I've decided that tracking down expensive first pressings aren't really my thing, and will settle on remastered pressings that sound great...

As my avatar might suggest some evidence, I had an early pressing fetish from about 87-97.  I'd take long trips to find remote (i.e., not picked over) thrift stores and sometime would get lucky to find 20-30 good six eyes or shaded dogs at once. These sorts of threads tempt me but I'm trying my best to stick to the convenience of digital. 

My pre-amp search will take a while. It may end up as a DIY project. In the meantime, I will be using this $50 POS.



Don't laugh. I've only heard the Manley and EC Transcription units recently. With the Ortofon Black on the table, that "POS" above with a dedicated power supply will serve as my preamp... That is until I dial in everything else and decide to move up to a MC cart. I'm in no hurry. It's more fun to take things slowly.

I'll be trying a variety of power supplies. OJ used an AMB with excellent results. Note that the TC-750 uses no op-amps. A few parts can be swapped to change gain and improve sonics. I've been studying a few other cheapo units on eBay, including some tube designs, and I still think this design is better. With the right tweaks, this can beat typical $1000 preamps.

As my avatar might suggest some evidence, I had an early pressing fetish from about 87-97.  I'd take long trips to find remote (i.e., not picked over) thrift stores and sometime would get lucky to find 20-30 good six eyes or shaded dogs at once. These sorts of threads tempt me but I'm trying my best to stick to the convenience of digital. 

Ha! It's a lot easier going crate digging when you're not constantly trying to look at the deadwax matrix!

I do love my modest little vinyl rig though. Listen to that thing almost every day.

Yup, agreed. I remember when I first listened to my old Metallica and Slayer records - I was stunned at how much better they were than the first gen CDs. That difference holds up on needle drops, so it's not just the analog playback chain that makes the difference. Those old vinyl masters were just way better.

I've been able to accept how much money I've sunk into my vinyl rig by convincing myself that because I've bought everything at a significant percentage off of MSRP, that I've come out "ahead." I'm also pleased with my Ace Space/Shelter 7000/Duo combo to the point that I feel that I don't really need to do anything else. I've got the heavy kit and I've got the Wave Mechanic power supply, so speed accuracy is on point. I know the ladder goes MUCH higher - AMG V12, Amazon Grand Referenz, etc, but what I've got is pretty damn good. That Benz LP-S Class keeps calling me though. IME there is no better cart on earth for rock and metal, at least that I've heard.

Now that is a killer rig!  I used to own a Shelter 90x and I've heard a 510 mkII and Harmony...the Shelter universe is extremely resolute and mesmerizing.  Great choice man.  There is no end to the "ladder," but I notice you can keep going up with little improvements after a certain point.  I've spent a lot of time with top class vinyl playback (Kuzma XL4 with Airline and 4 Point tonearms, EAR Discmaster, SME 30/12, Kronos, AMG, Clearaudio Statement) in friends systems which I listen to frequently, and it all comes down the system synergy.  If you already have that, there are gains to be had, but not THAT much more.

The Benz LP-S is absolutely killer!  I used to own a Benz LP till it needed retipping.  Slightly on the smoother/richer side of the listening spectrum.  I went to a Dynavector XV1S...you should hear that if you can.  I don't see any Benz US distributor and the last I heard, the designer was not in great health.  So could be difficult to buy, and then even more difficult to service if needed.  Maybe look at a Shelter Harmony if you like what u hear with the Shelter sound!

The Benz LP-S is absolutely killer!  I used to own a Benz LP till it needed retipping.  Slightly on the smoother/richer side of the listening spectrum.  I went to a Dynavector XV1S...you should hear that if you can.  I don't see any Benz US distributor and the last I heard, the designer was not in great health.  So could be difficult to buy, and then even more difficult to service if needed.  Maybe look at a Shelter Harmony if you like what u hear with the Shelter sound!

Oh that Kuzma Airline. One of the very best arms on earth, but SUCH a bitch to use. The Durand and Graham arms get close enough that there's just no way I could ever put up with that thing.

The main guy at Benz passed fairly recently, and it's been very difficult to get a Benz cart in the US for quite awhile. Every now and then an LP-S will show up for sale, but the servicing issue makes me nervous. The Dynavector is a sweet cart, no question, as is the Harmony MC. Another super star in the $5K class is the Miyajima Madake.