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Cartridge and phono stage chit-chat

Blzebub

Well-Known Member
Chimps,

I'm currently running a Benz Micro LP on SME series V tonearm into a Whest PS.20. This is all very well.

I also have an oldish Transfiguration Spirit III sitting in a drawer. This needs a retip. It's a nice cartridge.

I'm about to borrow a Moon 310 LP phono preamp from a dealer for evaluation.

What do?

1. Send TS III to ES for retip?

2. Trade-in TS III against something else (what? Koetsu? Other?).

3. Any views on Moon phono stage? Rather like Naim gear, it's upgradeable with separate power supply (at £1200 if memory serves).
 
i would upgrade to whest to another model from whest,

i tried a few others before i settled on the whest which james can set to work with whatever cart you use.

i would try northwest for a retip,esco are a bit hit and miss and take a long time to finish
 
See how the Moon compares to the Whest + try a few others whils you're about it. Whests seem a bit 'hifi' to me but only a personal feeling.
 
Bub,

do you find the Benz / SME combination to be sympathetic?

I am considering SME IV / Benz Ace for a future turntable project so was wondering if the weight of the SME arms suits Benz carts.

Thanks

Chaz
 
I would go along with Artist, Bub, and go for an upmarket Whest used, if you like where you are now. There are soooo many phono stages, both s/s and valved, and each one will be different rather than head and shoulders better.

Not sure about re-tipping the Transfig., though, but depends on whether you intend to use it in preference to your Benz :( or sell it on). Hardly worth it if it's the latter, and I'm not sure px deals (like Lyra's 25%, e.g.) are available for Transfiguration upgrades.
 
The Benz LP is a class act, a superb cartridge for sure.

I have just taken a Transfiguration Spirit III off our Brinkmann Bardo and put back the Clearaudio Concerto which absolutely out guns the Transfiguration, is as good as a Lyra Kleos and has become a favourite cartridge.

So I'd trade in the Spirit, a Koetsu is always a lovely thing to have.

As you know, at around £2K we think the Trilogy 907 is a star phono stage.
 
I used to run an LP on my SME V polite to a fault would be my description. It benefits from some sparkle in the phono.

Bzle try as many phonos as you can, maybe even give Mr Tricker a call and there's always the new vivid LCR from Guy at Pure sound...
 
Phono stages are generally /hopefully :- solid state nice and quiet, accurate RIAA, valve
noisier background ,RIAA may be not as flat as you would like ,but adds a bit of valve life, it is only a simple amplification stage after all.
Keith.
Bub could you run your system completely balanced from phono to speakers?
Balanced can give you up to 6dB better dynamic range.
 
Bzle try as many phonos as you can, maybe even give Mr Tricker a call and there's always the new vivid LCR from Guy at Pure sound...

Its the Aurorasound Vida. There'll be a review of it in HiFi News next week. Happy to send one for you to try if interested. (Not a valve in sight!)
 
Naim prefix with a HiCap and replace the DIN plug with RCA's. The prefix is rediculosly great value and sounds like a dream with the HiCap.
 
Lol, I knew someone would know the name Guy. I'd be interested to take a listen in a few weeks.
 
Well, the Moon is up and running. Favourably impressed so far, but apparently it takes 300 hours to warm up! Can this be true?

It's got a blue LED.

Anyone else heard a Moon 310 LP?
 
Well, the Moon is up and running. Favourably impressed so far, but apparently it takes 300 hours to warm up! Can this be true?

It's got a blue LED.

Anyone else heard a Moon 310 LP?

Don't be ridiculous 300 hours is not nearly enough,
Keith.
 
There are soooo many phono stages, both s/s and valved, and each one will be different rather than head and shoulders better.


Been through this one before I think Mike. Going to a true highend phono (e.g. mastergroove, ARC 2 SE, H3000, Ypsilon, Dartzeel etc) over a usual suspect (whest rdtSE, Groove+, uphorik, Art Audio vinyl1, naim SL etc.) is an enormous jump. Like going from a k9 to XV1s, nac32 to 552 etc. Like anything else though, you have to experience it yourself to understand.

I think Badger found exactly the same when he upgraded to a Tron GT. In fact the difference the phono can make is so important IME that its my belief the it should be as expensive as the turntable, maybe even sacrificing some of the front end if necessary. Hearing what the top level phono stages i've listed above can do has fundamentally changed the way i percieve the vinyl replay chain. I tested a urika the other day for example, it was like the musicians were playing in some garage 3 streets away, 20 houses away. To me the idea of feeding a 5, 10 or 20 grand deck into something as lowly as a basic whest, a prefix, slee, dino etc. is just preposterous. Like buying a Continuum Caliburn and putting a AT95 onto it. :)
 
There's an optional offboard PS. I don't have that, yet.

What did you think of it?


Honestly ? See my post above. Your deck deserves something much better.

If you like that kind of sound ... neutral ,fast, cool, then at least something like the Whest RDT SE or the Tom Evans SRX will give you some proper resolution, microdynamics, width and space around instruments etc. The esoteric is also very good for that type of sound. Very clean which would work well in your system IMO.
 
The Esoteric range is now distributed by Onkyo. If this is the start of some pan European hub distribution network, with satellite local distributors, I wouldn't be surprised if the brand vanishes from the UK for a while as the RRP may rise.
 


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