Newbie post. I've been very lax over the last few years, using just a Naim Muso as my main music system. Having dug my LPs out of storage and inherited a large classical and jazz collection I'm putting together a new setup over the rest of the year, hopefully an endgame (for me) system that'll not need upgrading. I need to keep a bit of a retro look to fit in with the general mid-century modern vibe we've got going on. So the list for this year is: Turntable: Technics SL-1200GR Amp: Yamaha A-S2200 DAC: Chord Qutest & ProJect Stream Box S2 Ultra Speakers: still deciding between a JBL L82 or Spendor Classic 3/1 setup. I'll see how the built-in phono stage on the Yamaha works out before I decide whether I want something dedicated. No real need for a CD player as I'm happy with Tidal as my digital source, but could be tempted by the Leak CDT just for completeness.
Not sure what it will be exactly but there will be new gear coming in as my listening room-turned-office turns back into a listening room at some point (fingers crossed!).
Ahh, cheers! I suspect I'm setting myself up for a fall with the line about it never needing an upgrade, but I'm going with a pure analogue amp so that the core turntable/amp/speakers have minimal built-in obsolescence. The digital bits are likely to have a faster upgrade cycle so I'll keep them separate. I've gone back to valve guitar amps from modellers for the same reason - they last forever!
Very nice! Congrats! Was there something you didn't like about the AT? Your previous comments peaked my interest on it when it's time for me to upgrade from the Hana SH.
Love the AT ART9XA but it needs more gain than 64db. Rather than a SUT I decided on a new cartridge. I should have bought the AT ART9XI with .5mv output.
I wasn’t planning on another audio upgrade after the Rogue Audio Cronos Magnum III, as I’m really not a frequent upgrader. I had had my Peachtree Audio and B&W 685S2 combo for a half a dozen years. The CMIII was a revelation though and showed me just how much I might be missing speaker-wise. I’ve always considered a pair of Harbeth speakers my end game as I listen to mostly jazz and classical quartets, with some vocal music and modern pop and hip hop sprinkled in. My buddy @timind had noticed me yammering in several threads about Harbeth P3ESR speakers and reached out to me about a pair of P3 Special editions that he had. I wasn’t *quite* ready to purchase, but I’m sure he knew I was as weak as a kitten when it came to the Harbeths. At that point, I knew that the CMIII was outclassing my B&W a bit, so I asked him to let me know when he wanted to put them up for sale. He was kind enough to give me a few months and a lot of space before offering them up for sale. When he did tell me they were for sale, I conferred with the boss and agreed to buy them - at a great price. I tried to pay him a bit more to cover the Paypal fees, but he refunded my extra funds. He shipped them in the original Harbeth box with another box and ample padding built around the Harbeth box. I’ve been living with the P3s for about five days and they have exceeded my expectations. The big difference is the “in your room” feeling they are giving me. Instruments feel much more real and vocals are “laugh out loud” real. I’m using these in a non-ideal setup. It’s a small Brooklyn apartment with absolutely no room for stands. They are on a heavy, wooden mid-century console, which just happens to put the tweeters at ear level. They are about 15 inches from the wall behind them and sharing the surface with the CMIII and my Rega P3. Again, not ideal, but the sound is still incredible. I couldn’t be happier with the speakers and I thank @timind for being patient with me as I tried to decide if I wanted to upgrade. I know these are famous last words, but I’m done for now. Maybe once we retire an move upstate, I’ll revisit upgrading, but I am a happy man right now.
Beautiful! I wish I could find a credenza/cabinet like that as well, been scouring CL for months, got close on a couple, never seem to have transport at the right time. Enjoy your system!
Thank you! We found this on CL locally. This one is a little bit beat up in places, but we wanted something that wasn’t IKEA-like - not that there’s anything wrong with that, we have a TON of IKEA - but I wanted real, heavy wood. I’ve bumped up against it before and no skips or anything. Also good that it can support a 60lb integrated with ease!
benchmark hpa-4 is on the way! other than that I think I'm just going to concentrate on room treatments this year.
I looked for well over a year for a credenza that was mid century and well made (as many were back then). Vermont Wood Furniture Co. still makes a beauty just like the old days. Several in fact. They will even put finished wood on the BACK if it sits out in the room. I bought this one for less than five grand. All solid hardwood. Dovetail joinery. Gorgeous woods. An old beat up real mid century credenza goes for that much or more. They shipped it and brought it into the room for me. There are lots more on their site to look at if interested. Real solid hardwoods and good work are a thing of the past. They are the ONLY place I found after a year looking so I broke down and paid for two large units and had them shipped. A thing of beauty is a joy forever. I NEVER get tired of looking at these pieces. Gorgeous stuff.
Gorgeous looking and this is exactly what we would have purchased if we didn’t find something locally.
If your not too picky here you can find something under $100 from an estate, or people moving, clearing out, etc. Transport is usually a must. 5K is my vinyl budget for the rest of my life
Ah Flor-Da. I used to live in St Pete back in the 60s. All the old people dying was great. Used Cadillacs were never more than $500 bucks. Somebody will probably get a steal when I am gone too. But time is short. And if I wanted to play---I had to PAY. Please post pictures of ads showing solid wood dovetailed mid century credenzas for less than 100 bucks. Make me feel pain. Go ahead. I DARE you.
TT pre-amp and a headphone amp is at the top of my list. Been looking at some pre-amps (Rega Fono MM MK3, Cambridge Alva Duo, MoFi StudioOne), but not sure as for headphone amp. Can't go cheap since I'm using Sennheiser HD600's.
Congrats man! I know you’ve been interested in some Harbeths for a while. Nice looking space, too. As far as being done upgrading for a while... certainly a preamp tube upgrade can’t take up too much space, right?
In plans to acquire: Rotel Cd11 Tribute Cd player Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 Speakers I hope to put together an inexpensive rig for a small space ... I have already bought a Yamaha AS301 integrated amplifier
I just acquired the Rega IO....and i have the brand new Kytes coming this week. I wanna finish of the System 1 with Rega speaker wire, interconnects, Rega powercord, and Rega Planar 1 plus... Additional plans: SMSL M400 or a Denifraps Bluenode streamer or Audiolab streamer, or Cambridge Audio streamer or the up coming IOTA streamer...
