[FYFL]

Up to the stage that some who can afford it spend on a cartridge more than we mere mortals spend on the whole system …

True. But to take advantage of those 10K carts and up, you really need everything else in your audio chain to be at another level. Otherwise, what is the point..... And if someone can splurge 20-50K on turntabe /tonearm, I doubt they would go for something like Denon 103R (legendary budget MC) or IMO a great value in higher up MC line, Ortofon's Cadenza Blue. Oh no, no no. They will go all out.
But we're stepping into territory where money is no object or obstacle. I'm sure quality they get to enjoy out of their setup is outstanding.

Good and bad with the resurgence of Vinyl, more titles than ever to chose from but the price tags ?
It was 84/85 when I made the switch to purchasing CD’s, back then a Vinyl album was $14.99 and early release CD’s were nudging $30,
prices settled a little with supply at $20-25 for a normal new release,
Now a new release CD is seldom over $20 and Vinyl anywhere from two to three times that … browsing in the remaining few local record stores it always seems to be the younger ones going through the Vinyl on offer which I guess is a good thing long term, and that alongside the quality achievable from Vinyl for “starter” dollars, one of the new budget Audio Techinica decks is going to be miles ahead of streaming audio and likely outperform a CD player cf similar cost ..
looking back my turntable then was a Modest Ariston Q deck .. around $500 and a decent Sony TA-E77ES preamp, and even one off the best of its time Arcam Transport/Dac combo’s still couldn’t match the sound of a good vinyl pressing …
took over 35 years for “perfect sound forever” …

Yes, I mentioned it somewhere as one of pet peeves I have with direction LP market is heading.
And to be clear. I don't mind paying extra for great art work, extras, packaging, premium vinyl formula, pressing quality and amazing mastering work. But when those wannabes, put out dirty, cheap, amateurish quality vinyl at prices just slightly lower than the best in the businesses, it offends me. And does a huge disservice to vinyl community and those who are just getting into vinyl and can't tell the difference between variables between titles that look exactly the same but come from totally different source.
I would also encourage anyone to sign up to as many labels, artist's newsletter list etc to get special deals and discounts. It can safe you quite a bit over time. And lastly. If you see new release that you like it thinking about but you're on the fence, don't wait. Bc it will be gone soon and prices will jump exponentially on 2nd hand marker.

But look at the quality of those 84/85 pressings!

Especially when CDs start taking over. It almost seemed like it was in their best interest to degrade vinyl quality to boost up justification for new format. Let's be honest. Same labels were behind CDs and LPs. They pushed new tech and they pushed it hard.

 

[FYFL]

BTW new Phonostage is coming. I wasn't happy with MoFi ultraphono for my headphones setup. Too noisy and not a lot of soul.

 

[The Jester]

New one SS or valve ?

 

[FYFL]

New one SS or valve ?

Actually a hybrid. My main phono is all tube design with tube rectifier, step-up etc. And it sounds good enough with my own DIY turntable. But so many ppl kept telling me about benefits of “quiet” SS designs. Well..... I don't like it. Especially for headphone setup.
So after some time with SS budget MoFi ultra-phono, it's time to go back to what I believe will work for me.
After short research and shuffling through couple candidates I had on my radar I picked this phono by E.A.T.

Edit
With time, I plan to upgrade power supply. At least that's an option that could have some benefits of lowering floor noise. We will see.....

 

[The Jester]

Nice…
12AX7 valves are popular with various preamps etc, a bit of tube rolling later down the track ?

 

[The Jester]

Nice way to justify Hifi purchases, for Vinyl gear divide the price by the number of LP’s you own and then justify by getting an improvement on every album you own for just $x.xx per album ..l
Did that with my digital front end, just over 2,000 CD’s upgraded to or beyond Hi-res and SACD for $5 per CD …. Makes it sound like a bargain ..

 

[FYFL]

Nice…
12AX7 valves are popular with various preamps etc, a bit of tube rolling later down the track ?

Certainly. I just hope it responds well to tube rolling. Those 12AX7 in E-Glo Petit are biased "hot" so I'm hoping that tube signature will come through. Not having op-amps following tube stage is also a plus. I think they're running 4 J-FET transistors instead.

 

[FYFL]

Nice way to justify Hifi purchases, for Vinyl gear divide the price by the number of LP’s you own and then justify by getting an improvement on every album you own for just $x.xx per album ..l
Did that with my digital front end, just over 2,000 CD’s upgraded to or beyond Hi-res and SACD for $5 per CD …. Makes it sound like a bargain ..

I don't think in those terms. When something doesn't sound right to my ears, there's no point of trying to live with it. Life is too short. To be honest, I would probably go with all tube design, but since we are talking about headphones setup, phonostage needs to be relatively quite. And to get that out of all tube design, I would probably need to spend twice that much.

