Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Joe Mac said:
The winner there is one of the oppo machines 103, 105, 203 or 205. They’re in a class of their own for that kinda thing. Problem is that oppo got out of the business so they’re only available second hand and the eBay prices have risen because that’s what happens. It is worth hurting eBay for one to see if there is a deal to be found.
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To get an Oppo for under $300, you'll have to go to the 80/90 series probably.

I have the 105bdp and it is amazing, but goes for 600 or more used. They were the best on the market and it is a shame they went out of business
 
wmeugene said:
To get an Oppo for under $300, you'll have to go to the 80/90 series probably.

I have the 105bdp and it is amazing, but goes for 600 or more used. They were the best on the market and it is a shame they went out of business
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For their niche they definitely were. I’d still prefer a solely music player/transport if it’s just for music but there is little to touch them if you’re looking for the flexibility to do both films and music in the same box.
 
Joe Mac said:
For their niche they definitely were. I’d still prefer a solely music player/transport if it’s just for music but there is little to touch them if you’re looking for the flexibility to do both films and music in the same box.
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This is meant to be an intermediate solution until I get a dedicated music player/transport.
 
hearditontheX said:
This is meant to be an intermediate solution until I get a dedicated music player/transport.
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The oppo is definitely the best solution for doing both but it would appear to be outside of your budget now. I’ll have to let someone else advise you lower down because outside of them (which I researched because of the ability to add an i2s via hdmi output board) I tend to focus much more on the music side.
 
hearditontheX said:
This may be a bit OT, but I am looking for a recommendation for a Blu Ray player that would likely get the most duty playing audio CDs.

I don’t want to spend more than $300. Thanks for your consideration.
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I'd find a regular blu-ray player with a coaxial (or USB out) that you can run through a DAC, than into your system for that budget.
 
Hello,

I currently have a Debut III with a Speed Box S. I upgraded my OM5e cartridge with a Shibata stylus, as per @HiFi Guy 's recommendation on the VMP Forum in 2017. My receiver is a Sansui 661 and I have Energy CF-50s for speakers. The Energy CF-50 speakers have been discontinued and are now sold as Polk Audio psi400.

Any recommendations for an update path? My first upgrade will likely be the Pro-Ject Acryl-it platter, but I'm also thinking of getting a phono preamp (maybe a Pho-8) or new speakers. I would also consider a new integrated amplifier. Pretty flexible on budget, but would like to upgrade incrementally of course and not have one piece of gear that vastly outperforms the rest.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

PS: First post since the closure of the VMP Forum. Just discovered this forum today, glad to be back!
 
neuorder said:
Hello,

I currently have a Debut III with a Speed Box S. I upgraded my OM5e cartridge with a Shibata stylus, as per @HiFi Guy 's recommendation on the VMP Forum in 2017. My receiver is a Sansui 661 and I have Energy CF-50s for speakers. The Energy CF-50 speakers have been discontinued and are now sold as Polk Audio psi400.

Any recommendations for an update path? My first upgrade will likely be the Pro-Ject Acryl-it platter, but I'm also thinking of getting a phono preamp (maybe a Pho-8) or new speakers. I would also consider a new integrated amplifier. Pretty flexible on budget, but would like to upgrade incrementally of course and not have one piece of gear that vastly outperforms the rest.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

PS: First post since the closure of the VMP Forum. Just discovered this forum today, glad to be back!
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My .02 is that the Pho-8 is awesome and I love mine.
 
neuorder said:
Hello,

I currently have a Debut III with a Speed Box S. I upgraded my OM5e cartridge with a Shibata stylus, as per @HiFi Guy 's recommendation on the VMP Forum in 2017. My receiver is a Sansui 661 and I have Energy CF-50s for speakers. The Energy CF-50 speakers have been discontinued and are now sold as Polk Audio psi400.

Any recommendations for an update path? My first upgrade will likely be the Pro-Ject Acryl-it platter, but I'm also thinking of getting a phono preamp (maybe a Pho-8) or new speakers. I would also consider a new integrated amplifier. Pretty flexible on budget, but would like to upgrade incrementally of course and not have one piece of gear that vastly outperforms the rest.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

PS: First post since the closure of the VMP Forum. Just discovered this forum today, glad to be back!
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Welcome back!

If you love the Sansui (sentimental value or whatever) I’d recommend having it gone through by a qualified tech, if it hasn’t been already. It won’t be inexpensive, but it will sound better and be very reliable. At the very least, the capacitors in the power supply are long overdue and should be replaced.
 
I'm considering getting a low-watt tube amp and high-efficiency speakers, but in two steps. Based on my current setup, which should I get first: a Decware 2w amplifier or Zu Omen DW speakers?
 
dansomeone said:
I'm considering getting a low-watt tube amp and high-efficiency speakers, but in two steps. Based on my current setup, which should I get first: a Decware 2w amplifier or Zu Omen DW speakers?
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I think I would focus on the Zu's, they go pretty fast when they pop up for sale, unless you don't mind waiting for the next sale.........I would also recommend keeping an eye on there Deals page ;)
 
dansomeone said:
I'm considering getting a low-watt tube amp and high-efficiency speakers, but in two steps. Based on my current setup, which should I get first: a Decware 2w amplifier or Zu Omen DW speakers?
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AnthonyI said:
I think I would focus on the Zu's, they go pretty fast when they pop up for sale, unless you don't mind waiting for the next sale.........I would also recommend keeping an eye on there Deals page ;)
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Yeah if it’s one before the other I’d get the zu speakers first too. You can run the sensitive speakers fine with a more powerful amp but the low wattage amp would struggle with inefficient speakers.
 
