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McCormack ALD Dlx w phono

Hello all-I just purchased a used McCormack ALD Deluxe w phono. It has balanced and rca outputs. Until i get an amp, I am using my old NAD 7100 receiver's amp section for power. I was thinking of going with a used McCormack DNA.5 amp. How much better are the balanced inputs v. the Cardas RCAs? What other amps might be nice in the $500-600 range? What about going with a tube amp? I look forward to your comments.
tbromgard
tbromgard OP
814 posts
 
Steve-
What kinds of speakers did you use when designing the ALD-1 with phono? What kind of turntable did you use?
Thanks -Todd.
stevemcx
166 posts
 
Hi Todd -

The ALD-1 (Active Line Drive) was designed back in the early '90s. At the time I was using a variety of speakers like the Thiel 3.6, the Vandersteen Model 4, and the Stax ELS-F83X. For turntables I would typically use an Oracle Delphi with a Triplanar tonearm.

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
SMc Audio
tbromgard OP
814 posts
 
Hi Steve-
I purchased a DNA .5 to go with my newly aquired ALD w/phono and external power supply. I understand that they should not be stacked, but placed a few feet apart from each other. Is this correct? Thanks, Todd.
stevemcx
166 posts
 
You are correct, Todd - stacking is not recommended. It is a good idea to keep at least a foot or so of distance between the ALD-1 and another power transformer (like an amplifier). This will minimize the possibility of radiated noise pickup in the phono section. Beyond that, it is always a good idea to keep equipment on separate shelves, preferably with some sort of damping and isolation.

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
SMc Audio
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