Official A/V Thread

[Kristian Meller]

5k for that Naim, you mean? It's not even 4k here. Not saying it's an inexpensive piece of kit, but I fully support blowing that kind of money on hi-fi if you like good sound

 

[Kristian Meller]

The left and right channels are separate, which is a different way of listening.

A proper stereo setup also has separate left and right channels I don't even sit at the centre of my two DLS M66s, and I can hear the whole stereo soundstage.

I like that this Headphone Edition is also a high-quality pre-amp. Just buy some good amplification and you're ready for "proper" stereo.

 

[skate323k137]

Nope – this is the first time I've run into it to the point that it's a nuisance. Would this do?

I prefer the DAK brand, they are fantastic for getting dust out of grooves etc.

Anti-Static Carbon Fiber Record Brush - DAK Industries

Where the Stylus Meets the Groove

www.dak.com

 

[kernow]

Do I admit this, but my record player's stylus cost about £1k more than that naim + headphone setup

Not boasting. I'm an idiot x
I mean which do you think is better value

 

[fake]

I prefer the DAK brand, they are fantastic for getting dust out of grooves etc.

Anti-Static Carbon Fiber Record Brush - DAK Industries

Where the Stylus Meets the Groove

www.dak.com

Yeah, I got the AT one in yesterday and it ended up shedding a bit and getting some fibers in the grooves. After cleaning it with liquid and velvet, then doing the anti-static brush again, there's still a lot of noise between tracks, but it's far less noticeable while the music is playing.

 

[skate323k137]

Yeah, I got the AT one in yesterday and it ended up shedding a bit and getting some fibers in the grooves.

Oh that's gross... unacceptable IMO. I've been using these DAK brushes for over 10 years at this point (I replace them every few years), never had them shed fibers on a record ever. Over the last 5+ years I noticed a lot of similar looking brushes on the market from other brands, but I always stuck to my OGs.

 

[kernow]

I prefer this shape of brush as I've had no luck with the fat ones

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Ject-Brush-IT-Record-Cleaner-metallic-silver/dp/B006YOC5OK/ref=asc_df_B006YOC5OK/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=214453842616&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6617410633739719323&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006707&hvtargid=pla-420169741590&psc=1

 

[stormy]

5k for that Naim, you mean? It's not even 4k here. Not saying it's an inexpensive piece of kit, but I fully support blowing that kind of money on hi-fi if you like good sound

As an aside, I did not pay retail price for it either. There is a boutique AV dealer that sells Naim and some other high end brands around here and they were able to work out a better price. It was still damn expensive for me though.

Although I know people will drop 2-3x that on speakers, tube amps and all sorts of other shiz. So it’s not expensive in comparison to someone doing that.

I like that it is compact, versatile and sounds amazing. Pretty much my personal end game.

 

[fake]

Some additional advice needed...Would this Cambridge pre be overkill for my setup? U-Turn Orbit Plus with Ortofon OM5E cart and Edifier bookshelf speakers. I was planning on getting the Pluto 2, but if it's worth it, I'm fine with spending extra on the Cambridge.

Cambridge Audio ALVA Solo Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifier

Enjoy every last detail from your vinyl collection with our highest quality moving magnet phono stage, the Solo Phono Preamplifier."A finely honed phono pre-amp. Highly recommended."- STEREO, July 2018

www.cambridgeaudio.com

Pluto 2 Phono Preamp

Pluto is a low noise phono preamp for turntables and record players with moving magnet cartridges. Shop now!

uturnaudio.com

I know this is a mid-entry level set-up. I will die on my compact disc hill. But I do like having the option and this setup does the job for me.

 

[terry.330]

I prefer the DAK brand, they are fantastic for getting dust out of grooves etc.

Anti-Static Carbon Fiber Record Brush - DAK Industries

Where the Stylus Meets the Groove

www.dak.com

This is the brush I use and have used for about a decade.