With all of the talk of CD players here lately, I was reminded of what I saw awhile back: lots of people with high end gear have Sony PS1’s as their main CD player. Might have to give it a test at some point...
 
Thanks all for the advice. The consensus is the Decware would not pair well with my Dentons, but my Concept should be more than sufficient for the Zus. The Concept has output for up to 3 pairs of speakers, so I can do some side by side comparisons with the push of a button, fun!

Looks like July 1 for the Omen DWs, then black friday for the little tube amp.
 
Thanks for the replies!

HiFi Guy said:
Welcome back!

If you love the Sansui (sentimental value or whatever) I’d recommend having it gone through by a qualified tech, if it hasn’t been already. It won’t be inexpensive, but it will sound better and be very reliable. At the very least, the capacitors in the power supply are long overdue and should be replaced.
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No real sentimental value but the Sansui has done me well over the years. I purchased it from a Hi-Fi shop specializing in vintage gear back in 2012 and I think they serviced it prior to sale. I'm not sure if they replaced the capacitors or not. One of the channels takes a while to warm up when I turn it on so I should be servicing the Sansui soon anyway.

You think I would be better off spending money to service the Sansui and replace the capacitors in the power supply rather than a new integrated amplifier or an external phono stage?

kvetcha said:
Welcome back! Having a nice separate phono stage frees you up to get whatever integrated you like later on without having to consider the pre-amp. That’s my vote.
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Ethos99 said:
My .02 is that the Pho-8 is awesome and I love mine.
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The Pho-8 is one I was looking at along with the Mo-Fi Studiophono. Both similarly priced when shipped to Canada where I'm from. I read somewhere though that the Studiophono doesn't handle Ortofon carts very well, but I think that was just the 2M series. I have an OM which has less output (4 mV from the OM vs. 5.5 mV from the 2M).
 
neuorder said:
Thanks for the replies!



No real sentimental value but the Sansui has done me well over the years. I purchased it from a Hi-Fi shop specializing in vintage gear back in 2012 and I think they serviced it prior to sale. I'm not sure if they replaced the capacitors or not. One of the channels takes a while to warm up when I turn it on so I should be servicing the Sansui soon anyway.

You think I would be better off spending money to service the Sansui and replace the capacitors in the power supply rather than a new integrated amplifier or an external phono stage?




The Pho-8 is one I was looking at along with the Mo-Fi Studiophono. Both similarly priced when shipped to Canada where I'm from. I read somewhere though that the Studiophono doesn't handle Ortofon carts very well, but I think that was just the 2M series. I have an OM which has less output (4 mV from the OM vs. 5.5 mV from the 2M).
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Id add the Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS into the mix and you have the 3 highest regarded phono around that price in these parts. Beyond that it’s all about researching so you know which one fits you the best.
 
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neuorder said:
Thanks for the replies!



No real sentimental value but the Sansui has done me well over the years. I purchased it from a Hi-Fi shop specializing in vintage gear back in 2012 and I think they serviced it prior to sale. I'm not sure if they replaced the capacitors or not. One of the channels takes a while to warm up when I turn it on so I should be servicing the Sansui soon anyway.

You think I would be better off spending money to service the Sansui and replace the capacitors in the power supply rather than a new integrated amplifier or an external phono stage?




The Pho-8 is one I was looking at along with the Mo-Fi Studiophono. Both similarly priced when shipped to Canada where I'm from. I read somewhere though that the Studiophono doesn't handle Ortofon carts very well, but I think that was just the 2M series. I have an OM which has less output (4 mV from the OM vs. 5.5 mV from the 2M).
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I'm going to piggy back on @Joe Mac's comment on the pre's. I ran the StudioPhono and was really happy with it, it checked off all the boxes, was flexible and priced right. Then I tried the Musical Fidelity LX-LPS and I was truly surprised how great it sounded AND offered the same flexibility. This was the first time I ever heard the Musical Fidelity line and was really impressed. While the MoFi was no slouch, I kept the Musical Fidelity and moved the MoFi along to a new home ;)

While @Joe Mac recommended a different model, I'll say that I've owned and used both the Pho-8 and StudioPhono and give a big nod to the Musical Fidelity line ;)
 
AnthonyI said:
I'm going to piggy back on @Joe Mac's comment on the pre's. I ran the StudioPhono and was really happy with it, it checked off all the boxes, was flexible and priced right. Then I tried the Musical Fidelity LX-LPS and I was truly surprised how great it sounded AND offered the same flexibility. This was the first time I ever heard the Musical Fidelity line and was really impressed. While the MoFi was no slouch, I kept the Musical Fidelity and moved the MoFi along to a new home ;)

While @Joe Mac recommended a different model, I'll say that I've owned and used both the Pho-8 and StudioPhono and give a big nod to the Musical Fidelity line ;)
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Looking at the specs the only difference with the replacement model is a 18v switching power supply replacing a 5v switching power supply into a mini usb. They seem pretty much identical in all other measurements.
 
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Joe Mac said:
Looking at the specs the only difference with the replacement model is a 18v switching power supply replacing a 5v usb switching power supply into a mini usb. They seem pretty much identical in all other measurements.
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Even better, in all honesty, all 3 are really nice in that price point. As you said, a little research and @neuorder I'm sure you'll find the one that suits you best :)
 
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