drewdawg999
Responses from drewdawg999
| VAS (Steven Leung) cartridge repair/retipping service? I sent him my old Koetsu Black. He had to straighten out the suspension and put a new line contact stylus on there. Price was reasonable and the Koetsu sings again. Great work doing the micro surgery this requires. Waited a couple months though, t... | |
| I was happy with my system for 30 years; now I need a new amp...and more? I would suggest a Class D if you like things cool and compact. I love my Hypex NC502MP based amp, there's also a 252 based one if you don't need the power. Audiophonics looks nice for the money, you might be able to afford a Purifi based model whi... | |
| Which Cartridge Type and Value and best brand around 2000$ I would go for a moving magnet, and with your budget you can get totl. The most expensive MM cart is the Clearaudio Charisma. It outputs 3.6mV, which should be good for the 46dB setting on your phono pre. I have the Maestro v2 which is fantastic w... | |
| Prospectives on Chi-Fi Nice article. Love my Topping Pre90 and SMSL DO100. Great bang for the buck, nice build quality and incredible sonics, sota stuff. As for politics, I really don't care nowadays. It's not like capitalism is any less evil, corporations are just as e... | |
| Another "Best" amplifier Question. I believe separates are the way to go. For pre I like my Topping Pre90. Power amp I would get a Purifi based amp, from either March Audio or Audiophonics. Phono pre I would go Darlington MP-7, or whatever is left in the budget but their TOTL is qu... | |
| Cartridge to turntable price ratio I like to go a little crazy and spend up to the cost of the table for the cart. I have a Clearaudio Maestro v2 on my hot-rodded Rega P3 and it's a wonderful combination. On my Michell Gyro SE I have a Koetsu Black and it's also fantastic. When the... | |
| Warmer class D amps for magnepan? I use a Hypex NC502MP based amp, a March Audio P502. It's been awesome for me, 500 watts into 4 ohms. Just tremendous drive along with great definition and clarity. Drives my old MMGs and they've never been driven so well or sound so good. I found... | |
| Is the Darlington MP-7 an upgrade over a MS Nova Phonomena? Ummm, did a pivot and oops, I'm soon to have a new SUT, my dream one, a Cinemag 1254 by Ned Clayton. Expecting big things in order for it to be a meaningful upgrade from my Phasemation T-300. 4 adjustable gain settings is a big plus, I have much t... | |
| Is the Darlington MP-7 an upgrade over a MS Nova Phonomena? @tswisla Cool, thanks. Must have been your post I saw before in another thread. Perhaps phono stages are a solved problem now and need not cost an arm and a leg. | |
| Is the Darlington MP-7 an upgrade over a MS Nova Phonomena? @reidcc Thanks for the detailed testimonial, very nice! Had a read of the FAQ at the Darlington site and it was a good read, they seem to know what they're doing over there. Also perused their Audio Encyclopedia which is nice and knowledgeable as... | |
| Is the Darlington MP-7 an upgrade over a MS Nova Phonomena? @mattmiller Yeah your little story helps very much, thanks. We have similar gear in the Gyro SE and the P3 that I still have and hot-rodded. I'd like to follow in your footsteps and nab a Chinook or a Herron, but budget won't allow for that atm.... | |
| Fantasy or reality? Inexpensive solid state preamps that get you 80% there? @mr_bill I actually don't have any problems with the remote for the Pre90. I sit right in front of my rack though and I'm about 8 feet away. Guess I'm one of the few that has no complaints about it. | |
| going from tube preamp to solid state I've moved from a Rogue Metis to a Topping Pre90, and I kept and love the Topping piece. Much blacker backgrounds, more dynamic and detailed, more drive from top to bottom. I've loved my Rogue for many years, even found my dream 6sn7, the very bas... | |
| Fantasy or reality? Inexpensive solid state preamps that get you 80% there? I'd have to cast my vote for the Topping Pre90. I love mine, plug my turntable and my DAC into it and they both sound great. State of the art performance for not a lot of cash. Was lucky to nab one used like new for less than 500 bucks. Balanced X... | |
| New Class D amplifiers I'm in the Hypex and Purifi camp, Bruno Putzeys is a wizard. I have the March Audio P502 and it's been a high wattage wonder in driving my inefficient Maggies and Vandies. Wonderful detail and clarity, and driving bass to get the toes tapping an... |