dlb2
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As many of you here know I just got back into vinyl earlier this year. I wasn't really sure after all that time away from it if I would embrace vinyl like I did many years ago. Well, to make a long story short I've gone down the deep, dark hole of vinyl. It's gotten me back into music instead of worrying about cables and amps and speakers and, and, and... My biggest thrill now is finding some great old vinyl to spend all my money on! My previous set-up had a few things that bugged me, which was mainly my OCD problem. I was able to get a great deal on a table that I had my eye on from the beginning of my analog journey and decided to take the next step forward.
I now have in my possession a new Well Tempered Labs Amadeus table and a Manley Chinook phono stage. I'm using my Lyra Delos with this set up as well. I have about a dozen hours on everything so I'm guessing that things still need to get settled in a bit more but I'm really happy with the results. The Delos sounds like a different cartridge on this table. It's detailed with great extension and clarity but also has a liquid sweetness to it that brings the music to life. No harshness, brightness or edginess at all.
Unfortunately since I changed everything all at once I'm not able to determine what did what for the sound. I really think it's a combination of it all though. The warmth of the tubes in the Chinook, the ability to track the groove no matter how warped the record of the Amadeus, the simplicity of it all.
The Amadeus is a pretty amazing piece of equipment. It seems like most pieces of gear are getting more and more complicated. All the buttons, switches, dials, adjustments, etc... The Amadeus, as well as all of the WTL line, is a breath of fresh air. The headshell has no adjustment so no protractor is needed for set up. You just screw the cart on and it's set. No double and triple checking your alignment, no second guessing yourself whatsoever. The anti-skate is done by making a simple twist in the line that holds up the arm, azimuth can be set on the fly with the twist of a bearing above the arm. It's ridiculously simple but it works so well. I haven't talked much about the Chinook but what's there to say except "lovely tube goodness!" It's built like a tank with lots of loading options and sounds fantastic. I'm sure there is plenty I'm not saying, but I'll just say that I am very happy with the sound of this set up and will be spinning vinyl with a big smile on my face from now on.
Now for the pics.
I now have in my possession a new Well Tempered Labs Amadeus table and a Manley Chinook phono stage. I'm using my Lyra Delos with this set up as well. I have about a dozen hours on everything so I'm guessing that things still need to get settled in a bit more but I'm really happy with the results. The Delos sounds like a different cartridge on this table. It's detailed with great extension and clarity but also has a liquid sweetness to it that brings the music to life. No harshness, brightness or edginess at all.
Unfortunately since I changed everything all at once I'm not able to determine what did what for the sound. I really think it's a combination of it all though. The warmth of the tubes in the Chinook, the ability to track the groove no matter how warped the record of the Amadeus, the simplicity of it all.
The Amadeus is a pretty amazing piece of equipment. It seems like most pieces of gear are getting more and more complicated. All the buttons, switches, dials, adjustments, etc... The Amadeus, as well as all of the WTL line, is a breath of fresh air. The headshell has no adjustment so no protractor is needed for set up. You just screw the cart on and it's set. No double and triple checking your alignment, no second guessing yourself whatsoever. The anti-skate is done by making a simple twist in the line that holds up the arm, azimuth can be set on the fly with the twist of a bearing above the arm. It's ridiculously simple but it works so well. I haven't talked much about the Chinook but what's there to say except "lovely tube goodness!" It's built like a tank with lots of loading options and sounds fantastic. I'm sure there is plenty I'm not saying, but I'll just say that I am very happy with the sound of this set up and will be spinning vinyl with a big smile on my face from now on.
Now for the pics.
