help to choose phonostage

[radio]

Hi there old friends,2yrs since i was here,then i was buying new speakers,well we had a family bearevment and it was 7mths before i turned my hifi on hubby said he would throw it out if i never played it,so i have never bought new speakers,now i am GOING to put myself into the turntable world,im having a home dem on thursday28th to listen to the gyrodeck SE,I wonder if someone can give me advice about a Phono stage my set up is Ayon crossfire amp Ayon CD1 AND Castle howard speakers i was thingking of Audio Icon mk 2,Graham Slee reflex,DinoMK2 or an Eastern Electric,also what should i spend the most money on the cartridge or the Phonostage this is a whole new world for me and i am quite excited about hearing the sound,i was going to upgrade the cd player but my friend who has the Linn LP12 SAYS try a turntable,thanx to the people here who helped me get my Tube Technology Unises back im selling this to help fund my new purchase.

[chris@panteg]

Hi Maria , ask the dealer who's bringing the Gyrodec to bring some stages with him .

I'm assuming he must have something ?

[radio]

Ithink he only has a Naim phonostage which i will listen to iv asked him to get me the trichord,any time ive been in this store he did not have turntables,he is now dealing in the Michell and thats all he has got,i was thinking of also listening to the VIPtraveller as i say maybe somebody has this turntable and give me a point in the right direction cheers maria,thanx for your reply.

[chris@panteg]

I think you may love the Gyro , but what cartridge and arm will it have ?

The Graham Slee and Icon stages won't disappoint , there is also the Croft and Puresound P10 to consider but you need to hear them in your system ! So try and get a 30 day trial , most dealers will offer this or should do at least .

[radio]

I am will be listening to it with the REM 303 thats the entry level on the turntable as isay i would love some advice,i was thinking about a benz the 1 below the Ace benz,if i spend £1000 or £1200 what should i make my biggest purchase Phone Stage or Cartridge,somebody told me the The Dynovect 10 may be a good cartridge,im open to all suggestions,cheers M.

[chris@panteg]

Well you could get the Ortofon 2m black and either the Croft or the Puresound for that budget , the 2m black is mm so no need for a step up .

But will it be to your taste ? Should sound excellent , it's one option .

[chris@panteg]

I should add the Graham Slee or Dino as good solid state alternatives .

[DSJR]

It used to be deck, then arm, then cartridge; since losing it there would prevent any phono stage reproducing it.

[chris@panteg]

It used to be deck, then arm, then cartridge; since losing it there would prevent any phono stage reproducing it.

When I had an LP12 , I followed that route religiously Dave , it didn't work for me , going to an ekos, troika then lingo while still using a Cyrus two ? The improvements were subtle to put it mildly , it was only when I changed the amp and speakers that I got it .

[The Grand Wazoo]

Maria, I've been using a Gyro since the beginning of the 90's, so I probably know it as well as anyone does. I also chatted with John Michell on several occasions and his philosophy was to put the very best arm you can afford onto the deck and to work on upgrading the cartridge as time goes on. I'd agree with that wholeheartedly, so I'd suggest a reasonably priced but competent cartridge.
As for phono stages, there are a lot to choose from, but your Ayon amp is a serious piece of kit, so you really shouldn't skimp on the quality here - I'd be surprised if you like the combination of your amp and the Naim unit. The Ayon phonostage is perhaps a bit pricey though!

[radio]

hi there,thanx for all the replys,Chris as i say im new to all this,so what arm do u think,i know i will not be buying the naim phono,its the only 1 he had in stock as he never mentioned another phono stage, maybe i should go for the arm up from the 1 i mentioned, i think u r right this should be the way to go,any ideas on a cartridge also should i stick to a valve phono stage i may ask to dem1 from Audio Emotion the Audio Icon the do 1 for £700,i have been told a i should go for a moving coil cartridge,any ideas on that.thanx again for the replys.

[John7]

I had an OrGy for sometime...

That is, I started with a Gyro SE, added the Orbe platter, bearing upgrade, new clamp and DensoDamp and got myself an Orbe'd Gyro or OrGy.

Wonderful turntable. Arm started off as an SME 3009 S2 Improved, then I mounted my current SME IV. Cartridges ran from Shure V15xMR to Benz Micro LP-S.

Phonostage initially was a Graham Slee Era Gold V, which I was very happy with until I stumbled across a Whest PS.30 RDT, which was then traded in for the SE version.

John

[julesd68]

Hi Maria,

A couple of questions - which dealers are near you and what kind of music will you be playing on your deck? And what is your total budget for arm, cart and phono stage?

Excellent advice from Chris, so the question is how to maximise your tonearm budget. If I was in your position, this is what I would do.

First, I would definitely NOT get an MC cart. Get a really good MM like the Ortofon 2M Black for around £470. It's good to know how a decent MM can sound before experimenting with MC. You may even prefer the MM presentation to an MC - it's a matter of your personal taste. Also, to get the best out of an MC cart you will need a Step-up Transformer which will take another chunk out of your budget away from the tonearm.

