New cart or new stage

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Hi guy's recently I was thinking about getting a new phono stage to compliment my new project xperience and 2m blue cart,now within my last thread Mr Al ears has put doubt in my mind and suggested upping the cartridge,but no I said I've just got the 2m blue and now I'm wondering...should I?Alas there is nothing wrong with the sound at the present time and this is just upgrading for upgradings sake,Christmas tips and crimbo money to spend and I can stick my 2m blue on the old expression in the atic and sell it on.stage or cart.what do you guy's think . although my wee project box can do mc I think it's probably more at home with mm or high output mc's like possibly dynavector 10x5..suggestions welcome.

 

[Al ears]

Hi guy's recently I was thinking about getting a new phono stage to compliment my new project xperience and 2m blue cart,now within my last thread Mr Al ears has put doubt in my mind and suggested upping the cartridge,but no I said I've just got the 2m blue and now I'm wondering...should I?Alas there is nothing wrong with the sound at the present time and this is just upgrading for upgradings sake,Christmas tips and crimbo money to spend and I can stick my 2m blue on the old expression in the atic and sell it on.stage or cart.what do you guy's think . although my wee project box can do mc I think it's probably more at home with mm or high output mc's like possibly dynavector 10x5..suggestions welcome.

It's going to depend on your budget. But let's see what others think. Personally I would stear clear of hi-output MCs.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Budget is anything from £200-£500, but I'm not sure if I want to spend £500 on a cart.we're into a stageline with a flatcap 2 for that kind of dosh . second hand of course

 

[bigfish786]

At getting a different cart to add to my system. I have two at the moment, which I swap around every few months or so.

The ones I've looked at are Denon DL 103, and Ortofon quintet red.

If I can find an Ortofon Rondo Red or Blue I may give one a go.

Im just curious to see how low output moving coil carts sound using the Leema MC phono stage.

 

[Al ears]

At getting a different cart to add to my system. I have two at the moment, which I swap around every few months or so.

The ones I've looked at are Denon DL 103, and Ortofon quintet red.

If I can find an Ortofon Rondo Red or Blue I may give one a go.

Im just curious to see how low output moving coil carts sound using the Leema MC phono stage.

If you can get a 103R you'll have a much better one.

 

[bigfish786]

At getting a different cart to add to my system. I have two at the moment, which I swap around every few months or so.

The ones I've looked at are Denon DL 103, and Ortofon quintet red.

If I can find an Ortofon Rondo Red or Blue I may give one a go.

Im just curious to see how low output moving coil carts sound using the Leema MC phono stage.

If you can get a 103R you'll have a much better one.

i had noticed the 103r as well. It is definitely on the shortlist too.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi guy's recently I was thinking about getting a new phono stage to compliment my new project xperience and 2m blue cart,now within my last thread Mr Al ears has put doubt in my mind and suggested upping the cartridge,but no I said I've just got the 2m blue and now I'm wondering...should I?Alas there is nothing wrong with the sound at the present time and this is just upgrading for upgradings sake,Christmas tips and crimbo money to spend and I can stick my 2m blue on the old expression in the atic and sell it on.stage or cart.what do you guy's think . although my wee project box can do mc I think it's probably more at home with mm or high output mc's like possibly dynavector 10x5..suggestions welcome.

Try and get home dem of a Leema Elements phono stage. They're not cheap, around £400-500 mark, but I think it'll be a process of elimination. Your TT, phono stage and cart are good 'as is'.

 

[Al ears]

Hi guy's recently I was thinking about getting a new phono stage to compliment my new project xperience and 2m blue cart,now within my last thread Mr Al ears has put doubt in my mind and suggested upping the cartridge,but no I said I've just got the 2m blue and now I'm wondering...should I?Alas there is nothing wrong with the sound at the present time and this is just upgrading for upgradings sake,Christmas tips and crimbo money to spend and I can stick my 2m blue on the old expression in the atic and sell it on.stage or cart.what do you guy's think . although my wee project box can do mc I think it's probably more at home with mm or high output mc's like possibly dynavector 10x5..suggestions welcome.

Try and get home dem of a Leema Elements phono stage. They're not cheap, around £400-500 mark, but I think it'll be a process of elimination. Your TT, phono stage and cart are good 'as is'.

