Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Sturgus said:
Can I make a suggestion. Go to Vinyl Engine and download Conrad Hoffman's arc protractor and make sure it's to scale. When you're sure it's right, print it on some card stock paper and laminate it. Then buy an inexpensive cartridge ( AT-95, Shure M-97x or similar ) some tools for mounting cartridges ( small precision screwdriver, very small led light, 20x jeweler's loop or a lienen tester's magnifier, a digital scale ). These should get you going. Now practice mounting the cheap cartridge till it gets easy. You can then decide if you want to spend the money on a more expensive cartridge. You could also get a better stylus for the AT or the Shure. You have a first class cartridge already you just have to get comfortable with set-up. That's where the cheap cartridge comes in. If you mess it up you haven't taken a big hit. The more you do it the better you get at doing it.
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I appreciate the recommendation but as I said, I'm about 98% sure that any issues I'm coming across are due to bad pressings rather than any sort of setup issue. My system sounds fantastic for the most part. I've gone through a 2M Silver, 2M Bronze and now the 2M Black and through various tests as well as getting multiple copies of some problem pressings I've found that issues aren't consistent, in fact in most cases I can get a clean copy if I go through a couple. I would think if it was a setup issue that no matter how many copies I have I still wouldn't be able to get a clean one. That's never been an issue. I will definitely check out that arc protractor and set that up though. Thanks for the advice!

Oh, and I clean with an Okki Nokki using their fluid. Any persistent issues I encounter are present prior to cleaning and aren't affected by cleaning. I plan to switch fluid to an enzyme cleaner when I find one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg up here in Canada...
 
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Mather said:
I appreciate the recommendation but as I said, I'm about 98% sure that any issues I'm coming across are due to bad pressings rather than any sort of setup issue. My system sounds fantastic for the most part. I've gone through a 2M Silver, 2M Bronze and now the 2M Black and through various tests as well as getting multiple copies of some problem pressings I've found that issues aren't consistent, in fact in most cases I can get a clean copy if I go through a couple. I would think if it was a setup issue that no matter how many copies I have I still wouldn't be able to get a clean one. That's never been an issue. I will definitely check out that arc protractor and set that up though. Thanks for the advice!

Oh, and I clean with an Okki Nokki using their fluid. Any issues I encounter are present prior to cleaning and aren't affected by cleaning.

I'm guessing by a couple things you wrote that you didn't realize what kind of system I'm running?
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Yeah just saw it in your signature. Very nice setup. Sometimes we just get lousy pressing. Have you tried Moving Coil in your system? Your phonostages is a nice one should work great with MC.
 
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Sturgus said:
Yeah just saw it in your signature. Very nice setup. Sometimes we just get lousy pressing. Have you tried Moving Coil in your system? Your phonostages is a nice one should work great with MC.
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Yeah it doesn't hold a candle to your system but I'm pretty happy with it. Honestly I just got the Black in January so it'll be a while before I need another but moving coil is definitely something I'll be looking at. But you're correct I'm a total rookie with this stuff, technically I'm a pretty proficient guy, my job is literally "Technical Director". But my whole system was pretty much all built in the past 1.5 years so I don't have the experience with fine tuning the cart and TT that many others have. I appreciate the help. Maybe I'll throw the Bronze Stylus on and mess around with the cart setup... If I'm feeling brave...
 
Does anyone know if Grado is still running as a company as normal? I need their help with a cartridge that just conked out on me and I noticed all their social media hasn't been updated since March 8th.

Oh yeah, also, does anyone have a new cartridge recommendation for someone with a U-Turn Orbit (older version, pre-tonearm change) who had a Grado Black2 and loved it? The boring option is to just get another Black2 but I'm open to upgrading slightly.
 
Mather said:
Yeah it doesn't hold a candle to your system but I'm pretty happy with it. Honestly I just got the Black in January so it'll be a while before I need another but moving coil is definitely something I'll be looking at. But you're correct I'm a total rookie with this stuff, technically I'm a pretty proficient guy, my job is literally "Technical Director". But my whole system was pretty much all built in the past 1.5 years so I don't have the experience with fine tuning the cart and TT that many others have. I appreciate the help. Maybe I'll throw the Bronze Stylus on and mess around with the cart setup... If I'm feeling brave...
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The Microline stylus will certainly be less finicky than the Shibata on the black, though you’ll probably give up some detail.
 
swamp jazz box set said:
Does anyone know if Grado is still running as a company as normal? I need their help with a cartridge that just conked out on me and I noticed all their social media hasn't been updated since March 8th.

