Congratulations!
Replaced Everything, New Gears waiting to be installed...
Well, I went for it! I replaced everything this year, purchasing at the top-end of my budget, hoping to stave off upgraditus for a few years. The equipment has been arriving, and the boxes are piling up. This weekend I will put it all together. Can’t wait...
New stuff (most still in boxes):
- Accuphase E-380 Integrated Amp
- REL Vintage 98 Subwoofer
- Thorens TD-1601 Turntable (Walnut)
- Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
- Schitt Skoll Phono Preamp
- Balanced XLR Cables Turntable > Preamp > Integrated
- Rose HiFi 150b Streamer/DAC (put in service recently)
- Grant Fidelity B-283 (Vintage) Tube Buffer w/ fresh Mullard Tubes : MAY place in the Tape Monitor Loop to tame the HiFi Rose if needed
- Paradigm Reference Studio 40 v2 (a personal favorite, bought and put in service recently)
- Shunyata Research Defender Power Conditioner
- also replacing all interconnects and speaker cales. Custom made Cardas and Morgami.
- ... and I crafted a new Rack to hold/house it all.
I thought about bringing it into service piece-by-piece, and thus seeing the incremental difference. But I kind of didn’t want to open the boxes...weird.
Many thanks to the Audiogon community; this forum and the occasional thread greatly informed my ideas and purchases. Will report back.
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- 13 posts total
Thanks everyone. Wow, exceeding my expectations. As I completed the install Friday night, I realized I had gone hours without food or drink, needed to sit and chill. If it’s going to get better with break-in, then count me in! The Thorens TD-1601 with the new Nagaoka cart, Schitt Skoll preamp, and all balanced XLRs is a BIG step up. So much more revealing. I will need to re-clean or discard some older/crusty albums. I am having issues with footfalls, now have ordered brackets to wall-mount (I guess it does not end?). The Accuphase E-380 integrated is so smooth and effortless. The sound is just right for me. And it looks awesome. A legacy piece for me. Wish the remote had a few more features...loundess, tape loop on/off. 1st world problem. Having an active subwoofer, the REL Classic 98, is another step up from the old passive KLH. Still dialing it in, reading articles about mixing and placement. I really like to high-level inputs, soldered better connections on the wires (bananas and a small spade for ground. I did install the tube buffer in the tape loop, it adds a nice element to harsh digital tracks through the Rose Hifi 150B. Still wrapping my head, and ears, around it all, time to enjoy the music again. Attempting a picture... https://1drv.ms/i/s!Arl4p5TXJ0nUgcRetn8xe83QiOUBGA?e=HJKL8b thanks... @ellajeanelle @ghdprentice @zlone @skinzy @danmar123
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Wow, that is quite an amazing amount of gear and I'll bet loads of fun to install. Only comment is that I doubt the tube buffer is going to stick. There is at least a theoretical reason why tubes in an analog stage could be beneficial or to taste, but a tube buffer is just an extra box that adds color without need. If you want tube, I'd recommend a tube preamp or a DAC with an analog stage that actually uses the tubes. |
- 13 posts total