 

[wataru330]

I’ve got the old wooden fatty Discwasher brush that is hollowed out to hold the D4 fluid.

 

[kernow]

$500 Audiophile SATA SSD Cable With Superstar Crystals Listed

Claimed to be the “best computer Hi-Fi cable ever built.”

www.tomshardware.com

…this special SATA cable works its audiophile optimization magic by simply being plugged into the motherboard. It doesn’t need to be plugged into a SATA SSD/HDD on the other end to optimize your system, however if you do so you will benefit from “double the effect.”

 

[terry.330]

Some additional advice needed...Would this Cambridge pre be overkill for my setup? U-Turn Orbit Plus with Ortofon OM5E cart and Edifier bookshelf speakers. I was planning on getting the Pluto 2, but if it's worth it, I'm fine with spending extra on the Cambridge.

Cambridge Audio ALVA Solo Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifier

Enjoy every last detail from your vinyl collection with our highest quality moving magnet phono stage, the Solo Phono Preamplifier."A finely honed phono pre-amp. Highly recommended."- STEREO, July 2018

www.cambridgeaudio.com

Pluto 2 Phono Preamp

Pluto is a low noise phono preamp for turntables and record players with moving magnet cartridges. Shop now!

uturnaudio.com

I know this is a mid-entry level set-up. I will die on my compact disc hill. But I do like having the option and this setup does the job for me.

Probably a bit overkill for your current setup, if you do get the Cambridge there's a good chance it will trigger you to eventually upgrade the other components. That's how this shit goes.

 

[fake]

Probably a bit overkill for your current setup, if you do get the Cambridge there's a good chance it will trigger you to eventually upgrade the other components. That's how this shit goes.

Thanks, that's what I figured. I've been using the built-in pre for a year now, so I definitely want to see if there's a noticeable difference with the Pluto 2.

 

[theMot]

The soundstage is inside your head.

Tell me more about this soundstage in your head…

 

[max 330 megafartz]

Some additional advice needed...Would this Cambridge pre be overkill for my setup? U-Turn Orbit Plus with Ortofon OM5E cart and Edifier bookshelf speakers. I was planning on getting the Pluto 2, but if it's worth it, I'm fine with spending extra on the Cambridge.

Cambridge Audio ALVA Solo Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifier

Enjoy every last detail from your vinyl collection with our highest quality moving magnet phono stage, the Solo Phono Preamplifier."A finely honed phono pre-amp. Highly recommended."- STEREO, July 2018

www.cambridgeaudio.com

Pluto 2 Phono Preamp

Pluto is a low noise phono preamp for turntables and record players with moving magnet cartridges. Shop now!

uturnaudio.com

I know this is a mid-entry level set-up. I will die on my compact disc hill. But I do like having the option and this setup does the job for me.

Dude the edifier speakers are so nice for what they cost, its what we have and they rule. I bought a very inexpensive (and not even that well reviewed) barely over 100 bucks phono preamp and it sounds awesome with our setup. Made a big difference.

 

[fake]

Dude the edifier speakers are so nice for what they cost, its what we have and they rule. I bought a very inexpensive (and not even that well reviewed) barely over 100 bucks phono preamp and it sounds awesome with our setup. Made a big difference.

Yeah I was really impressed, especially considering the price.

 

[max 330 megafartz]

Yeah I was really impressed, especially considering the price.

Once you get the pluto 2, please report back. Maybe ill consider upgrading to one from my current preamp.

 

[fake]

Once you get the pluto 2, please report back. Maybe ill consider upgrading to one from my current preamp.

Got drunk and bought a preamp. Still drunk. Pluto twoooooo

 

[max 330 megafartz]

Got drunk and bought a preamp. Still drunk. Pluto twoooooo

Hell yeah, brother!!!!

 

[fake]

Once you get the pluto 2, please report back. Maybe ill consider upgrading to one from my current preamp.

