i'm just teasing ya. i know it's a very quality cart. i think it would personally drive me crazy given the state of pressings lately, but also maybe it would help me pare down my purchases to only buy stuff that is a solid pressing.
I can yep, I think the Rega Aria is a little bit limited in what types of MC it can run in terms of output. But I can run a good swath of them yep.
I know, I just feel the need to OCCASIONALLY step away from my near constant self deprication to point out that my system actually does sound good, despite me taking the piss out of myself for nearly all of my purchases.
Hana is on my shortlist for my next cart too. I really wish there was a place near me where I could hear it first though.
Chances are they are cleaned on a Ultrasonic or top end VPI. Japanese are incredibly proud of clean records.
I think Stevies are next on my list to order from japan...I was supposed to go to Japan for my honeymoon last month if there hadn't been a pandemic going on. when we do end up going, i'll have to bring an entire suitcase just to bring records back in.
That's how I did it Mike. Strange looks through customs and MP inspections.
DJ carriers work well for this also.
to add another few data points the V-Series catalog numbers from Japan for Stevies work are much less desirable and can be found rather cheaply - the other side of this coin being that they sound significantly worse than earlier Japanese pressings - while many of the motown/tamla records were never amazing, these versions almost never get played for me - you're better off with US originals or German pressings from the period. They have greenish blue 'metallic' effect labels - I learned this the hard way although at the time they were all very reasonable priced. given an easy sale I'd part with mine immediately.
As long as you like it nobody else's opinion really matters, end of story.
You'll enjoy the Hana, and circling back to @Mather's comment about replacement cost, I have to admit that so far I'm really liking this Quintet Bronze, and this goes back to my comment about having the opportunity to sample these is a double edged sword. Because while the Q-Bronze is stunning, the replacement cost is up there and then you get to the bang for your buck when comparing the Hana to the Quintet........is the additional scratch worth it.
Ouch, that kind of changes the thought process there doesn't it. I'll tell ya what, let me get through this Quintet because the Hana was going to go back on afterwards just for my continued comparison in hopes of making some decisions and I'll give you a shout back.Do you prefer the quintet bronze to the Hana? Because if so you’ve put more ideas in my head for the future because I can get it cheaper than the Hana SL
Oh, I still have some mileage to put on the Quitet still before writing up some thoughts and opinions, so there's time, lol.
I’ll be really interested to see what you make of those Beatles albums, really really interested
Sounds good! Out of curiosity, what was the grading for each of those and how did it jive with what you're hearing?
