Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Angsty said:
In two instances I do use skinny “Radio Shack” cables - one to connect my amp to a sub and one to connect a Bluetooth receiver to the amp. Those are uses where having a lightweight thin cable was preferable.
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I forgotten this little vignette from Stereophile until today - enjoy!

"Once I had the [VPI] Traveler set up, all I had to do was to run a pair of interconnects from the 'table's RCA outputs to the Parasound Zphono•USB phono preamp's inputs. My first choice of interconnect was Kimber Kable's PBJ, but with the PBJs in place and the volume control of my NAD C 316BEE integrated amplifier set at a normal listening level, I heard very strong radio-frequency interference. The unshielded PBJ is particularly susceptible to RFI, so I tried Kimber's more expensive, more conventionally shielded Hero interconnect. With the Heros in place, the RFI was less prominent but still far too strong to ignore. I tried XLO's pretty, purple UltraPlus interconnect. No dice. Then I tried AudioQuest's Sidewinder. This reduced RFI to a level I could stand, but I still wasn't happy.

Finally, I ran a length of cheap RadioShack Megacable speaker wire (catalog #278-1273, $24.99/50') between the Traveler's and the Parasound's ground terminals. Now, with the AudioQuests in place, my system was dead quiet; I did all of my listening with the Sidewinders. Later, for a laugh, I removed the ground cable and tried using RadioShack's stereo patch cables (catalog #42-487, $6.99/3' pair) to connect VPI to Parasound. Worked like a charm. Go figure."

VPI Industries Traveler turntable Page 2

www.stereophile.com www.stereophile.com
 
so my used mani 1 preamp is breaking (i have the jiggle the cables to make the right RCA work, and sometimes when i do that it has a ton of noise) and i recently got a 300 dollar tuition refund from my school.. so i have to figure out what would be a good preamp for under 300 bucks.. im thinking between the ifi zen phono (the hip dac sounded great but died after a year or two of constant use) and the schiit mani 2 (that one is on backorder so i dunno).. the darlington labs mm-5 is apparently great but is not available from darlington anymore (unless the ebay seller is them). so what do you recommend?.. or should i just find a way to fix my preamp and spend that money on other gear
 
duke86fan said:
so my used mani 1 preamp is breaking (i have the jiggle the cables to make the right RCA work, and sometimes when i do that it has a ton of noise) and i recently got a 300 dollar tuition refund from my school.. so i have to figure out what would be a good preamp for under 300 bucks.. im thinking between the ifi zen phono (the hip dac sounded great but died after a year or two of constant use) and the schiit mani 2 (that one is on backorder so i dunno).. the darlington labs mm-5 is apparently great but is not available from darlington anymore (unless the ebay seller is them). so what do you recommend?.. or should i just find a way to fix my preamp and spend that money on other gear
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I have the Mofi StudioPhono and really like it for low cost preamp. I compared it 1-1 with Darlington tour unit (I think that was the MM6?) and actually thought the Mofi had a slight edge on my system. You can get an open box unit for under 300:

www.musicdirect.com

Mofi Electronics - StudioPhono MM/MC Phono Preamplifier **OPEN BOX**

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.
www.musicdirect.com www.musicdirect.com
 
D Jilla said:
I have the Mofi StudioPhono and really like it for low cost preamp. I compared it 1-1 with Darlington tour unit (I think that was the MM6?) and actually thought the Mofi had a slight edge on my system. You can get an open box unit for under 300:

www.musicdirect.com

Mofi Electronics - StudioPhono MM/MC Phono Preamplifier **OPEN BOX**

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.
www.musicdirect.com www.musicdirect.com
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ok... the only difficult part is stacking it on for my magni or figure out where to put it
 
duke86fan said:
so my used mani 1 preamp is breaking (i have the jiggle the cables to make the right RCA work, and sometimes when i do that it has a ton of noise) and i recently got a 300 dollar tuition refund from my school.. so i have to figure out what would be a good preamp for under 300 bucks.. im thinking between the ifi zen phono (the hip dac sounded great but died after a year or two of constant use) and the schiit mani 2 (that one is on backorder so i dunno).. the darlington labs mm-5 is apparently great but is not available from darlington anymore (unless the ebay seller is them). so what do you recommend?.. or should i just find a way to fix my preamp and spend that money on other gear
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I have a Music Hall PA 2.2. I bought it new in 2017 and haven't used it regularly since 2018 (I had it in a side system for about six months in 2021). You're welcome to it for free.

However, I am currently out of state for work till end of April and then a short trip to Mexico. I wouldn't be able to send it out till beginning of May or possibly later (my house in Vegas is currently packed up for a move to TX so I'd have to dig it out and my time is getting kind of eaten up right now). But if you are flexible with your timeline and interested I can try to get it out.
 
Sparkle Baby Diaper Lava said:
I have a Music Hall PA 2.2. I bought it new in 2017 and haven't used it regularly since 2018 (I had it in a side system for about six months in 2021). You're welcome to it for free.

