Everything in your system is good. The Ortofon and the Tom Evans are fine. I think the sound just doesn't match what you have in your memory from 30 years ago. If your system is properly set up - and by that I mean reasonably well set up, you are pretty much hearing what's on the records, which may have been damaged by your prior stylus and mishandling, as many of us did in the old days. I think you need to do 2 things - get a friend over who can verify that your system has no major errors in the setup and second, buy a couple of brand new records and see how they sound. Good luck.
phono upgrade vs replacing stylus
Looking for some insight / help with my dilemma. I am building a pure 2 channel vinyl system, after a 30 year hiatus from vinyl and falling away from a true early in life passion for music. I dug out my 1970's vinyl, bought a set of speakers, integrated amp and a turntable and realized I absolutely love the commitment to putting on an album and staying present in the moment. This is a bit tough to say as my company thrives in digital technology. My first system was / is, KEF LS50's, Music Hall Ikara with Ortofon Blue, and a PS Audio Sprout, this is the system that woke me up again. But after a year, I'm wanting a bit more "fullness" of sound. I have purchased a set of used Tyler Acoustics Signature Monitors, 2 Music Reference RM10 tube amps, Lightspeed Attenuator (new),a Tom Evans Micro Groove Plus, (purchased on Audiogon), and am thinking of keeping my Music Hall Ikara turntable. I have a dedicated room 22 x 15. Finally down to the issue, I purchased the Phono preamp with out asking the question of how it is set up, because all the phono's I was looking at had adjustable inputs, I simply did not verify. Okay so down to the actual issue, I received the phono pre, hooked it up and couldn't believe what I heard which was absolute disappointment in what I had done!, I failed to ask the correct question and now need to pay the price to learn my lesson. Should I replace my Ortofon Blue or send the Tom Evans back to the factory and pay the price to have it upgraded, after freight around $450 US. The Tom Evans is currently setup for .2mv 100R, again its the Micro Grove +.
I am truly ignorant to the benefits of different setups and am depending on the reviews and recommendations of the Audiogon community.
Should I send the Tom Evans back to the factory and have it modified to work with my Ortofon Blue and or Upgrade to the new Micro Grove MKII +, or change my stylus to a setup that works with the Tom Evans as currently setup.
Thank You for any and all insight.
I am truly ignorant to the benefits of different setups and am depending on the reviews and recommendations of the Audiogon community.
Should I send the Tom Evans back to the factory and have it modified to work with my Ortofon Blue and or Upgrade to the new Micro Grove MKII +, or change my stylus to a setup that works with the Tom Evans as currently setup.
Thank You for any and all insight.
14 responses Add your response
Thanks chayro, I have been buying new and used vinyl for over a year now and listening with my current system. The sound I am getting is VERY muffled and thick in low end and almost non-existant vocal. It is definitely a setup issue I am fairly certain that it is a resistance and or voltage mismatch between the Ortofon Blue and the Tom Evans. Are you saying that the current setup of the Micro Grove should work with the Ortofon? The Tom Evans is currently setup for .2mv 100R, again its the Micro Grove +. |
As long as you have the Tom Evans set up for a moving magnet cartridge, I don't think you should be hearing anything as bad as you claim. I think you need someone to come over and take a look. Where did you buy your equipment? If you bought new, get the dealer on the phone and ask questions. They're supposed to give you some support. Frankly, if you're having such problems, maybe you should switch to CD's. Nothing wrong with them, really. |
Hi yogiboy, This is the type of information I am looking for. If the Lightspeed attenuator does not work I will drop in a preamp to keep this process moving forward. Based on the technical information you have shared, and with a bit of understanding of my situation would you have the Tom Evans set to work with a 47k ohm load or should I purchase a cartridge???? |
That Micro Groove + has 112, 140, 187, 280, and 560 ohm settings - I may be missing something, but your Ortofon calls for 47K loading. Also, the Micro Groove + is set up as an MC pre, calibrated for mV settings on cartridges. Tom can build you a Micro specifically for your cartridge. I'd look into that. |
Try the Denon 103 into the Micro Groove into a line-stage preamp into the Music Reference tube amps. Moving-coil cartridges (like Denons - I own several) offer superior sound over Moving-magnet types - but must be setup properly! I prefer a good step-up transformer (SUT) into a full-function preamp (with its own phono stage) over an active stage like your Tom Evans. A transformer has a lower noise-floor and resolves micro-details better than any active device (tube or transistor). I am presently using a Denon 103R into a Denon 320 transformer into an RGR Model 4 preamp. Turntable is a Pioneer PLX1000. |
@roberjrman- There are pluses and minuses to both step-ups and active gain stages. Different strokes for different folks. OP-I can't find an overload value on line, but the input sensitivity of the micro-goove + appears to be 0.4mV. Your cart outputs more than 10x that voltage! OTOH, the peak output of the microgroove is 1.2 volts, while the line stage standard is 2 volts. Your "pre-amp" is an attenuator only, so you might need the gain from an active, even after you get a better match of cart to phono stage. There are potential impedance matching issues between "passive" pre-amps and upstream and downstream components, but that does not seem to be the case here. You did not mention your interconnects, but interconnects longer than about 3' CAN cause a roll-off in the highs, particularly if they are relatively high in capacitance. There is a pretty good discussion of this here: https://www.tortugaaudio.com/articles/what-is-a-passive-preamplifier/ but remember it's from the perspective of a manufacturer of passive pre-amps. Hopefully the Denon will give you some idea of which way you want to go on this; there are a lot of "moving parts" ;-) |
@chju1986- No problem. We learn as much if not more from our mistakes as from our successes. One piece of advice; rules of thumb are just that. I'd try the Denon first and then work your way through the other pieces of the puzzle. And don't give up on the Lightspeed. I have one and it gives 80% of the performance of my active pre-amp that retails for more than 10X more! One of the biggest bargains in this hobby. For transparency, it's at least as good. Of course it to only has one input and one output, does not handle XLR connections, and IMO, the music lacks a little of the emotional weight that the active gives. But it's one heck of a pre-amp if it matches with your other pieces and you only use one source. |