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Would love some feedback / Denon DL-S1 / phono match / cart recomendations

Would love some feedback / Denon DL-S1 / phono match / cart recomendations

- Vinyl newbie and need some help

- Friend has a brand new  Denon DL-S1 for $600 - good deal?

- I have a Mark Levinson No.326s preamp and just bought the dual mono MM/MC Phono module boards. They are the identical boards from the No,32 preamp and read that was a very nice sounding phono preamp.

- No.326s only has a couple settings 42db or 60 db and 47k ohm or 200 ohm load

- I picked up a used Bob's Device 1131 thinking it would help as my No.326s has limited setting options and read the 1131 might not work well with this cart. That this cart is tough to get the most out of but can be great.

- Should I get another cart? Was it a mistake getting the 1131 SUT. I read the No.326s sounded nice with this SUT so went for it but don't know enough to really know better either way but trying to learn.

- The No.326s phono boards has these little gold terminal screws with easy tighten by hand little knobs on the heads of the screws to add either capacitor or resistor to make the phono very adjustable but would have no idea how to figure out how to use that but thought to mention

- just wondering if this is a bad cart for me to try with my phono and SUT set up and any feedback about anything related to a cart would be super appreciated if anyone reads this. Thanks

more info if helpful below but not need to answer my question just thought to add it :)

______________________________________________________________________________________


I just finished up a full system re-fit with some tweaking here and there still to do but I am extremely happy with the sound I’m getting today from my new to me system. I sold my entire old system that was tubes and high efficiency speakers and got new to me: speakers, amp, preamp, speaker cables and upgraded digital transport and got a new turntable. Kept my DAC never changing that. Love my DAC. 

This system is the best I’ve personally ever had. I’m pretty psyched - so psyched I just added a turntable. 

A modern Version of the VPI Prime Aries with HRX Feet, 10" 3D Arm and Base, Prime Signature Platter, Ring and Motor. 

I am looking for a cart and my friend has a new Denon DL-S1 for $600 he also has a  used but good shape Clearaudio Accurate mc cart for a few hundred but i never heard of this one and a  van den Hul blackheart grass hopper which I know nothing of.

I thought because the Denon is new never used that was the best option but any of you know anything about the other let me know please.
  
Would love some feedback / ideas / thought recommendations and help. I’m a digital guy and want to give vinyl and honest to goodness try.

As stated above I just purchased the dual mono Phono board modules for my
Mark Levinson No.326s linestage so it’s now a full function Preamp and added a Bobs Device 1131 SUT and both were attained a very reasonable cost which was great!

Just not sure if these carts will go with my phono and SUT.

Rest of my System:
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5160

- Magico S5 Loudspeakers
- Pass Labs X350.5 Amplifier
- Mark Levinson No.326s Preamp/phonostage
- Bricasti M1 Special Edition DAC
- PS Audio P10 Power Plant
- Kubala-Sosna Emotion SC’s
- Nordost/Cardas IC’s
- Assorted PC's Verastarr/Cardas

- Digital PC based front end that I have been tweaking and evolving:
- Sonore microRendu 1.4
- Full Suite of UpTone Audio Gear
(2) x LPS-1 Ultra Capacitor PS
JS-2 Linear Power Supply
(2) Regens - ISO/Amber
- (8) Canare / Oyide DC cables
- (2) Breeze Audio 12v LPS
- Tellurium Q Black Diamond Reference USB cable
- Curious Regen Link USB Cable.

This Digital Front End beat out: Lumin, Antipodes, Naim and Auralic servers. It needs everything to work so well but man does it work great. My hope is that a turntable can complete and wish some luck I end up liking it better. That’s why I’m asking for help. I want to put my best vinyl foot forward 

** Back Ground info**

** Room is **
14 x 24 w/Cathedral Ceilings - 16 Foot a peak

** Music likes **
Assorted Music but no metal or loud hard rock anymore really - not much Large Scale classical either but everything else. I listen just loud enough to sound its best but not a loud listener. I enjoy normal levels.

** Likes / Priorities **
Transparency - Delicacy - Linear - High resolution - microscope but not sterile not etched or lifeless -some natural warmth and life to the music is key  but love that see through transparency and love precise soundstage - remove as many layers without being clinical - tight bass - hate flab - but don’t need worlds greatest slam but love speed and accurate bass while being musical.

** Perspective **
I’m only a couple months into this new system and I was struggling to get the right Preamp and tried a half dozen or so searching for the right balance and the one that could bring my new system together like only the perfect matching preamp can do. Each system is different so really it must be heard to know it’s what you want. I believe in the Preamp and knew If I could find the right match it would change everything. Well that was the hope.

To make a long story longer the Mark Levinson No.326s preamp did this and more. I was hedging my expectations based on the disappointments of the others I tried and failed but the No. 326s nailed it and honestly it an incredible Preamp and then some. I was so happy I decided to upgrade and add the built in phonostage option and SUT and Turntable here we are trying to chose a cart.