Try also to audition the Rothwell Rialto Mm/MC stage. One of the best around at the £400 Mark. Not much to look at admittedly but it's what is inside that counts.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi guy's recently I was thinking about getting a new phono stage to compliment my new project xperience and 2m blue cart,now within my last thread Mr Al ears has put doubt in my mind and suggested upping the cartridge,but no I said I've just got the 2m blue and now I'm wondering...should I?Alas there is nothing wrong with the sound at the present time and this is just upgrading for upgradings sake,Christmas tips and crimbo money to spend and I can stick my 2m blue on the old expression in the atic and sell it on.stage or cart.what do you guy's think . although my wee project box can do mc I think it's probably more at home with mm or high output mc's like possibly dynavector 10x5..suggestions welcome.

Try and get home dem of a Leema Elements phono stage. They're not cheap, around £400-500 mark, but I think it'll be a process of elimination. Your TT, phono stage and cart are good 'as is'.

Try also to audition the Rothwell Rialto Mm/MC stage. One of the best around at the £400 Mark. Not much to look at admittedly but it's what is inside that counts.

Indeed. Whatever the OP can source locally. Add, also, to the list with Graham Slee.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi guy's recently I was thinking about getting a new phono stage to compliment my new project xperience and 2m blue cart,now within my last thread Mr Al ears has put doubt in my mind and suggested upping the cartridge,but no I said I've just got the 2m blue and now I'm wondering...should I?Alas there is nothing wrong with the sound at the present time and this is just upgrading for upgradings sake,Christmas tips and crimbo money to spend and I can stick my 2m blue on the old expression in the atic and sell it on.stage or cart.what do you guy's think . although my wee project box can do mc I think it's probably more at home with mm or high output mc's like possibly dynavector 10x5..suggestions welcome.

Try and get home dem of a Leema Elements phono stage. They're not cheap, around £400-500 mark, but I think it'll be a process of elimination. Your TT, phono stage and cart are good 'as is'.

Try also to audition the Rothwell Rialto Mm/MC stage. One of the best around at the £400 Mark. Not much to look at admittedly but it's what is inside that counts.

Indeed. Whatever the OP can source locally. Add, also, to the list with Graham Slee.

Could also look at ClearAudio cartridges. The Concept, and previously Classic Wood cart, works well with Pro-ject Xpression.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Hay pp.Up here in the s/w of Scotland there isn't much to be able to dem in the way of phono stages,Glasgow being the closest city doesn't have a great deal to offer(unless i specifically order something in from a retailer)I'd be buying blind from the internet,hence the reason for maybe going with a stageline at first and possibly adding a flatcap xs at somepoint,but i'll be stuck with either a mm or mc box depending on which i go for in the end.That is a bit of a sticking point for me as i'd like to be able to go from mm to mc without the hassle of changing boxes.As you mentioned earlier all is ok with tt,box and cart,so i might try a different mm or some kind of mc cart to acclimatise myself with the differing types of presentation in sound from various manufacturers(that could be expensive) as this is still all a bit new to me and I could save a bit more for a stage later in the year.carts i've been looking at are...Goldring 1042, ortofon 2m bronze,audio technica AT-150mlx,Grado reference platinum 1 and nagaoka mp200,denon dl301 mkii and dynavector 10x5,a bit of a choice there ,but i've already got a ortofon so the bronze is out and i've read that the grado can be a bit bright,although my system could probably handle a bit of brightness it is on the more laidback side of neutral imo.

 

[Al ears]

Out of your cartridges I would suggest Nagaoka, Goldring, and possibly Audio Technica AT440 mlb as a lower cost option. I would also take Denon 103R over the 301 but that's me.

If you're going to have trouble auditioning the I would suggest whatever you go for can accommodate both moving magnet and low output moving coils from the outset. This is why I suggested the Rothwell. You could also look for second-hand Trichord Dino.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

If I keep my current box,I believe the denon 103r(I did consider it)might be a bit difficult for it regarding it's output.the 301 mk 2 is a bit more compliant, from what I've read anyway.But I think the nagaoka might be the one I'll plump for.

 

[bigfish786]

I have an old Nagaoka "Stilton" TS12 boron cart, which is a beautifully smooth cart. Very enjoyable.

The other is a Clearaudio Vertuoso which came with the TT. Which is a much punchier cart with more pronounced top end.

I'd recommend either. I still can't make my mind up which I prefer.

 

[Al ears]

If I keep my current box,I believe the denon 103r(I did consider it)might be a bit difficult for it regarding it's output.the 301 mk 2 is a bit more compliant, from what I've read anyway.But I think the nagaoka might be the one I'll plump for.

You'll not go far wrong with that. Agree the 103R is a low output such that your box might have difficulties. Lovely cartridge though which is why they've been selling for ages.