Alrighty, I've just hooked it up and put on Dear You and A/B'd. My initial reactions are that there seems to be much less noise with the Pluto in the signal chain, especially at louder volumes, and there's very slightly more separation in the mix. The drums are standing out more. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the low end is holding up better. It's mid-90s emo, so it doesn't have a whole lot of highs to analyze. But for lows and low-mids that the album is mixed towards, there's definitely a difference. For $99, I'm definitely happy with it, but it wasn't some sort of revelation like when I listened to high-res digital with good headphones for the first time, the caveat being that I have entry-level powered speakers. For a $700 system, it's sounding pretty great. I still love CDs though.

TLDR: Definitely cleaner-sounding, a bit better general audio quality, but nothing mind-blowing.

 

[max 330 megafartz]

Alrighty, I've just hooked it up and put on Dear You and A/B'd. My initial reactions are that there seems to be much less noise with the Pluto in the signal chain, especially at louder volumes, and there's very slightly more separation in the mix. The drums are standing out more. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the low end is holding up better. It's mid-90s emo, so it doesn't have a whole lot of highs to analyze. But for lows and low-mids that the album is mixed towards, there's definitely a difference. For $99, I'm definitely happy with it, but it wasn't some sort of revelation like when I listened to high-res digital with good headphones for the first time, the caveat being that I have entry-level powered speakers. For a $700 system, it's sounding pretty great. I still love CDs though.

TLDR: Definitely cleaner-sounding, a bit better general audio quality, but nothing mind-blowing.

Word, sounds about like what my experience has been with the cheap phono i bought. I may upgrade to a schiit mani 2 at some point and see if that is worth the extra fiddy bucks.

 

[kernow]

Alrighty, I've just hooked it up and put on Dear You and A/B'd. My initial reactions are that there seems to be much less noise with the Pluto in the signal chain, especially at louder volumes, and there's very slightly more separation in the mix. The drums are standing out more. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the low end is holding up better. It's mid-90s emo, so it doesn't have a whole lot of highs to analyze. But for lows and low-mids that the album is mixed towards, there's definitely a difference. For $99, I'm definitely happy with it, but it wasn't some sort of revelation like when I listened to high-res digital with good headphones for the first time, the caveat being that I have entry-level powered speakers. For a $700 system, it's sounding pretty great. I still love CDs though.

TLDR: Definitely cleaner-sounding, a bit better general audio quality, but nothing mind-blowing.

Yeah I'm not goobreading that tbh

 

[Teddy KGB]

It has been a while since I posted in this thread. I have since moved and had the opportunity to remodel the new place pretty extensively. All of which allowed my wife and I to have some fun with designing a central home automation system via Control4 with our local integrator. However, in our main "Great Room" area, I opted for a more family friendly (we have 3 kids) area where just about all the gear is hidden in a rack-mount system or out of sight, which is a pretty stark contrast to our last set up at our last home where all components & separates were visible.

I guess it's all a part of growing up, but I do somewhat miss having all of my prior gear - including my 2 channel audio set up - out on display for all to see in some regards.

Anyways, this is the current set-up in the main living area...

TV - Sony XBR77A9G
Receiver - Anthem MRX540
Front/Center In-Wall Speakers - Paradigm CI Elite E3-LCR
Surround In-Ceiling Speakers - Paradigm E65-R
2xTriad In-Wall Subs (behind the couch/good rumble!!)
RackAmp 700 DSP powering the 2 subs
My trusty old Oppo UDP-203
The Near 3XL DSP in the rack powers our audio out in the back yard

 

[fake]

Gaiz, I'm not going to buy this (or something like it) until I move later in the year, but does anyone know of something "better" than this deck, as it's pretty old. The only comparable stuff I see are "streamers" that have an external drive port.

Home review

Sony’s ventured into high-definition audio territory with impressive results - the HAP-Z1ES is a smartly designed, superb sounding piece of kit

www.whathifi.com