2. analog
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Intriguing world of Analog

I am an aspiring audiophile and have enjoyed the forum postings on Audiogon over the past few months. I am impressed by the number of people with such advanced knowledge on audiophile subjects and who are willing to share their knowledge with others. I have become intriqued with the seemingly complex world of turntables, tone arms, cartridges and many other itemes related to analog music. I've seen pictures of turntables having numerous tone arms associted therewith and I am curious as to why one would need multiple tone arms. Many years have passed from the day I had a record player and we would tape a penny to the tone arm above the cartridge to keep the record from bouncing off the record. I'm sure the analogophiles reading this post are clutching their chests and gasping for air at the thought of it.

Somehow I feel another obsession coming on.

If I wanted to make an initial foray into the analog world of music what would be a good starting point? Is there a turn-key solution where you purcahse a table, tone arm and cartridge in one fell swoop? I would be willing to spend from $1500-$2,000.

My current sysem is as follows: Classe CA 200 amp, Classe CDP 35 preamp, B&W Matrix 802 series III speakers, and a Yamaha RX Z11 AV receiver. My preamp has a phono location on the source knob.

Will I need a separate phono amp or can I use my Yamaha reciever?

Your help and recommendations would be greatly appreicated.
papajoe

Showing 7 responses by papajoe

papajoe OP
43 posts
 
Thank you all for your helpful comments. From your answers I can see there is a lot to learn. I think this calls for a trip to my local high end audio store for a rapid information download. I would like to compare MM and MC cartridges. I may have to increase my budget to include a phono preamp. I will check into the turntable options mentioned in this thread.

Thanks again!!
papajoe OP
43 posts
 
Raul,

How would I know if my Classe preamp has the phono card? I bought the item used on ebay so I'm not sure if it has the phono card. If it does not have the card are such cards readilly available on Audiogon?

I have numerous albums. I'm not sure if they will be of much value though. Many are from the 1970's and are of standard pressings. I'm not sure of the quality of these recordings. I also have numerous old 78 speed records that I purchased at garage sales. They seem to be well preserved but they are quite old. Many of these records are probably monaural. Many of the records are in hard-bound record albums. Again, I am not sure if these will be worthy of play on the turntable I intend to purchase. Your comments on this point would be helpful.

Joe
papajoe OP
43 posts
 
Thanks again for your helpful comments. I have researched obtaining a Classe Phono module. From what I have read, it is recommnded that you have a professional install the phono module. I have contacted my local audio store and they will contact Classe to see if a phono module is availabe for my Classe CP 35 preamp. If so, I will be on my way. Next I will research the tables, arms and cartridges mentioned in this thread and decide. I have had good luck following the other recommnedations from Audiogon members and from purchasing numerous items from Audiogon members.

Joe
papajoe OP
43 posts
 
Pedrillo,

I viewed you tt. WOW! Is the entire table upon which the tt rests suspended in the air by a counterweight? This was quite a project.
papajoe OP
43 posts
 
Almandog,

I will try, initially, to resist the temptation of going hog wild on a spending spree. I will try to take baby steps first and then see what happens. My first step will be to buy something like the Hall MMF5 that you recommended or one of the several others that have been recommneded in this thread. If that satisfies my urge I will stop there. However, when I see some of the tt rigs on Audiogon I get this funny feeling deep inside which tells me to be careful.

Thanks for your comments.

Joe
papajoe OP
43 posts
 
I have ordered the phono board for the Classe CP-35. It cost $200.00. From the installation instructions it looks like I can install it myself, no soldering required. The phono board supports both MM and MC cartridges. I believe the lowest voltage is 0.3 mVolts which should support most cartridges on the market today.

Thanks,

Joe
papajoe OP
43 posts
 
Hello all,

I have now officially taken the plunge into the analog world. Today I purchased a VPI Scout turntable and a Dynavector 20X cartridge with a 1mv output. Apparently, this cartridge is one variety of Dynavector 20X cartridges that come in high output, low output, and medium output which is the one I purchased. I have also purchased the DVD 21st Century Vinyl by Michael Frem to assist me in setting up the table and installing the cartridge. Now I will pull my records from storage.

Any tips on record cleaning utensils?

Thanks,

Joe
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