Post your turntable setup...can't get enough of those spinners!

I have to thank you and @Marvey, and a few others for helping put it together with your top notch recommendations. The solid foundation started with the VPI Classic 1 that I picked up used. Then the Denon DL-103 MC cart, that was upgraded to the Paradox and Zu versions of this timeless classic. Also @shaizada for tipping me off to the RSA Nighthawk before @Marvey did his review here, and used Nighthawks became scarce. The Nighthawks crisp dynamic punch and pitch black back ground offsets the DL-103's somewhat slower, smoother delivery, creating a nice synergy. The periphery ring and HRX center weight really helped the sound become more focused and tighter, you guys were right, a must have for VPI's.

I only really noticed the speed of my table waver twice in the last year, but for peace of mind I wanted a speed controller. According to the RoadRunner tach, my table was running just a smidgen slow. With the Eagle PSU which is also dead quiet, my speed is locked, and no more moving the belt to the bigger pulley when I spin 45's. So far I can't hear any noticeable difference in sound, but he OCD in me is content.

The Black Widow 2 and one of the headphone's it was designed with, the HD600 make a superb combination that allow hours and hours of fatigue free easy listening, while still resolving fine details.

My system is composed of components leaning to one side of neutral pulled back inline by another component tilting the opposite way. It's a balancing act that doesn't work with everything, but kills it when it does, and that happens quite often now. I'm able to really enjoy the time I spend listening, and the sound is tailored to my preference.

The Hibiki Harmony is decent, but I haven't had any Scotch in a long time, so it would be difficult to compare to it's competitors.

 

I am feeling compelled to hear your rig as is. I don't know if it's the delicate balance of components or the Hibiki! Something is really drawing me in!

Up for some company? I might just head out to you right now. I'm tired, but might be up for a taste of that rig!

EDIT! I'm not bringing the tube tester! Unless u really need it or I can take it back for more tube measurements! Hehee!

 

Wonderful description! I'm sure the sound is exquisite. Did you find the Paradox or Zu to be a significant upgrade over the stock DL-103? I've been enjoying the stock 103R but wouldn't be opposed to going for one of those options if they make an audible difference.

 

Yes, better extended in both directions, and tighter.

@shaizada just left my place and said the 103R is much better suited to the VPI's, than the regular 103. We added some dampening fluid to the tonearm pivot well in my set up.

You could send your 103R to either Zu or Paradox and they will mount it in their aluminum body for a little over $200 if I recall.

 

Now that's good to know! Thanks!

Do you have a preference between Paradox or Zu?

 

Hard to say, the Paradox arrived to me with a 100 hours on it already (the Paradox dude claims DL-103 need at least that much to be broken in due to the conical stylus). The difference between the carts fresh out of the box was quite drastic. The Paradox was a lot smoother and mid focused, the Zu was a lot harsher and bright. In all fairness the Zu is headed in that direction after 60+ hours of use. It's slowly losing it's edge as I have documented in previous post's here on SBAF. Until it has at least 100 hours, it won't be fair to compare the two, even then it will be from memory and vinyl rips I have done with each.

I do like the slightly brighter sound of the Zu so far, just needs a touch more smoothness to get to where I like it though. It's not noticeable with the majority of my music, but it is there with some. Keep in mind, what I like may not be what other's like...

EDIT: After further sober listening with dampening fluid in the tone arm well. It has smoothed the brightness and provided a touch more body to the music. Very nice indeed. Thanks @shaizada, your guidance is priceless

 

The Zu 103R is my favorite cartridge ever. I like it even more than my Kiseki Blue. The Zu engineers did a great job of keeping everything that was great about the original Denon cartridge but with added focus, clarity and a just generally more refined sound.

 

You're tempting me to part with my cartridge for the amount of time it takes to have Zu reshell it.

 

my thoughts exactly. the harshness and brightness that @JK47 describes is a bit concerning but breaking with carts is a real thing, so i dunno.

