In praise of phono (mac)

[da2222]

It's been a long, bumpy, expensive road and and an extremely steep learning curve, but finally I've got my phono system up and running:

Garrard 401 refurbed by CTC with Russ Collinson solid cherry plinth, wall mounted on Peerless P200 shelf and solid oak.
MC/MM Valab MK3 LCR
Phonomac modded AT 1005mk II
AT 33PTG II MC
Longdog 300b amp
Edingdale speakers

It's early doors and component 'break-in' is still on going, but I can say that, without a shadow of a doubt, my system has never sounded so good. And I wish I had done this years ago. I dabbled with DJing and 1210s a while back but aside from the primal bass, I didn't appreciate at the time just how good analogue could sound. What has stunned me is the detail retrieval and clarity I'd always erroneously believed was the domain of CD. I'm hearing things on tracks I've never noticed before on digital recordings. Exceptional clarity and micro detail, resolution. How so? The inky black background draws the attention and the odd click is anything but off-putting. I believe John Peel once said that life itself doesn't have a silent background.

Percusion was always a bit of a bug-bear of mine re digital: metallic high-hats, recessed bass drum; I veered away from more complex recordings which tended to be rather one-dimensional and crowded. Vinyl is giving me so much natural presentation and instrumental separation it's a joy. I read somewhere that CD playback offered deeper bass than vinyl. Again, not so.The music flows, my feet are tapping again and the goosebumps are back. I'm not sure which of the components- or combination of- are responsible for this experience but to say I'm happy is an understatement. I've had some top-notch CD players in the past and I now seriously considering selling all of my remaining digital equipment and going fully analogue. Music has always been about enjoyment and emotion to me, convenience is not a concern.

None of this would have been possible without the expertise, advice, kindness and not least, patience, of AOS's own Phonomac (Angus). Not only did he service my tonearm, he has helped me with a variety of inane questions and requests along the road. Top man indeed...

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[JohnG]

Vinyl replay is a labour of love, I'm glad to hear you have got to a endpoint.
Time to bring home a few new Albums.
Meeting individuals like Angus on route, is a real blessing.

[RobbieGong]

Sounds like things have come together rather nicely Drew hence the synergy your getting and it is indeed a joy when this happens.

My mate Angus will always advise and share his vast knowledge as well as fix and fettle to improve and optimise the performance of anything he gets to work his magic on - enjoy !

[da2222]

Vinyl replay is a labour of love, I'm glad to hear you have got to a endpoint.
Time to bring home a few new Albums.
Meeting individuals like Angus on route, is a real blessing.

Cheers John... you're spot on

[da2222]

Sounds like things have come together rather nicely Drew hence the synergy your getting and it is indeed a joy when this happens.

My mate Angus will always advise and share his vast knowledge as well as fix and fettle to improve and optimise the performance of anything he gets to work his magic on - enjoy !

Angus has been sterling throughout, I hate to think what kind of mess I'd be in otherwise ;-)

[Bigman80]

He's a top man. 100% respect from me.