Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

HiFi Guy said:
It’s the Manley. It uses what’s called a resistor ladder volume control. When the volume is adjusted, you are hearing the clicks as the control switches from one resistor to the next.

A “normal” volume control is continuously variable. There is no clicking as the volume is adjusted.

A resistor ladder volume control is the best there is, IMHO. At any given volume setting, the signal is only going through one resistor. This is assuming the manufacturer is using high quality resistors- and I’m sure Manley does. Resistors can vary widely in price. A generic no name resistor can be a few cents. A Dale Vishay costs about 45 cents, a Takman is a buck. You can get resistors from Japan that might be blessed by Buddhist monks for $25. A resistor ladder control made with those would cost thousands.

Although resistor ladder controls are technically the best, I prefer a variable Alps Blue Velvet. Depending on the number of resistors and the values, you may not be able to get the exact volume you want. You’ll either get too low or too high. This will be a bigger issue if the control has 64 steps as opposed to 128.

I’m wondering if there is a factory reset procedure for your Manley. I’d check the manual.
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Yeah, I deduced that it was due to the clicking which it makes when using volume.

I'm away from the unit for a week, so I have to test it when I get back. But, there is a feature to limit the volume on the Manley to keep guest users from blowing up your good headphones. It's completely out of the circuit turned to one direction. I thought it was off because the label is not clear to me, (it's a minimum to maximum triangle). I thought max was max volume. Upon reading, it may be that I had this feature set exactly backwards. Perhaps I only noticed it occasionally because I'm a relatively low volume listener and only on really dynamic music swells was it jumping. I flipped it the other direction, but then had to leave so I can't test it till later.

As far as the notches, I love it. the jumps are not that bad from one setting to another.
 
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Looks like Schiit may end up discontinuing the Sol due to continuing parts shortages. That's a real bummer, as I'd really toyed with the idea of picking one up to tinker with.
 
kvetcha said:
Looks like Schiit may end up discontinuing the Sol due to continuing parts shortages. That's a real bummer, as I'd really toyed with the idea of picking one up to tinker with.
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Gaaaahhhhhhhhh...........I was really on board for giving the SOL a go once they were available again. I emailed them last week about it and oddly enough, and it could be coincidence, shortly after my email, like 30 minutes after, the SOL went from backorder to out of stock.

Disappointed.
 
AnthonyI said:
Gaaaahhhhhhhhh...........I was really on board for giving the SOL a go once they were available again. I emailed them last week about it and oddly enough, and it could be coincidence, shortly after my email, like 30 minutes after, the SOL went from backorder to out of stock.

Disappointed.
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They posted on their forums saying the Out of Stock is temporary so they can catch up on the increasingly large backorder - there are some parts that are months out, and they described a recent talk with their suppliers as 'hair-raising.'

I really hope it's not a permanent discontinuation; it seems like they really got most of the kinks ironed out, and it was an extremely intriguing table at the price. If we're lucky, maybe they rework it into a Sol 2.
 
kvetcha said:
They posted on their forums saying the Out of Stock is temporary so they can catch up on the increasingly large backorder - there are some parts that are months out, and they described a recent talk with their suppliers as 'hair-raising.'

I really hope it's not a permanent discontinuation; it seems like they really got most of the kinks ironed out, and it was an extremely intriguing table at the price. If we're lucky, maybe they rework it into a Sol 2.
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I’ll bet “hair raising” was price increases on parts.
 
kvetcha said:
They posted on their forums saying the Out of Stock is temporary so they can catch up on the increasingly large backorder - there are some parts that are months out, and they described a recent talk with their suppliers as 'hair-raising.'

I really hope it's not a permanent discontinuation; it seems like they really got most of the kinks ironed out, and it was an extremely intriguing table at the price.
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Well that's good to hear, time I have, lol.

It's on odd thing this hobby, and this may sound odd to some given what I have, but I really enjoy trying new things, limited by a budget, but whatever I can muster up. When turntables are discussed I get a small "I'd like to hear that" in my head, but once I start looking into it more, there never seems to be enough there to justify the "difference" from my belt driven UD or direct drive PLX...........the SOL on the other hand, presents a "new" experience, different enough from what I have to make it worth the time, in my opinion of course ;)
 
AnthonyI said:
Well that's good to hear, time I have, lol.

It's on odd thing this hobby, and this may sound odd to some given what I have, but I really enjoy trying new things, limited by a budget, but whatever I can muster up. When turntables are discussed I get a small "I'd like to hear that" in my head, but once I start looking into it more, there never seems to be enough there to justify the "difference" from my belt driven UD or direct drive PLX...........the SOL on the other hand, presents a "new" experience, different enough from what I have to make it worth the time, in my opinion of course ;)
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This was sort of my position as well. I love my UD, but the Sol is weird in a way that intrigues me.
 
HiFi Guy said:
That was part of my rationale to make the jump- to beat any future price increases.
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It’s a good policy. The price increases have been bonkers. When we bought the Aria 906s in 2018 or so they were $1800 a pair. Now they’re $1000 more. They’re enjoyable speakers, for sure, but I am not sure I’d say they’re $3000 enjoyable. Rather wish we had the spare cash to jump on some of those Xavian speakers, as I imagine with the solid oak cabinets and the soaring lumber prices they won’t be affordable much longer.

Ah well, at least I managed the phono stage upgrade at a reasonable cost for my wife’s birthday. She’s quite happy with her tubes.
 
Anyone have suggestions for a compact turntable with small/consolidated speakers? Considering adding a simple but reliable one to our reading nook.
 
EvanBenner said:
Anyone have suggestions for a compact turntable with small/consolidated speakers? Considering adding a simple but reliable one to our reading nook.
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How about the Rega System One? Turntable, integrated, speakers and cables all in one package. c.£1k in the U.K.
 
EvanBenner said:
Anyone have suggestions for a compact turntable with small/consolidated speakers? Considering adding a simple but reliable one to our reading nook.
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Or the pro-ject juke box e hifi which is around €700/800 for the system over here. The table on its own got a surprisingly good review, for what it is, from what hifi

www.whathifi.com

Home review

Pro-Ject forces a little of the 21st century into a turntable, with winning results.
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com
 
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