Hello

[Phil Lawton]

Hi

Not an auspicious start - spelt my own name incorrectly (is this how the final decline begins? If any Mods can correct the obvious, I'd be grateful).

Found the site whilst looking for turntables for sale in a general web search. Resources like this forum are invaluable.

Not much of a system to speak/brag of - after a recent divorce and leaving my Technics system behind, I put a system together on a shoestring...Acoustic Research turntable, Cambridge Audio amp and TDL speakers (my blu ray player is connected to the amp and serves as a CD player). It's sufficed for a few years, but now I'm starting to restructure, beginning with a new turntable (hopefully one of the upper end Pro-jects).

Music taste is varied - modern jazz (Davis, Hancock, Lars Danielsson, EST, Marcin Wasilewski and the like...nothing with vocals), post-rock, some shoegaze (Cocteau Twins etc), some of the immediate post-punk bands (XTC, for instance), ambient (Stars Of The Lid, Hammock et al), some electronica (Bola, Boards Of Canada), Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, David Sylvian, Radiohead (and offshoots), Underworld, some classical, some prog...bits of lots of stuff.

Also produce my own music (which these days is a chimera of jazz, ambient and electronica), the latest album of which should be out next month.

[walpurgis]

Hi Phil. Welcome to AOS.

You should find plenty to keep you interested here.

Tell us what system changes you may have in mind, we like to hear what people are doing.


Enjoy the forum,
Geoff.




(by the way, how do you want your name spelt. I can change it for you)

[struth]

Hi Phil. welcome to aos. hope you still have some shards of reason left:lol: mis spelling your name is not a major decline in reasoning

cheers g

[Phil Lawton]

Hi Phil. welcome to aos. hope you still have some shards of reason left

cheers g

You either know me or you are Lord High Commander of the Legion of Web Ferrets to be able to dig out my band-name so quickly.

Thanks for the welcome, whichever way 'round it is.

[Phil Lawton]

Hi Phil. Welcome to AOS.

You should find plenty to keep you interested here.

Tell us what system changes you may have in mind, we like to hear what people are doing.


Enjoy the forum,
Geoff.




(by the way, how do you want your name spelt. I can change it for you)

Thanks, Geoff, will do. I'm looking at the rather spiffing transparent Pro-ject which is up for sale on these very pages.

Oh, and Marco already switched/corrected my spelling of my own name...I'll be fine once the psychotropic drugs kick in, really I will.

[struth]

You either know me or you are Lord High Commander of the Legion of Web Ferrets to be able to dig out my band-name so quickly.

Thanks for the welcome, whichever way 'round it is.

Us ex secret service types know all;)

[Barry]

Welcome to AoS Phil,

Nice system you have put together and a commendably wide taste in music! :)

Any questions you want to ask concerning turntables etc. - feel free to ask away.

Enjoy the Forum

Regards
Barry (an aging member who often has "senior moments".)

[walpurgis]

I'm looking at the rather spiffing transparent Pro-ject which is up for sale on these very pages.

I wouldn't be too hasty to ditch the AR turntable. Which one is it, the early one with grey plastic headshell or the later one with rounded plinth edges? Both versions are pretty good and I doubt the Pro-Ject would seriously outclass one, although it does look pretty.

[Phil Lawton]

Welcome to AoS Phil,

Nice system you have put together and a commendably wide taste in music! :)

Any questions you want to ask concerning turntables etc. - feel free to ask away.

Enjoy the Forum

Regards
Barry (an aging member who often has "senior moments".)

Cheers, Barry.

[Phil Lawton]

http://www.vinylnirvana.com/gallery/brochure%202.jpg
I wouldn't be too hasty to ditch the AR turntable. Which one is it, the early one with grey plastic headshell or the later one with rounded plinth edges? Both versions are pretty good and I doubt the Pro-Ject would seriously outclass one, although it does look pretty.

Geoff

It's a "The Turntable" - '83/'84-ish?

I don't have any photos on this PC, but it looks exactly like this.

[Phil Lawton]

Oh, and as glorious as it is, I've decided against the Pro-ject.

Beyond my budget at the moment, sadly (not to mention being akin to strapping a Lamborghini bodyshell to a Vauxhall Viva engine).

[walpurgis]

I'd be inclined to hang onto the AR turntable, unless you come across something that seriously outclasses it and that would cost a few bob. Spend some money on good cables for the whole system and the get best cartridge the AR arm will take. My starting point (this is just my view), would be to think about upgrading from the Cambridge amp more than likely. Which model is it?

[Phil Lawton]

I'd be inclined to hang onto the AR turntable, unless you come across something that seriously outclasses it and that would cost a few bob. Spend some money on good cables for the whole system and the get best cartridge the AR arm will take. My starting point (this is just my view), would be to think about upgrading from the Cambridge amp more than likely. Which model is it?

Geoff

My turntable tech in Aldridge told me to keep it, too...advised against replacing the arm (my first suggestion to him) and told me to install either the Ortofon Red or Blue cartridge. He also advised me to upgrade from my current (basic) Pro-ject phono stage to something a bit meatier. Any ideas on what I could replace it with?

