Where next

[mikeyb]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think bearing or cart they will both be getting done at some stage. I know they must add a solid performance but the after market platters dont do it for me visually . As Mikey above said if they come up cheap enough maybe an option. Just looked at the Mike Bearing but it works out over £400 and like I said is it that noticeable. £2-300 and I would take the chance but its a lot of money for a turntable that I think sounds very good. I know there are other options but not heard much feedback only a little chatter between a few over who's is the best.

I was lucky and bought a Mike New bearing second hand, but it might be worth trying ianmac and try his bearing that will be cheaper than the Mike New or Funk version and it reports are correct it's an excellent upgrade. I certainly found with the MN one I bought it made great difference, bass was tighter, cleaner, I would expect the ianmac one would be great too.

PSU makes another stepup.

[Dubster68]

Just been talking to Mike via pm and after the Sterling to Aus Dollar it is £404. The thing I didn't account for is the import tax and VAT. That works out another £100 on top so I think this pushes it out of reach at the moment. Saw Ians posts but I thought he had stopped making them. Heard a few views on the Timestep version but the Mike New version was my ideal choice.

[mikeyb]

Ianmac had some available just last week, drop him a pm he might still have some left.

[MikeMusic]

Going to weigh up all the pros and cons. The carts I have are an Ortofon 2m Blue and Bronze. Heard good things about the black version but it's not cheap. Tried a few different carts but have been happy with the Ortofon.

Mike what is a SUT ? Am I missing something😂

Late to the party again me...
Step Up Transformer.
Made a massive difference to my system.
More than a Phono Pre Amp.
I had to upgrade to a VIDA Phono Pre Amp to sound better than the Ortofon ST-80E and Whest .30r I was using
The Ortofon also just happens to be behind me and available for sale

[MikeMusic]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think bearing or cart they will both be getting done at some stage. I know they must add a solid performance but the after market platters dont do it for me visually . As Mikey above said if they come up cheap enough maybe an option. Just looked at the Mike Bearing but it works out over £400 and like I said is it that noticeable. £2-300 and I would take the chance but its a lot of money for a turntable that I think sounds very good. I know there are other options but not heard much feedback only a little chatter between a few over who's is the best.

And import duty if you bring it in from Oz, or any non EU country

Think I paid around £80 - ouch
<later>
Ah I see you found that out

[Dubster68]

Late to the party again me...
Step Up Transformer.
Made a massive difference to my system.
More than a Phono Pre Amp.
I had to upgrade to a VIDA Phono Pre Amp to sound better than the Ortofon ST-80E and Whest .30r I was using
The Ortofon also just happens to be behind me and available for sale

So basically a SUT goes in place of a pre amp/phone stage etc ? Just had a look at the Ortofon ST-80E Mike. Looks nice but a little out of my price range plus I would need a new MC cartridge that will add to the cost.

[mikeyb]

So basically a SUT goes in place of a pre amp/phone stage etc ? Just had a look at the Ortofon ST-80E Mike. Looks nice but a little out of my price range plus I would need a new MC cartridge that will add to the cost.

You still need an MM stage to input the SUT to, it doesn't do away with a stage it just ups the gain to MM levels so that you can use an MM phono stage, I have tried 4 SUTs and so far none have bettered the MC input on my amp but this just proves my MM input isn't as good as the MC side.

I am now trialling a separate phone stage

[walpurgis]

A bit of advice. A cheap or inadequate SUT is a disaster and definitely not worth considering. It can totally stifle the abilities of a good MC cartridge. You can buy sensibly, but it's not an area to penny pinch.

[Dubster68]

A bit of advice. A cheap or inadequate SUT is a disaster and definitely not worth considering. It can totally stifle the abilities of a good MC cartridge. You can buy sensibly, but it's not an area to penny pinch.

Thanks for the advice. I think i need some type of system to my upgrades. I think some sort of bearing upgrade or cart first then go from there.

[6L6]

I doubt that there is much more you can do to your Techie to get better sound.

At this point I'd look into Phonostage. Remember that the electronics touching transducers have an outsized effect on the system's sound.