What's your Xmas System wish list?

[Scooby]

Wish I’d had the sense to get a pair long ago. I would’ve saved a lot of time, hassle and money.

[Bigman80]

Why would they name a cartridge after Rigsby's cat? Must be some big Rising Damp fans at Ortofon I guess.

Lol, that must be it!!

[Vrajbasi]

So for a bit of fun I thought if money was no object what would be your perfect system.

So here's mine

Rockport Technologies System III Sirius turntable and tonearm only about £70K, cartridge extra



Jadis JPS-200MC Mono Pre-amplifiers each with own PSU, a snip at around £45K



Jadis JA200 Mk.II monoblock power amplifier around £40K I believe



Rockport Technologies Cygnus, a snip at around £80K a pair



I would allow another £60-120K for cartridge, phono cable, interconnects and speaker cables

So a budget of £300-350K

I actually heard this system but driven with a SME 30/12 and the listening experience was just sublime, Eva Cassidy singing Fields of Gold sounded as if she was at the mic stood on front of me, just magical. The dealer told me the Rockport made it even better.

Better send my letter to Santa quick.

For the past 20 years I have had the Rockport System 111 on my wish list, these truly magical turntables were sold in limited numbers of 28 units factory direct with no dealer margin. I recently heard a Comparison between the Continuum Caliburn with cobra tonearm, the Tech Das Airforce one with SAT tonearm, Rockport and the Vyger Indian signature. While I enjoyed all of them for what they had to offer, there was no question the Rockport in my opinion is the finest turntable ever produced the Rockport had a sense of freedom, solidity with lack of mechanical signature that was breathtaking. The Rockport is one of the rare turntables that use a Air Bearing tonearm that produces sheer power in the lower regions.

I know the Rockports you refer too, and these are rather special examples taken further. To find a Rockport turntable is almost impossible, and will never be produced again. The other major consideration, is that it takes a lot of experience and knowledge to keep them running.

The system you heard had the flagship Rockport speakers, coupled highly highly modified and bi amped and heavily customised one off Jadis amp and preamp,all of which is rather unique. The system comprises of items that cannot be duplicated easily and if so only with insane investment, I have listened to the system over the years and it is for sure one of the finest I have ever heard. And I have heard many around the globe.

This i feel is mainly due to the owner putting his heart and soul into getting the best out of the brands in question. I have never ever heard Rockport and Jadis sound this way, and am very unlikely ever too, there is a lot behind the scenes here in terms of cost and sheer time to even begin to think off. It is very rare to hear such a High powered system exhibit delicacy, transparency and musicality of and low powered system, I generally go away thinking ok what is the big deal the sacrifices are too high.

This has to be commended as it does show with with dedication and passion things are possible, would I change my system for this one not likely, as things become too complex and rooms play a big factor. I take the cautious approach these days and steadily plough away getting the best out of what I have spending money is not difficult getting the system to gel is a little more complex.

I actually heard the system in question this weekend have have to say it has evolved even further from my last visit, the sheer three dimensionality was just jaw dropping. Hifi is a very strange hobby sometimes, it can take years to really understand the components we have, and to even begin to obtain the best of of them.

The finest systems I have heard have tended to evolve over a long period, with the huge amount of overpriced gear available these days one has to be so careful with ones choice, and then plough away with getting the system to work as a whole.

There are many bits of gear I have personally sold and now wish I had never changed, as feel I never really explored to get the best out of them, patience is a virtue I suppose. Spending money is easy if one has it, getting things to gel is another ball game all together.

I am happy with what I have these days and continue to try and get the best out of what I have, and think twice and trice before I part with any more dosh. The quest for so called perfection can be never ended and quite often find yourself in the same position you were in at the beginning. I have learnt trying to mimic what I have heard elsewhere is almost impossible even with the same gear there are too many factors to consider.

Lets see what santa brings at the end of 2019.

[AJSki2fly]

Nari, thanks for your insight into this system, like you I found listening to it an experience to never be forgotten. Having said that unless I was a millionaire I would find the cost justification rather hard to achieve.

My system by most standards is relatively modest in my view, although I have friends who consider it an excessive extravagance. I suppose if I purchased it all new today it would be around £22-24k which is a reasonable chunk of cash for most people. What I find interesting is that there seems to be a cost point where improvements in sound quality is minimal compared to the the actual large amounts of money hifi equipment can cost. I have discussed this at length with a very good friend who has been a hifi fan for years and we both agree that in todays current market values of new equipment this is generally around the £20-30K, that is for speakers, amplifier, and front end be it vinyl, cd or digital and cables. Spending much more than this and you quickly enter into the region of diminishing SQ returns for £'s spent.

