john_tracy

Responses from john_tracy

Triple deionized water for cleaning lps ?
You can take the "purest" water on the planet and if you store it in glass it will leach minerals from the glass. If you store it in plastic, it will leach plastisizers from the plastic. In both cases it will absorb carbon dioxide from the air, lo... 
Can anyone recommend a Phono Pre Amp?
I believe Kevin Carter has a budget version of his K&K Phono Pre in the works that will sell for less than $1k. Also, if you are willing to "stretch" a little you might be able to find a used K&K for ~$1.2k. 
Which part reduces surface noise most?
Improper loading of the cartridge, MM in particular, will result in a high frequency resonance in the responce. Ultra-sonic noise can excite this resonance, causing ringing that will shift the noise lower in freq. to the audible portion of the spe... 
K&K Phono
It's interesting to me that poeple keep mentioning the fact that they have the "single ended" version. I've been in contact with Kevin and as far as I am aware, the fully differential version is still in the prototype phase. It should be awesome w... 
What goes beneath your Nottingham?
A sustom Neuance self sits under my Hyperspace. Looks and sounds great! 
K&K phono stage
Spend the money for a "temperature regulated" station. Weller makes one for about $125 or so. You will still need one of the clunky guns for soldering things like RCA jacks. 
Can Origin Live be as good as the ads say?
I've had good results from OL Illustrious with Shelter 90X and now 9000 cart. Perhaps the Shelters with eliptical as opposed to "fine line" tips are more tolerant of small VTA and azimuth errors. I have purchased a "VTAF" device to allow on the fl... 
Best value phono $1-1.5k
K&K Audio has a new "budget" phono pre you might consider. 
Stand out phono stages
Kevin Carter has a new differential phono stage in prototype that is said to "blow-away" the current SE kit. It uses the new Lundahl input trannies, cascode CCSs, and a full differential topology. I can't wait to get my hands on one. The bad news ... 
Shelter 90X owners, had a chance to audition 9000?
Thanks for the replies. My 90X is experiencing some problems and in need of a replacement. I could buy another from the needle doctor for the close-out price; but, I have "connections" and can buy the new model at dealer cost. So, was wondering if... 
Sun Audio SV-2A3:: Direct or not?
Yeh, but have you checked out the price of NOS Western Electric WE417As? 
Sun Audio SV-2A3:: Direct or not?
If you go with a pre, you can reduce the gain somewhat (it only takes 150mV to drive the Sun to full output) and IMHO improve the sound by leaving off the cathode bypass cap on the input voltage gain stage. I did this on mine and didn't notice any... 
Best phono stage balanced under $3000 used
Cedar, FWIW the "topology" of the K&K is decidedly single-ended. The output, which is transformer coupled, allows either a single-ended output or a balanced out. Check the schematic. BTW, I bought the first "complete kit" from Kevin and have l... 
Consonance 6550 tube question
While qualitative changes can be made by trying different tubes; I suspect in your case what you're lookin for will require biamping with a SS amp controling your woofers. That said: you might be able to get the results you want with different spe... 
Is there any benefit to a tubed phono stage?
The K&K phono is designed to use the Russian 6N1P tube. NOS versions of this tube are still available for $5 a pop. For $100 you could have a lifetime supply! Tube rolling and tube cost are not an issue with this phono pre.