Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Angsty said:
Regarding the ADS, I’d totally upgrade from the Aria before buying the speed controller. The speed stability on the Classic is very good without the ADS and I’ve never experienced any true inconvenience moving the belt from one level of my Traveler pulley to the other except for … when I forget to move it back to 33.3!

The essential simplicity of the deck is made more complicated by the ADS; potentially another component to have problems versus just a motor.
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Yeah I'm struggling here because the place I'm trading to is limited in stage options and I'm REALLY reticent to spend more money on top of the very large amount of money I'm already spending on the Classic. So it leaves me kinda in a no man's land, $3000 in trade isn't really enough to get something substantially better than my Aria, but I don't really want to drop another couple grand to get to that point. But buying a ring clamp and a couple of AC cables for like $2000 also just seems dumb as hell. I cannot believe how expensive that ring clamp is. The ADS is admittedly just a thing that seems to fit the system and will make life a little easier but honestly I'd prefer the SDS if I had a choice. HOWEVER it does appear this shop may stock Bryston so I'm going to have a look at what's possible there. Good call I totally forgot about them and dammit they're Canadian, I NEED some Canadiana in my system right? Right.
 
Another good Canadian option: Simaudio Moon 310LP. I have not heard it personally, but it is well-reviewed. More loading options than with the Bryston, but I’ve also not found the limited Bryston MC options to be a problem in practice, either.

www.theabsolutesound.com

Simaudio Moon 310LP Phonostage and 320S Power Supply - The Absolute Sound

Simaudio Moon 310LP Phonostage and 320S Power Supply -
www.theabsolutesound.com www.theabsolutesound.com
 
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Mather said:
Yeah I'm struggling here because the place I'm trading to is limited in stage options and I'm REALLY reticent to spend more money on top of the very large amount of money I'm already spending on the Classic. So it leaves me kinda in a no man's land, $3000 in trade isn't really enough to get something substantially better than my Aria, but I don't really want to drop another couple grand to get to that point. But buying a ring clamp and a couple of AC cables for like $2000 also just seems dumb as hell. I cannot believe how expensive that ring clamp is. The ADS is admittedly just a thing that seems to fit the system and will make life a little easier but honestly I'd prefer the SDS if I had a choice. HOWEVER it does appear this shop may stock Bryston so I'm going to have a look at what's possible there. Good call I totally forgot about them and dammit they're Canadian, I NEED some Canadiana in my system right? Right.
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I'm not too keen on the Aria, but I've never heard one. As long as you don't think it's a bottleneck it will serve you ok.
I'm of the sort that thinks phono stage is just as important as the tt. If I had the Classic I probably would upgrade my Modwright.
Your tt is endgame so now you have to look at the next component in the chain. It will matter as you consider what kind/level of carts you are going to use. As far as what I think, your tt can handle a cart that costs as much as the tt did; can your phono stage handle that?
IMO, at this level it's about making sure all your components are working together. Is everything working together to squeeze that last ounce of music out of that record?
I looked at it this way: what was most expensive cart I planned to use? I then built everything around that. Hence I figure I'm good for carts in the $3-4k range. Not that I'll ever get there, but I can if could.

Vinyl I think is the hardest upgrade because it's not just one thing, but three and there are so many variables.
Upgrade not for where you want to be now but for where you want to end up.
Have fun!
 
theflattire said:
I'm not too keen on the Aria, but I've never heard one. As long as you don't think it's a bottleneck it will serve you ok.
I'm of the sort that thinks phono stage is just as important as the tt. If I had the Classic I probably would upgrade my Modwright.
Your tt is endgame so now you have to look at the next component in the chain. It will matter as you consider what kind/level of carts you are going to use. As far as what I think, your tt can handle a cart that costs as much as the tt did; can your phono stage handle that?
IMO, at this level it's about making sure all your components are working together. Is everything working together to squeeze that last ounce of music out of that record?
I looked at it this way: what was most expensive cart I planned to use? I then built everything around that. Hence I figure I'm good for carts in the $3-4k range. Not that I'll ever get there, but I can if could.

