LOMC cart recommendations/reviews $2500-3000 range...
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| Posted on July 28, 2020 at 04:07:42 | ||
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Posts: 8395
Location: Ohio Joined: August 29, 2019 |
...preferably from an owner/user. I've read enough of the "professional" reviews, sales/marketing crap, and spec sheets--now I'd like to hear from the "real world" of users with at least enough listening time to have actually "heard" the cart perform. Destination table is a SOTA Sapphire w/SME 309 arm. Current phono stage is a heavily modded Jolida JD9--looking at potentially upgrading that soon. Could also be used on a Linn LP12 w/Ittok arm, but intended for the SOTA. Currently, my "best" LOMC carts are a pair of Dynavector 23K RS, and a Sumiko Blackbird. They Dynavectors are fairly recent SS rebuilds, the Blackbird is all-original. Remainder of the downstream system is an ARC SP-6 pre, Krell FPB 600 amp and either Infinity IRS-V or Tekton DI speakers. If there's something under $2500 that really performs well-above it's price-point, I'd still be interested--I don't HAVE to spend $3K if it's not necessary. Many thanks! Dave "And today is for sale and it's all you can afford. Buy your own admission. The whole things got you bored. Well the Lord chooses the good ones, and the bad ones use the Lord"--a very dear friend for decades Michael Stanley (Gee)--RIP
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| The $129 Schiit Mani puts the JD-9 to shame, IMHO. /nt\, posted on July 28, 2020 at 07:45:28 | |
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Posts: 4184
Location: D.C. Area Joined: February 19, 2014 |
 Opus 33 1/3
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| You are flirting with some really great stuff..., posted on July 28, 2020 at 12:05:36 | |
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Posts: 6828
Location: Glen Burnie, MD USA Joined: December 18, 2003 |
I agree with the other poster who suggested that you upgrade your phono preamp first. The cartridge will be held back by a phono preamp that cannot provide the right kind of amplification. The phono preamp has the toughest job in the whole system. It has to provide at least 45db of clean gain with the RIAA de-emphasis applied. The trick is to have a power supply quiet enough to provide clean DC voltage at levels low enough that other components never have to deal with. You have LOMC cartridges and the job is even tougher with gain of at least 60 db. That gain has to be provided without adding or taking anything away at levels that most gear could never deal with. Not only does the DC voltage need to be extremely quiet but the amplification needs to be extremely linear and impart nor subtract anything at those extreme low levels. This is a very difficult job and most phono preamps only provide an acceptable job of amplification with the lowest level signals obscured or distorted by circuitry and/or power supply issues. In a phono preamp everything matters. The layout of the wiring and circuit traces is sensitive. The selection of all active and passive components makes a difference because the phono preamp has to perform as well at 0.1 volt as it does at 0.00001 volts. There can be nothing added or taken away and that makes everything a candidate to ruin the component's job. That is why there are so few really great phono preamps around. Now that the LP resurgence is with us the selection of really great phono preamps is easier but you still have to be careful and select a phono preamp only after you have had a chance to audition it. You are doing the right thing by asking around here. There is lots of experience around here and you can avoid the mistakes that others have had to live with. The Jolida preamp is decent but there are much better phono preamps available. If you want a really great phono preamp be prepared to spend at least $2000 and probably more. If you are flirting at the $3000 price point I recommend that you save a little more and get the Ortofon Windfeld Ti. It does not bowl anyone over because it simply does everything you ask it to do. The Windfeld Ti tracks like the best MM/MI cartridge while remaining dead neutral. It will not make lousy LPs sound great and will make great LPs sound unbelievable. I got a very large tax refund a couple of years ago and bought myself a Windfeld Ti and have never regretted it. It retails for $4390 USD and is worth every penny. I already had a Liberty Audio B2B-1 and added a Bob Devices VPI Sky 30 stepup transformer. The B2B-1 can deal with many LOMC cartridges but the Windfeld Ti has too low an output for it. There are many really great cartridges around and the Windfeld Ti is just one of the great ones. I will repeat myself and recommend that you upgrade your phono preamp first. You will get lots more from your Dynas if you upgrade the phono preamp. The preamp upgrade may make you very happy with the 23KRS and give you a chance to save a bit more money for a really great upgrade. Whatever you do I wish you the best of luck with your upgrade, Ed Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof
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| RE: LOMC cart recommendations/reviews $2500-3000 range..., posted on July 28, 2020 at 20:23:15 | |
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Posts: 891
Location: S.E. ASIA Joined: January 14, 2007 |
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| I've owned both and can tell you the Mani is a better phono preamp./nt\, posted on July 29, 2020 at 06:32:52 | |
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Posts: 4184
Location: D.C. Area Joined: February 19, 2014 |
Opus 33 1/3
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| +1 on the DV XX2 Mk. II, posted on July 29, 2020 at 18:15:35 | |
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Posts: 212
Joined: November 21, 2009 |
I love mine.
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| LCR, posted on July 30, 2020 at 04:22:19 | |
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Posts: 10117
Location: Greenville SC Joined: February 25, 2007 |
Story wrote, "The Lounge was designed on a completely different principal using coils instead of caps for RIAA EQ." According to the Lounge LCR MKIII description (link below), "It is known by many in the audio community that LCR RIAA correction is a preferred way of capturing the experience and atmosphere of the original performance. L=Inductor, C=Capacitor, R=Resistor)" So the Lounge does use capacitors in the RIAA equalization network. The only phono stage which I'm aware of that doesn't use caps for RIAA correction is the Pete Millett LR Phono , but that's DIY, not a commercially available phono stage. It is very good.
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| RE: LCR, posted on July 30, 2020 at 05:11:13 | |
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Posts: 10453
Location: NJ Joined: December 11, 2000 |
ok, I see your point. I meant solely by caps, my mistake
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| RE: LCR, posted on July 30, 2020 at 05:47:04 | |
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Posts: 10117
Location: Greenville SC Joined: February 25, 2007 |
I routinely search the Asylum archives for information I'm in need of, some of it ten to fifteen years old. My intent for posting wasn't to correct you personally, but to keep the archives correct. I'm glad you like the Lounge, as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I only wish he'd offer a model without on-board AC rectification. A power supply can almost always be improved, like using the Belleson SuperPower regulator, for example, which I had great success with in my Graham Slee Reflex. But the Lounge is much more difficult to do that with (almost no room) than it would be if it had an external DC supply.
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