Offer from Soundeck.co.uk
I would be happy for you to try the Soundeck PM platter mat and a set of the DF Damping feet. If you don't like them I'll give you a full refund. Below is an email I received from a customer last week. Kind Regards.. Les Thompson
Hi Les,
I first heard about the original Sound Dead Steel products around 2006 after reading about modifications to the Technics SL1200 in HiFi World magazine.
I think David Price raved about it at the time and I always wanted to eventually try one.
I’m lucky enough to have a couple of systems (1 Valve, 1 Solid State) and altogether I have three different turntables that I like to switch between the two.
The Technics I have is an ongoing experiment and the SDS platter matt is the latest addition to try and improve its performance.
In the short time I have used it I would say the mat has improved everything, tightening up the Bass allowing to hear better separation between instruments, and somehow increasing the soundstage presented by the cartridge.
I have placed the damping feet under a Rega P9 turntable and they have helped improve its isolation from the other equipment it’s connected to, and also the noise floor level has improved.
Quieter moments in music seem to be coming across quieter, if that makes any sense
In general the products have all made an improvement to my set up and I plan to experiment with them a lot more in the coming months.
I would say (apart from the cost of shipping to the other side of the world) all represent good value for money.
All the best
Steve wells.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
magiccarpetride
I am currently using Systemdek IIX with Rega RB300 and Denon DL-103 into Denon AU-310 SUT feeding into Emotiva XPS-1 MM phono stage. I am enjoying the sound immensely, but have caught the 'upgraditis' bug and started wondering what can be done to push the sound to the next level?
I have sort of three options to consider:
1. Upgrade the cartridge
2. Upgrade the tonearm
3. Upgrade the phono stage
(I am not considering upgrading the turntable, as I like my Systemdek and feel that only a big bucks upgrade would make things better).
My budget is between $500 - $1,000 (although I could push it a bit north of a grand, if I could be convinced that it is going to make a substantial difference).
I hasten to add that I am enamoured by the Denon DL-103 sound. I love that overly enthusiastic, hefty, fiery and full bodied presentation. But I am fully aware that it has a lowly conical stylus, which probably means I'm missing some finer details buried deeper in the microgrooves. So I'd be interested in trying different, more sophisticated cartridges, but only if they'd approximate the Denon's savage sound. I'm not interested in delicate, airy, light-as-a-feather refined sound. But I'd be willing to trade some of the wild and reckless Denon features for a more controlled, more detailed presentation. But only up to a point.
If I stay with Denon, my next option would be replacing Rega RB300 with Jelco, or some other heavier tonearm. Many claim that increasing the tonearm weight should propel DL-103 to new heights, and Jelco seems to fall within my budgetary constraints. Not 100% convinced that it will substantially better the RB300, but I remain open to be convinced otherwise.
Lastly, the phono stage. I found match made in heaven when I paired Denon DL-103 with Denon AU-310 SUT. They work hand-in-the-glove. So maybe everything upstream from my Emotiva phono is hunky-dory, and maybe by improving the phono I'll gain entry to the next level?
I did some reading and learned that Jolida JD9 v2 is being praised by many as a good tube phono. When I visited my dealer yesterday asking for Jolida, he pushed back and tried to convince me that such a cheapo tube phono cannot possibly result in quality sound. Instead, he suggested I go with Clearaudio Basic +. Now, it's sometimes hard to tell with salespeople if they're being straight, or if they're pushing some hidden agenda which benefits their commission. Again, I remain open to suggestions.