Turntable The next level

Hi Malvai,
thanks for the suggestion. I know that Nighthawk phonostage is very good on specs specially the fact it offers wide range of options to fit different cartridges. Now let me give you an example which is often discuseed here like can we get good stereo music out of a receiver. It is often advised to go for a stereo amplifier and the reason being it is meant to do that job only. If we translate this reasoning in to cartridge world would you get a phono stage that does both moving MM or MC or you would get a phono cartridge that only deals with MC. From my understanding to get a good phonostage for a LOMC or MOMC you need a very good step up transformer be it outside the unit or inside the unit.
If you are considering a phono stage for solely MC cartridges then a good option is MCP2 from Sound smith.
Soundsmith built phono preamplifiers
Acoustic sounds in its catalogue praises it highly

"Our new MCP2 is a low cost way to enjoy MC cartridges. It has variable loading from ( 10 ohms to 5k ohms) to allow use with any MC cart and to tune the high end response for your listening preference. Built in high quality fully shielded step up transformers assure noise free and ultra low distortion to allow unfettered enjoyment from your treasured vinyl collection. The new MCP2 has been favourable demonstrated against pre amps costing $3000- $4000 with surprising results."


What I have is this Lyrita phono stage which is very good, what I am trying is to optimize its performence by fine tuning other parameters. Actually I was reading this article on 6moons regarding cartridge and step ups and I particularly liked the portion.

6moons audio reviews: MC Step-Up Transformers - A Primer
" it seems that cartridge manufacturers all engage in audiophile schadenfreude. Basically you (the user) are left with a complete mess to try to sort out, usually empirically and at your own expense.

Next the manufacturer's specifications compound these problems further by stating information such as "40 ohms with transformer, 100 ohms with amplifier". This is techno-babble for "I (the manufacturer) am really not going to tell you how to properly load my cartridge for optimum results". Instead I am going to give you "setting values" for "complimentary equipment" that we also manufacture."

At the end of the day its all about blowing some money for anticipation of heavenly pleasure. Be it women , alcohol or on a step up transformer.::)
Thanks.

Well said! :clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:
 
Manav, that table always impresses me with its elegant and beautiful looks :)
Respect for a job well done.

For your setup, make sure you get a silver Nighthawk. That would look BEAUTIFUL together and make out of this world music. Excellent setup...I'm so impressed.

Just get the VTA, VTF, Azimuth and cart alignment perfect and you're good to roll.
 
@ M~

!!!!!!!!!! .... This seems a Killer! (*i was given some specs for the noob about this one i believe, by Arup ji yday over our chat)

You MUST hook it up, if ye can!
 
Arup, check to see if it has the Air reference flywheel and the air reference platter. Also which version is this? MK1, MKII etc?

That is VERY VERY tempting. Make sure it is in good working condition. Any service or parts on that thing can easily kill you.

Also, that arm is actually quite high maintenance and it is CRITICAL to keep it clean or its movement gets screwed up. The air supply has to have INCREDIBLY clean air filtering otherwise dust clogs up functionality. Basically in short periods, the arm needs to be taken apart and cleaned which is quite a lot of work. Especially in Delhi?! Dust capital!

The only thing that will make me worry is the maintenance. The upkeep on that table invites too much trouble making life more stressful and taking away from a happy vinyl experience.

Thoughts?
 
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@ Shaizada
Mumbai it is for Malvai, so it could be wee bit better for M, than the dust laden Delhi.
Especially with some plans that he has will make him sit n listen at quite an altitude to the rest of the city. If you know what i mean.
 
True.

BUT, that Forsell Air Bearing arm has ALWAYS been very finicky about dust. Even little dust in generally cleaner air environments in Europe, US gives that arm some problems in it jamming the movement. Air bearing arms need a very smooth and almost frictionless ease for the cart to track the grooves.

Forsell tables are notorious for this problem and it has consistently been improved upon from MKI to MKII to MKIII, still not fully addressed. India in GENERAL is quite dusty...it could mean a lot of heart ache actually for something that doesn't react well to even little bit of dust. Yaar, that peace of mind goes from things like that.

It's best to get tables that are high quality and VERY reliable in the long run with little to no maintenance. That THEN makes for a pleasurable listening experience. If you have to struggle with hardware, then you're buying yourself problems for no reason.
 
Hi,


The Forsell TT looks awesome.Who ever picks it up is indeed fortunate.

Is the TT in India?


Regards
Rajiv
 
You bet....it's just that I don't our guys to get stuck with something that has a known history of trouble, especially if there is little turntable experience.

With the more complicated designs, we are also getting more complicated engineering and more problems can arise. If and when they DO arise, it can mean more money being spent.

These are things a person should know going in for something like this.
If you can keep up with the uptake, then its a great learning experience and fun to listen.

BUT, if you end up buying troubles for yourself, it makes for a disturbing analog life ;)

Forsell even has upgrades PAST MKIII right now so he's been trying to tackle these problems for some time :)
 
Forsell sound, when it works is awesome. But his pieces, though well engineered, are too finicky and too cumbersome for long term usage. It's just not a practical day to day machine.

Amp is totally worth it! That is a great piece. Also, the speakers are fantastic! I've heard the Cremona, Stradivarius, Guarneri Homage extensively.
 
The TT in the picture is a Forsell Air Reference MK-I. It is in immaculate shape and everything works like a charm. As always with Air-bearing based setups, delivery of purified, clean and dry air is a Must. Hence, strong filtration system has to be used.

The asking price is so sweet that I actually feel like putting a 20% deposit on it now. Never mind when its picked up bcoZ its 125 kilos :ohyeah:

A quality MC on it with Ray's F-117 - oh man! it would be bliss..... :)

@Arup: Bro its the most tempting thingee in analogue that I have seen after Clearaudio Ambient & The other TTs pics that you sent!

But, (graciously) abhi nahi! I want to do something on the speaker side of things...

When are u back? I'll hit edlhi tomorrow!
 
The Feikert has one of my dream arms on it. The Kuzma Airline arm, which goes for about $8k used!

How much is he asking for the Feikert table and maybe arm separately? :)

The Nottingham is a rock solid table with ZERO maintenance problems. In fact, the table starts with a slight push to the platter. So easy and convenient.

Which EAR amps did you hear? I've heard the EAR amps many times and always went away in love. The 890, the 534 both are awesome. Basically, Bob Levi (positive Feedback reviewer) has these amazing EAR systems with Marten Design Bird speakers which can easily leave you slack jawed :)
 
Under the Nottingham, he also has the Audio Aero Capitole CD player. Man have you heard that thing?!~ It sounds smooth and SOOOOOOOOOO beautiful.

You should go back and listen to it, just to get a taste of things ;)
 
Yaar, find out the price of the Kuzma airline arm na. Let's see how good of a deal they can do....the absolute lowest I've seen is about $6.2k. Wonder what they can do....that arm is absolutely AWESOME and a final one you can rest with till death do you apart ;)
 
In a beautiful Finite Element Pagode rack.... damn good rack!
He's also using the Finite Element Cerabase for the top level shelf which I think must be supporting the turntable.
 
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