Can't recall what the model of the amp is (it's far from even being on nodding terms with their top-of-the-range, though), but I'll look later. What would you suggest as a step up?

I'm toying with the idea of replacing the TDLs with Kefs - good idea/bad idea?

[struth]

the Schiit mani phono stage is very good for not a lot of cash. Slee do nice ones as do trichord...in fact there is a dino on sale in the classifieds here or was..they are very good too.had one once myself

[Phil Lawton]

Cheers, Grant. I'll go and mooch.

[walpurgis]

Your adviser is right Phil. Keep the AR and bung a good MM cartridge on. I don't use modern ones myself so can't advise on that, my taste is sixties/seventies MM cartridges.

I swear by (and use) Graham Slee phono stages. At their model price points they have little competition, but no doubt others enjoy different units.

As for a change of amp. Well you need to think about what type of speakers you are likely to end up with really and at what probable cost. High efficiency speakers need less power, other speakers more. I personally tend towards Class A solid state amps or valve units of moderate power, as they offer much and I like that type of sound.

Moving from TDL speakers to KEF is not something I'd do myself. I've not heard a KEF speaker I liked that much since the seventies, but I'm biased as I was rather fond of the original 'C' range. :)

Many modern speakers, such as Focal or B&W as well for instance, strike me as an exercise in technical ability rather than something to hear music enjoyably through. I just don't get on with that kind of soulless analysis of music. Just my view.

It would be useful if you could suggest what your budget for system changes might be.

[Phil Lawton]

Your adviser is right Phil. Keep the AR and bung a good MM cartridge on. I don't use modern ones myself so can't advise on that, my taste is sixties/seventies MM cartridges.

I swear by (and use) Graham Slee phono stages. At their model price points they have little competition, but no doubt others enjoy different units.

As for a change of amp. Well you need to think about what type of speakers you are likely to end up with really and at what probable cost. High efficiency speakers need less power, other speakers more. I personally tend towards Class A solid state amps or valve units of moderate power, as they offer much and I like that type of sound.

Moving from TDL speakers to KEF is not something I'd do myself. I've not heard a KEF speaker I liked that much since the seventies, but I'm biased as I was rather fond of the original 'C' range. :)

Many modern speakers, such as Focal or B&W as well for instance, strike me as an exercise in technical ability rather than something to hear music enjoyably through. I just don't get on with that kind of soulless analysis of music. Just my view.

It would be useful if you could suggest what your budget for system changes might be.

Cheers, Geoff.

Taking your advice, keeping the AR. Dropping it with my tech bloke tomorrow - having him fit an Ortofon MM (probably the Red, although I might just think 'sod it' and go for the Blue) and do a service.

Also asking if he stocks a better phono stage than the one I'm now using and then I'll look at changing the amp. I'll look at replacing the TDLs at a later date - it might be that everything else is positive enough to make me keep them for a while longer.

I'd have loved Dave's perspex Pro-ject (who wouldn't?), but it would have been incongruous in performance and appearance if it was part of my system.

Only been on here for a short time, but I love this place.

[walpurgis]

Ask the provider of your cartridge to ensure you get one with a compliance of say 20cu or above, as the AR arm is not a high mass device.

[Phil Lawton]

Ask the provider of your cartridge to ensure you get one with a compliance of say 20cu or above, as the AR arm is not a high mass device.

Didn't read this until now, Geoff - took the TT over to the tech in Aldridge earlier today. He's good though...all should be well.

Won't get it back until Wednesday (by which time I might also have a new phono stage), so I'll update you as to any improvements I experience.

[walpurgis]

Didn't read this until now, Geoff - took the TT over to the tech in Aldridge earlier today. He's good though...all should be well.

Won't get it back until Wednesday (by which time I might also have a new phono stage), so I'll update you as to any improvements I experience.

I'll look forward to hearing what you end up with and how you get on with it.

There's one make of decent MM cartridges that has changed hardly at all in basic design in the last forty years and that's Grado. Many people overlook them because they are not high profile like Ortofon, Audio Technica or Nagoaka for instance, but I've always found them very pleasant and capable. Even the low priced models sound sweet.

[Phil Lawton]

There's one make of decent MM cartridges that has changed hardly at all in basic design in the last forty years and that's Grado. Many people overlook them because they are not high profile like Ortofon, Audio Technica or Nagoaka for instance, but I've always found them very pleasant and capable. Even the low priced models sound sweet.

I'll go and have a quick hunt, G.

I appreciate the guidance.

[Phil Lawton]

Had an Ortofon 2M Red fitted to the AR, along with a service. The difference is remarkable.

A Graham Slee Gram 2 SE phono stage is also on the way; I'm hoping the promised revolution in quality materialises when compared my current Pro-ject box.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice - I'm sticking with the TDLs and the Cambridge amp for now. The latter I might replace with one of the Musical Fidelity X amps at some point.

[DSJR]

I keep looking - WHICH TDL's?

There's TDL's and then there's TDL's you see ;)

[Phil Lawton]

I keep looking - WHICH TDL's?

There's TDL's and then there's TDL's you see ;)

KV6, Dave...ie not the TDLs in italics, I know.

Looking at some Klipsch RF52s tomorrow morning.