it is above your budget, consider the Cambridge Audio 651p. Correct matching of TT, Cartridge and Phono Preamp is very important.

What cartridge are you using? You may need to upgrade it as well.

Vinyl will not sound nearly as dynamic as digital music especially with a lower priced analog system.

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Thanks for your response.

I suppose your right, the preamp just isin't doing enough. It did receive great reviews, but they were on amazon's site not a hi-fi audio site. It sounds good, but like the rest of the people on here, i'm looking for great.

I'm using the stock cartridge...ortholon 5me I believe.

I guess i'll consider spending some more on a better preamp, or maybe even asking a store to let me try one on my system.