This was refurbished by STS Classic Turntables. After owning a Linn LP12 for over 30 years (upgrading along the way), I thought I'd try out a more contemporary turntable. Instead, I went backwards - but I went forwards, too.
- Pete Riggle Woody 12.5" SPU Tonearm
Since I was going backwards on my turntable, I wanted an arm that would handle SPU cartridges. These are hand-built by a lovely man in Washington State. Every parameter can be adjusted, many on the fly. When I wanted to be able to put the back of the arm down a little lower, so he built me a two level arm board to accomplish that task. I think the arm sounds beautiful, warm and graceful, compared to my good arms from Rega, Linn and Funk Firm.
- Ortofon SPU #1S, SPU Classic G E mk.ll, SPU Synergy G
These are the SPU's in my stable. I would live with the the Synergy G if I had to choose just one, but I enjoy them all for the different way they present the music. I've fantasized about having a house where I could have a different speaker style in each room - horns in one, dynamic drivers in another, panel speakers in a third. in reality, I can't afford the space or the money to realize this. But I can change out the other playback transducer, and appreciate the more subtle changes in that way.
- Various Manufacturers Phono Cartridges
I also keep a small collection of more affordable cartridges all mounted up and ready to install. A Linn K-18ll, a Denon D103r, and a Shure V-15 Type IV MR are among the cartridges that I occasionally listen to for maybe a week at a time, and then go back to the SPU Synergy G.
My turntable has two tonearms mounted, and most of the time I use the Jelco for an Ortofon 2M Mono cartridge. I have many 1950's mono jazz albums, and to me, they always sound better using a mono cartridge than even a much more expensive stereo cartridge. I love how bold and present a mono record can feel.
- Zesto Audio Andros ll phono stage
This phono stage has built in SUT's (made by Jensen), and I like how a low-output MC sounds with a SUT. Despite being all tube, it has a certain incision that I like to balance out its slight warmth. I rolled in some Mullard's, and that gave me even more of what I like.
- Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i5 CDR
This music server replaced my Mac Mini as part of my streaming set up. It is quieter and faster at its job. And the ripping function is fast and easy. I have about 1,000 CDs and I have probably ripped a little less than half of them to this server.
This music player has galvanic isolation, using optical cabling to keep the noise down.
I had the QB-9 DSD for a few years before I got it updated to the Twenty. They pretty much replace the whole thing, and it does sound like a very advanced version of the QB-9, which I liked.
I can play pretty much any disc on this universal player. But I rarely use it, as I like the Ayre DAC playing the ripped CDs more than I like the CDs played straight from this player. Nonetheless, this versatile player can do many things, all of them at least fairly well.
This was a heavily modified tuner sold by Mapleshade. Now that Pierre is gone, I'm not sure they offer these anymore. This is one of my favorite components! I live in the Boston area, and we are blessed with many good stations that play a variety of wonderful music, curated by somebody other than me. This is by far the best sounding tuner I have owned, and I have owned many.
I dipped my toes into tape, purchasing this machine from a certified Revox technician. I now own about 30 or so 7.5 ips 4-track tapes, and really enjoy the way that many of them sound on this machine. This is a "high speed" model, playing 15 and 7.5 ips in both 2 and 4 track. I haven't lucked into any high quality 2-track 15 ips tapes yet, but I still dream...
- PS Audio BHK Signature Preamplifier
This is a hybrid - tube input, solid state output. It has 5 inputs, either balanced or unbalanced. It is simple, versatile and really good sounding.
My speakers require some kind of DSP to work properly. They sell them with the DSP-Mini, but this is a quieter, better sounding DSP unit (at many times the price, so of course). I use correction up to 250 hz, which smooths out the bass in my troublesome room. It also has a handy "tilt" control, like the old Quad amps, where you can make quick tone adjustments on less than perfect recordings. It contains a very good headphone amp, and some "headspace" programs that make my Audeze LCD-2 phones (pre-Fazor) sound great.
For awhile, I used the PS Audio BHK 250 power amp with my speakers. It helped them produce a lot of high quality bass - the amp really gripped the four 15" woofers. But I didn't love the mid-range or treble quality. So, I moved to this all-tube Zesto 60 watt per channel amp. It does not (cannot) give as much high quality bass, but I have never loved recorded music more. The quality of the mid-range and treble is what I have been longing for for many years. It was a worthy trade.
- Mapleshade Double Helix speaker Cables
I found these affordable, and good sounding cables, and enjoy them. I've never tried out the really high end cabling, but these sure bettered my Linn and Naim cables.
- Mapleshade Clearview Interconnects
I use these on my three most favored sources - the record playing system, the DAC, and the tuner. Again, I know there are more expensive and likely better sounding interconnects, but I think these work well.
I have tried many kinds of speakers, from boxes to panels, and I found that these open-backed dynamic driver speakers have my favorite combination of attributes. More open than my previous box speakers, more power and kick than my Magnepan 3.6's. I've had them for about 5 years now, and I still enjoy them very much. I have a hankering for horns, but I don't think I have the right room for them. So, I'll stay put for a while.
