Incoming! The New Equipment Thread

Angsty said:
@ZiggsMBK - First Acoustic Signature WOW that I've seen on N&G. How do you like it?
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It's a fantastic table. Faultless since we purchased it in 2018. While I don't change gear often, it's effortlessly scaled up to match any improvements made to the system, be it a better cart, amp, phono stage, or speakers. The TA-1000 took an upgrade from the stock phono cable to an Audio Sensibility Statement cable and leapt forward too. It just keeps pace with whatever I ask it to. I don't think I have the budget to find its limits.

I can't give you much in the way of personal expeprience regarding setup. I've lost most of my vision, so my wife does all the cartridge alignments, but she never seems too fussed. Of course, she's also a scientist with rock-steady hands and a penchant for equipment calibration, so your mileage may vary. It's headshell-like mounting plate definitely looks easier to deal with than our old Rega arm.

Honestly, as much as I love the table, I think I would look elsewhere nowdays. AS has drastically increased their prices such the current equivalent to my WOW XXL costs 4x more than it did when I bought it (at least in Canada). The tonearm is still really nice and price competitive, though, so I'd look to put it on something from Acoustic Solid or Transrotor.

Sorry, if that was too general. If you have an specific questions, please do ask.
 
ZiggsMBK said:
It's a fantastic table. Faultless since we purchased it in 2018. While I don't change gear often, it's effortlessly scaled up to match any improvements made to the system, be it a better cart, amp, phono stage, or speakers. The TA-1000 took an upgrade from the stock phono cable to an Audio Sensibility Statement cable and leapt forward too. It just keeps pace with whatever I ask it to. I don't think I have the budget to find its limits.

I can't give you much in the way of personal expeprience regarding setup. I've lost most of my vision, so my wife does all the cartridge alignments, but she never seems too fussed. Of course, she's also a scientist with rock-steady hands and a penchant for equipment calibration, so your mileage may vary. It's headshell-like mounting plate definitely looks easier to deal with than our old Rega arm.

Honestly, as much as I love the table, I think I would look elsewhere nowdays. AS has drastically increased their prices such the current equivalent to my WOW XXL costs 4x more than it did when I bought it (at least in Canada). The tonearm is still really nice and price competitive, though, so I'd look to put it on something from Acoustic Solid or Transrotor.

Sorry, if that was too general. If you have an specific questions, please do ask.
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Thanks for sharing. I came very close to buying an Acoustic Signature WOW XL with a Jelco tonearm before selecting a Luxman. Good to know the reputation appears to be warranted.
 
Angsty said:
Thanks for sharing. I came very close to buying an Acoustic Signature WOW XL with a Jelco tonearm before selecting a Luxman. Good to know the reputation appears to be warranted.
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No worries. I've not had the pleasure of listening to a Luxman turntable, but given the quality of the rest of their kit, that must be a wonderful deck. Certainly don't think you missed out.

If you don't mind a reciprocal question, how do you enjoy your Bryston amps/pre-amps? I am looking to upgrade my amp and cartridge situation to get more out of my speakers. They have more to give, and Bryston is looking like a promising way to achieve that if I we can swing new or find some used deals.
 
ZiggsMBK said:
No worries. I've not had the pleasure of listening to a Luxman turntable, but given the quality of the rest of their kit, that must be a wonderful deck. Certainly don't think you missed out.

If you don't mind a reciprocal question, how do you enjoy your Bryston amps/pre-amps? I am looking to upgrade my amp and cartridge situation to get more out of my speakers. They have more to give, and Bryston is looking like a promising way to achieve that if I we can swing new or find some used deals.
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I’m a 30-year-long Bryston fan. Their engineering, build quality, and 20-year warranty mean they are built to be “keepers”. I’ve enjoyed the sound quality of all my Bryston components, but I can’t say that each is the best you can get sonically at each price point. They just work well for me and represent a significant step-up from the prior components they replaced over time.

My last purchases were a pair of BP-1.5 phonos in 2022 and 2023. I tend to buy used components and have found Bryston service to be excellent. The Spartan looks of the Bryston line appeals to my aesthetics.

I have yet to be dissatisfied with a purchase, but I do have a long-standing bias and tend to hold versus trade my core components.
 
Angsty said:
I’m a 30-year-long Bryston fan. Their engineering, build quality, and 20-year warranty mean they are built to be “keepers”. I’ve enjoyed the sound quality of all my Bryston components, but I can’t say that each is the best you can get sonically at each price point. They just work well for me and represent a significant step-up from the prior components they replaced over time.

My last purchases were a pair of BP-1.5 phonos in 2022 and 2023. I tend to buy used components and have found Bryston service to be excellent. The Spartan looks of the Bryston line appeals to my aesthetics.

I have yet to be dissatisfied with a purchase, but I do have a long-standing bias and tend to hold versus trade my core components.
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I appreciate your insight, @Angsty. We're looking to upgrade to a long-term, well-supported, high-quality unit, and after reading your comments and several professional reviews of the cubed series, I feel we're on the right path. The Fidelio are going to be our speakers for a while, so the amp that extracts their best will be with us just as long.

