Tell us about your stereo!

[mrJim]

^^I don't know but every time he posts a comment about someone owing him money he posts new equipment. He must be sending Vetto & Fredo from that vinyl mafia to "see some folks about some business". I'm just kidding George

I am looking forward to this. hmmm what could it be

Jim

 

[gcczep]

More stuff..

^ It's cool. About the electrical cords fellas, it's analog related for power bases for a couple of items. ***: I have to part with a pair of vintage components to get them but it's worth the trade-off. Pics coming soon.

 

[mrJim]

^^ hmmm I think I recall a you mentioning a certain power/speaker setup could. is this it

 

[LG]

After commenting in another thread about a modest analog rig being better than a very expensive digital/DAC system I threw together some odds and ends I've got sitting around gathering dust.

Speakers, Paradigm Titans about $100 mine are 14 years old.

Turntable, Technics SL-D2, if you find one in good condition between $150-$200. I decided to give mine another try and so far it's running perfectly...thought I might have to spend some money getting it tuned up. At a guess about 30 years old.

Cartridge, Grado Black about $70, less than 3 years old. Funny when I was playing this cartridge with my nice separate phono stage it had a definite lisp but now using built in phono stage of the vintage receiver it sounds way better. For $70 I am really impressed and am using it to play 'dodgy' old vinyl, it's a lot more forgiving than my primo rig.

Receiver, Sansui G-4700 bought locally off a vintage collector about 2 years ago now. It's been brought back up to spec and looks really nice. Cost me $100 and it sure sounds good. When I was using this receiver to listen to CD's and digital stereo from my cable box it didn't sound right...don't know how to explain it but almost like it was out of phase.(Which of course it isn't) Listening to my vinyl this receiver shines.

Throw in about $30 for decent connectors/wire and there you have it a very nice modest system for analog that leaves you plenty to spend on vinyl.

Total cost = $470

I'm listening to it right now while I'm typing this, and just proves you don't have to spend $1000's to get nice sound...of course that didn't stop me when I upgraded my main system over the last year...

 

[mrJim]

^^wow not sure I could pull a deal like that off for total cost.

I wouldn't even bother to buy a DAC that has a price tag below the $800-$1000 range. but I would be buying to meet my expectations and specs.

Jim

 

[gcczep]

Same Age...

After commenting in another thread about a modest analog rig being better than a very expensive digital/DAC system I threw together some odds and ends I've got sitting around gathering dust.

Speakers, Paradigm Titans about $100 mine are 14 years old.

Turntable, Technics SL-D2, if you find one in good condition between $150-$200. I decided to give mine another try and so far it's running perfectly...thought I might have to spend some money getting it tuned up. At a guess about 30 years old.

Cartridge, Grado Black about $70, less than 3 years old. Funny when I was playing this cartridge with my nice separate phono stage it had a definite lisp but now using built in phono stage of the vintage receiver it sounds way better. For $70 I am really impressed and am using it to play 'dodgy' old vinyl, it's a lot more forgiving than my primo rig.

Receiver, Sansui G-4700 bought locally off a vintage collector about 2 years ago now. It's been brought back up to spec and looks really nice. Cost me $100 and it sure sounds good. When I was using this receiver to listen to CD's and digital stereo from my cable box it didn't sound right...don't know how to explain it but almost like it was out of phase.(Which of course it isn't) Listening to my vinyl this receiver shines.

Throw in about $30 for decent connectors/wire and there you have it a very nice modest system for analog that leaves you plenty to spend on vinyl.

Total cost = $470

I'm listening to it right now while I'm typing this, and just proves you don't have to spend $1000's to get nice sound...of course that didn't stop me when I upgraded my main system over the last year...

Sometimes vintage and current gear don't mix as with the Sansui with the cable box. The digital processing from the box is probably less than optimum if its dac's are so-so. Not surprising that the vinyl is good since it is matched with a turntable from the same era. Analog and analog. Old buddies...

Mi Dos Centavos... ***:

 

[LG]

Sometimes vintage and current gear don't mix as with the Sansui with the cable box. The digital processing from the box is probably less than optimum if its dac's are so-so. Not surprising that the vinyl is good since it is matched with a turntable from the same era. Analog and analog. Old buddies...

Mi Dos Centavos... ***:

I realize that the cable box is not considered 'top shelf' when it comes to DAC's the music channels are secondary to the video.

The only reason I mentioned it is because when I did the same test with my other vintage gear, the Yamaha, Pioneer, Rotel they sounded good with CD's or the cable box. The Sansui sounded 'off' by comparison, I was considering selling it and when I dusted off the old TT and installed the Grado to give it one last test I was impressed by the quality of the sound. The major point I was making is for anyone out there who is thinking about getting the vinyl bug, that putting a system together is not really that expensive you can get quality without spending a bundle of cash.

And you are right of course, gear from the same era always matches up the best.

My 2 Pesos Worth.

 

[gcczep]

Old and new...

^Yes, the price point as a whole is nice on the wallet. Key is knowing what gear to look for and the features you would need. Sansuis are underrated when it comes to the name manufacturers of that era. I assume that the other gear you tested are more later models? Now that you mentioned it I find it odd the Sansui did not do as well.

 

[LG]

^Yes, the price point as a whole is nice on the wallet. Key is knowing what gear to look for and the features you would need. Sansuis are underrated when it comes to the name manufacturers of that era. I assume that the other gear you tested are more later models? Now that you mentioned it I find it odd the Sansui did not do as well.

I think there are quite a few Sansui fans out there, on AudioKarma that section had almost as many posts as the Pioneer's did.

Here's a nice image of the G-4700, built between 1980-82, 50 watts RMS of old vintage power. I'm pretty sure the tech did some work on mine, maybe a couple capacitors have been replaced, but it sounds gorgeous running the phono stage.

Mine has 3 black grill vents on the top otherwise it looks identical to this one.(Can't see them in this photo but there are LED peak power meters on the left hand side of the front panel, they are red.)

Here's the Technics Turntable I'm running, SL-D2.

The Paradigm Titans, look identical to mine.



The Grado Black, you can upgrade this cartridge simply by purchasing a higher level stylus, they are interchangeable 2 or 3 models up from this one in fact the actual cartridge is the same it's the stylus/cantilever that is higher quality.

I'm lazy so I just posted images I found rather than taking pictures myself.

 

[gcczep]

Changelings...

^Cool pics. For $470, that set-up is better than any duff component from a Best Buy...

Out: the TC TCC-750 phono pre-amp…



In: the Musical Fidelity trio of a X-10v3 tube buffer, the X-LPSv3 phono pre-amp and the PSUv3 outboard power supply with an Emotiva power cord… The former two are linked with the power base through a unique umbilical cord.





The little TCC unit did a very good job with playing vinyl. By comparison Onkyo’s pre-amp was a notch maybe two below it. Stereo separation was acceptable but the center image seemed a bit further back. With the Musical Fidelity, the sonic imaging is better for each channel and no collapse in the middle. All three are in balance. Keeping the TCC as I will likely use it someday, somewhere.

I placed the tube buffer between the Onkyo pre-amp and Parasound amp. I like the results. There’s sharpness but not to the point of being harsh or cutting to the ears. Very clean sounding yet not fatiguing. The bass is not lumpy but rounded. Before I had used the buffer between the DAC and the pre-amp. Sound was relaxed but a bit fuzzy. Based on that experience, I decided not to use it between the phono pre-amp and Onkyo chain.

Also, the tube buffer helped with CD playback through the Parasound DAC. It brought out and enhanced the detail. A fresher view. It is not expansive as vinyl but a more enjoyable presentation overall.