Yes, decent…
It this a decent Phono setup?
I have the following items I’ve been using for spinning vinyl. The system sounds pretty good, but I’m wondering there is anything that would mate even better?
- Denon DN-300F turntable (bought it modded with direct RCA outputs to use separate preamp).
- Ortofon 2M Red MM cartridge.
- McCormack Micro Phono Drive.
- Discovery Plus Four interconnects (2 pairs).
MAIN SYSTEM
Mark Levinson 383 integrated
Revel F30 speakers
Cardas golden reference speaker cables
14 responses Add your response
It appears that you have a pretty well balance vinyl set up. Nothing stands out as a real weakness. If you want to invest a little then you could get a better cartridge.
Longer termed, my rule of thumb is that each component (carefully chosen to be the best in class and compatible with your system and taste) will usually cost about the same. So TT, Phonostage, preamp, amp, DAC, Streamer. This is a useful way of looking at the whole system. Looking this way, your Mark Levinson sets the level at $3K / component ($3K preamp + $3K amp). Therefore to get the very most out of your system a $3K TT and $3K Phonostage would be optimal. So, if you wanted to look into the future there is room for growth in your vinyl end. Just a real rough guide. But typically over the last fifty years of upgrades I tend to end up in these proportions + or - 25%.
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I agree with Jason, better turntable, turntable, I would look for used one on hifi engine, within your budget (stretch it, think long). check reviews of ones that appeal to you, ask here again about specific models, questions to ask sellers https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=turntable put your price range in, and to see new listings every morning, sort by ’first seen, new first’. all countries, or change to your country only. note: to eventually use different cartridges: go for ’standard’ removable headshell, ’standard’ S arm. your existing denon has removable, but it fits it’s specific straight arm ...................................................... and better cartridge with advanced stylus shape https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information I often recommend this cartridge (wide channel separation and tight channel balance, and great sounding https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/vm540ml
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I have a Hana SL with approx' 200hrs on it, the Cart' with a 100 hours on it, shared the latter 100 hours on a SME IV and Audiomods Series Five Micrometer. I have not experienced the Cart' in use on the TA that has superseded the above TA's. I do believe it has broken in at the time of use, I do not see the need for further hours of usage to achieve a break in. It is one of the only Cart's I own, that can has failed to present itself as appealing to me through use, it plays music fine and for me that is the win. It is idling away in storage, maybe I should have sold it on. |
What budget do you have? $2,000. total for a serious combo? This Turntable, $1,750 has the terrific SP-25 spinner, and their best EPA-500 tonearm base
https://www.aussieaudiomart.com/details/649969365-technics-epa-500-tonearm-base/ (instant VTA adjustment) (instant arm wand change) Includes the EPA-250 ’S’ arm wand with removable headshell. Arm wands are interchangeable.
alternate straight arm A501 available, say have a mono cartridge pre-mounted) loosen upper arm lock screw, arm with cartridge slides out sideways. insert alternate arm, tighten lock screw. automatic signal connections on the bottom of each arm
Change Arm Height: loosen lower lock lever on the base, turn black ring at bottom of base: up or down, lock lever! ................................................................................ Add $250. for the AT540ML cartridge: $2,000. total for a serious combo. ................................................................................ If your budget is less, let us know Check the SP-25 specs near the bottom of this chart https://vintagetechnics.audio/turntables.php compare them to the best ones they make today. I like the SP-15 also, it includes the 78 rpm speed for those who play 78’s |
Thanks for all the suggestions. Overall, I like the sound of my vinyl setup. However, it’s not quite up to par with my digital side, which is a modded Cambridge 851c. I see there are several posts regarding the Audio Technica cartridge, so I may look into swapping out the ortofon red. Anyone have any experience with the ortofon blue? Regarding the audio technical vm540ML, how do you check capacitance of the tonearm wire, phono cables and phono stage to make sure it’s under 200pF? |
@jsbach1685 There is a Ortofon 2M Black on US Audio Mart for $400 that claims to be unused. (not sure I'm allowed to post it here usaudiomart.com). Just buy that. Way better than the 2M Red. And the VM540ML is a solid choice but not quite as good. I would do that before upgrading your turntable but my guess is you will need to do that to really get the best out of a good cartridge. |
