Analog Upgrade itch

@ghdprentice i have a man cave that allows me have my private hifi settings (listening area 16ft x 25ft) 

@karl_desch i am now using an IsoAcoustics platform  , if I upgrade to Stabi R or Ref2 do you think I still need a platform ? My rack is TAOC ASR3

@rsf507 thanks for the info , does the soft suspended base on Ref2 give a more “musical “ sonics over the Stabi R ? What I like about Kuzma in general is their liveliness and openness but I am also tempted by Linn’s “ vintage analog” sonics but hesitate about the spring re-calibration that seems needed every periodically on a Linn table. 
 

@ghdprentice Audio Research is on my list just I cannot  get a demo to connect with a Gryphon amp ( different dealer) , so to me blind purchase a phono amp seems too risky…  how does it compare to Manley Steelhead , sonically ? 

@dover thank you for the valuable input , for TT my finalists are

Kuzma Ref 2 : like its suspended base which is more “musical” than Stabi R ? I have a belief that suspended TT designs gives a smoother, analog sonics 

Linn LP12 : isn’t it the icon to own at least once, in the passage of every vinyl audiophile ?  Closest thing I ever owned was a Systemdek back in the 70s and I have been out of vinyl for the last 30 years … still miss the “old “ analog sound and I hope I can reproduce that with modern equipments. 
 

kuzma Stabi R : it can accommodate 2-3 arms which maybe my next step , so is the reason I want to have a phono amp with 2-3 inputs.  
 

never thought about the Legato phono card , which I appreciate your heads up ! But aside from that do you have any recommendation for a separate tube phono that may fit my system and the “warmth” sonics I am after ? 
 

anyone tried Allnics ? 
 

cheers 

@dover my budget is US$15k-20k for the TT+tonearm+phono amp, can be a little  more flexible if “necessary” lol. If I trade up to Kuzma TT/ arm I can get a pretty good deal with my local dealer.  Not sure if my Etsuro Cobalt will match Linn LP12 better than Kuzma 4point ? 
 

@rdk777 thanks and good point : one of the thing I found with my current Gold NotePH10 is the “hum” or high noise floor.  Currently I am using XLR connect to my Pandora pre. I was thinking changing to RCA to give a better analog sonics 

Maybe a built in Legato phono card can help this issue ?

seems like many experts here recommend Kuzma over Linn LP12 , anyone can share your experience how the two differ sonically ? Thanks 

@rdk777 i live in Hong Kong lol which is 12 hours plane away from US …. Thanks for the offer I will take a rain check lol

@dover thanks for the suggestion. I think I will go for the 11” whichever TT I choose at the end. I am still very curious to Linn vs Kuzma , not about which is better but how differently they sound to suit my taste. 

@whart thank you for sharing your experience, the Steelhead and Allnic are both on my finalists list. If I go for Kuzma R / 4point 11 with my Etsuro Cobalt which phono will you choose ? Does any of these 2 give a significant “difference” to my Gold Note. I know it’s a hard to guess question lol. Or rather, which will give me a more “tube” sound ? 
 

@sksos thanks for the explanation : now rise me to another question : I now use a IsoAcoustics DELOS solid oak platform , how do these platform differ from each other ? 
 

cheers

@j-wall thanks for the info. Can you tell me more about the sonic difference between Manley vs Allnic ? Did you try the Steelhead ? 

@lewm @sksos thanks for the explanation on the isolation platform !

I think I will decide on Stabi R , now the question is : does 4point 11 is worth the cost difference over 4 point 9” ? 

@j-wall  seems like Allnic fits my taste more than Steelhead (more bloom and warmth) since H3000 is discontinued (and very expensive for my budget), does anyone compared its successor H7000 vs H5500 ? How far sonically they differ ?

 Thanks everyone , cheers

@lewm @sksos 

I did some research about isolation bench and here is a new manufacturer from Germany , seems to have some very positive reviews when compare to other similar products .. and at a fraction of the cost. Have you heard of ?

Seismion Reactio
https://seismion.com/ 

Cheers 

@sksos thats very good price ! The Seismion costs around $5000 and the size is 500 x 400mm, max load 80kg , this price , I was told, a 50% cheaper than comparable products from Herzan (Switzerland) or Accurion (Germany） , I have no knowledge about their difference.  I do not aware the product has passive / active options. 
@sksos would you share your knowledge please ? Does VP offer 220v version ? It seems like a substantial difference in price if they are the same product. I am very tempted to pull the trigger and give it a try. 
cheers 

Dear all : update : I went to auditioned Allnic H7000 , Kuzma Stabi R with 4point9 , and I went to another dealer who offered me Dr Feickert Firebird and with a Kondo Audio Note GE1 phono stages , was very impressed with the SQ

Due to a change of dealership they have a demo Firebird with a 50% off RRP which makes it similar (or cheaper) than Stabi R. Anyone did compare the two ?

About Phono Stages : one of the sales suggest me to use a SUT (Etsuro has one) to fit my cartridge and go with the Kondo GE1 (which is MM only) , but this will set me back with several thousand dollars more. The question is : does Kondo worth the extra over Allnic ( 50% classical , some vocals / jazz) 

Pardon for my ignorance , does a SUT+ MM phono plays better than direct to a MC phono and what is the sonic improvement, generally can provide from a SUT ?

cheers

@dover thanks for the explanation. I didn’t aware the 2 options from Allnic ! That adds points to Allnic over Kondo. 
 

do you (or any seasoned memeber) have compared Kondo GE1 vs Allnic ? How do they differ sonically ? 

cheers

@surge a platform under your power supply ！ wow 

may I know what you used underneath your TT and your speakers lol ?

just an update : for the last 2 months I was lucky enough to have several dealers let me audition different phonos in my premise : EMT128, Kondo M7(wSUT) , CS Port (a new Japanese brand), Brinkmann Edison mk2, ASR, and SoulNote E2. My final choice is SoulNote E2 , it’s a Japanese hi-end manufacturer probably not available in NA yet but in my system (plus many showroom auditions of different brands like Nagra, Manley, Allnic, ARC) this is the best overall ( overall means it’s not overly coloured like some tube phonos but it has the density and 3-D holographic quality with excellent tonal balance and micro dynamics like some European phonos 2x the price) plus it has a built in circuitry to accommodate optical cartridges (DS) 

i highly recommend anyone looking for a phono in the $7-10k range, must give it an audition. 
( I upgraded my TT to Kuzma Stabi R, w/ 4 point 11 arm) my next step is to opt for a second tonearm: possible Groovemaster III. Any expert here tried this arm vs SME ? Planning to put a SPU cartridge on , any suggestions ? Ortofon ? 
thanks for any advise. Happy spinning. 

@karl_desch thanks , the StabiR + 4pt 11 is an upgrade to me, is worth every penny … now my itch goes to which cartridge I should try next 😂 : DS optical or SPU (I know they are very different) 

@pindac thank you and it sounds very in consistent with what I heard from other audiophilies’ comment. DS “nothing wrong but nothing attractive” my personal but very limited experience is they are very detailed with exceptionally low noise floor.

Which makes me more eager to toy with a “high end” SPU than an optical cartridge for the moment.