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Distract me from Covid pain

Del monaco

Del Monaco
So, I have tested positive and I am at home for a week. Sadly I am a teacher and this is my half term holiday. What a bind.
I'm in a bit of pain and not sleeping so I think I need a bit of Hi-fi distraction.
I've been mulling over my hifi. I love the sound and I have but wondering whether I could enrich my experience a little with a small amount of investment, say about £300. I was thinking CD player but I really like the sound. If it was a cd player I would prefer new now.

Any ideas folks?

My current kit:

Yamaha R N803D Amplifier/Digital Hub
Magneplanar LRS speakers
Rotel 965BX cd player
Pi 4 with HiFi berry dac hat and Picoreplayer/LMS and various plug ins
Clearaudio Emotion TT with Goldring 1042
Project Phono S2 stage
Varios basic cabling
QED XT4 silver lined speaker cables
Custom Design Ion rack with Vibroplates

I'm really looking for ideas to mull over and research whilst I recover. Like a record cleaning machine, cabling etc.

Thanks in advance!

Del
 
Sorry to hear about your positive test, my daughter's tested positive so we're all in self isolation

I'll be interested to see how this thread goes as I'm toying with the idea of a RCM

All the best for a speedy recovery
 
Sorry to hear about your positive test, my daughter's tested positive so we're all in self isolation

I'll be interested to see how this thread goes as I'm toying with the idea of a RCM

All the best for a speedy recovery
We are the same. All the best too.
 
Hope you get through and recover quickly

If you were up to some DIY - Soldering station, cables, plugs/connectors, heat shrink

Project RCM the smaller one & some fancy poly lined inners

REL Sub - T5/T5i are around used for that money - I got an old T7 for £150

Discogs your LPs - EXACT versions/pressings no fudging - keep your mind of stuff for sure
 
Hope you get through and recover quickly

If you were up to some DIY - Soldering station, cables, plugs/connectors, heat shrink

Project RCM the smaller one & some fancy poly lined inners

REL Sub - T5/T5i are around used for that money - I got an old T7 for £150

Discogs your LPs - EXACT versions/pressings no fudging - keep your mind of stuff for sure
Was wondering about a sub but it needs to be fast.
 
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My 1st CD Player was a Sony 339ES, I was late to the party, fortunately so, looking back at the shelves of LPs I wouldn’t have had on vinyl. It sounded better than all the magazine darlings/faves I demoed against it at the dealer, only thing a lot better was a split box Teac but that was too much wonga. Sony is really well built and smooth to use, spares/repairs are fine too for most models I believe.
 
If remotely serious about vinyl I’d go for the record cleaning machine. Essential things if you buy any second hand vinyl and remarkably effective on new vinyl too. I actually clean everything before its first play now. I’ve had an RCM since the late-90s and I can’t imagine life without it.
 
Hopefully you'll be on the mend soon, I personally think the money would be best put into new music but an RCM is a good idea if you've LPs needing a clean.
 
The 965 is a hell of a player, I have one in my B system. You will struggle to better it for £300 new. In fact I bet you won't. I would replace mine with same if it died and if my "better" player died I reckon I'd just slide the Rotel across. How about a sub?
 
Was wondering about a sub but it needs to be fast.

Would add to Amber’s suggestion of a sub, my experience has been very positive with a BK XLS200, ‘around’ £300. But his REL sounds ideal to try one with relatively low cost even if you decide it’s not for you.

Those Magnapan’s seem a bargain at the price, I know you really like them, would like to try them myself if only the Mrs would let me :(.


(All the best with your health Del, hope you get through it unscathed).
 
How about looking into the pros and cons of ultrasonic record cleaners, and maybe building one from the various bits and bobs available on eBay?
 
Hope you get better soon Del. The RCM is a great idea, another thought is the cartridge or phono stage, yours are already good so it would be a case of different rather than better to try a valve stage like a firebottle, or a high output Mc cart like a Hana to experiment with a different presentation. And changing a cart can be distracting!
 
The beauty of a sub, for Del’s current purposes, is that on top of the consumer research it offers endless opportunities to either faff around tweaking settings by trial and error, or systematically investigate how sound works in a room. Great time waster, at the end of which he might actually have meaningfully better sound and a better understanding of things. An RCM doesn’t offer much to research and the process of cleaning itself is unbelievably boring (IME).
 
Another slightly random thought, a umik-1 usb microphone and a free copy of rew to play around with measuring the room and responses in tweaked speaker positions, hours of tooling around!
 
A sub or a ballsier amplifier for your Maggies.
The Yammy does 160 watts into 4 ohms so plenty of muscle though it could take more probs. It’d also cost more than £300 and I like the simplicity of the Yamaha. I did briefly look at the Schitt Vidal and Pre amp but although not bad at about £1000 all in, it’s still outside budget and it will displace the amp that does the job well but provides other extras as well!
 
Another slightly random thought, a umik-1 usb microphone and a free copy of rew to play around with measuring the room and responses in tweaked speaker positions, hours of tooling around!
Nice but the Yammy does have its own YPAO sytem which works well as far as I can see....and hear!
 


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