Really appreciate any help you can provide! I know this is kind of long but wanted you guys to know where I’m coming from! If you would like more info please let me know - all comments and feedback are most welcome and deeply appreciated :)




fsmithjack

Showing 14 responses by analogluvr

analogluvr
859 posts
 
 Yes take Raul with a huge pinch of salt. Anybody who doesn't like Tubes and prefers digital has a tin ear.  He continually speaks of minimizing distortion when in fact Tubes run in their proper zone often have less distortion than solid-state. 
 Also anybody who speaks in such broad absolute loses all credibility with me as well. At the level we are talking differences are very very minimal. Even if you could technically prove the superiority of one approach you may not even be able to pick it out in a double blind test. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
 Also I would definitely go with the Denon cartridge over the audio quest. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
 Raul you don't know what you're talking about! Regarding tubes in their proper range, I don't mean the frequency range I mean as long as their not being over driven. If a SET  Power amp that can make 22 W max is being driven at 1 W it makes vanishingly low levels of distortion. Lower than any solid state design. And the portion that it does make is better than the distortion the solid-state design makes. So it's stupid to say tubes are bad and solid state is good.   You love to come on these forums and talk about other people being ignorant and having low levels of knowledge but you should look in the mirror.   Regarding being able to pick stuff out in the double blind test excuse me I forgot you don't even have to hear a system to know exactly what it sounds like. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Yes Raul my horn speakers are roughly 104db for 1 watt.  So 90 percent of the time I am using less than 1 W. Hence there is much less distortion then with a solid-state Amp. I'm not sure where you get this fallacy that Tubes degrade the signal more than transistors.   Any part degrades the signal so the less parts in the signal path the better off that you are.  And SET amps have some of the lowest parts counts in the signal path hence give the most musical purity. 
@ nandric, I always new you were a wise man :)
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Raul yes I got it. And to throw another wrench at your superior knowledge I run otl as well. Even the op who is admittedly not an expert knows that the most linear device is a triode. So remove the output transformer from the equation and it is far more linear and lower in distortion than any solid state amp as long as YOU ARE DRIVING AN APPROPRIATE LOAD. Such as no crazy impedance dips or phase angles and something efficient so the amp is barely working. 
Granted if I were running apogee scintilla speakers I would need solid state, but I would not choose speakers such as that anyway. 
Im just sick of reading your Bs bias against tubes because it is just plain wrong!  You are on here presenting yourself as an irrefutable expert, speaking in absolutes, and minimizing distortions and blah blah blah and unfortunately some folks might believe you!  You don't make any distinctions between the different types of distortions and that is a huge factor!
I know many guys like you, lots of money to throw at audio so you buy everything under the sun. Obviously spending that kind of dough you are going to end up with decent sound at some point and you think that makes you an authority.  
Tubes done properly and driven properly are lower in distortion and sound more realistic to me, and many others, than solid state. 
Vinyl done properly sounds more realistic and has far better emotional involvement, than digital. IMO and many others as well. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
 The Denon cartridge is better in the manner that if he doesn't like it he can sell it and probably get his money back. These ortofons you keep going on about, are definitely good cartridges, but you're talking about an extra $1600. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Raul  are you crazy?! The otl  specs you listed go beyond the limits of human hearing by far in both directions. Total harmonic distortion may be a bit higher than your piece of crap solid-state but it is composed of even order harmonics not odd order harmonics.  There is a huge difference between those two. The OTL will be far more musical and sound far more realistic. Of course if you're just obsessed with keeping the total harmonic distortion low then listen to your crappy solid-state. 
 And I don't care if you were piece of crap solid-state goes to 1 MHz, that's libel to do more harm than good. You are a testament to the dangers of the Internet, on here postulating as an expert freely handing out bad advice. 
 Japanese solid-state receivers from the 70s and 80s had total harmonic distortion numbers of 0.001. According to your philosophy they will sound much better than my atmosphere OTL. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
@fsmithjack  do yourself a favour and don't listen to Raul . He comes across as an expert as he has nothing better to do than sit in front of his computer all day and respond. Just because you say something over and over and over and over and over does not make it true.
Yes I agree with him that the ortofon A90 is a better cartridge than the Denon. However the Denon was a known quantity at a great price and the ortofon was not.  Hence why I thought you should have went with the Denon, used it for a while and then moved on if you wished. The Denon is a very very capable cartridge. 

 again I cannot overstate this enough, do not pay any attention to Raul.  Anybody who doesn't differentiate between the different kinds of distortion has no credibility. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Another link

http://www.theaudioarchive.com/TAA_Resources_Tubes_versus_Solid_State.htmYes 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Raul please talk with tube designer and come back and share what you learn.  Oh I forgot you can never learn anything because you already know it all!   I would be more than happy to host anyone and do an A B comparison against any spectral amplifier.  

I don't know enough about reel to reel to get into that debate with you, but I'm sure there are other reasons why it sounds so good besides the fact that it has high odd ordered harmonics.  

Solid state has great specs and is for lovers of equipment 
Tubes are for lovers of music because it sounds like MUSIC 

anyways I'm out of here talking to Raul is like bashing your head off-the-wall
analogluvr
859 posts
 
For other folks with an open mind here's a good link to a post from an electronic engineer
http://www.effectrode.com/signal-tubes/vacuum-tubes-and-transistors-compared/

here's a question for you Raul, which is the faster switching device, the vacuum tube or the semi conductor?   I'll give you the answer because if you don't know you'll just make it up. It's the vacuum tube because it operates in a Vacuum 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
 And I do want to say that I have heard solid-state systems that sounds quite good but Raul's insistence on screeching about tubes being inferior just gets under my skin.  Anyone who preaches in absolutes in this hobby is mislead. 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Oh gosh Raul your so smart!!!  I had no idea!!  Let me get this straight, anything that doesn't fit with your way of thinking is "ignorant and stupid". 
Thanks for  your enlightenment, oh wise one… 
 What are your qualifications again?? 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Ok Raul, I’ll buy your argument that passive parts have improved. Tube electronics use those same passive parts so they would have improved as well as SS.
You still never filled us in on your qualifications?
as cleeds pointed out your rebuttal lacks substance to the extreme.
I guess we are just supposed to take your word on things. 
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