Thought I’d share a big update as it’s been a few weeks… I’ve got a plan! Sort of.
As part of the big life sort out, I listed 350 albums on Discogs this afternoon. I’ve also got a bit pile of ‘maybes’ & have really enjoyed listening to those before making a choice to keep or sell. Been some really surprising results there.
That leaves me with c. 250 albums after the first cull. Clearly I still want to listen to vinyl so that answers the question about ditching the tt.
When it comes to stereo I’ve ended up getting a teeny bit disappointed that I’ve definitely paid a premium for the Linn products & I’ve foolishly lingered on the idea that every now & again the sound can be a little too polite. It’s cemented itself enough to feel like a challenge: can I get the same detail with a bit more punch, and recoup about 1/3 of the cost on the tt & steamer/dac/preamp? Even if it means 4 boxes instead of the current 2 😬😬😬
When is comes to the preamp, I don’t think my streaming needs will cause any headaches to accommodate: Spotify connect & NAS. That means the focus is on an excellent dac & phono stage. (Happy to forgo the cd if additional inputs becomes an issue.
The Organik dac is FPGA - so straight away there’s options that might sound similar but not cost the earth. And when I comes to phono stage, there’s a tonne of excellent options available.
Yep, you guessed it: the only logical step for here was to pop the Selekt DSM up for sale in a few places to create some urgency in my thinking. Also, for once it would be nice to self-fund the box swapping. Also, I can pick up fairly cheap short-term solution if needs be whilst I do a more in-depth search.
“What about the LP12???!!!” I hear you cry. In all honesty, I bought that mostly for the looks. With the same MC cartridge, the only obvious discernible difference between the Rega P it replaced was virtually silent noise floor & quieter tracking of pops/clicks etc. Whilst those are amazing features, they aren’t solely the domain of Linn turntables.
So I want a v good turntable that has nice vintage looks. When someone told me that you can buy a wooden plinth for technics decks, well it accelerated things somewhat (a 1210 with a wooden plinth looks delicious 🥰).
On Wednesday I’m off out to collect a 1210 mk2 that’s bee modded with linear psu & a hand-built tonearm. No cartridge so I’ll be reusing the Hana ML. I can’t wait to switch the tt’s using the same amp & cart, and what my ears will tell me. It’s delivered on budget saving, so I’m excited…!
The journey begins… (again, again, again, again etc)
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