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Heavy Kit / Power Supply upgrade for Nottingham?

I have been so happy with my new Nottingham Spacedeck that I am contemplating the Heavy Kit and Power Supply upgrade. If I had known how well the Nottingham would work in my system I would have bought the Hyperspace. (had no way to audition Nottingham TTs so bought it based on what I had read) The upgrades are a bit pricey but after 3 months with the Spacedeck, I don't think I will be putting any more money in digital for some time. The Spacedeck is way more fun than my old ARC transport / DAC 1 which I let go.

My system is comprised of the following components which were purchased used over the last few years, except for the Nottingham:

ARC PH2 phonostage
ARC Ref 1 Preamp
Soundlab Dynastat Speakers
2 Golden Tube Audio SE-40s vertically bi-amped.

I am torn between upgrading the GTA amplifiers to Rogue M-120 monoblocks or doing the turntable upgrade. My listening room is small and don't really feel the need for more power but I think I need balanced in amps to take full advantage of the ARC Ref 1.

So do I do the turntable upgrade first or the amp upgrade? I can audition the Rogue monoblocks in my system but not the Spacedeck upgrades. The Spacedeck upgrade would be a leap of faith. (but then so was the Spacedeck purchase) Any ideas?

vannorm

Showing 1 response by cmk

cmk
397 posts
 
Vannorm, since you've already got the Spacedeck as the base for your LP playback, those upgrades (mat and ps) will make significant improvements to the sound quality of your LP playback, provided the rest of your system is up to the task. Although the Dynastat is a hybrid design requiring min 50w, almost all panel spks benefit from higher power. I feel that the amp upgrade is therefore the path to choose.

I've no idea how much the Nottingham upgrade cost, but adding a mat upgrade won't break the bank and will certainly reduce unwanted resonances. My experience with the Mystic Mat was tantamount to a complete upgrade of the platter. YMMV.

4yanx, can you comment on how the Mat 1 compares with the Mystic Mat?

Ken
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