1st foray into vinyl

[Al ears]

I understand the MC/Balanced set up and you've recommended the X2B in other threads but is there a big improvement in sound quality/clarity/soundstage over my RP3 with say the Goldring 1042 or Ortofon 2M Black on board?

Just considering options for a possible upgrade path at a later date.

That's only for you to say but I think we may be talking a different price bracket here.
That said the complete Project true balanced package (about £2k) should be better sounding with potential for a better MC cartridge to be fitted. I strongly suggest you attempt to audition before spending this sort of money and weigh up the benefits or not of a balanced vinyl front end versus a conventional one with more expensive MM cartridge.
Project have simply added a new avenue in to the maze...

 

[Oxfordian]

That's no way to talk about her.

She knows, I've said it more than once

 

[npxavar]

That's only for you to say but I think we may be talking a different price bracket here.
That said the complete Project true balanced package (about £2k) should be better sounding with potential for a better MC cartridge to be fitted. I strongly suggest you attempt to audition before spending this sort of money and weigh up the benefits or not of a balanced vinyl front end versus a conventional one with more expensive MM cartridge.
Project have simply added a new avenue in to the maze...

Project has made MC-bliss "affordable".

 

[Oxfordian]

That's only for you to say but I think we may be talking a different price bracket here.
That said the complete Project true balanced package (about £2k) should be better sounding with potential for a better MC cartridge to be fitted. I strongly suggest you attempt to audition before spending this sort of money and weigh up the benefits or not of a balanced vinyl front end versus a conventional one with more expensive MM cartridge.
Project have simply added a new avenue in to the maze...

I am interested in exploring this balanced set-up from Pro-Ject, I demo'd the X9 a few weeks back and was very impressed, but it is rather expensive, the X2B could be a good alternative, and if the MC cartridge can be upgraded in due course then that could be an option.

As you say it's another route into the maze but does it lead to musical nirvana, that is something that my ears need to establish.

 

[npxavar]

I am interested in exploring this balanced set-up from Pro-Ject, I demo'd the X9 a few weeks back and was very impressed, but it is rather expensive, the X2B could be a good alternative, and if the MC cartridge can be upgraded in due course then that could be an option.

As you say it's another route into the maze but does it lead to musical nirvana, that is something that my ears need to establish.

You can always add a £1000 MC cartridge on your current deck. Just sayin'.

 

[npxavar]

Or get yourself some serious phono stage like "Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL Phono Preamp". There is so much you can do with MM at your current setup.

 

[Al ears]

I am interested in exploring this balanced set-up from Pro-Ject, I demo'd the X9 a few weeks back and was very impressed, but it is rather expensive, the X2B could be a good alternative, and if the MC cartridge can be upgraded in due course then that could be an option.

As you say it's another route into the maze but does it lead to musical nirvana, that is something that my ears need to establish.

This deck could be upgraded with a different MC cartridge in the future should that be required. Reviews tend to be very favourable and, for the price, it appears to be a very decent package.
A moving magnet set-up of similar cost would need to be auditioned in comparison.

 

[Al ears]

You can always add a £1000 MC cartridge on your current deck. Just sayin'.

Pointless without a phono preamp upgrade also... But he could

 

[npxavar]

Pointless without a phono preamp upgrade also... But he could

The "Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL Phono Preamp" can actually serve both upgrade paths: improve the current setup and prepare for MC, since it employs balanced inputs/outputs.

 

[Al ears]

Pointless without a phono preamp upgrade also... But he could

Anyhow, apologies to the OP for moving way off topic...
Meanwhile...let's get it back on track.

 

[plastic penguin]

If that turntable happened to be the X2B then I have already explained that to get a fully balanced system, and this was why the deck was created, you need a Moving Coil cartridge. This is why they have fitted a cheap MC.
Hope this helps.

A fully balanced means absolutely nothing to me. Don't respond this thread has gone off-topic too many times. I'll start a thread on the "turntable" sub-forum.

 

[nads]

Morning all....I've been toying with the idea of getting back into vinyl (like many others) over the last couple of years. I decided to take the plunge, did loads of research into a straightforward turntable setup, and ended up down so many rabbit holes!!! I didn't have a big budget so decided to go for a package that had already been put together by a certain hi fi chain of stores. Anyways, it all arrived yesterday and I'm so pleased with it, but I've only got a few LPs so far (Mike Oldfield x 2 and Elton John) and I listened to them all last night. I've got my eye on much more vinyl and intend to increase my collection. Here's my simple set up; Pro-ject Primary E turntable, Cambridge AXA35 amp and Q Acoustics 3010 speakers. Any other advice / info would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time 👍.