Vinyl I think is the hardest upgrade because it's not just one thing, but three and there are so many variables.
Upgrade not for where you want to be now but for where you want to end up.
Have fun!
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Thanks, yes this is essentially how I'm going about it. This is my dream table and it's definitely my end game table (in theory). The Aria is definitely being overhauled by the table at this point and it's next in line for an upgrade however I don't think it's a bad idea to stick with what I've got for now instead of making two massive moves at the same time. None of my trade in option stores carry the brands of stage I'd be interested in so I think just grabbing something for the sake of it makes little sense.
In terms of carts I'm at the point where I just don't think I can justify the cost of a $2-3000 cart every two years. It's just too much, even if the rebuild is like 60% of cost I just can't reconcile myself to dropping that much money that frequently. I may grab a Art9 at some point just to see, or something like that. But no matter how crazy my system gets, there's simply only so much I'm willing to pay for a cart that I know needs replacement within a year or two. So I think I'm probably at the point that one more stage upgrade probably gets me to about the limits of where I can realistically go before I have to REALLY start shelling out for carts. And that's fine because honestly I love the sound I'm getting now, the Classic can only improve it and an endgame stage like a Sutherland or Luxman or something of the sort will only improve it further. Then I think I'm happy. (I mean I'm totally lying and I absolutely will continue to upgrade everything because this is what I am HOWEVER for the sake of argument let's just say I'm happy).
 
Dust Covers for All Equipment & Electronics | DigitalDeckCovers™

I had a Traveler that I used acrylic dust cover number one for. That thing is HUGE. I'm guessing acrylic dust cover option number two is ever HUGER. I think they look nice, but I thought it was a total pain in use.

I got one of these covers from this site and tried that. Really nice product. You can have them made without their logo on it. I use the nylon ones, and they kind of retain their shape so they don't look all sloppy. I use them on my tables and my project record cleaner. I get the silver nylon, and they look pretty nice. And a lot easier to hide when the table is in use.

I have no affiliation with this company, just thought it was worth a shout to you @Mather in case you weren't sure.

Pretty excited for you!
 
bluzuner said:
Dust Covers for All Equipment & Electronics | DigitalDeckCovers™

I had a Traveler that I used acrylic dust cover number one for. That thing is HUGE. I'm guessing acrylic dust cover option number two is ever HUGER. I think they look nice, but I thought it was a total pain in use.

I got one of these covers from this site and tried that. Really nice product. You can have them made without their logo on it. I use the nylon ones, and they kind of retain their shape so they don't look all sloppy. I use them on my tables and my project record cleaner. I get the silver nylon, and they look pretty nice. And a lot easier to hide when the table is in use.

I have no affiliation with this company, just thought it was worth a shout to you @Mather in case you weren't sure.

Pretty excited for you!
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Hey thanks man I really appreciate that! Honestly had no idea these things even existed, thanks for the heads up. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, I think I need to actually get it here in front of me and just see how enormous it is. I actually just measured (again for the tenth time) and the Classic is the same size as my current Pro Ject 2Xperience SB WITH the isolation platter underneath it. So that's just, insane. If I put iso platter under the Classic I'm actually going to have to raise my projector screen by like 3 inches just to be able to see over it.

I think the thing I'm most excited about is never having to say the term "Pro-Ject 2Xperience SB" ever again when someone asks me about my system. I've really enjoyed the table but it has absolutely the dumbest most word salad name EVER.
 
Mather said:
Hey thanks man I really appreciate that! Honestly had no idea these things even existed, thanks for the heads up. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, I think I need to actually get it here in front of me and just see how enormous it is. I actually just measured (again for the tenth time) and the Classic is the same size as my current Pro Ject 2Xperience SB WITH the isolation platter underneath it. So that's just, insane. If I put iso platter under the Classic I'm actually going to have to raise my projector screen by like 3 inches just to be able to see over it.

I think the thing I'm most excited about is never having to say the term "Pro-Ject 2Xperience SB" ever again when someone asks me about my system. I've really enjoyed the table but it has absolutely the dumbest most word salad name EVER.
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Yeah, I was going to have to raise the TV by 3 or 4 inches, and I just decided no way. So I got that nylon cover instead. Hey, they are cheap enough to order one and if it doesn't work not a big loss. I ended up really liking it.

Agree on the whole 2Xperience thingy. I have one also, not the palisander you have, but a mahogany in my basement system. It's just become "the wood one."
 
bluzuner said:
Yeah, I was going to have to raise the TV by 3 or 4 inches, and I just decided no way. So I got that nylon cover instead. Hey, they are cheap enough to order one and if it doesn't work not a big loss. I ended up really liking it.