 

This reminds me of my first step towards a decent stereo. This was about 1971. I had a Penncrest (JC Penny brand) stereo with a near toy receiver, two small single cone with whizzer speakers and a plastic turntable - little plastic platter, base and even tonearm. I got it in my head that the first component I needed to improve was that turntable. I was most concerned with avoiding record wear but I also had a "garbage in - garbage out" type concept in my head (although I had never heard that phrase).

I remember bringing a new Dual 1219 with Shure M91E cartridge home and discovering that I could not play it on the receiver because it had a ceramic cartridge phono input. I wasn't old enough to drive, so I asked my Dad to take me to Radio Shack. I got a phono pre-amp that was specifically for converting ceramic to magnetic phono use. That new phono front-end made a surprising increase in fidelity on that otherwise piece of crap stereo. It exceeded my expectations by a wide margin.

All of my friends thought I was crazy. I got a steady stream of "Aw man, you should have put that money into speakers. That's what makes the music." I thought they were crazy.

 

I love hearing stuff like this, especially from people who have been buying gear for longer than I've been alive. It reminds me to be thankful for the things that I already have at a relatively young age, and that these upgrades that I'm itching to get (even though I just got a fantastic new TT) will come with time. I need to save some money for non-audio related things in life.

 

So wisely said! Yet, once you get hooked, you want to peer deeper into the source and keep on buying more revealing gear to get close and closer and closer and....closer!

 

Nothing concerning at all. It is all about matching and understanding how things work together. One can make a kazoo sound like the tears of angels if synergised properly....I truly believe in that!

The hardest part is developing a "Sound" in your mind and seeking by being true to one's own preferences. We all have sounds that we have or develop in our minds. The gear needs to serve that sound, NOT the other way around.

There comes a point in the audio journey, I feel, where the gear is unimportant. What is important is how you feel inside when you listen to something. Maybe it reminds you of a childhood memory, maybe your first kiss or the warmth of your mother's hug. THAT is what, I strongly feel, is the ultimate bliss and purpose of this "stuff"!

 

Okay, who's got kazoo recommendations?

 

Kazoo solo at 3:40... wait for it... wait for it.

 

Decided to pull the trigger and add a turntable to my "day job" office rig ... something largely precipitated by the earlier arrival of a Jotunheim w/ the Phono module installed. I am, of course, totally blaming @schiit for this development (thanks again)!

Was going to do something very basic/different (Pro-Ject Carbon DC, U-Turn Orbit, used SL-1200 M2), but kept incrementalizing myself into more expensive gear. A fortuitous pass by my dealer (for a quick listen to the AMG Giro ahead of proper auditions), led me into the possession of a just-returned, unused, current-spec Rega Planar 3/Elys 2* combination for about what you might expect to pay for a Planar 2/Carbon Esprit SB.



This is not in place of my major upgrade to my "home" vinyl rig (currently a Pro-Ject RPM 9.2 Evo w/ Dynavector 10x5); when I do the "big upgrade" (this year), the Pro-Ject table will migrate to my "home office" and the new "big" table will take pride of place in my speaker rig and this new one will keep me at my desk and, possibly, doing some work.

It's definitely going to be an analog year ...

--

*Never been a fan of Rega cartridges, though this sounds very pleasant so far, but even if I just pulled the cartridge off and tossed it I'd still have gotten an unfathomably good price on the table alone.

 

What a difference (half) a year makes...

 

It's a high compliment to the Yggdrasil that the only thing that satisfies more is analog.

 

Indeed!

I still think Yggdrasil largely outperforms my current turntable (though the turntable is ahead in some areas). But once I decided to start moving some of my vinyl from the UK over here the "not enough vinyl to bother*" issue went away. In fact I've purchased about 250 albums here since I made that post (rebuilt an entire Rolling Stones ATT100 set, and a big chunk of NME's and BB's ATT100 ...).

And I would say it's getting very close to equal use at this point, especially as I seem to be more in the mode of listening to entire albums lately.

Having added the Planar 3 to my "work" office setup, and with a major upgrade pending for the main table, I'm actually going to wind up with three tables. Planar 3 for "work", I'll probably keep the Pro-Ject RPM 9.2 Evo and put it in my "home office" (the "pretty one", not the "workshop") and then just buy something all-new as the "big upgrade" to live in the main (speaker) rig.