[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptSnuffy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Update: I've done some more research. I've seen some negative comments posted by consumers about the Phonopreamps.com products

You will find negative owner comments on every product ever made.

I'm using a TC-760LC from Phonopreamps.com with a turntable and cartridge that retails for about $5,000. I am quite happy with its performance and found it comparable to the $750 Dynavector P-75 and $200 Cambridge 640P that I used to own. It wasn't that the Dynavector and Cambridge products weren't good...they were great. But I didn't see where either performed materially better than the $75 TC-760LC.

--Jerome

 

[StanleyB1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsaliga /img/forum/go_quote.gif You will find negative owner comments on every product ever made.

Even Father Christmas has his critics.

 

[CaptSnuffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsaliga /img/forum/go_quote.gif You will find negative owner comments on every product ever made. I'm using a TC-760LC from Phonopreamps.com with a turntable and cartridge that retails for about $5,000. I am quite happy with its performance and found it comparable to the $750 Dynavector P-75 and $200 Cambridge 640P that I used to own. It wasn't that the Dynavector and Cambridge products weren't good...they were great. But I didn't see where either performed materially better than the $75 TC-760LC. --Jerome

Very true, there are always people who will bash a product, as well as those who will sing its praises. I found a comment saying that the power supply caused some low level buzzing/humming (they may not have their system grounded properly), as well as complaints about it's 20khz frequency response cutoff. As an owner of a TC-760LC, have you noticed any of this, and is it significant? My parents don't really know good audio, and their hearing is not amazing anyway. Our speakers are not anything special, the turntable won't be the highest-end and our receiver was a cheap model from best buy (and if you are a believer in audiophile-caliber cabling, I'll have you know we're using zip-cord). If these drawbacks would be trivial in our setup, I would much rather just buy this one and save the extra expense. By no means am I writing the product off as bad, but all I really have to go by are others' opinions.

Also, why do some models have (volume?) knobs on them, and others don't? What is their purpose?

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptSnuffy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Very true, there are always people who will bash a product, as well as those who will sing its praises. I found a comment saying that the power supply caused some low level buzzing/humming (they may not have their system grounded properly), as well as complaints about it's 20khz frequency response cutoff. As an owner of a TC-760LC, have you noticed any of this, and is it significant? My parents don't really know good audio, and their hearing is not amazing anyway. Our speakers are not anything special, the turntable won't be the highest-end and our receiver was a cheap model from best buy (and if you are a believer in audiophile-caliber cabling, I'll have you know we're using zip-cord). If these drawbacks would be trivial in our setup, I would much rather just buy this one and save the extra expense. By no means am I writing the product off as bad, but all I really have to go by are others' opinions. Also, why do some models have (volume?) knobs on them, and others don't? What is their purpose?

Let me take your questions in order:

• There is no buzzing in my unit. My turntable is properly grounded to the preamp.
• The claims of a 20KHz brick wall are false. I use my analog setup to do needle drops to 24/96 digital audio on my digital recording setup, using an M-Audio Firewire 410 digital recording interface and Adobe Audition 3.0. Frequency response extends well past 20KHz, but don't ask me if I think that it makes a difference in the sound quality.
• The TC-760LC has a level control knob and I find this very helpful when recording to my computer, since it is usually more expedient to adjust the level at the phono-pre than adjust the M-Audio in software.

Oh, and I am not a believer in expensive cables. I don't use cheap wire either, but I think $30 to $50 for a 2-meter analog interconnect should be more than sufficient to the task. I usually buy my cables from Signal Cable, and I have bought some from Blue Jeans Cable as well. Both will give you good results and not cost you an arm and a leg.

--Jerome

 

[CaptSnuffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsaliga /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let me take your questions in order: There is no buzzing in my unit. My turntable is properly grounded to the preamp. The claims of a 20KHz brick wall are false. I use my analog setup to do needle drops to 24/96 digital audio on my digital recording setup, using an M-Audio Firewire 410 digital recording interface and Adobe Audition 3.0. Frequency response extends well past 20KHz, but don't ask me if I think that it makes a difference in the sound quality. The TC-760LC has a level control knob and I find this very helpful when recording to my computer, since it is usually more expedient to adjust the level at the phono-pre than adjust the M-Audio in software. Oh, and I am not a believer in expensive cables. I don't use cheap wire either, but I think $30 to $50 for a 2-meter analog interconnect should be more than sufficient to the task. I usually buy my cables from Signal Cable, and I have bought some from Blue Jeans Cable as well. Both will give you good results and not cost you an arm and a leg. --Jerome

I've taken everything into consideration, and I ordered a TC-760LC. After reading your comment and thinking about my past experiences in hi-fi, I'm sure it will be everything I want it to be.