Oh yeah, also, does anyone have a new cartridge recommendation for someone with a U-Turn Orbit (older version, pre-tonearm change) who had a Grado Black2 and loved it? The boring option is to just get another Black2 but I'm open to upgrading slightly.
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As far as I know, everything's normal. My cartridge was recently shipped straight from the factory.

Try an A/T VM95EN. That's a whole lot of cartridge for the money.
 
@Ed Selley would you mind pointing us in the direction of that cartridge shoot-out when it’s published?

Also, @Mather if you do eventually go MC (disclosure, I tend to prefer them, with both the Aria and 20/20), I’d toss the Ort Quintet Black and Hana SL names in the hat. Both great carts in the price range you mentioned.

I have a Hana EL running on my system with the Rega Aria in it, with Revel F208’s and JL Audio subs. Totally different amp and turntable, but those transducers and phono-pre play very nicely together. I’m using the SL on my big system. I like it so far, it has more detail, but it’s also new so I can’t say more than that yet.
 
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I'm a man of a million questions but I will ask a few for now.

I have a Hitachi PS-38. Got it off of Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) for around 60$ over a year ago. I also have a Yamaha CR-440. I'm not sure if the 440 or PS-38 is causing some buzzing on the right channel. I'm thinking of upgrading the receiver but not sure of what ranking it is when it comes to quality.

So my questions are

  1. Should I upgrade or take my receiver to get repaired?
  2. Could the Needle be causing the buzzing? If so what would be an upgrade from the Red I have right now?
  3. If in the future I wanted to upgrade my receiver should I go for a receiver or a preamp?
  4. If my turntable were to be the problem, what would be an upgrade from this model?

I'm not well versed in the tech side of this hobby. I was just lucky to get a lot of cheap gear that worked well. I'd be willing to put a decent amount to upgrades but i'm not looking to do so until closer to Christmas so hopefully its a fault on my side. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and/or critique.
 
SnowmaNick said:
@Ed Selley would you mind pointing us in the direction of that cartridge shoot-out when it’s published?

Also, @Mather if you do eventually go MC (disclosure, I tend to prefer them, with both the Aria and 20/20), I’d toss the Ort Quintet Black and Hana SL names in the hat. Both great carts in the price range you mentioned.

I have a Hana EL running on my system with the Rega Aria in it, with Revel F208’s and JL Audio subs. Totally different amp and turntable, but those transducers and phono-pre play very nicely together. I’m using the SL on my big system. I like it so far, it has more detail, but it’s also new so I can’t say more than that yet.
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The last cart shootout didn't make it online, but according to Ed's instagram, it will land in Hifi Choice Mag (https://www.hifichoicemag.com/). He referenced "next"issue, but I don't know if that means July or August.
 
This might be slightly outside the wheelhouse of this thread but I figured I'd ask. Does anyone have a preferred method for re-glueing jacket flaps that have become unglued? I thought I read somewhere that just a simple glue stick did the trick quite well but I thought I'd check. I have epoxy here but that seems like overkill. Not to mention I'm not sure what the off gassing would do the the vinyl over time...
 
Mather said:
This might be slightly outside the wheelhouse of this thread but I figured I'd ask. Does anyone have a preferred method for re-glueing jacket flaps that have become unglued? I thought I read somewhere that just a simple glue stick did the trick quite well but I thought I'd check. I have epoxy here but that seems like overkill. Not to mention I'm not sure what the off gassing would do the the vinyl over time...
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I've used glue sticks in the past with no issues. Can't comment on the off gassing though.
 
Mather said:
This might be slightly outside the wheelhouse of this thread but I figured I'd ask. Does anyone have a preferred method for re-glueing jacket flaps that have become unglued? I thought I read somewhere that just a simple glue stick did the trick quite well but I thought I'd check. I have epoxy here but that seems like overkill. Not to mention I'm not sure what the off gassing would do the the vinyl over time...
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I may have only had ridiculous strength glue for holding stuff on walls. I may have been too lazy to go to the shops. Overkill, yes, but that fucker is never coming apart again...
 
Joe Mac said:
I had my dad visiting for the first time since I bought all my gear last weekend.

He looked at it and sighed and said “how much did you spend on that?”

I halved the price and he thinks I’m insane and has been telling the whole family how crazy I am...

He’s the other big music fan in the family too haha!
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Haha I told my dad my system costs more than his car and he's just jealous. If I told my wife's parents though I'd be dead..
 
Mather said:
Haha I told my dad my system costs more than his car and he's just jealous. If I told my wife's parents though I'd be dead..
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My dads a huge music fan but he’s 100% a music first guy. He likes the sound of mine but doesn’t think it’s even remotely worth the money! So long as he has a nice all in one CD system and can spend on the discs he’s happy, he can't be bothered with going back to vinyl again!
 
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