2. analog
  3. 1037142820

very disappointed about my system setup

i need help. here is my system: speakers=decapos ref 3a,
amps=quicksilvers silver 60's, preamps=blue circle bc-3 and
cj premier 3, analog= lp12 with ittok and dynavector mk2 cartridge, digital= wadia transport and d/a.
here is my story. i am 47 years old. loved vinyl but because of life's trials and tribulations was forced to sell my lp-12 years ago. decided to get back into about a year ago. purchased a basis tt, rega rb-300 and grado sonata cartridge with a black cube phono. sounded dry as hell no life etc... so i sold that setup and waited for an lp-12. i thought i remembered how good it sounded. so..... i purchased another lp12 and bought the cj on the high recomendations of people on the gon. it was said the phono rocked. hooked it up and nothing. the tt is set up better than any setup i have had, adjustments to rake and angle, isolation etc... lifeless, very dark, no detail. now my digital setup rocks on the cj or b.c. beautiful sound. 3D. i either need to give up on vinyl forever or make this work. money is an issue at this point. i have spent way to much already. can anyone make a recomendation before i give up ? is anyone familar with the cj phono? i thought about buying a grado just to see if it is the cartridge "it came with the table and looks o.k. under the mag glass.
thanks, tim
bluebottle

Showing 2 responses by twl

twl
3,251 posts
 
Is the LP12 properly adjusted and set up? And when I say set up, I mean the internal springs and the P-Clip and the suspension rate and leveling inside the TT. Is the CJ phono section correct in gain and loading for the Dynavector? It these 2 things are correct, then the analog setup should be sounding very good. So I suspect that one or both of these conditions is not correct.

Who set up the TT when you got it? Does the TT meet all the testing criteria for proper setup? Do you know how to check it?

Since you had a Linn before, you surely know that it doesn't just jump out of the box onto the table all set up and ready to go. If the setup is not right, the TT will sound dead.
twl
3,251 posts
 
Pbb, if you get a chance, listen to the Naim phono sections in their preamps. They are just about overload proof regarding ticks and pops. I used to use them, and found them excellent for reducing noise, and they have good sound quality too. I use a tube phono section/preamp now, but I think that the Naim was better at reducing click/pop noise.

I understand that this type of noise can be irritating, and I don't relish any of this noise, but I find that the sonic benefits far outweigh this noise thing. The noise can be reduced to a very low level on most records, but there is no doubt that some records are just going to be noisy.If this noise is too difficult for you to bear, then you are correct in not using vinyl.

And up until the advent of the CD, there was no such thing as a "totally black background", and this is what creates the "desire" for this on vinyl as well. But at this time, there is only the choice of one(better sound?) or the other(black background). Ya pays yer money, and ya takes yer choice. But, with good vinyl, you can get nearly black backgrounds most of the time, and still exceed the performance of CD. That's why I go with vinyl. Not all will.
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