The difficulty with going up into the higher hifi echelons is it can be a bitter very pill to swallow if you get it wrong having spent thousands, and of course there is always the issue of being able to do side by side comparisons with existing system, not easy at the best of times. I have even been told by one or two dealers that comparison is pointless because what they have to offer is better, personally I'd prefer to be the judge of that and let my ears and brain decide whether something is worth buying or not. One even said that I need to to replace everything to get to an improvement is SQ, well I suppose it works with some customers who just accept their existing equipment is no good because effectively someone told them that.

In contrast what I have recently discovered is that by careful tweaks and changes to what you already have some quite dramatic improvements in sound quality can be obtained. So in my case I was fortunate enough to stumble across Peter's (gwernaffield) pylon upgrades to a Michel Gyrodec/Orbe and few other tweaks. For a modest spend this has transformed the sound quality of what my turntable is producing, not just my view but of other owners as well. I am realistic and accept that to get a further improvement in SQ I would probably need to see it and replace with a turntable costing in the order of £5k or more. I also spent a modest £24 on some Sorbothane supports for my valve amps to try and isolate them, I was loathe to spend hundreds on isolation platforms, this improved the SQ greatly opening up clarity and soundstage. Perhaps a platform will come along at some point, or I will make one I am currently investigating ferrite cable wraps to see if this improves things or not for different equipment. Also I think I have worked out what is needed to build a grounding box, as you probably know these can be very expensive, however I think I can build one for £50 to £100, and try it out and see if I can get an improvement. It has to be worth a go as many users of grounding boxes say the difference is obvious.

[Vrajbasi]

Nari, thanks for your insight into this system, like you I found listening to it an experience to never be forgotten. Having said that unless I was a millionaire I would find the cost justification rather hard to achieve.

My system by most standards is relatively modest in my view, although I have friends who consider it an excessive extravagance. I suppose if I purchased it all new today it would be around £22-24k which is a reasonable chunk of cash for most people. What I find interesting is that there seems to be a cost point where improvements in sound quality is minimal compared to the the actual large amounts of money hifi equipment can cost. I have discussed this at length with a very good friend who has been a hifi fan for years and we both agree that in todays current market values of new equipment this is generally around the £20-30K, that is for speakers, amplifier, and front end be it vinyl, cd or digital and cables. Spending much more than this and you quickly enter into the region of diminishing SQ returns for £'s spent.

The difficulty with going up into the higher hifi echelons is it can be a bitter very pill to swallow if you get it wrong having spent thousands, and of course there is always the issue of being able to do side by side comparisons with existing system, not easy at the best of times. I have even been told by one or two dealers that comparison is pointless because what they have to offer is better, personally I'd prefer to be the judge of that and let my ears and brain decide whether something is worth buying or not. One even said that I need to to replace everything to get to an improvement is SQ, well I suppose it works with some customers who just accept their existing equipment is no good because effectively someone told them that.

In contrast what I have recently discovered is that by careful tweaks and changes to what you already have some quite dramatic improvements in sound quality can be obtained. So in my case I was fortunate enough to stumble across Peter's (gwernaffield) pylon upgrades to a Michel Gyrodec/Orbe and few other tweaks. For a modest spend this has transformed the sound quality of what my turntable is producing, not just my view but of other owners as well. I am realistic and accept that to get a further improvement in SQ I would probably need to see it and replace with a turntable costing in the order of £5k or more. I also spent a modest £24 on some Sorbothane supports for my valve amps to try and isolate them, I was loathe to spend hundreds on isolation platforms, this improved the SQ greatly opening up clarity and soundstage. Perhaps a platform will come along at some point, or I will make one I am currently investigating ferrite cable wraps to see if this improves things or not for different equipment. Also I think I have worked out what is needed to build a grounding box, as you probably know these can be very expensive, however I think I can build one for £50 to £100, and try it out and see if I can get an improvement. It has to be worth a go as many users of grounding boxes say the difference is obvious.

