Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Mather said:
Thought you guys might get a laugh out of this.

I really love bullshit tech startup schemes that are doomed to abject failure. These geniuses have reinvented home audio by "taking all the confusion out of it" by creating... a stereo system just like every other stereo system that exists except this one is sold with nebulous tech speak and bullshit jargon and also features such spicy additions as a passive 400 W subwoofer that will for sure totally work and definitely will not completely drain all the power from their crappy amp and also a turntable cartridge intricately described as... MM. That's it. No other descriptors just that it's a MM cart, apparently this is sufficient information for their "audiophile system". And by the looks of it I'm guessing it's a 10 cent Crosley cart or worse.
Oh also the amp does not feature a headphone jack because šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø

Also the name is... -chefs kiss-

Dum Audio - Hi-Fi Audio, Dumbed Down

Also you gotta check out the "Limited Edition" version which is 380% more expensive than the standard because it features "a metal decal on the back" because it's "sure to be a collector's item".
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I just sold my system for the Limited Edition version.
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Be gentle ...

I'm preparing myself (and my wife!) for my first system upgrade. Reading this thread has been nothing if not OVERWHELMING! I mean, I'm in seriously awe of the sort of care and commitment so many of you have toward building your systems.

That said, I've been looking at amplifiers. I probably can't pony up for Bosch's McIntosh MC-240 power amplifier (not yet, anyway). I'm looking for something more in the $600-$900 range.

Any PSAudio Sprout100 owners out there? I appreciate Sprout100's simplicity and (apparent) performance. But the number of gushing online reviews has me suspect something might be amiss. (I feel like many of the reviews might have been hardware-for-review sort of arrangements.)

I'm also considering a pair of ELAC Debut Reference DBR62s. I'm probably looking at a $500-$800 range for speakers.

Probably relevant: Most of my vinyl collection consists of jazz (70%), blues & soul (15%) and 80s college/indie/alternative (15%).

I know I'm offering a pretty wide lane here - but would appreciate/value your thoughts/direction.
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@wynn72 has a Spout2 and liked it, Wynn ?

You could also look for used Rogue Audio ?

@Ghost has Linton's and a NAD integrated, not sure what the final budget on that system is ?
 
JohnnyCashFan said:
@wynn72 has a Spout2 and liked it, Wynn ?

You could also look for used Rogue Audio ?

@Ghost has Linton's and a NAD integrated, not sure what the final budget on that system is ?
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@stpaulbrowns I'll echo the reviews for the Sprout. If you're going for simplicity and great performance, it's amazing. I absolutely love mine. It was also my first big audio upgrade. I went from powered bookshelf speakers (since I lived in a NYC apartment), to the Sprout paired with Wharfedale Denton passive speakers and it's been such a big upgrade.
 
Mather said:
Thought you guys might get a laugh out of this.

I really love bullshit tech startup schemes that are doomed to abject failure. These geniuses have reinvented home audio by "taking all the confusion out of it" by creating... a stereo system just like every other stereo system that exists except this one is sold with nebulous tech speak and bullshit jargon and also features such spicy additions as a passive 400 W subwoofer that will for sure totally work and definitely will not completely drain all the power from their crappy amp and also a turntable cartridge intricately described as... MM. That's it. No other descriptors just that it's a MM cart, apparently this is sufficient information for their "audiophile system". And by the looks of it I'm guessing it's a 10 cent Crosley cart or worse.
Oh also the amp does not feature a headphone jack because šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø

Also the name is... -chefs kiss-

Dum Audio - Hi-Fi Audio, Dumbed Down

Also you gotta check out the "Limited Edition" version which is 380% more expensive than the standard because it features "a metal decal on the back" because it's "sure to be a collector's item".
Click to expand...
don't know how i only just saw this, but i love this bit of copy on the site:

Weā€™re so confident in our product that weā€™re offering a 60-day return policy. If youā€™re not in love with your Dum Audio system for any reason, youā€™re welcome to send it back
 
wynn72 said:
@stpaulbrowns I'll echo the reviews for the Sprout. If you're going for simplicity and great performance, it's amazing. I absolutely love mine. It was also my first big audio upgrade. I went from powered bookshelf speakers (since I lived in a NYC apartment), to the Sprout paired with Wharfedale Denton passive speakers and it's been such a big upgrade.
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@stpaulbrowns Here is a pretty good review of the Sprout, guys seems honest
 
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wynn72 said:
@stpaulbrowns I'll echo the reviews for the Sprout. If you're going for simplicity and great performance, it's amazing. I absolutely love mine. It was also my first big audio upgrade. I went from powered bookshelf speakers (since I lived in a NYC apartment), to the Sprout paired with Wharfedale Denton passive speakers and it's been such a big upgrade.
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Awesome. This is my plan as well.

Sadly, Sprout 100 hasn't been in stock for months - but they say it'll be back on November (hopefully 2021 and not 2022!).

I also have a line on a pair of Denton 80s. (h/t @Joe Mac)

Guess who's looking forward to Christmas?
 
Iā€™m planning on upgrading my cartridge and phono stage eventually. I LOVE my Nagaoka MP200 but I think Iā€™m ready to cross over into the MC cartridge territory. Iā€™m considering a Rega Ania or a Hana SL cart, and also looking to upgrade to maybe something like the WhestTwo.2 phono preamp or Southerland Insight which seem to have good reviews.

Iā€™m open to any suggestions. I have a Rega P6 table and am currently using a Music Fidelity LX2 LPS phono preamp.
 
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I haven't heard any complaints about the Insight, though a few people have upgraded it to more expensive Sutherlands. I certainly have no complaints about mine-very clear with no background noise unless the record is very rough.
I'm not familiar with WhestTwo, so I defer to others.
 
brownsugah said:
Iā€™m planning on upgrading my cartridge and phono stage eventually. I LOVE my Nagaoka MP200 but I think Iā€™m ready to cross over into the MC cartridge territory. Iā€™m considering a Rega Ania or a Hana SL cart, and also looking to upgrade to maybe something like the WhestTwo.2 phono preamp or Southerland Insight which seem to have good reviews.

Iā€™m open to any suggestions. I have a Rega P6 table and am currently using a Music Fidelity LX2 LPS phono preamp.
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The Hana SL is a gorgeous thing, you wonā€™t regret that choice for sure! It is a light cartridge though so check if itā€™s in your turntables range, you may need to get a lighter counterweight to make it work right!
 
apholden said:
I haven't heard any complaints about the Insight, though a few people have upgraded it to more expensive Sutherlands. I certainly have no complaints about mine-very clear with no background noise unless the record is very rough.
I'm not familiar with WhestTwo, so I defer to others.
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I upgraded to the Insight from a Vincent Pho 700 and love it. I could see moving up the chain down the road, but I feel no need to do so anytime soon. It was a big upgrade for me and is an excellent device.
 
TenderLovingKillerĀ® said:
Thatā€™s what I assumed. I think the style matches @Mather aesthetic nicely. Though Iā€™d imagine it probably sounds like garbage though.
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Surprisingly I found this about it:


Clairtoneā€™s acclaimed Project G stereo, with its space-age styling, epitomized the Swinging Sixties. Famously, Hugh Hefner owned a Project G. So did Frank Sinatra. Oscar Peterson affirmed that his music sounded as good on a G as it did live. In 1967, suggesting how deeply Clairtoneā€™s G series had come to be identified with popular culture, the G2 appeared in The Graduate alongside Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.

They seemed to be well regarded and used high quality materials too.
 
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