Advice for a new analog system

Dear @grislybutter  : That's the price for the 9" tonearm and for the 12" is around 70K.

 

R.

Dear @blisshifi : Yes, the Stellar is designed inside a market price-point but performs at way higher level and no can’t outperforms the 810. My experiences is that the PS Audio unit has very low noise , maybe something around " disturb " it.

However even at ist bargain price is very good option for the OP and been so inexpensive could be a good test for him around the other units in his analog rig he choosed.

 

I think that the Stellar si so good that any audiophile must has to gives a listen when has the opportunity.

One higligth of what Fremer posted:

 

""" At home, using the Ortofon Anna Diamond cartridge on the SAT arm, the result was sensational and fully corroborated Myers’s claim that his design was "innately transparent and present(s) the music with a correct display of tonal balance." It did that and more. The brass on the Bruckner was equally glorious, sacrificing none of its "bite" in service of string tone. """

That cartridge has a price tag over 4 times the Stellar unit and that tonearm is around 55K. He tested too with His Continnum Caliburn and the Air Force with the top Graham tonearm and the whole comparisons/tests were against the Swiss CH P1/X1 phono stage ( over 2 times ther SimsAudio price tag. )

So, we are not talking here of " penauts " but very serious quality level performance of the humble Stellar.

 

R.

 

R

@ftrot  : If you want another excellent " price no object " audio item as the RP-10 then you can look for the PS Audio Stellar phono stage that indeed is Stellar. 

Stereophile reviewed and compared against the top Swiss CH that comes with a price tag over 70+K when the Stellar is lower than 3K and yes this one is " price no object ". Read it the review and please read to the measurements that several audiophiles diminish always:

 

PS Audio Stellar Phono phono preamplifier | Stereophile.com

 

R.

Dear @ftrot  : Why 34K for a TT' makes no sense to me when there are a way lower price units that could outperforms your thread choice or choices coming from other gentelmans. 

 

My take is to put money accpording what the market best offers you on each audio item.

I know that the Agoners that know me could be " tired " with my TT option that in this thread was named only one time.

M.Fremer reviewed the SAT DD XD-1 turntable with SAT tonearm where the whole package set you back almost 300K and cartridges where the Lyra Atlas Lambda SL and Ortofon Century and he posted there:

 

" The XD1 shares some sonic characteristics with Rega's revolutionary RP 10 turntable: ultrafast, clean transients throughout the audible frequency range; tight, fast bass; revealing midrange transparency; and overall sonic stability and focus. All these characteristics result, apparently, from careful attention paid to structural rigidity and the removal or prevention of unwanted vibrational energy. "

 

in other reviews the Rega had mounted that Lyra too. Well including own excellent Rega tonearm ( not 12" tonearm that's a " myth " an error to own it. ) you pay less than 6K. You have in the Rega package two excellent audio items: TT and tonearm for the same price.

 

Cj or AR phonopreamps?, please don't waist your money. Remember your thread premise:

" I prefer the short cut of a single investment for life. "

 

You can go for one of this options: SimsAudio, Channel D , DSA or the phonolinepreamp Dartzeel ( phono and line preamp in one unit for 40K ). No tube phono stage can " touch " or stays " near " of those SS units and for very good reasons.

You need invest for the best you can in the phonolinepreamp because this unit is the one that must handled the cartridge critical and sensitive recorded signal and the unit not only has to amplify that extremely low output signal but has to do it with extremely low noise and low developed distortions. Additional to that in the phono stage the cartridge signal must pass through a heavy equalization with the inverse RIAA eq.curve that " manipulates " the cartridge signal from around -20db to +20db, this is a 40db swing ! ! ! and that RIAA eq. implementation must be designed  with a frequency response deviation inside no more than 0.1db. This figure is critical.

Cartridge? I agree with @mijostyn  and My Sonic Lab , Ortofon and I could add low output Colibri by VDH ( no more than 0.35mv output level. ), yes could be other options.

 

Well , that's my tak but at the end is up to you.

 

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.