Show us your Phono Stages and Phono Cartridges

[PKay]

5 hours ago, marcusD said:

Just arrived from Shindo, Aurieges MM preamp, the final piece of my puzzle

Is this for the Lenco?

[marcusD]

1 hour ago, PKay said:

Is this for the Lenco?

Yes amongst a couple of others

[Phill451]

6 hours ago, mwhouston said:

Beauty with the 12AX7 and other JJ tubes is for the cost they are top performers and I can get them from EVATCO for $40 each in a few days. 

I use JJ’s in my guitar amp. Most guitar sites have them for $30 so worth shopping around. Evatco can be a mixed bag from a pricing point of view, but great for delivering quickly and definitely reliable.

[Peter_F]

21 hours ago, cafe67 said:

Welcome, I havent had chance to really sit down with the new cart since I picked it up, few family health issues have cropped up since but I hope to soon.

Which cart did you end up getting?

[cafe67]

14 minutes ago, Peter_F said:

Which cart did you end up getting?

Charisma Audio ref 2 

[SPR08Y]

 

Synergy back! 

[2Brix]

great album too 

[Analogsound]

 Sharing my Aesthetix io Phono fully vacuum

 

[marcusD]

2 hours ago, Analogsound said:

 Sharing my Aesthetix io Phono fully vacuum

 

Sounds ( and looks ) awesome 

[PKay]

13 hours ago, Analogsound said:

 Sharing my Aesthetix io Phono fully vacuum

 

Very nice! Did you make the plinth?

[Analogsound]

1 hour ago, PKay said:

Very nice! Did you make the plinth?

Yeah I made it by myself with a CNC router cutoff multi-layer

[Analogsound]

12 hours ago, marcusD said:

Sounds ( and looks ) awesome 

Yeah, Sounds wonderful and hard to beat
The inside Aesthetix IO 

 

 

 

[NormB]

The blue tack was for some accessories I’d removed while installing the tonearm.

 

Benz Micro Glider SL MC, SME V tonearm (just recently rebuilt/upgraded by SME in Canada - US cleaning, continuous run of 4x32g Cardas Litz wire, ceramic bearings, some adjustment to the lift pot which actually works well now), soundstage is a Musical Surroundings Nova III with linear power supply.

 

TT I got from an estate sale, I bought a modern make control board from Pat Pruitt (jewelry designer and electronics wizard of good repute here in the states) sold the original Grace 9F Ruby cartridge and the SME 3009 S2 tonearm and paid for the TT and an Ortofon 2M Black I used for about 2 years. About to build a maple plinth for it so it’ll match the shelves and the speakers when I get around to putting the laminate on them)

 

TT to the back/right is a Reloop 4000 with an Ortofon super 40 cartridge holding a mono needle so’s I can play pre-stereo records from the 40’s-60’s.

 

The LP is El Ten Eleven’s Fanshawe. I’ve used the same tracks to audition cartridges for over 3 years now and my musician son (mulitiinstrument including drums, piano, guitar, bass) helps with hearing some of the finer points. I have an Ortofon Cadenza Black I’m paying off (creative financing, zero interest for 18 months) and with 12 payments to go I should have wrung out the Benz pretty well by then. I tried it out for a few hours and was stunned and the reproduction, but the Benz has a lot going for it besides being paid for..

 

I like this site. I was reading through a post by a guy trying to upgrade his turntable with a new cartridge but his tonearm has a fixed VTA. Saw a lot of Ortofon 2M Black and other useful suggestions. The responses were what I expect from gentlemen and scholars. Helpful to a fault, really offering some good advice (I’d have chimed in as well but the OP’s questions had been pretty well/thoroughly answered already).

 

As an American I’m ashamed of the sociopaths (trolls) who self-identify as Americans and haunt every thread on every site just slavering for the moment they can strike from the safety of their moms’ basement hidden behind a screen, fingers twitching at the ready to write mean things, plumb the depths of their ignorance, spewing spite, scorn, derision and generally make reading a lot of threads tiresome.

 

Thanks for being here.

 

 

 

 

[stevoz]

May as well put this here too....the third thread it's been shown in today but possibly the most relevant.....plus I'll add another.

 

My two Grace Level II carts.....firstly the newly boron cantilevered and micro-ridged Grace Level II BR/MR courtesy of @cafe latte, new photo (taken this morning) followed by a better photo from a few years ago. This is my flagship cart and I love it.

 

 

 

Secondly my Grace Level II RC (rare ceramic cantilever w/hyper-elliptical stylus). Great cart but sits just behind the BR/MR.

 

 

I love my Graces. My first ever cart upgrade was a Grace F8C in 1978 and I still have it. I was extremely lucky to get the 2 Level II's.

 

 

 

 

 

[rossb]

Zyx R1000 Airy 3 X - purchased used and without a stylus (and part of the cantilever). Re-tipped with a micro-ridge stylus by @cafe latte, and sounding excellent.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by rossb

[Pegasus]

16 minutes ago, rossb said:

Zyx R1000 Airy 3 X - purchased used and without a stylus (and part of the cantilever). Re-tipped with a micro-ridge stylus by @cafe latte, and sounding excellent.

