Why no turntable?

aKnyght said:
yes -- simAudio 110LP v2 -- is a MM/MC phono stage

mofi, lounge, vista, iFi and lehmann were others i specifically looked at... as mentioned, i have not heard any of these. just going on specs, reviews and relative price -- absolutely nothing "scientific" here.

there are a lot of others out there as well such as pro-ject, schiit, etc.

are you using the on-board phono stage on the u-turn? any impressions?
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I am using the on board U-Turn and for the most part it sounds very good. I have no comparison though. Most albums sound good, some very good, a few have sections that do not sound so good. When my buddy gets back from NC I might borrow one to see how big a difference there is.

I have no chance of listening to any of these so if I do go down that road I need to hear recommendations from others who have tried them.
 
Randy, if you are considering the Lounge Audio, you may want to contact them and see if it could be upgraded to the Silver or Gold addition in the future if you get further into vinyl. The LCR Silver was fabulous in my modest system with my vintage Thorens TT and Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge. My friend who owns it uses it in a $3.2K system and loves it.
 
Are you referring to the "Silver Wire"? They show "Standard" for $300 and "Silver Wire" for $450 on their website.

The Ortofon 2M Blue stylus arrived today. Definitely a nice improvement.
 
I played more vinyl today. I compared Mozart Four Horn Concerti No. 2 in E-flat Major. I'm actually shocked at how well my vinyl plays. It's pretty hard to tell the 2 apart. Both are very smooth and clean. No edginess or fatigue. The digital is a little more clean and black in the background. Not much. Its the record noise I hear. Not the motor. The punch and dynamics are pretty darn similar. Top to bottom is also pretty similar. I'm surprised how much bass the vinyl makes. I'm not sure why I'm surprised. I just am.
 
Since the U-Turn arrived I have been playing around with vinyl and having fun; re-discovering the "joys" of record maintenance, etc. I believe both digital and vinyl have their places, and I have found some albums sound good, maybe better then my digital versions (45 RPM Fleetwood Mac and the four Pink Floyd top notch remasters that I have purchased, for example). I could see that a similar level turntable as my digital setup might perform on similar levels.

However, starting to play my digital again makes me realize just how good it is and very much appreciate the convenience and ease of use. I am sure I will enjoy both formats moving forward! One way that I have found to enjoy the vinyl is finding some of my old favorites at the used record stores. Albums that I have never seen in any digital version!
 
Randy Myers said:
Are you referring to the "Silver Wire"? They show "Standard" for $300 and "Silver Wire" for $450 on their website.

The Ortofon 2M Blue stylus arrived today. Definitely a nice improvement.
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Yes, but the upgrade is more than just the silver wire.

Glad to hear that the 2M Blue sounds better. Give it 25-30 hours and it will sound better.

Enjoy!
 
If I later decide to try an external phono stage my buddy has offered to loan me his Parasound JC3 which is his favorite, or the Wyred 4 Sound PH-1 which he has never used in his main setup yet. I think both are out of the range I would want to be in so I may or may not take him up on his offer. These three in the $400 range are probably more where I would be looking.

I wish I could get some direct comparisons, but oh well. For now I am fairly impressed with the U-Turn phono stage.
 
The best entry phono stage I have tried is the Octave EQ2.

Price in the EU is €1500,-.


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Randy Myers said:
If I later decide to try an external phono stage my buddy has offered to loan me his Parasound JC3 which is his favorite, or the Wyred 4 Sound PH-1 which he has never used in his main setup yet. I think both are out of the range I would want to be in so I may or may not take him up on his offer. These three in the $400 range are probably more where I would be looking.

I wish I could get some direct comparisons, but oh well. For now I am fairly impressed with the U-Turn phono stage.
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look at a Schiit "Mani" for $129 its a wonderful phono for the money and very nice performance. i would suggest buying direct from Schiit, they offer a return period.


i was looking for a sub $500 phono for my bedroom system and came across the Mani,and it exceeded my expectations.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O96tQ2Tqa0s
 
I got to say, one of the things I am really enjoying is finding albums that I really used to like in vinyl that I have never seen in any digital format... particular Motels, Queen, Robert Palmer, Dan Fogelberg, Lana Del Ray, 10cc, and others. So so good stuff! And all have cleaned up to pristine condition with the Record Doctor. This is the fun stuff.
 