Agree on the whole 2Xperience thingy. I have one also, not the palisander you have, but a mahogany in my basement system. It's just become "the wood one."
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Yes I like that better. "The wood one". Although the classic is also wood, hmmm.
"The other wood one", "the smaller wood one", "the banished to the basement one", "the one I traded for a single AC cable". I'm gunna have to workshop this...
 
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Mather said:
Yes I like that better. "The wood one". Although the classic is also wood, hmmm.
"The other wood one", "the smaller wood one", "the banished to the basement one", "the one I traded for a single AC cable". I'm gunna have to workshop this...
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“Fat Man” and “Little Boy?”

Or if you like 80’s TV shows. “Jake” and “The Fatman.”
 
Mather said:
Yeah I'm struggling here because the place I'm trading to is limited in stage options and I'm REALLY reticent to spend more money on top of the very large amount of money I'm already spending on the Classic. So it leaves me kinda in a no man's land, $3000 in trade isn't really enough to get something substantially better than my Aria, but I don't really want to drop another couple grand to get to that point. But buying a ring clamp and a couple of AC cables for like $2000 also just seems dumb as hell. I cannot believe how expensive that ring clamp is. The ADS is admittedly just a thing that seems to fit the system and will make life a little easier but honestly I'd prefer the SDS if I had a choice. HOWEVER it does appear this shop may stock Bryston so I'm going to have a look at what's possible there. Good call I totally forgot about them and dammit they're Canadian, I NEED some Canadiana in my system right? Right.
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Can you not get an ex-demo Aura from them? That’s a massive step up from the Aria.
 
Mather said:
Now. Informal poll. This thing inexplicably doesn't come with a dust cover because everything is stupid and money is meaningless.
So do I go with this style?

View attachment 173755

Or this style?

View attachment 173756
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A little late to the party on this but I have option 1 on my Thorens. It works well enough! I have little rubber feet on it so it won’t scratch anything. The only annoying thing about either option is finding a place to put the dust cover when you’re listening to the music. I just have to end up putting mine on the floor standing on its side while I listen to music.
 
Bsdmr2 said:
Can you not get an ex-demo Aura from them? That’s a massive step up from the Aria.
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Different store unfortunately, but here's what I'm looking at that's available to me, listed in order of what I think may work best in my system.

Parasound Halo JC3+
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl
PS Audio Stellar
Gold Note PH-10 with the PSU unit

Anyone have first hand knowledge of any of these?

They all have pretty great reviews, I think the JC3+ is probably the best of the bunch from what I've read. The Stellar is supposed to be great but I know it can have RF issues and my console is just laden with other electronic gear so that may be asking for trouble, although I could probably figure it out if it became an issue.

I've read the JC3+ can be a little lacking on the low end when using full range speakers but I've got the B-10 sub and the room balanced AVR so I'm not super concerned about that.

Nu-Vista is said to be on the warm side which suits my system pretty well I suspect.

Where I'm not certain is getting down to all the specific numbers and whether all of these play nice with the Arcam 550 and 2M Black and the VPI Classic Signature etc...
 
bluzuner said:
Dust Covers for All Equipment & Electronics | DigitalDeckCovers™

I had a Traveler that I used acrylic dust cover number one for. That thing is HUGE. I'm guessing acrylic dust cover option number two is ever HUGER. I think they look nice, but I thought it was a total pain in use.

I got one of these covers from this site and tried that. Really nice product. You can have them made without their logo on it. I use the nylon ones, and they kind of retain their shape so they don't look all sloppy. I use them on my tables and my project record cleaner. I get the silver nylon, and they look pretty nice. And a lot easier to hide when the table is in use.

I have no affiliation with this company, just thought it was worth a shout to you @Mather in case you weren't sure.

Pretty excited for you!
Click to expand...
I also purchased a DigitalDeckCover for one of my Travelers. I like it “okay”. It’s well made, but it can sometimes catch the tonearm if I’m not careful in how I lift it off. I also had to request a custom mod for the rear so the cover would not “bunch” on the RCA leads.

The woven shawl I used to have on the Traveler is now on the Luxman. I’ve not fully determined yet that I want to pay $800(!) for the OEM acrylic dust cover. The shawl works with less opportunity to “catch” the tonearm than the nylon cover does for me.
 
Mather said:
Different store unfortunately, but here's what I'm looking at that's available to me, listed in order of what I think may work best in my system.