 

 

 

 

Great cartridge.

I have my mounted on a Stabi 12-inch arm with VTA on a Kuzma Stabi TT.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Pegasus

[Pops110]

3 hours ago, rossb said:

Zyx R1000 Airy 3 X - purchased used and without a stylus (and part of the cantilever). Re-tipped with a micro-ridge stylus by @cafe latte, and sounding excellent.

 

 

Very nice, I was disappointed when I missed that sale. How does it compare to other carts you have had?

Im pretty happy with my ZYX so far I think it suits the music I like better than the Kiseki Blue I have also.

[The Blues]

3 hours ago, rossb said:

Zyx R1000 Airy 3 X - purchased used and without a stylus (and part of the cantilever). Re-tipped with a micro-ridge stylus by @cafe latte, and sounding excellent.

 

 

That was a quick cartridge renovation. 

Great that we have someone in Australia 

[Tweaky]

On 29/01/2023 at 9:23 AM, Analogsound said:

Yeah, Sounds wonderful and hard to beat
The inside Aesthetix IO 

 

 

 

 

DROOL ! My Dream Phono stage.

I've been a member since 2005, and I'm pretty sure you are the only person that has posted that they actually owned one of these.

[rossb]

8 hours ago, Pops110 said:

Very nice, I was disappointed when I missed that sale. How does it compare to other carts you have had?

Im pretty happy with my ZYX so far I think it suits the music I like better than the Kiseki Blue I have also.

 

I only got 30 minutes with it after I installed it yesterday and will still need some time to dial it in. Quick impressions were an expansive 3D soundstage and deep bass. It sounds very good. As to how it compares with others, I will post some more thoughts in a few days.

 

8 hours ago, The Blues said:

That was a quick cartridge renovation. 

Great that we have someone in Australia 

 

Agreed, @cafe latte does great work, at a reasonable price, and the turnaround time is a matter of days. Some re-tippers are renowned for taking the better part of a year!

[metal beat]

7 hours ago, rossb said:

,  Some re-tippers are renowned for taking the better part of a year!

 

Ross.  There is generally a pretty good reason for that 

[cafe latte]

4 hours ago, metal beat said:

 

Ross.  There is generally a pretty good reason for that 

They lost the cartridge maybe?

[metal beat]

What does the 2nd power supply do to the sound of the EA-1200? very good question -
IMO based on my 4th day of listening, the answer is WOW - EVERYTHING

better bass weight, density, drive, slam, dynamics, depth, soundstage. There is more meat on the musical bones while it maintains it's incredible transparency. complex detailed multitrack recordings become easier to follow and the purity of the sound is better. The sound is almost relaxed - but the musical notes start and stop so quickly. This phono is just so quiet - it's spooky.
Overall, music is just easier to listen to and enjoy.

IMO the the 2nd power supply PS-1200 is not a nice to to have, its mandatory for the EA-1200 to sound it's best. The dual power supply is greater than the sum of it's parts.

 

from Phasemation:

Doubling the ability of the power supply

By attaching the shorting connector of the accessories, two choke coils and two electrolytic capacitors, which were used independently for the left and right side of the EA-1200, are connected in parallel, and this lowers the output impedance of the power supply and greatly increases the capacity of the power supply.

 

 

you attach the shorting plug to the first power supply and new power supply and move the left or right umbilical cord to the new power supply - very easy.

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by metal beat

[andyr]

15 minutes ago, metal beat said:

What does the 2nd power supply do to the sound of the EA-1200? very good question -
IMO based on my 4th day of listening, the answer is WOW - EVERYTHING

better bass weight, density, drive, slam, dynamics, depth, soundstage. There is more meat on the musical bones while it maintains it's incredible transparency. complex detailed multitrack recordings become easier to follow and the purity of the sound is better. The sound is almost relaxed - but the musical notes start and stop so quickly. This phono is just so quiet - it's spooky.

Overall, music is just easier to listen to and enjoy.

from Phasemation:

Doubling the ability of the power supply

By attaching the shorting connector of the accessories, two choke coils and two electrolytic capacitors, which were used independently for the left and right side of the EA-1200, are connected in parallel, and this lowers the output impedance of the power supply and greatly increases the capacity of the power supply.

 

Makes sense, Shane.  

 

[Warren Jones]

An Allclear Audio re-tipped Grado Opus 3, this has a Boron CL and MR diamond. It's only done 20 or so LP sides and it sounds fantastic, the separation is clearly audible and reminiscent of the Stanton 881s.

 

Anyone with a Grado Opus 3 that needs re-tipping this is worth additional $$.

 

This is the low output version and works with either my MM at 54dB or MC at 64dB. It's currently in the MC with 22kR loading. I found it a little too bright with 47kR.

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Warren Jones
clarification