It's always expense / balance / and sound quality when it gets to this price point. If you head into low output moving coil territory then beware, it cannot or possibly should not be attemped on the cheap. This is why I mentioned avoiding high output moving coils and sticking to equivalently priced moving magnets as here the quality of the phono preamp is not so crucial.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Thanks everyone for your input and I really appreciate it . I've thought about the options for a while and think in the longer term I'll be better getting the stage sorted out first and I think I'm going to take a punt on a,small little heard of company called njc audio.there reference phono stage looks very well built with a three year warranty and apparently hand built to order ,although it's mm only they have a step up transformer that can be added at a later date.This stage looks quality and I've heard some very good things on another forum about it's performance and build.Also there headphone amp and dac are also meant to be very good.

 

[Al ears]

Thanks everyone for your input and I really appreciate it . I've thought about the options for a while and think in the longer term I'll be better getting the stage sorted out first and I think I'm going to take a punt on a,small little heard of company called njc audio.there reference phono stage looks very well built with a three year warranty and apparently hand built to order ,although it's mm only they have a step up transformer that can be added at a later date.This stage looks quality and I've heard some very good things on another forum about it's performance and build.Also there headphone amp and dac are also meant to be very good.

Do let us know what you think when you have had a good listen, they are a new one to me and would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[bigfish786]

Thanks everyone for your input and I really appreciate it . I've thought about the options for a while and think in the longer term I'll be better getting the stage sorted out first and I think I'm going to take a punt on a,small little heard of company called njc audio.there reference phono stage looks very well built with a three year warranty and apparently hand built to order ,although it's mm only they have a step up transformer that can be added at a later date.This stage looks quality and I've heard some very good things on another forum about it's performance and build.Also there headphone amp and dac are also meant to be very good.

and let us all know what you think of it.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I'll let you know how it goes guy's but it'll be a wee while before I get my hands on it. They're closed for their Christmas holidays and won't be back until the beginning of January plus a two to three week build time.

 

[Al ears]

I'll let you know how it goes guy's but it'll be a wee while before I get my hands on it. They're closed for their Christmas holidays and won't be back until the beginning of January plus a two to three week build time.

Good things come to tho prepared to wait. It took a while longer to get my EB2 speakers.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I'm afraid I don't think I can wait until February for a complete new build of phone stage from njc with so many ready available alternatives in the same price range, so pp and Mr Al ears my list is as follows Graham slee era gold v with psu1,trichord dino mk3,Rothwell rialto(on Al's advice), project phono box rs(could maybe stretch to that if worth it) and also the tubebox ds, Leema acoustics essentials, oh and I saw a whest two on the bay for £495 used. I know all these will be better than what I have at the moment, but it's trying to work out what's going to suit the rest of my system, I reckon the project tubebox ds(that I love the look of) will probably make the overall sound a tad lifeless maybe, as it is generally smooth due to the xs, and the leema is maybe lacking in the bass department (my little pmc's need all the help they can get lol). Any other pointers appreciated. Cheers.

 

[Al ears]

Don't rule out the Tubebox, by all accounts quite good in the right system.

I'd say if you can afford it go for the Whest although be aware they do have a few foibles. They are cartridge specific, moving magnet or moving coil, so make sure it the right one. This also has no On/Off switch so needs to be plugged into a switchable mains socket or strip.

Having said that it is a little overpriced being £650 new. They are good and its what this company specialises in.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I think I'll leave the whest at nearly 500 quid sh, l'll get something new for that money without the foibles as you mention, Also as I've turned to the dark side, along with the ir dac and rega ear, All my bits and bobs are black and I'd prefer the new stage to be of said vinyl like loveliness. Lol. Which leaves me with.... Project tubebox ds.... Project phono box rs....Leema acoustics essentials... Creek obh-15 mk2 and the well regarded trichord dino mk3. I believe all but the tubebox ds can do both mm and mc carts. You're wisdom is well received. Cheers.

 

[Al ears]

As I said, good but overpriced. Not sure if you can actually demo any in your latest list but assuming not, and bearing in mind I have not heard the Leema, I would get the Trichord. Had one myself and its well known and very well regarded, and the power supply can be upgraded.

 

[brownz]

I moved from a Pro-Ject Phono Box USB V to a Lehmann Black Cube SE http://www.henleydesigns.co.uk/Black-Cube-S/E-p415 and couldn't be happier. I'm running a 2M Blue up front on an old Pro-Ject RPM1.3 Genie and the transformation was jaw dropping. Had it a few months now and it never fails to impress. The build quality and PCB layout is something to behold and could teach a few manufacturers a few things I can tell you.