Curiosity is Dangerous

[prepress]

One nice thing about the C2300 (or any tube preamp, I suppose) is that you can experiment with and change the sound by the tubes you use. I have the Telefunken/JJ Black Diamonds in the 2300 now, and I pulled out my Pioneer BDP-09FD Blu-ray while my 88FD was off for repair. The sound of the combo is great; the 88 may not get its spot back. The 09 uses eight Wolfson DACs in Dual mode, and the 09 is a beast. The 88FD uses ESS Sabres, which are very good DACs but are not as rich as the Wolfsons, based on how they sound in my system and some of what I've read regarding Oppo players (which also used Sabres) having a somewhat light tonal balance. I prefer the Wolfson sound. Implementation may play a role in this I suppose, but my opinion stands.

What I now begin to wonder is whether or not I'd do better with an alternative to the MCD500 I use for CD/SACD, since it uses the ESS Sabres also. Some older CDs are quite bright-sounding and cannot be listened to at my normal volume without grating on my nerves. I could re-install the JJ Gold-Plated Hi-Performance tubes in my 2300 to mitigate the brightness some (and it's way cheaper than a new player), but I don't want to mess with the Black Diamond/09 magic I've heard lately. I used the JJs with the 09 before and had no complaint on the sound, but they were the only tube I was familiar with at the time and they are warmer than the BDs.

This is where the mind can go when it's a bit slow at work. Pretty sure it will blow over if I give it enough time. At least, I am pretty sure for now.

[prepress]

I finally ordered a Transparent Premium PC for my preamp, and I plan to pick it up today. We'll see what happens once I put it into the system. I am curious to see if it will make a difference, as the HPPC did when I put it on my preamp.

If I do hear a positive difference, I know I won't be moving to put Premiums on everything else, but rather might pivot to Shunyata Venom NR V12s, if anything. Spending money this way gets to be a drag at some point.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by prepress

I finally ordered a Transparent Premium PC for my preamp, and I plan to pick it up today. We'll see what happens once I put it into the system. I am curious to see if it will make a difference, as the HPPC did when I put it on my preamp.

If I do hear a positive difference, I know I won't be moving to put Premiums on everything else, but rather might pivot to Shunyata Venom NR V12s, if anything. Spending money this way gets to be a drag at some point.

Charles.......You're right, spending money on cables doesn't seem as sexy as spending money on shiny new gear, but if you select the right cables the positive impact on your sound and system performance can be elevated in the same way as a new component may deliver. Have fun with the new Transparent Premium PC.

[prepress]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Charles.......You're right, spending money on cables doesn't seem as sexy as spending money on shiny new gear, but if you select the right cables the positive impact on your sound and system performance can be elevated in the same way as a new component may deliver. Have fun with the new Transparent Premium PC.

I hope so. Will put into place and listen at best opportunity. And here it is!

[SteveJ]

Am I correct in assuming that you have an SME 309 arm on a HW-19MkIV?

[prepress]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

Am I correct in assuming that you have an SME 309 arm on a HW-19MkIV?

Yes, technically a MkIII with the MkIV upgrade. The 309 came with it as a package deal way back in May 1992; the upgrade was added November that year. Because the floors here aren't stable I have the VPI sitting on a Gingko platform, and though I'm not stomping around purposely, there's definite improvement regarding footfall vulnerability.

[prepress]

I decided not to start a new thread about this, though it could merit one. I went to the NY Audio Show yesterday. I was on a specific mission, and targeted rooms that had specific gear I was interested in or curious about. I am close to retirement (or making a decision on it, at least) and am considering one last fling gear-wise. I'd thought to hit the 3 rooms or so I wanted, then leave. It didn't go that way.

I had gone with the intention of visiting the Value Electronics room to check out the latest Sony OLED and a Technics turntable, also to check out Golden Ear speakers in one of the other rooms. No Golden Ear, but a vendor who sells them was there and that particular room featured Polk's new flagship, which sounded good (my first "high-end" speakers were Polks). There was also the possibility of an eyes-on experience with Bluesound products. I didn't see them. Here is a bottom-line summary of what resulted from my visit.

Turntables: Luxman PD-171A: I want one. Sota Sapphire: I want one. Technics SR-1200G (I wanted one, until I saw the others; now I "mostly" want one).

Speakers: Triangle Magellan Quatuor: gorgeous sound, driven by Luxman gear. I could see them with my 501s. Polk L800: driven by Marantz gear, sounded good, I think the room (or associated gear) affected the top end a bit. I think they might sound better with my gear and room. Ohm Walsh 2000: I liked how smooth they were, reminiscent of my Mirages. But the 2000s are too small for me. Fortunately, Ohm has models up the chain, so I'm looking at the 4000, which goes down to 26Hz, plenty deep if the spec is correct.

OLED: Sony rules! Better VP than the LGs from what I hear. Would have to do something with my PRO-111FD first. I saw the 75" one, no room here for that, plus too much money. The 65" or 55" work, with the 55" most advantageous for my setup as it would allow me to move my speakers closer together. Plus, I think a tighter picture comes with a smaller screen.

All the above will come into better focus as I apply my typical painstaking, plodding investigations. I've begun considering the turntables more carefully already; "dissecting" may be a better word . More as it develops, I guess.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by prepress

All the above will come into better focus as I apply my typical painstaking, plodding investigations. I've begun considering the turntables more carefully already; "dissecting" may be a better word . More as it develops, I guess.

Charles.......I'm guessing by the time you have finally settle on a decision for the various gear you are interested in now the 2021 models will be showing. .

[prepress]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Charles.......I'm guessing by the time you have finally settle on a decision for the various gear you are interested in now the 2021 models will be showing. .

Entirely possible!

I can swing only one of these, so I'll have to be careful. Developments down in Nashville have entered the mix, as the daughter of my deceased sister-in-law had to take her husband to the emergency room; turned out his appendix had burst. After a lot of drama and back and forth, he's home and recovering. But he's not been working and the bills are piling up, including the mortgage. I'm sending some modest help.

Having had a couple of days to consider, I'm eliminating the Triangle speakers (can't afford them). The Luxman is $7K, so it's out. The SOTA Sapphire is $3600 new, and perhaps I can send them my SME 309 to mount; the same could be true for the Luxman PD-171AT, but it's $6300, so it's probably out too. I hear it's a real bear to change the belt on SOTAs, so I wouldn't look foward to that. The least expensive move would be the 55" TV, but I want to go through things carefully. I will plod away, beginning yesterday!

[mulveling]

A SOTA Sapphire or Nova is an excellent buy. I got hooked on vinyl for life when I wisely chose to start with a SOTA Star III (predecessor to Nova). They will run forever with minimal maintenance. Their highly effective suspension means you don't need to design exotic, difficult, or expensive isolation solutions around the deck. I still have mine, refreshed to Nova V status. Get an exotic wood and it will turn heads for life. The SME 309 should be a good match. I had no problem changing the belt on my SOTA; never heard that before? I have a Clearaudio Master Innovation I also love but it is 6x the price much more difficult to optimize; requires a lot of external isolation.