I agree one has to be very careful there is so much kit available these days, especially in the Hi End arena. There are improvements to be made for sure and at the same time I have heard systems that have blown me away that do cost the price of a house and sometimes I have left rather underwhelmed. There is so much involved when deciding what to purchase for me the item has to actually speak to me in terms of its design, execution and performance. These days as the Hifi market is not what it once was its harder for manufacturers to survive hence cutting corners and actually being bothered to listen. At the same time there are some amazing components out there that do cost a fortune but deliver the goods. Its not all about spending large sums of money its about knowing what one is looking for in terms of performance and then finding it. Its like the system we mentioned earlier I have heard many great turntables in the system all sounding nice but does the Rockport sound vastly better yes it does by a long long way, would I buy one maybe maybe not due to various reasons but for sure I can here the improvement. I have a good friend who owns Gyro and Sme V combo he is considering a new Turntable at 25k we listened at his place as he has the unit in question on loan, is six or seven times better maybe not but did it deliver the goods yes it did. The End result was a much more enjoyable sound far more easier to listen too with less strain, in a different class really. Will my friend take the plunge maybe not as it is a big jump and he wants to think about it carefully and maybe explore other options. Is it worth upgrading that only he can answer If he has the money available and its not going to put him under strain then maybe it is. The good thing is that in this instance he did hear a vast improvement which I am positive is not always the case.

[AJSki2fly]

I have a good friend who owns Gyro and Sme V combo he is considering a new Turntable at 25k we listened at his place as he has the unit in question on loan, is six or seven times better maybe not but did it deliver the goods yes it did. The End result was a much more enjoyable sound far more easier to listen too with less strain, in a different class really. Will my friend take the plunge maybe not as it is a big jump and he wants to think about it carefully and maybe explore other options. Is it worth upgrading that only he can answer If he has the money available and its not going to put him under strain then maybe it is. The good thing is that in this instance he did hear a vast improvement which I am positive is not always the case.

If your friend is looking to upgrade then the BRINKMANN SPYDER TURNTABLE is really worth considering along with a Brinkman 10.5" or 12" arm, personally I'd opt for the 12". Spyder is £8K, 12" £4,295.00 from Absolute Sound, may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere. The next step up is add £9K to the TT. IMO opinion the Spyder is an extremely good and fine sounding TT, and the 12" gets that extra detail from the vinyl. If you wanted a comparison then I suppose in the same price area is and SME 20/3, but then your stuck with a 9" arm which will set you back about the same for and SME V. The SME 20/12 is in the same price area as the Brinkman Balance. If I was choosing between Brinkman or SME I would opt for a Brinkman, in terms of build quality there is not a lot to choose between them, perhaps the Brinkman has the edge. In terms of sound I personally find the SME TT's a little bit un-involving for want of a better expression, whereas the Brinkmann seem to give a very good all round presentation, very musical indeed with fine detail.

Unless your friend has a very revealing and neutral amplifier(s) he may find it hard to hear the difference between the £12-13K option and the £21-23K. Obviously if he opts for the better now it will sit well for future upgrades, he may have already be planning the phono/amp/speaker upgrades to follow.

I notice you have many fine arms and TT, so I expect you can advise your friend far better than me. Just thought my thoughts might be helpful on the TT front.

If I can get the cost difference together over the next year or so then my next step would be to the Brinkman Spyder with 12"I just need to find about £7K to do it

[Vrajbasi]

If your friend is looking to upgrade then the BRINKMANN SPYDER TURNTABLE is really worth considering along with a Brinkman 10.5" or 12" arm, personally I'd opt for the 12". Spyder is £8K, 12" £4,295.00 from Absolute Sound, may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere. The next step up is add £9K to the TT. IMO opinion the Spyder is an extremely good and fine sounding TT, and the 12" gets that extra detail from the vinyl. If you wanted a comparison then I suppose in the same price area is and SME 20/3, but then your stuck with a 9" arm which will set you back about the same for and SME V. The SME 20/12 is in the same price area as the Brinkman Balance. If I was choosing between Brinkman or SME I would opt for a Brinkman, in terms of build quality there is not a lot to choose between them, perhaps the Brinkman has the edge. In terms of sound I personally find the SME TT's a little bit un-involving for want of a better expression, whereas the Brinkmann seem to give a very good all round presentation, very musical indeed with fine detail.

Unless your friend has a very revealing and neutral amplifier(s) he may find it hard to hear the difference between the £12-13K option and the £21-23K. Obviously if he opts for the better now it will sit well for future upgrades, he may have already be planning the phono/amp/speaker upgrades to follow.

I notice you have many fine arms and TT, so I expect you can advise your friend far better than me. Just thought my thoughts might be helpful on the TT front.

If I can get the cost difference together over the next year or so then my next step would be to the Brinkman Spyder with 12"I just need to find about £7K to do it

Choosing a turntable especially when dropping serious dosh is not so simple as it comes down to ones system, turntable, arm and cartridge interface.

My friend has heard and considered quite a few options he has heard both the Brinkman models you mentions, he seems to think they err on the side of clinical, very precise and clean, he thinks the jump from the spider to the oasis is certainly worthwhile as the performance difference is quite big. He also mentioned he heard the AMG which he felt was quite a step up from the Brinkman I personally have liked the AMG every time have heard it seems too have a very fine open midrange without sounding harsh or lazy.

I have owned previous Brinkman turntables and never been too impressed either apart from the Legrange with Aitangent 2002 combination, I do not think he would entertain an Air Bearing for obvious reasons.

He has had the the Sme 20/3 and 20/12 on loan and is not very impressed with the 20/3 series V combo a little lifeless and for him. Moving up to the 20/12 with the series V/12 was so much more fleshed out and musical he has also tried the 20/12 with the Graham Phantom elite I lent him my arm and seems to think that this works really well but the Phantom is 12.5k so a bit on the pricy side, hearing the 20/3 against the 20/12 I would agree there is no contest. He currently has the Systemdek 3d precision on loan http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/sys...ion-turntable/ which he seems to be incredibly impressed with. He is listening to this with a Ikeda 407 and is overall really happy with what he is hearing, I think he wants to hear the turntable with Graham Phantom 111 before he decides also is considering the Glanz Tonearm. Overall he seems to think the systemdek is highly musical.

I suppose there is no perfect solution it just what speaks to you.

He is still thinking about the 20/12 at the same time as it seems to be quite different to other Sme Models.

[AJSki2fly]

Choosing a turntable especially when dropping serious dosh is not so simple as it comes down to ones system, turntable, arm and cartridge interface.

My friend has heard and considered quite a few options he has heard both the Brinkman models he seems they err on the side of clinical but very precise and clean, he thinks the jump from the spider to the oasis is certainly worthwhile as the performance difference is quite big. He also mentioned he heard the AMG which he felt was quite a step up from the Brinkman I personally have liked the AMG every time have heard it seems too have a very fine open midrange without sounding harsh or lazy.

I have owned previous Brinkman turntables and never been too impressed either apart from the Legrange with Aitangent 2002 combination I do not think he would entertain an Air Baering for obvious reasons, he has had the the Sme 20/3 and 20/12 on loan and is not very impressed with the 20/3 series V combo a little lifeless and for him. Moving up to the 20/12 with the series V/12 so much more fleshed out and musical he has also tried the 20/12 with the Graham Phantom elite I lent him my arm and seems to think that this works really well but the Phantom is 12.5k so a bit on the pricy side, hearing the 20/3 against the 20/12 I would agree there is no contest. He currently has the Systemdek 3d precision on loan http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/sys...ion-turntable/ which he seems to be incredibly impressed with. He is listening to this with a Ikeda 407 and is overall really happy with what he is hearing, I think he wants to hear the turntable with Graham Phantom 111 before he decides also is considering the Glanz Tonearm. Overall he seems to think the systemdek is highly musical.

I suppose there is no perfect solution it just what speaks to you.

He is still thinking about the 20/12 at the same time as it seems to be quite different to other Sme Models.

Very interesting what you say about the Brinkmans, as usual Pairing up gear carefully is a must, so maybe what I heard it with worked well. I have also heard a 20/12 with a very high end amp speaker set up, it did sound pretty good, but for me was still a little dry imo. But if it works with what it’s paired with then great


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[Vrajbasi]

Very interesting what you say about the Brinkmans, as usual Pairing up gear carefully is a must, so maybe what I heard it with worked well. I have also heard a 20/12 with a very high end amp speaker set up, it did sound pretty good, but for me was still a little dry imo. But if it works with what it’s paired with then great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Turntables are very difficult, as you have the Turntable, arm, cartridge interface. I have in the past even heard differences between the same model of turntable thats how crazy it can get. My friend was able to compare the Brinkman and Sme in his own system with a variety of cartridges. Overall he favoured the Sme Graham Phantom Elite combination over the Sme/Sme combo. Hearing in unfamiliar systems is almost impossible.

I get a feeling he might end up with the Systemdek from what he says lets see. I suggested he also listens to the Tech Das airforce V, that featured in Hifi news. I have heard the Airforce 111 premium sound quite interesting. The Tech Das turntables always interested me because of my Micro seiki 8000 but never really got on with the Airforce one that I was able to borrow.

[walpurgis]

I have in the past even heard differences between the same model of turntable thats how crazy it can get

That's not uncommon. And, even more evident between supposedly identical cartridges.