Hey Chris!
Happy New Year!
So, hows it going? Was Santa good to you this year?
Im sorry you passed out from holding your breath waiting for my analog pronouncements. (You know the Technics direct drive turntable is one hot ticket, if you dont mind acoustic feedback and a rather mechanical sound, especially to massed strings!)
Well, I hope your Grand Prix rack is coming through for you. Its out of my league, but most of high-end audio is out of my league.
Are you sure you want to sell your Pass Labs X1? Its a good preamp and you would be hard pressed to buy something as good, at least as solid-state devices go. The X1 acts as a buffer of sorts, making it possible for you to use long interconnects between the preamp and amp, if the need should ever arise. Also I like the dynamics that a good preamp can give you as well as excellent soundstaging. However, driving your amp directly from a CD player should give you the best transparency and detail. But your Pass X1 is, as you have said, a very neutral performer. Perhaps you can wait to up grade your CD player until after buying your turntable and tonearm?
The Schroeder Model 2 and a Galibier should make a very good combination. Which Galibier do you plan to buy and when will you purchase the combination? Keep us posted. It will be nice to know your impressions of both the Galibier and Teres.
As for Thomas Scheu, theres some speculation that he committed suicide by gunshot, but I have not read any corroborating evidence. If true, that would be very sad indeed. Other than this bit of news, I have no other information about his untimely death, a tragedy for sure.
I picked up some records too over the holidays. I found a 15-alumn set of Mozarts 41 symphonies conducted by Karl Bohm and played by the Berlin Philharmonic. All LPs are absolutely mint; they look as if they have never been played. What a find for me. With shipping, it cost me about $90.
And yes, I have been listening to music, CDs to be exact, but thats not the reason for my absence! Im back now, a little refreshed by my short vacation. So watch out now : > )
Holly (Oakiris),
Dont worry about misspelling my name. I am the worlds worst speller so it does not offend me in the least when I see others trip up now and again.
If you want analog advice, TWL knows the most of anyone in this thread. But I can give you my opinions for what its worth.
As for a phono cartridge, I purchased a Shure V15VxMR as my starter unit. From there I will go with either a Benz Micro L2 or a Shelter 501. If I choose the Shelter, I will have to purchase another Morch arm wand, maybe a Blue Dot, which has an effective mass of 14 grams.
As a side note, I am still waiting for my turntable and tonearm, which I ordered about a month ago. I hope it arrives soon.
I congratulate you on your Teres 160 purchase with the Origin Live Silver tonearm. While I would be a little hesitant to describe this setup as cheap, its certainly cheerful, as it were. The only improvement would be to move up to an Origin Live Encounter or a Morch DP-6, but such a move would only give you a very small gain indeed.
I agree with TWL about the Denon recommendation. A lot of people have the cartridge and love it. The Shelter is reported to be a little better according to TWL, but at a much higher price. The Denon will certainly get you admitted to analog heaven, at least onto the second of third rung of Jacobs Ladder. And when TWL tells you hes been around the block and is not blowing smoke, you can take those comments to the bank.
If you would like more information about the ZYX cartridge, contact Dougdeacon. He is a proponent of that cartridge and can tell you all about its strengths and weaknesses, if any. Its a very neutral cartridge from what I have heard when compared to something like the Denon. The ZYX is also great with classical music, but again, Doug can tell you a lot more.
For a small fee, you can buy the K&K kit pre-built so you dont have to fool around with soldering, and the like. The EAR is also a nice unit, but many who buy that phono stage get it upgraded. The good news about the upgrade is that it doesnt void the warranty! Another popular tubed phono stage is from Wright Sound Company.
For interconnects you might try Element Cables or VA Audio.
Dsiggia,
I will say more about my buying process a little later. Right now I am getting caught up with replies. I can say this that I was all over the map in regards to making my final decision. There are too many choices nowadays, which only makes choosing more difficult rather than easier.
As I said above, the cartridge I chose was the Shure V15. From there I will either go with the Shelter 501 or the Benz Micro L2. I havent made up my mind yet. The Shure will then become a backup cartridge.
Ive noticed that you have updated you system since we last talked. I now see a Supartek Cortese gracing your audio rack, you devil! How do you like it? Wow, it must be really awesome! Tell us about your new purchase so we can all be envious.
