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

Is there a particular one you recommend? I need one as well.

 

4-chassis phono stage up and running and sounding good. Upper two blue boxes are the active tube MC step ups; lower two are the MM phono stages.

 

the real MVP. you da man Donald

 

It's a brand new table, combo package with VPI Classic Signature Black Oak and SDS. Yes, its a 3D arm.

Finally up and running.

 

Thanks, the addition of these active tube MC step up was a revelation. Since I bought my first low output MC cartridge in the spring of 1994 (Ortofon MC3000mkII with 125uV output) I have tried numerous transformers with it and my current AT-OC9MLII and haven't liked them compared to the best active step ups, be they solid state or tube. These tube pre-preamplifiers reaffirm my belief that 99% of the MC transformers out there suck - the only one I have heard which was outstanding and mandatory was the AN-S9 for the Audio Note IO Gold cartridge with 50uV output. You can't boost it quietly with tubes and even with JFETs it's a challenge.

 

Today was a special day for me. For my 40th birthday I bought myself a Kronos Sparta turntable.

Here are a few pics of the table and Louis Desjardins (head designer/CEO of Kronos) doing the install. Very cool to get the head designer to install the table directly.



Yes my shelf is really that lopsided btw. The table is very much level (there are two bubble levels, one per platter) but I'm still going get some plywood planks and build a little platform so the kludge is not needed.

 

Happy birthday man, well deserved and enjoy! Fly us over for a listen

 

If any of you guys are ever in the Ottawa area just PM me. I'm always up for beers and a listen.

 

Ottawa KS, right?

 

What're the dorky doodads on the right? And what gear are you running with the table, plus what the actual table is!

 

Nathan, I'm on your side of the rope.

 

Maybe this should be a separate thread but over the weekend I bought 25 LPs in one order. @purrin, @shaizada what have you done to me?

 

Haha @Koth Ganesh seriously man, i did the same thing recently, and i blame them as well...wait, did i say blame? i meant thank!!

 

Wow!! Chris what a fantastic piece of engineering!! Enjoy it in good health my friend, and happy vinyl nirvana!!

 

By some strange coincidence, the first LP to arrive in the mail today was HELP (the Beatles of course).

 

Finally got my XYZ R100 Yatra.

I am absolutely delighted!!

 

Got a new(to me) table today! Good bye Gungnir Multibit, Hello Clearaudio Concept! As much as I wanted to stretch into OLD RICH FARTS AUDIO SOCIETY, I found this locally for price I couldn't ignore. With a 10 min set up/alignment using my old Shure M91edl, this thing already sounds pretty great. Got my old SAE 1000LT HOMC coming back from my dads as he never used it, and a rack coming this weekend. I'm legit in the love with the clean minimalism of this deck, it's so much more pretty in person.

 

Chris, that table looks spectacular The Kronos Pro is used as a reference by a friend whom I am have utmost respect and admiration for. Really, a table with almost no sound of its own. Enjoy in superb health! The quality of setups I am seeing on this forum has multiplied intensely...dreams in analog!

Is that the Haleana Arm? What is the cartridge?

Please post some impressions if you get a chance to pry yourself away. Happy 40th to you!

 

Thanks!

Yes it is the Helena tonearm with my Lyra Kleos transplanted from the VPI. I'm still using the Seta Model L phono stage however I switched tonearm cable from the XLR Mogami 2549 to my older VPI one (Discovery wire) as the Helena arm only has an RCA output box for the time being. Louis is working on an XLR one which I will get when it's ready as I am not the only customer to make this request.

I'm very impressed with the arm so far. The super low center of gravity makes it very stable and easy to handle for a unipivot design. There is also a little magnet nub underneath the arm that mates to a receptacle at the front of the tonearm base which acts in place of a tonearm clip. Super convenient and cool. In other fun facts, the armwand is also essentially indestructible. Louis had me try to bend/snap it using all my force before we put it on the table. No go. Adjustment wise I haven't experimented (Louis did the setup and I'm inclined to leave it as is) but it supports all of them in very fine and coarse forms.

As for the sound, the first thing that struck me was the soundstage/imaging, which for lack of better terminology is f'ing incredible; very much what I heard in Montreal at the show. Recordings sound almost lifelike. The noise floor is exceptionally low which I think is making a major contribution to the imaging and overall palpability.

For good measure I'm going to run the bearings, motors and everything else in for a couple weeks and then I'll do a few sample transfers of familiar material (Daft Punk? Miles Davis KOB re-issue?) so you guys can get a listen.