Much depends on the cartridges and mixer that you're using with those tables. Most DJ oriented pieces are not especially designed for fidelity. If the DH-110 sounds good with the SACD; it should sound at least as good, with a decent phono pre and better cart. Ortofon makes some nice, entry level, MM carts like the 2M Bronze(http://www.needledoctor.com/Ortofon-2M-Bronze-Phono-Cartridge) Here's another option, on sale: (http://www.needledoctor.com/Sumiko-Blue-Point-No-2_2) You won't get all the nuance, that a moving coil would provide. But- you'll still get a better slice of what's on your vinyl. BTW: If your DH-110 was equipped with the optional DH-112 installed; a MC would be a major improvement. Have you tried the tables, directly plugged into the Hafler's stock phono stage? Even that should sound better than through the mixer. See if you can borrow a good phono pre from a dealer and compare it(plugged into your AUX), to your mixer and the Hafler's phono inputs, even with your present carts. You don't mention what cabling you're using now. Kimber Kable has offerings at virtually every price point, and excellent Bang-For-The-Buck. You won't be disappointed by their presentation. ALSO- Keep in mind; with vinyl your results majorly depend on the proper setup/alignment of your arm and cartridge. I guess, with the 1200's arm, there isn't a lot of adjustment available, but at least use a protractor to insure your alignment. Some things that will inprove your tables can be found here: (http://www.mikenewaudio.com/) Probably the single greatest impact, could be realized by replacing the armboard and tonearm. Happy listening!
Anybody with some thoughts on Hafler amps
Recently I picked up a Hafler 9300 amp along with a Hafler 945 series pre-amp. The (used) amp and pre-amp were purchased to drive a couple of Dali Euphonia MS4's. During the first hour or so of listening, the amp seems about as musical as a brick; when performing numerous comparisons against a Denon 3805 A/V receiver, the Denon had it beat all to Hell. However, after an hour or two of continuous play, some voodoo magic begins to happen (I know the amp warms up) and the amp begins to gain some essence and hence forth the music starts to flow, not sounding starchy or flat…I guess to get to my point, has anyone else with this amp or something similar had this experience where at the beginning it’s almost intolerable, and only later something decent occurs? In addition, if anyone else is driving some Dali speakers I would be curious to hear what types of amps you have used and some of the lessons learned. Musically I’m all over the map: The Rolling Stones to Rossini, Fats Domino to the Lords of Acid. Thanks for any comments. Cheers