Their phono stages look quite nice, too. I love that they have a step-up for MC, just like my Icon Audio. I may turn to Bryston for a phono, if I ever want to be free of tubes.
 
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SnowmaNick said:
I’m getting ready to order a Transrotor Bellini from a local dealer who I quite like. Then I noticed this on the bay earlier. Finally price would be fairly similar for either. I don’t want to hose the sealer, but a Rondino with 12” SME arm at the same price? That’s a hell of a table.

Talk me into or out of it, please!

JR TransRotor Rondino Turntable w SME 5009 12" Tonearm + SRA Isolation Platform | eBay
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Well, the Rondino is definintely the higher end unit, though I doubt the Bellini is a slouch. I think what you need to consider is thus:

1. How well does the Rondino match up to the rest of your system? Will buying it necessitate further upgrades to get the most out of it? Or wil the Bellini synergize better?

2. How far along are you with regards to ordering the Bellini? Has this been an active process with your dealer or more of an indpendent consideration? If you've been actively working with your dealer, will pulling out at the last minute bother you since you say you have a good relationship with said dealer?

3. How much do you trust the ebay seller? They have a good rating on both ebay and US Audio Mart, however it looks like you only get a 30-day warranty on the purchase.
 
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ZiggsMBK said:
I appreciate your insight, @Angsty. We're looking to upgrade to a long-term, well-supported, high-quality unit, and after reading your comments and several professional reviews of the cubed series, I feel we're on the right path. The Fidelio are going to be our speakers for a while, so the amp that extracts their best will be with us just as long.

Their phono stages look quite nice, too. I love that they have a set-up for MC, just like my Icon Audio. I may turn to Bryston for a phono, if I ever want to be free of tubes.
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I doubt that you’d feel compelled to upgrade from a Cubed amp unless you’re just feeling adventurous.

The BP-2 MM/MC has a very similar circuit design to the BP-1.5, using surface mounted components versus the older through-hole construction.

I thought the BP-1.5 was just going to be a transitional phono to a higher-priced Sutherland model I had targeted, but it stopped my upgrade-itis. I put a second one into my office system. I did have that one serviced to tighten up the grounds, and replace a fading power LED. Bryston did not charge for that service.

The internal SUT takes away a lot of the fuss and muss of load matching. It’s just a toggle switch from MM to MC. The MM performance alone is outstanding.
 
Angsty said:
I doubt that you’d feel compelled to upgrade from a Cubed amp unless you’re just feeling adventurous.

The BP-2 MM/MC has a very similar circuit design to the BP-1.5, using surface mounted components versus the older through-hole construction.

I thought the BP-1.5 was just going to be a transitional phono to a higher-priced Sutherland model I had targeted, but it stopped my upgrade-itis. I put a second one into my office system. I did have that one serviced to tighten up the grounds, and replace a fading power LED. Bryston did not charge for that service.

The internal SUT takes away a lot of the fuss and muss of load matching. It’s just a toggle switch from MM to MC. The MM performance alone is outstanding.
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Unless a Lotto Max win comes my way, adventure is not the plan. Getting a cubed amp--even a used one--is going to be one of the more costly hi-fi purchases we've ever made; not something to be moved on from quickly or on a whim. So, I'm glad to hear your take!

It's too bad they moved on from through-hole construction, but their phono stages still sound like an appealing option if we want to move on from tubes. Wasn't pleased that as soon as we bought the Icon Audio, geo-poliitics made buying new production tubes unappealing. And I am conflicted about getting into the money-pit that is NOS.
 
The Sutherland 20/20 that @Slimwhit33 has for sale now is another killer phono. I had the Sutherland Insight before the Bryston and the only thing bad I can say about it was that it was surpassed by a phono whose MSRP was three times greater. I never compared the 20/20 directly to the Bryston, though.

Sutherlands are great-sounding, reliable, well-engineered products. The 20/20 was rated “Class A” by Stereophile for several years. Another of the “keeper” class.
 
Angsty said:
The Sutherland 20/20 that @Slimwhit33 has for sale now is another killer phono. I had the Sutherland Insight before the Bryston and the only thing bad I can say about it was that it was surpassed by a phono whose MSRP was three times greater. I never compared the 20/20 directly to the Bryston, though.

Sutherlands are great-sounding, reliable, well-engineered products. The 20/20 was rated “Class A” by Stereophile for several years. Another of the “keeper” class.
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I second this, it's terrific.
 
Angsty said:
The Sutherland 20/20 that @Slimwhit33 has for sale now is another killer phono. I had the Sutherland Insight before the Bryston and the only thing bad I can say about it was that it was surpassed by a phono whose MSRP was three times greater. I never compared the 20/20 directly to the Bryston, though.

Sutherlands are great-sounding, reliable, well-engineered products. The 20/20 was rated “Class A” by Stereophile for several years. Another of the “keeper” class.
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For the moment, I'm not looking to replace the Icon Audio. It's exceedingly good, and I haven't needed to replace the tubes yet. When that time comes, I'll see what I want to do. If you're unfamiliar with the PS1 Mk. II, here's a LINK to Audiophilia's review of the unit. It's a great piece of kit.
 
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