AudioAficionado.org - Moved Micro Seiki DD-40 to the two channel tube system

After installing the new Ortofon 2M Black moving magnet phono cartridge on my Micro Seiki DD-40 turntable, and immediately reaping performance gains, I knew there were additional gains to be obtained. Until this afternoon I had the turntable installed in the Home Theater system, and connected to the phono stage of the MX120. After reading the MX120 phono stage specifications I discovered that the capacitance was fixed a 65pf. I wasn't too happy to see this. Ortofon says the best capacitance loading for the 2M Black comes between 150 and 300 picofarads (pf). Since the MX120 doesn't include provisions for making capacitance loading adjustments I decided to relocate the Micro Seiki turntable to the two channel tube system. The C1000T preamplifier allows for cartridge capacitance loading on the fly from the remote control, a very useful and valuable feature.

Moving the turntable from the top glass shelf on the HT system rack to the top of a wooden two drawer chest proved to be a nice benefit, too. The wood cabinet is considerably more inert, and is a far better support for the Micro Seiki. After relocating the turntable, leveling, installing the interconnects and ground wire to the C1000T, it was show time. This was my first experience connecting a turntable to the C1000T, and I was anxious to hear what would surly be an improvement over the moving magnet phono stage in the MX120.

I placed Riki Lee Jones (Original Master Recording) on the turntable, lowered the cue for the tonearm, and away we went. I grabbed the remote, adjusted the cartridge capacitance loading to 150pf and turned up the volume. "Chuck E.'s In Love" was rocking right along, and sounding very good. Then came the space between tracks, and my attention was instantly drawn to the sound of a rushing air noise. I knew exactly what it was, the stock, Made In China, McIntosh 12AX7 tubes. They are noisy, especially in the phono stages, and I imagine they are even noisier in the MC phono stage than the MM phono stage. For a $20K preamplifier, $10.00 tubes anywhere under the top cover doesn't cut it in my book.

This problem called for action, so I disconnected all the cables, and pulled the C1000T from the two channel tube system rack. Out comes my trusty metric allen wrench, off goes the top cover, and out goes the whimpy, noisy chinese made tubes. I installed a matched quad set of Telefunken 12AX7 tubes, two in the moving magnet phono stage, and two in the moving coil phono stage. Back on goes the top cover, and the C1000T is now reinstalled in the two channel tube system rack, and I am ready for vinyl playback, round two.

BIG difference. Huge! The stock McIntosh tubes began making noise at about 35 on the volume scale, and at 50 on the volume scale the sound was like a fan blowing down a large diameter pipe. It was rediculous, and ugly. With the Telefunken 12AX7 tubes in the C1000T there is no noise at 35 on the volume control, none, and barely the beginning of any tube grid noise at 50 on the volume control. I have to turn the volume to 58 to hear what the McIntosh tubes were doing at 35. The Teles are audio jewels.

Besides the absence of background tube grid noise, the Telefunken tubes are silky smooth in there sonic presentation. What I thought was a fairly good sound from the Ortofon 2M Black through the MX120 can not hold a candle to what is flowing from the speakers now. The Ortofon 2M Black through the C1000T tube preamp with the Teles installed is wonderful. I have been spinning vinyl for the past seven hours non-stop, and loving it. My vinyl collection has never sounded as good as I am hearing it now. I am on my forth Spyro Gyra album in a row, and it is sounding amazingly clean, detailed, dynamic, and very musical.

I continued to play with the cartridge capacitance loading. I listened to the Ortofon 2M Black with 150pf, 200pf, 250pf, and 300pf. Right now I have settled on the 250pf setting as sounding the most natural, with an excellent low end, mid-range, and top end frequency coherence. The sound stage grew wider and deeper on the C1000T preamp, with a perfect center stage presentation that remains solid and stable. Moving the Micro Seiki DD-40 turntable with the new Ortofon 2M Black cartridge to the C1000T preamp was a huge jump up the scale in musicality. Once the Telefunken tubes replaced the stock tubes I hit pay dirt. The turntable is quieter on the wood cabinet, and the Ortofon 2M Black is singing like a beautiful song bird. The quality of the music I am getting from vinyl now is making me very happy. I am listening to Shadowfax on the Windham Hill label, and don't want to stop listening, even at this late hour. I am officially back into vinyl. :thumbsup: