Gonepostal

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hi, just wanted to get some ideas from people on what would be considered the most sensible way to improve my sound. Currently listening to vinyl with a Teac tn400 TT using the built in phono stage. This is paired with a Marantz mcr510. Should point out that I’m not massively unhappy with the sound, I do find myself with approx £600 and was thinking of treating myself.

So would i be better advised to buy a phono pre amp and a new cartridge or maybe a new amp that has a phono stage, something like the Rega Brio. What would give me the most improvement In SQ. I do enjoy listening to the radio as well so would need to buy something to allow that if buying s new amp. Would there be a night/day difference between the Marantz receiver and a dedicated amp.

Thanks.
 
Gonepostal said:
hi, just wanted to get some ideas from people on what would be considered the most sensible way to improve my sound. Currently listening to vinyl with a Teac tn400 TT using the built in phono stage. This is paired with a Marantz mcr510. Should point out that I’m not massively unhappy with the sound, I do find myself with approx £600 and was thinking of treating myself.

So would i be better advised to buy a phono pre amp and a new cartridge or maybe a new amp that has a phono stage, something like the Rega Brio. What would give me the most improvement In SQ. I do enjoy listening to the radio as well so would need to buy something to allow that if buying s new amp. Would there be a night/day difference between the Marantz receiver and a dedicated amp.

Thanks.

Could you actually get to audition the Brio or other amps?

That turntable comes with an AT95 cartridge I believe. You could budget for a upgrade stylus for that or even a new cartridge completely. Just a thought.
 
D

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What Al said.

Just an alternative, if you like the Marantz sound then there's always the PM8005 or Pearl Lite. I would personally say that the phono stage on these amps beats any separate phono stage up to c£300.
 

Gonepostal

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Thanks for replying, the Pm8005 is to big for the sideboard, I can’t audition which I know is frowned upon but that’s the reality of the situation. One reason for considering the Rega is the size but also I have not read a bad word about it.

I could keep what I’ve got and just buy a new cartridge, I just wanted to know if the money would be better spent on a new amp with a dedicated phono stage, killing 2 birds with one stone. I also listen through my headphones late at night and my understanding was that the Rega has a good headphone section.
 

Gonepostal

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Dali Zensor 5. Not looking to change them. My thinking is that they would benefit from a better amp but I could be wrong. So what do you think, spend some money on a cartridge upgrade before a new amp/phono stage.
 
D

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ifor said:
DougK said:
I would personally say that the phono stage on these amps beats any separate phono stage up to c£300.

I would very much doubt that.

Wanna bet Mr Slee? I've tried it with a Pro-Ject Phono Box DS about 2 or 3 years ago, the Pro-Ject was retailing for £225 at the time, the Marantz phono stage beat it easily. I even recorded the sessions as I couldn't believe it myself. I stopped looking for an external phono stage after that as I knew I would be looking at a much more expensive purchase to better what I already had. Shove that in yer pipe and smoke it.
 

ifor

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DougK said:
ifor said:
DougK said:
I would personally say that the phono stage on these amps beats any separate phono stage up to c£300.

I would very much doubt that.

I've tried it with a Pro-Ject Phono Box DS about 2 or 3 years ago, the Pro-Ject was retailing for £225 at the time, the Marantz phono stage beat it easily. I even recorded the sessions as I couldn't believe it myself. I stopped looking for an external phono stage after that as I knew I would be looking at a much more expensive purchase to better what I already had. Shove that in yer pipe and smoke it.

So, based on a comparison with a single sub £300 phonostage you conclude that the Marantz would outperform all others up to £300. It’s not a very convincing argument.
 
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If you want to take it like that then it's about as convincing as you pushing Graham Slee phono stages at every opportunity. You are content with what you have and so am I. What this did prove to me personally is that I would need to invest a lot more cash to get better results, I intend to stay with MM carts so what's the point.

We're all fanboys of our own kit and as such objectivity tends to take a back seat.
 

ifor

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... to the OP; this has been taken rather off topic.

Yes, I agree we can all get attached to certain brands, but to accuse me promoting GS products at every opportunity is simply not true; you mentioned them on this occasion, I did not. However, I do like to encourage people to consider products other than those in the mainstream, as some others do e.g. Al and his liking for Tom Evans gear. The point is that there’s a lot more out there than Rega, Project etc. and if it’s easy to audition in one’s own home more people could, IMO, benefit from broadening their horizons.

There’s also a wealth of knowledge and experience to be found outside the bubble of this forum, which many seem to be unaware of.

Like you, I have no intention whatsoever of moving from MM to MC, but that’s no reason not to invest in a superior phono stage.
 

MajorFubar

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Assuming the o/t bickering hasn't scared off the OP...

If you're serious about vinyl and the £600 is burning a hole in your pocket, I'd throw pretty much all of it at better turntable/cartridge, one way or another. It will make a FAR bigger difference than partnering your current turntable with a better amplifier or better phono stage. Sure you may end up with something your current amp and phono stage isn't getting the absolute best from, but meh so what? With analogue sources, it's always best to throw the lion's share of the money at the source.
 

Gonepostal

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Lol I don’t mind the bickering and thanks for some good advice. I was waiting for someone to suggest that, unfortunately the TT is only 4 months old so the Mrs isn’t gonna be up for replacing it just yet. It was her xmas present, and the reason she wanted that over say a Rega was the colour, the Rega’s all Seem to be black or white, and the ability to be able to change from 33 to 45 by a switch.

I think I will keep the majority of the money back with a view to replacing the TT in about a year, for the time being I will think about s new cartridge and possibly an external phono stage as at the moment I’m using the one built into the TT.

Lastly any any suggestions on a new cartridge upgrade, I’m not going to even try and fit it myself, so maybe something I could buy with a head shell that can just be attached to my current tone arm.

Thank you
 
MajorFubar said:
Assuming the o/t bickering hasn't scared off the OP...

If you're serious about vinyl and the £600 is burning a hole in your pocket, I'd throw pretty much all of it at better turntable/cartridge, one way or another. It will make a FAR bigger difference than partnering your current turntable with a better amplifier or better phono stage. Sure you may end up with something your current amp and phono stage isn't getting the absolute best from, but meh so what? With analogue sources, it's always best to throw the lion's share of the money at the source.

+1
 

MajorFubar

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Gonepostal said:
I think I will keep the majority of the money back with a view to replacing the TT in about a year, for the time being I will think about s new cartridge and possibly an external phono stage as at the moment I’m using the one built into the TT.

Keep the AT95 cartridge but upgrade the stylus to an 95EX, that's a cheapish start :)
 
Gonepostal said:
Lol I don’t mind the bickering and thanks for some good advice. I was waiting for someone to suggest that, unfortunately the TT is only 4 months old so the Mrs isn’t gonna be up for replacing it just yet. It was her xmas present, and the reason she wanted that over say a Rega was the colour, the Rega’s all Seem to be black or white, and the ability to be able to change from 33 to 45 by a switch.

I think I will keep the majority of the money back with a view to replacing the TT in about a year, for the time being I will think about s new cartridge and possibly an external phono stage as at the moment I’m using the one built into the TT.

Lastly any any suggestions on a new cartridge upgrade, I’m not going to even try and fit it myself, so maybe something I could buy with a head shell that can just be attached to my current tone arm.

Thank you

I guess that will depend on your budget for this item. Paying for the additional headshell is an additional cost and quite often some of these need 'tweaking'
 

ifor

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Al ears said:
MajorFubar said:
Assuming the o/t bickering hasn't scared off the OP...

If you're serious about vinyl and the £600 is burning a hole in your pocket, I'd throw pretty much all of it at better turntable/cartridge, one way or another. It will make a FAR bigger difference than partnering your current turntable with a better amplifier or better phono stage. Sure you may end up with something your current amp and phono stage isn't getting the absolute best from, but meh so what? With analogue sources, it's always best to throw the lion's share of the money at the source.

+1

+2
 

Mihai

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I can tell you that upgrading your amplifier to rega brio will make a big improvement in sound quality. I upgraded my marantz pm 6005 to the brio. After the upgrade I realized that the phono stage in the marantz was poor, it lacked extension in LF and HF and the amplifier part is also much better. I assume that upgrading from the marantz receiver to the brio will make an even bigger difference.
 

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