Second, consider a second-hand phono stage which will also save you some cash. Buy from a forum like AOS or a dealer, so if you need to sell on in the future, you will hardly lose any cash. For example, Audio Emotion have a Dino Mk2 with Dino+ PSU for £395 which is half list price.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Do you own a lot of records? If not, do you intend to buy a lot?
An idea of the sort of funds you may have available would also help us to help you.

[twotone]

You won't go far wrong, initially, with a Denon DL-110 HOMC which can be played through a MM stage.

Great cart for the money and for dipping your toe into the vinyl waters.

BTW, there's some really nice TTs for sale on the wam at the minute, there's a guy selling a fantastic Nottingham whatsit special at about £750 I think.

[twotone]

I never understood why they discontinued the 'DL110'..

Aye, and you you can pick up a decent used one for about £50.

Frankly I've no idea why people pay thousands of pounds for a cart, seems a bit like the cable nonesense to me.

[Rare Bird]

I think you can still buy a 'DL160' but not sure..

[walpurgis]

I think it's the other way around. The DL-110 is as far as I'm aware still available, but the DL-160 is discontinued in the UK (shame).

Not sure I agree with Tony, the benefits of dearer cartridges are very clear to hear, although the law of diminishing returns applies, as it does with any category of Hi-Fi equipment.

[Rare Bird]

I think it's the other way around. The DL-110 is as far as I'm aware still available, but the DL-160 is discontinued in the UK (shame).



If that's the case good, i prefer the 'DL110' tbh.

[radio]

HI thanx for all your replys,,my budget will be about £1200,i could go 300 more but if i could get a half decent sound for 12 that be ok,the Dino at audio emotion has been sold they still have the MK1 any thoughts on that,my nearest hi fi store is Glasgow Audio,i thought if i bought a MCthat would be a step in the right direction now im lost again:doh:here is the SADnews at the moment i only have 6LPS AND IM WATING ON MORE ARRIVING,i have a big CD collection,i like nick drake ,spearhead, iron&wine, live, alice in chains, nirvanna ,stones, beatles some classical,,kruder and doifmiester,claude challe,i love alsorts,i really just want to buy the right things with my money as isay i dont have a clue about turntable gear my last 1 was about30yrs ago,i am planning on buying vinyl now,i should have done this yrs ago,again thanx for all your help,roll on thursday,

[chris@panteg]

Hi Maria , I would recommend perhaps spending up to £8-900 then and the remaining £300 on some decent vinyl ! Got to have a decent selection of music to play .

The Gyrodec with the starter arm , perhaps a DL110 or AT 440 ? Maybe get the CA 651 phono stage to start you off for £100 or so ? Once you've got a couple of hundred LP's then think about upgrading .

[radio]

Hi there,i am getting a DINOmk1 for a home dem on wed from Audio Emotion it ia second hand great condition they tell me,can any1 give me some advice on this product cheers Maria.

[radio]

Hi there Chris thanx for your ideas,i will read up about the amp you said,whats your opinion on the dinoMK1 and i will check out some cartridges,can you tell me why not a MC i thought that would be a step in the right direction,cheers M

[chris@panteg]

Hi there Chris thanx for your ideas,i will read up about the amp you said,whats your opinion on the dinoMK1 and i will check out some cartridges,can you tell me why not a MC i thought that would be a step in the right direction,cheers M

The Dino should be very good , I have the Diablo myself , yeah an MC is a step in the right direction ! My SME 309 and AT33EV combination would I think be wonderful match for the Gyro , but its too much money .

I'm just thinking you will if hooked want to buy lots of new vinyl ? How much will the Dino set you back ?

[morris_minor]

+1 on the Graham Slee Reflex. You can borrow one from the GSP forum free of any dealer pressure to buy. I had a GyroSE for quite a time - lovely deck, both sound and looks . . .

[twotone]

There's a guy in Kilmarnock selling a Clearaudio TT for £450 I think

He's on here too I think but the ad is on the Wam.

Can post a link if you like?

I have nothing to do with the sale.

TT looks really nice BTW.

Are Glasgow Audio still in business?

Sorry that TT is sold, it was one of these below


http://www.clearaudio.de/_en/lw_Concept.php

[walpurgis]

That's a shame. I don't recall Clearaudio ever making a bad product. A friend of mine uses a Clearaudio Solution, very nice it is too.

[julesd68]

There's a nice Puresound P10 for £405 at Emporium if the OP would like to try the valve stage route ...

https://www.emporiumhifi.com/shop/article_713/PURESOUND-P10-VALVE-PHONO-STAGE-%28S%29.html?sessid=pkkK19XVnuAGac2s27Wj7mtqoyBBKq UJKRg8OO6rZQ219i38TIwfd8F7Fvbn5FsY&shop_param=cid%3D1%26aid%3D713%26

[twotone]

That's a shame. I don't recall Clearaudio ever making a bad product. A friend of mine uses a Clearaudio Solution, very nice it is too.

Yip looked really nice and a very good price I think.

There's a Nottingham Analogue TT on the wam, super rare apparently if you believe some the p!sh that the seller is coming out with with regard to the other stuff he's 'giving away' such as £2k for speakers reduced to £1.1k in days:)