Randy Myers said:
I got to say, one of the things I am really enjoying is finding albums that I really used to like in vinyl that I have never seen in any digital format... particular Motels, Queen, Robert Palmer, Dan Fogelberg, Lana Del Ray, 10cc, and others. So so good stuff! And all have cleaned up to pristine condition with the Record Doctor. This is the fun stuff.
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Yep,

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I talked with Ben at U-Turn. Although the records play just fine directly on the acrylic platter he suggests the cork mat. The main reason is that the tone arms are setup with a 1/8" mat in the mix, therefore it will be better adjusted with a mat. A cork mat takes care of both concerns, proper tracking angle and no static build up that I found the felt pad can have.

I also decided on the SimAudio 110LP v2 phono stage because of recommendations and reviews. It has the flexibility of setting different loads, resistances, and gain (hopefully I got the terms correct, if not, sorry, I am a turntable noob again). But most importantly I have seen it described in multiple places as "crazy good". In my limited research I did not encounter one review that was not glowing. Plus it comes with a strong thumbs up from Mr. Mike! Several good choices in the low level range that I was looking; Vista, Lounge, Vincent, Cambridge, MoFo, etc., I am confident that the SimAudio will give me a very nice boost and solidify my basic re-entry into the world of vinyl.
 
Randy Myers said:
I talked with Ben at U-Turn. Although the records play just fine directly on the acrylic platter he suggests the cork mat. The main reason is that the tone arms are setup with a 1/8" mat in the mix, therefore it will be better adjusted with a mat. A cork mat takes care of both concerns, proper tracking angle and no static build up that I found the felt pad can have.

I also decided on the SimAudio 110LP v2 phono stage because of recommendations and reviews. It has the flexibility of setting different loads, resistances, and gain (hopefully I got the terms correct, if not, sorry, I am a turntable noob again). But most importantly I have seen it described in multiple places as "crazy good". In my limited research I did not encounter one review that was not glowing. Plus it comes with a strong thumbs up from Mr. Mike! Several good choices in the low level range that I was looking; Vista, Lounge, Vincent, Cambridge, MoFo, etc., I am confident that the SimAudio will give me a very nice boost and solidify my basic re-entry into the world of vinyl.
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We just can’t leave well enough alone, you gotta love it!

So when are you expecting the Sim?


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Randy Myers said:
Maybe today!!! I really think that will do me for now.
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Remember, “think” is a term of uncertainty [emoji851]

Doing one thing at a time and enjoying it is extreme discipline, something I have not been able to do.

But there’s a lot of truth in stepping back to smell the roses.

Get her in there, score some albums and simply enjoy!


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Phono stage is a crucially important piece of the playback puzzle, in some systems perhaps THE most important, and I think moving from the built-in unit to a high quality outboard (by all accounts the Simaudio phonos are excellent) will open your eyes!
 
Randy Myers said:
I also decided on the SimAudio 110LP v2 phono stage because of recommendations and reviews... Plus it comes with a strong thumbs up from Mr. Mike!
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very nice!! it does seem like the right choice in this area of phono amps. i am really looking forward to hearing your impressions and how you like it.

lots of people here now having fun with vinyl!! ...i think mike may have been right all along: why no turntable?
 
Randy Myers said:
I talked with Ben at U-Turn. Although the records play just fine directly on the acrylic platter he suggests the cork mat. The main reason is that the tone arms are setup with a 1/8" mat in the mix, therefore it will be better adjusted with a mat. A cork mat takes care of both concerns, proper tracking angle and no static build up that I found the felt pad can have.

I also decided on the SimAudio 110LP v2 phono stage because of recommendations and reviews. It has the flexibility of setting different loads, resistances, and gain (hopefully I got the terms correct, if not, sorry, I am a turntable noob again). But most importantly I have seen it described in multiple places as "crazy good". In my limited research I did not encounter one review that was not glowing. Plus it comes with a strong thumbs up from Mr. Mike! Several good choices in the low level range that I was looking; Vista, Lounge, Vincent, Cambridge, MoFo, etc., I am confident that the SimAudio will give me a very nice boost and solidify my basic re-entry into the world of vinyl.
Click to expand...

Randy, really enjoying your plunge into vinyl. Very refreshing.

I think in our hobby we have the great opportunity to explore and try out new things. Well done!


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The SimAudio arrived today. Listening to a couple of albums so far. It is impressive! The manual states it needs 300 hours of break in time.
 
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