Creek passive linestage being used as primary preamp at the moment. Seeking quality preamp at moment; considering Air Tight ATC1 but scared due to age of unit. Might just go for a dedicated phono stage and add a passive line stage and dual stepped antenuators to the existing tube amplifier. Strongly considering the Decware 2.0 phono stage.
best turntable I've ever owned...it disappears when the record is playing....the sme 312 works well with it and the shelter 501 abnd dynavector dv20xh
SME 312
finally...an easy to adjust and setup tonearm! wonderful workmanship. Another class from rega type arms. Pity the series IV/V cannot be ordered in a 12
Shelter 501 Mk II
sold the 301 and bought this...the difference is palpable.. The 301 is a very good cartridge but once you hear the 501 you know what is missing. The 501 is simply tighter and cleaner across the FR spectrum and sounds more natural than either the 301 or the Dynavector DV20XH.
Denon AU300LC
moving coil transformer; new from audio cubes...excellent sounding unit considering price of 131 landed!
Creek OBH-12
Passive Creek linestage preamp with remote volume control. Temporary solution until I figure out what to do about a preamplifier; may just add a passive linestage to the existing 300b tube amp.
Onkyo T-9 Quartz Locked
great tuner for cheap from The Day...this one received darned good reviews back then, not many were sold, and most forgot about it; I never did and finally came across one locally with a warranty in mint condition for 100..Such a Deal!
The CR7A is simply the best deck out there short of the Dragon and much less maintenance intensive than a Dragon if reports are believed.
Tascam DA30
Pro DAT
Sony DVP-S7700
Primary use is redbook transport with occasional DVD usage. My thought is this is about as good as it gets for a transport unless I want to spend some really serious money.
Alesis ML-9600
Professional CDR burner with hard disk for mastering the recording, applying DSP and edits, and then burning.
Jolida JD-102b
back up amplifier put into service as headphone amplifier via its speaker terminal outputs...works fine that way and sounds quite good with the NOS tubes installed
Audio Note DAC 1x Signature Mk II
back to an audio note dac...I miss my old DAC 1 Signature..this one s/b even better
Nakamichi CR7A
3 head dual capstain...automatic setup for tape record adjustment with test tone...
3 Dimension Audio 300B ITDM
300b interstage coupled true dual monaural single ended triode amplifier with 5842 driver tubes and 5U4 rectifiers (RCA NOS). Sophia mesh plate tubes are the 300b tubes. This picture is of the power supply only.
Ultrasone HFI-650
Excellent German closed headphones; powered with Jolida 102b via the speaker terminals.
Lowther Loudspeakers DX2 in 2.5 I cabs
Lowther USA 2.5 I dual port bass reflex cabinets with Lowther DX2 drivers.
3 Dimension Audio 300B ITDM
Amplifier chassis.
REL Acoustics Storm
upgraded from Strata II to Storm....definite improvement
Nice and well thought out system. I have owned a VTL Ultimate more than once and it is definately a great preamp, let alone considering what they go for used now. If you haven't done so yet, you owe it to yourself to hear the VTL Ultimate retubed with Telefunken diamond base tubes... if I recall correctly it takes 3 different types between the input and phono stages, and the tubes aren't cheap... overall transformation of the preamp is not subtle. Enjoy it, they are not too easy to find, and many have been "modded" to their detriment. Happy listening.
