2. amps-preamps
  3. 190462-192689

SOS! Suddenly have a high-end turntable, need to upgrade Amp + Speakers

Hey everyone!

Ran into some luck recently and was able to score the following for MUCH lower than it would have gone for usually:

  • Turntable: Luxman PD-151 Mark II

  • Cartridge: Hana ML (MC-LO) Cartridge

  • Phono Pre-Amp: Cambridge Alva Duo

I need help figuring out which Passive Bookshelf Speakers and Amplifier would work best with the rest of my system! My budget is maximum $1000-$1500 give or take. What Amplifier + Speaker combo works best with my system without undermining the rest of the components?

The room the setup is in is a rectangular sitting area however it's open to the rest of the house. I wish I could go to a dealer and do listening tests but unfortunately, we don't have any in my country.

P.S: I saw the reviews on the Topping Amps over at ASR and they seemed extraordinary at first only to check reddit and find that people are kind of conflicted by those amps. What do you guys think?

rainizzm

Showing 3 responses by macg19

macg19
973 posts
 

I don’t have any suggestions on amp and speakers but you’ve got a very nice TT and Cart, and an entry level phono stage with limited gain options for a LOMC (although 60dB should be OK with the Hana).

So in the future if budget allows, consider upgrading your PS. The GoldNote PS-10 ($2K new) is very good for the money (many say tough to beat even at double the money) and you can add a separate linear power supply later ($1K new) so there is a nice 2 step path.

You might consider an amp with balanced inputs and then take advantage of the balanced XLR outputs of the GoldNote which I highly recommend over RCA.

Good luck and congrats on scoring a great analogue front end.

macg19
973 posts
 

Someone mentioned Darlington - never heard of them before but from their website alone look very interesting and reasonably priced.

macg19
973 posts
 

Schiit isn’t a bad suggestion for everything. I have not heard their pre&amp but I did have the Skoll phono in my system for a while and it is surprisingly good for $400 and you can try Schiit at home for 2 weeks and return for a 5% restocking fee.

Looks like there are some Schiit deals on USAM

 

 

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