Happy New Year!
So, hows it going? Was Santa good to you this year?
Im sorry you passed out from holding your breath waiting for my analog pronouncements. (You know the Technics direct drive turntable is one hot ticket, if you dont mind acoustic feedback and a rather mechanical sound, especially to massed strings!)
Well, I hope your Grand Prix rack is coming through for you. Its out of my league, but most of high-end audio is out of my league.
Are you sure you want to sell your Pass Labs X1? Its a good preamp and you would be hard pressed to buy something as good, at least as solid-state devices go. The X1 acts as a buffer of sorts, making it possible for you to use long interconnects between the preamp and amp, if the need should ever arise. Also I like the dynamics that a good preamp can give you as well as excellent soundstaging. However, driving your amp directly from a CD player should give you the best transparency and detail. But your Pass X1 is, as you have said, a very neutral performer. Perhaps you can wait to up grade your CD player until after buying your turntable and tonearm?
The Schroeder Model 2 and a Galibier should make a very good combination. Which Galibier do you plan to buy and when will you purchase the combination? Keep us posted. It will be nice to know your impressions of both the Galibier and Teres.
As for Thomas Scheu, theres some speculation that he committed suicide by gunshot, but I have not read any corroborating evidence. If true, that would be very sad indeed. Other than this bit of news, I have no other information about his untimely death, a tragedy for sure.
I picked up some records too over the holidays. I found a 15-alumn set of Mozarts 41 symphonies conducted by Karl Bohm and played by the Berlin Philharmonic. All LPs are absolutely mint; they look as if they have never been played. What a find for me. With shipping, it cost me about $90.
And yes, I have been listening to music, CDs to be exact, but thats not the reason for my absence! Im back now, a little refreshed by my short vacation. So watch out now : > )
Holly (Oakiris),
Dont worry about misspelling my name. I am the worlds worst speller so it does not offend me in the least when I see others trip up now and again.
If you want analog advice, TWL knows the most of anyone in this thread. But I can give you my opinions for what its worth.
As for a phono cartridge, I purchased a Shure V15VxMR as my starter unit. From there I will go with either a Benz Micro L2 or a Shelter 501. If I choose the Shelter, I will have to purchase another Morch arm wand, maybe a Blue Dot, which has an effective mass of 14 grams.
As a side note, I am still waiting for my turntable and tonearm, which I ordered about a month ago. I hope it arrives soon.
I congratulate you on your Teres 160 purchase with the Origin Live Silver tonearm. While I would be a little hesitant to describe this setup as cheap, its certainly cheerful, as it were. The only improvement would be to move up to an Origin Live Encounter or a Morch DP-6, but such a move would only give you a very small gain indeed.
I agree with TWL about the Denon recommendation. A lot of people have the cartridge and love it. The Shelter is reported to be a little better according to TWL, but at a much higher price. The Denon will certainly get you admitted to analog heaven, at least onto the second of third rung of Jacobs Ladder. And when TWL tells you hes been around the block and is not blowing smoke, you can take those comments to the bank.
If you would like more information about the ZYX cartridge, contact Dougdeacon. He is a proponent of that cartridge and can tell you all about its strengths and weaknesses, if any. Its a very neutral cartridge from what I have heard when compared to something like the Denon. The ZYX is also great with classical music, but again, Doug can tell you a lot more.
For a small fee, you can buy the K&K kit pre-built so you dont have to fool around with soldering, and the like. The EAR is also a nice unit, but many who buy that phono stage get it upgraded. The good news about the upgrade is that it doesnt void the warranty! Another popular tubed phono stage is from Wright Sound Company.
For interconnects you might try Element Cables or VA Audio.
Dsiggia,
I will say more about my buying process a little later. Right now I am getting caught up with replies. I can say this that I was all over the map in regards to making my final decision. There are too many choices nowadays, which only makes choosing more difficult rather than easier.
As I said above, the cartridge I chose was the Shure V15. From there I will either go with the Shelter 501 or the Benz Micro L2. I havent made up my mind yet. The Shure will then become a backup cartridge.
Ive noticed that you have updated you system since we last talked. I now see a Supartek Cortese gracing your audio rack, you devil! How do you like it? Wow, it must be really awesome! Tell us about your new purchase so we can all be envious.