I had a similar change of heart a few weeks back. You are making the right choice ;) The Cary V12 is very nice but for the price there are better deals (although it does look good). The Rogue 88 regular for instance, gave it a run for its money. I am sure the magnum comes with improvements, hopefully in the bass-control department, making it my pick between the two. Can't say for Bel Canto. Good luck and enjoy. |
You will get lots of good advice here, bigbottle (nice moniker, BTW). I believe you are on the right track. I have a Supratek Syrah, and it mates just fine with the Bel Canto (which I had until upgrading to a Plinius SA 102). Both are good bargains in high end. You should be able to find an EVO 200.2 used for $1200-1300, if you decide to go that route.
As for turntable recommendations, contact members Twl or Albertporter. They are both very knowledgable and helpful and are especially adept in analog.
Welcome to the club. Good luck, and good listening.
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Well, this is a tough call, because you have to split the $4k between a phono rig and an amp. They are both important, and you have some good quality other stuff to match up to.
If I had to make this call myself, and had 4 ohm 92db speakers, I'd look at a good used 300B tube amp. Like a Sun Audio, or Welborne Laurel for around $1200 used(tough, but can be done).
Then I'd spend $2800 on the Analog rig. A Teres model 245 in rosewood for $2k new, an Origin Live OL-1 arm for $450 new, Expressimo Heavyweight counterweight for $90 new, and Denon DL103R for $230 new.
The Supratek Syrah has a phono stage capable of handling the DL103R just fine. I have already gotten feedback from people who have used this combination succesfully.
Then go to the Triode Guild website, and follow the recipe for home brewed cables for SETs, that Harvey had cooked up before he died. That's what I use. Cheap and Good.
This will yield you an extremely good, all-tube system, with a killer analog front end. You will not be prepared for how good this will sound. It will shock you. |
i have lived with the tyler linbrooks since august and have been very happy with my purchase. they are not going anywhere...
i drove them with a rogue 88 amp, non-magnum, for months and was quite pleased
however i recently purchased a cary v12, sold the rogue and couldn't be happier when i sit down to listen to some music.
this combo is very smooth and liquid without being syrupy or overly soft/rolled in the least. i have found that i can sit and listen for as long as i want, there is never any build up of fatigue of any kind, and the musical involvement i experience increased by several orders of magnitude with the introduction of the cary v12. if it means anything to you, i feel as though i'm listening to the music instead of the gear when i sit down with my tyler/cary/rogue/metronome system. and this is only my third iteration. i'm sure things will change for me and become permuted, etc but right now i'm very satisfied.
i cannot complain about the rogue 88 in anyway whatsoever so please don't read this as an indictment of rogue gear. the rogue was very good in the bass department, the mids were great, build quality was solid, etc selling the rogue was simply the only way i could afford the v12. if i had my way, i would still be the owner of that rogue 88.
if you have a good line on the cary v12 or a chance to audition a v12 once the linbrooks arrive, pursue this with great urgency, i think you will be pleasantly surprised and satisfied long-term.
btw, there are many amps out there that will drive the linbrooks quite well, i'm sure, but i have not had direct or sustained experience with any but 2 of the 3 you mentioned (that in itself is sort of weird)
hope this helps |
Do not forget to factor in some money for decent cables and good support for the TT. I am not trying to suggest any particular brand (I have my favourites, fo course).
Neither do I want to suggest what percentage of the total should go towards cables and stands; there are no firm rules although some people will tell you that you should spend ten percent on cables.
It takes a bit experimenting because the number of combinations are endless. I am sure that there are people here on 'gon who have experience with what works well with SETs. |
Thanks to all for the insight.
BTW the "Bigbottle" moniker originated with
my passion for large format bottles of wine,
but it seems to be a good fit here as well.
Any thoughts on the CAT vs Syrah pre?
If I do decide on the Syrah, I will probably
want to try something else in the interim until the
Supratek arrives.(Couldn't wait 6 months to listen) Any suggestions on a decent pre with phono, that resells well?
Rogue 66 maybe?
TWL, on the TT, would I be better off to buy used?
(More bang for the buck?) or is that a risky proposition, given the sensitivity of the equipment?
Thanks to all for the feedback thus far. |
Hey Bigbottle,
I was in the same predicament, waiting four months for Mick to finish my Syrah. I spent $650 for an Audible Illusions Mod 3, and wound up selling it for just over $600 once I got the Syrah. In effect, I "rented" the Audible Illusions pre for several months for less than fifty bucks. The Mod 3 is a terrific preamp and will make a great stopgap for you until your Supratek is ready. You might also look at a Rogue 66, which can be had for about the same $$$ and is highly regarded. Both should hold their resale value.
I really was surprised by how good the Audible Illusions was. Good phono stage, too.
|
The used route is usually the one I take, when I can. In the case of this TT, I seriously doubt that you will find one used. Anybody that has one, knows what they've got and they have no intention of letting it get away from them. As far as performance goes, there is no used TT in the world that can match it for the price. So, if you go used, you may save some money, but you won't get as good of a sound. I think a used Linn would be a good buy if you want to keep it around $1k. |
TWL,
I found the Teres website.
That is a beautiful machine.
Where would you suggest that I go for the tonearm,
counterweight and cartridge?
Thanks,
bbb |
Well,
Ordered my Syrah tonight!
Having a glass of the liquid version to celebrate.
Mick says he can do the cosmetic stuff I requested.
Walter,
I will keep an eye out for a deal on the Audible Illusions pre in the interim. I agree that you have to look at it as renting. Probably doing that with the amp as well.
I see it as inexpensive education if you buy and sell right.
Think I am going to start as a first step with a mid priced SS amp before trying full tubes.
Plinius, Electrocompaniet,BAT, or Bel Canto.
Still researching and reviewing various posts
and other info.
bbb |
Bob, the OL-1 arm(modded RB250) is available from any Origin Live dealer. I got my OL Silver from Galen Carol Audio in Texas, but there are a couple of OL dealers that advertise on this website, in the Audiogon classifieds under "Analog". The Heavyweight, you have to order from Expressimo Audio direct, and have to specify "OL model". The Rega stub is not the same. It's about $90.
No matter which model you select, you get the same bearing and motor/controller, so the heart of the lowest model is the same as the top-of-the-line. You can upgrade any model to the top model in any increment you want.
If you get this table, you will never need to buy another TT. In top model form, it is very close to the best of anything made, in performance. This value cannot be beat by anything in analog today.
There are only about 300, or so, of these TTs out there. They are very low production, and have no dealer network. You save money by dealing direct with the factory.
The fact that it looks great doesn't hurt any either.
There is a dealer on A'gon, that is a Shelter cartridge dealer as well as OL dealer. He is advertising on the Analog classified section. You can get the cartridge and the tonearm from him. He may even have the counterweight. |