However, I am currently out of state for work till end of April and then a short trip to Mexico. I wouldn't be able to send it out till beginning of May or possibly later (my house in Vegas is currently packed up for a move to TX so I'd have to dig it out and my time is getting kind of eaten up right now). But if you are flexible with your timeline and interested I can try to get it out.
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hmm.. that might be useful... i'll even pay you for it if you want.. since its both a headphone amp and preamp so storage is pretty easy with that..

actually in fact didn't we have a similar situation like this when i got my ortofon 2M blue
 
D Jilla said:
Actually, if you take @Sparkle Baby Diaper Lava ’s generous offer, you might be able to just replace and sell your magni? Unless you’re using the DAC
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not using the dac (had no dac.. it's a magni 3+).. i think im good


but i do at least want ot pay like.. half off for his offer.. since i did a similar "i can give you an old piece of equipment i have" from him back when i got an ortofon 2M blue from him.. he is INCREDIBLY nice
 
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duke86fan said:
hmm.. that might be useful... i'll even pay you for it if you want.. since its both a headphone amp and preamp so storage is pretty easy with that..

actually in fact didn't we have a similar situation like this when i got my ortofon 2M blue
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Yup...if you're still using it, that used to be my ortofon.

I wouldn't feel right taking anything. Honestly, it's just been sitting in a components box unused. I wasn't planning on selling it. In fact, I don't know what I've really kept it for.

But...make sure it meets your needs and timeframe to replace. Something free that doesn't meet your needs may still be less than attractive than buying something that does. (Although I think the 2.2 is a nice piece of gear for what it does - I remember liking it).
 
I get the sometimes awkward push and pull of giving and receiving, reciprocation, social expectations, etc.

But here's the deal: I've found this place to be an incredibly generous environment - in relationships, information, and exchange.

There are stellar examples all over the place...folks helping each other on RSD, PIF, Secret Santa, @Yer Ol' Uncle D vinyl club.

I've also been fortunate enough to have a good career, my health, and be middle aged with very few responsibilities except to myself. So - and I'm channeling my late Great Uncle here (imagine an octogenarian Jewish man or Zoidberg, I guess) - please don't insult me by trying to offer me money 😋
 
Sparkle Baby Diaper Lava said:
Yup...if you're still using it, that used to be my ortofon.
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thanks btw, i been using it a lot, might have to get that stylus replaced though because i might be hearing sibilance.. that or its just my headphones have a bit more than im used to

Sparkle Baby Diaper Lava said:
I wouldn't feel right taking anything. Honestly, it's just been sitting in a components box unused. I wasn't planning on selling it. In fact, I don't know what I've really kept it for.

But...make sure it meets your needs and timeframe to replace. Something free that doesn't meet your needs may still be less than attractive than buying something that does. (Although I think the 2.2 is a nice piece of gear for what it does - I remember liking it).
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i'll see about it.. i think im fine with the time frame of waiting about a month or two (i just have to move my cables on my schiit in a way thats kind of annoying which makes listening to records a little less fun).. and what i need is a good preamp for the price (which at free is DEFINITELY good for the price) and can either stack on top of my magni so i can use headphones, or have a good headphone out so i can use my HD 6XXs (300 ohm headphones) no problem (which my schiit could do at high gain)

and it seems its able to do that and much more (such as MC support if i ever upgrade my turntable and cartridge again), the things i probably wont use are the digital features... since its just going to be dedicated plugged in next to my turntable

and i can give away my magni 3+ to anyone who wants it
 
I think since the mani is on backorder for like 3-5 weeks and @Sparkle Baby Diaper Lava's deal is too good to pass off, I probably will go with his music hall (unless someone Else wants it in which case they should take it since I already got one thing from him for free). If I do get it I can probably sell the magni 3+ I own and maybe even the broken mani if someone wants to repair that left RCA issue


Also I heard music halls turntables are good from Steve Guttenberg so maybe I'll do them or mofi for a post when i get a job upgrade
 
duke86fan said:
so my used mani 1 preamp is breaking (i have the jiggle the cables to make the right RCA work, and sometimes when i do that it has a ton of noise) and i recently got a 300 dollar tuition refund from my school.. so i have to figure out what would be a good preamp for under 300 bucks.. im thinking between the ifi zen phono (the hip dac sounded great but died after a year or two of constant use) and the schiit mani 2 (that one is on backorder so i dunno).. the darlington labs mm-5 is apparently great but is not available from darlington anymore (unless the ebay seller is them). so what do you recommend?.. or should i just find a way to fix my preamp and spend that money on other gear
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I’ve used the Zen Phono in my system and think it’s very good. I’ve also had a good experience with the Project Phono Box S2 and give it a strong recommendation in the sub $300 range.
 
Anyone ever got involved in a Naim vs Linn amplifier battle? @Bsdmr2 - you're Naim amplified, aren't you?

My dream all in one is a Linn Select, but I can get a Naim Uniti Nova for half the cost of the Linn. The Linn has a lot of benefits - Glasgow made/personal links (I audited them 15 years ago), a definite upgrade path, probably better long term support - but the lower price is a definite draw. I think I have at least another 6 months to a year until I can get to the Linn, but maybe 1-2 for the Naim. I might need to listen to both, but any thoughts would be welcome.
 
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