 

[The Jester]

Dunno if I could live with all tube long term, just nice to have one tube item in each chain,
The Icon Audio HP8 in the headphone chain,
The CJ preamp in the speaker chain …

 

[The Jester]

Staying below budget is the hard part, I actually listened to the Chord Dave as a reference even though it was far beyond my budget, the Chord MScaler and Qutest combo is just over half the cost of a Dave, for soundstage and “musicality” the Dave was significantly better but on ultimate transparency the “cheaper“ combo sounded better to my ears, that was done in store and at the time I had the Quad headphones which sounded good through my long term Eximus DAC, once the HP8 arrived it was a noticeable improvement straight away, and ever better after a few days running, all there… top to bottom but the HP8 has that wonderful valve midrange that’s so addictive, even better was the unexpected bonus of the Quad/HP8 combo with Vinyl, far and away the best my Records have ever sounded through headphones …

 

[FYFL]

Dunno if I could live with all tube long term, just nice to have one tube item in each chain,
The Icon Audio HP8 in the headphone chain,
The CJ preamp in the speaker chain …

I guess it depends. And more than few factors need to be considered when “voicing” your system. Because, I think we can all agree that electronics (or passive components that are part of vinyl playback) components in audio chain can have some impact on overall presentation.

In my case, those factors are hugely dictated by:

1. Synergy between amplifier and transducers. Another words. What pairing (amp-spk/amp-headphones) sounds best IMO. With music I listen to and within my budget.
a) in case of my speakers (Klipsch Cornwalls 4), going with tube amplification is an easy decision. It's no secret that Cornwalls work extremely well with tube amps.
b) pairing headphones to amp is a little more tricky. At least to me personally. Reason being, ..... Too many headphones and not enough amplifier options to have that perfect match.

2. Music you listen to matters when deciding between tube vs SS amplifiers.
I will admit that Metal is not what I would usually play on my main spk system. It's not a priority for me. Jazz, Classic Rock, Blues, Classical (with some limitations), etc. Anything else with strong vocal emphasis will benefit from some of that tube bloom that tubes are known for.
3. We can't ignore personal biases. And we all have some of that. With that being said. I have been around tube gear for so many years that maybe my brain got used to those minute characteristic and I find that presentation very pleasing to my ears.

So, deciding if tubes are for you or not is a task that could be a bit complex and not so straight forward.
And, there's not one signature or characteristic that can describe “tube” sound. As we know, there are tube amps that sound like SS. Some designs will play with authority needed for Hard Rock with plenty of headroom and some are best suited for small, intimate musical arrangements.
Yup, many things to consider. And getting it right isn't all that easy.

Headphones set up. Especially with vinyl as one of the sources, is even more complexed. IMO

Having all tube setup with vinyl in the audio chain could be very pleasant if your headphone are compatible, but. We know that neither tubes nor vinyl is the most quiet or noiseless tech around. And that could present some obstacles.
So, I think you approach is safe and sound. Getting some of that tube warmth and bloom without introducing more sources of possible noise. Hance my choice of going with hybrid phono and passing on all tube design. Heat emission was also a factor in my decision making. Since most components are stack inside a small cabinet. It's all about compromises.

 

[FYFL]

Staying below budget is the hard part, I actually listened to the Chord Dave as a reference even though it was far beyond my budget, the Chord MScaler and Qutest combo is just over half the cost of a Dave, for soundstage and “musicality” the Dave was significantly better but on ultimate transparency the “cheaper“ combo sounded better to my ears, that was done in store and at the time I had the Quad headphones which sounded good through my long term Eximus DAC, once the HP8 arrived it was a noticeable improvement straight away, and ever better after a few days running, all there… top to bottom but the HP8 has that wonderful valve midrange that’s so addictive, even better was the unexpected bonus of the Quad/HP8 combo with Vinyl, far and away the best my Records have ever sounded through headphones …

Yes, budget is a HUGE factor and one that should not be ignored when picking components for your own system or judging choices that others have made. I'm not speaking of myself, since I totally understand that not not everyone can afford toys that are not withing their budget. But some do. And it's a bit annoying to witness that sort of elitism.

 

[FYFL]

Listening to Norah Jones “...Til We Meet Again” Live. Blue Note B003344101

Packaging- Gatefold, average quality, paper sleeves, 2 LPs
Pressing quality- quiet but slightly warped, clean of dust (2nd LP had some particles on it), scratches etc
Sound- specious, voice slightly muffled (for the most part. Less so on more quiet tracks where room reverb isn't amplifing the biggest offenders so much. That would be lower FR pressurizing space of that venue), bass a touch too wooly and locks authority. Piano sounds very nice thought. First LP side B, first song, “”I’ve got to see you again” is good track to show off separate instruments
with short intro solo.
As far as performance is concerned? It's Norah Jones at her element doing what she loves to do. Never disappoints, never let's you down. Always pleasure yo listen to her seductive, heavenly voice filled with emotions. Occasionally connecting with you on emotional level. Stories we can all relate to. Things we all understand.
It would be a shame not to recommend it to her fans or anyone interested in good music.
Perhaps not the most audiophile grade LP from Norah Jones but worthy addition nevertheless.
Sound quality is still very good, so don't feel like you have been cheated by Blue Note in anyway. They did what they could with what they had. That's about it.

Norah Jones in her own words about this album:



Such a sweetheart. Gotta love her.

 

[simon740]

Hello,

if somebody wanna start with vinyl rig...
And wanna good quality reproduction. Where to start?
For digital I have Bluesound Node 2021 - Denafrips Ares II dac.
Exposure 3010s2D integrated amp and Gallus Audio speakers.

I listen jazz, blues, vocal...some classic rock...

Regards,
Simon

 

[CJG888]

I would be tempted to start by restoring a Lenco L75, fitting a Silver Note arm and an AT-VM740ML cartridge. If your amp doesn’t have a phono stage, a Pro-Ject Tube Box is a good place to start.

Nothing else has the drive and slam of an idler drive turntable…