Do you have a local independent dealer? sorry I mean record store? Yes good. They will have loads of used records. Don’t be tempted to buy and play these without giving them a good clean. A dry brush is better than nothing but I would have a good look at the wet cleaners. There was a good thread on here recently about the pros and cons of these and what worked well. A good cleaner opens up a lower cost owning records.

i would also recomend the Discogs app for your phone so when you are browsing the discs and inhaling the dust of memories you can check if you already have it or not.

have fun.

 

[record_spot]

Haven't read the whole thread (long day!), so apologies, but my take on vinyl is try not to overthink it. A well balanced setup works every time. There's so many variables and permutations, you can get lost in all of it in no time. I'm going to change my deck soon I think. I currently have a modded TD160 but it's an old design (a bloody good one mind!) but I can't be bothered with all the fettle to keep it running to spec. Thinking of a Roksan Attessa or Edwards TT5 atm. If prices tumble a Cambridge Alva TT2 would be right up there, but they'd need to really plummet.

 

[record_spot]

The lamp on the left and the plant on the right need to go.

They do?

I'm of the opinion that my stereo needs to fit into my living space, not the other way around.

 

[npxavar]

They do?

I'm of the opinion that my stereo needs to fit into my living space, not the other way around.

Giving more room to the hi-fi setup is a simple no-cost solution for improving sound. If he is going to spend a significant amount of time listening to music, it is absolutely worthwhile.

 

[matthewpianist]

They do?

I'm of the opinion that my stereo needs to fit into my living space, not the other way around.

You raise an important point RS, and it's one often missed in reviews and conversations about hi-fi. I'll start a separate thread.

 

[record_spot]

Giving more room to the hi-fi setup is a simple no-cost solution for improving sound. If he is going to spend a significant amount of time listening to music, it is absolutely worthwhile.

That's your opinion. I was giving you mine and my value judgement. The stereo sounds excellent btw.

 

[record_spot]

You raise an important point RS, and it's one often missed in reviews and conversations about hi-fi. I'll start a separate thread.

The problem with audiophilia is that it assumes, or seems to assume, that you can just wave a magic wand - financial, structural, or whatever - and make your stereo / AV system / whatever's left - fit into your living space regardless of who's in it, or the physical properties *of* it. You may well not be able to take that wall down, that chimney stack, etc, etc. We fit our stereo into our living spaces, not the other way around (or we shouldn't do where cash is an issue).

 

[Cricketbat70]

Thanks 👍. Yeah I've been looking on Discogs....so many LPs that I want / need. I've got loads of CDs and would like to replace those that I enjoy, with vinyl eventually. In my younger days I listened to a lot of Genesis, Mike Oldfield, Kate Bush, Tears for Fears....and much more...my list is long, and eclectic 😂.

Sounds like my kind of music. 😊

 

[Cricketbat70]

A plant......with a leaf almost touching a speaker 😱

Could be worse my wife insists on putting plants on top of the speakers...you never know the extra weight might be helping😂

 

[Gray]

...you never know the extra weight might be helping😂

I've considered putting heavy slabs on mine to pin them down more 👍

 

[Cricketbat70]

Before complaining about the price of vinyl compared to what it cost you in the past, use this calculator https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator to see what you paid in the past is equivalent too today. (Note were talking new prices)

Bill

I've always said that. With inflation taken into account I'm not paying anymore for new vinyl than I did back in the 80's. The problem was back in the 80's CD's were massively overpriced. I remember news paper articles back in the late 80's and early 90's saying how much cheaper CD's were to manufacture than vinyl, yet back then a CD was double the price of vinyl. I think now CD prices reflect their true cost.

 

[Cricketbat70]

They were nothing like double where I live. Any album in the charts you could get from Woolworths or HMV in the UK, was typically £8.99 for LP’s and tapes, and £10.99 for CD. I only own a few hundred CD’s but excluding sales every current release album I’ve bought in the last 40 years has been in the ballpark of £10 to £12. The same for for DVD and Blu-ray once the initial inflated prices settled down. Typically these days I only get older stuff costing £6-£10.

Weird I was paying £7.99 for chart LP's in 1989 and CD's in Woolworths, Asda etc were £15. And I live up North where things are traditionally supposed to be cheaper😂 if CD's had been £10, I probably would have bought the optional extra CD player for my first system. I have to admit by the time I was married 1993 and had my first proper separates system CD prices had dropped and most of my music is on CD. I do by the occasional LP. I bought a new copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall, £27 from Amazon, back in March with all the hype around the 50th anniversary of Dark Side of the Moon and before that I bought a new copy of Gary Numan, I Assassin, on green vinyl from his own website. I do intend to buy Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl soon. In the meantime I bought it from my local second hand record store on CD for just £5.