Parasound Halo JC3+
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl
PS Audio Stellar
Gold Note PH-10 with the PSU unit

Anyone have first hand knowledge of any of these?

They all have pretty great reviews, I think the JC3+ is probably the best of the bunch from what I've read. The Stellar is supposed to be great but I know it can have RF issues and my console is just laden with other electronic gear so that may be asking for trouble, although I could probably figure it out if it became an issue.

I've read the JC3+ can be a little lacking on the low end when using full range speakers but I've got the B-10 sub and the room balanced AVR so I'm not super concerned about that.

Nu-Vista is said to be on the warm side which suits my system pretty well I suspect.

Where I'm not certain is getting down to all the specific numbers and whether all of these play nice with the Arcam 550 and 2M Black and the VPI Classic Signature etc...
Click to expand...

The Nu Vista and the Stellar are the two I’ve got sort of listed for the future. I’d love to hear the MF but it’s a bit past what I’d want to pay. I’d guess it is a bit warm given it’s tube, albeit those futuristic everlasting metal tubes. The Stellar had some teething issues with the the beta trial units and there was one guy who posted about his own issue with a beta trial one on several fora but I’ve not heard much bad about the full production run. It’s supposed to give a very black backdrop

Would the store let you do an in home trial? All of them should be fine with the 2M black I’d imagine, with it being an MM I can’t imagine it’s too hard to play with.
 
Mather said:
In terms of carts I'm at the point where I just don't think I can justify the cost of a $2-3000 cart every two years.
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In terms of carts, I'm guessing your new tt is going to be transformative. Wise minds with experienced and skilled ears have noted that a $1k cart on a $10k deck sounds much better than a $10k cart on a $1k deck. I'd be excited to hear how the ort black, with which you are very familiar, sounds after the upgrade
 
dansomeone said:
In terms of carts, I'm guessing your new tt is going to be transformative. Wise minds with experienced and skilled ears have noted that a $1k cart on a $10k deck sounds much better than a $10k cart on a $1k deck. I'd be excited to hear how the ort black, with which you are very familiar, sounds after the upgrade
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I'm also very curious. I mean I think where I'm always going to hit a wall with my current house and setup is my AVR. It's good but it's going to be heavily outweighed by everything else in the system at this point. And it will not be changing anytime soon so I am ready to accept that the jump in sound may be slightly tempered by the currently necessary Arcam AVR. However I know down the line if I'm able to move to a different room and get a proper 2 channel then everything will jump way up again. Which is a fun thing to think about.
 
theflattire said:
Budget?
SS I would second Sutherland. Also check Hegel, Lejonklou, Lehman, Rothwell also. Maybe Whest.
Tubes would depend on what your dealers carry but I like my Modwright and my Tavish Adagio wasn't far behind. Maybe Rogue Audio Ares too.
I wasn't joking about the Luxman, maybe the less expensive E-250.
Get something to match that Classic!
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I had a Luxman E-250 for a few months. Hated it. Also it’s not any more configurable than the Rega @Mather has now.
 
Mather said:
Different store unfortunately, but here's what I'm looking at that's available to me, listed in order of what I think may work best in my system.

Parasound Halo JC3+
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl
PS Audio Stellar
Gold Note PH-10 with the PSU unit

Anyone have first hand knowledge of any of these?

They all have pretty great reviews, I think the JC3+ is probably the best of the bunch from what I've read. The Stellar is supposed to be great but I know it can have RF issues and my console is just laden with other electronic gear so that may be asking for trouble, although I could probably figure it out if it became an issue.

I've read the JC3+ can be a little lacking on the low end when using full range speakers but I've got the B-10 sub and the room balanced AVR so I'm not super concerned about that.

Nu-Vista is said to be on the warm side which suits my system pretty well I suspect.

Where I'm not certain is getting down to all the specific numbers and whether all of these play nice with the Arcam 550 and 2M Black and the VPI Classic Signature etc...
Click to expand...
Not sure about all on that list, but I can assure you the Bryston will “play nice” with the Arcam, 2M Black and VPI. Where the Bryston might have an issue is if you were to switch to a very low output MC.

For more gain, you’d need the BP-2-30, since each version as a fixed amount of SUT gain for MC use.

I liked my BP-1.5 so much as to buy a separate SUT (TF-2-20) to convert the phono in my B100-SST to the equivalent of the BP-2-20.
 
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