System #204 (Vantage)

[STV]

Glen,

Too cool!! A VPI TT! Hey I know that 3 weeks is going to be a bit of a wait, but once you do get it I'll bet its going to be well worth it! Congrats!! Looking forward to the pix.


Seth

 

[STV]

Thanks Seth for the kind words. The speakers really did class up the room as all Martin Logan's do .

Well that room was already classy, the Martin Logans just REALLY compliment it! Your setup has to be one of the cleanest looking I have seen.


Seth

 

[Kaliar]

Congrats for your tasteful installation. Great setup, must be a joy to listen to !

Enjoy while waiting for your TT !

 

[slowGEEZR]

Very nice system! You're gonna love the Scout! Does the Rega preamp have a built in phono amp? If not, check out the BAT phono amps. I couldn't be happier with mine.

 

[MiTT]

Very nice system indeed. Welcome to the club!

I was going to ask about your phono stage as well. If the Rega isn't so equipped what are your plans?

 

[FOUNTAIN]

Thanks guys vey much for the compliments. The Rega Cursa 3 preamp can come either way, with or without a phono stage. I ordered mine without one when it was purchased. So today when I ordered the VPI Scout Signature I also ordered the phono stage for the Rega through my local dealer. Eventually the phono stage will need to be upgraded to an outboard one, but that will be on down the line. If you have any recommendations please feel free to share; Steve I will most definitely check out the BAT, thanks. I am still new to some of this so it's hard to know on my own when I've made a good selection or a bad one. The price range will most likely be $600 or below. Of course this next purchase will take some time in order for my bank account to heal .

 

[FOUNTAIN]

O.K. I finally got my new equipment in and took some pictures. It has taken me long enough to do this, but I just couldn't seem to get off my lazy butt. Oh well! The changes that I have made are as follows:

1. Preamp- I changed from the Rega Cursa 3 to a VTL 2.5. I just love the sound of tubes.:rocker:

2. Source- I added a VPI Scout with Signature arm and a Dynavector 10x5 cartridge. The cartridge is a high output moving coil.

3. PhonoPreamp- I added a Dynavector P-75 MKII. For about 2 months I used the built in phono section inside the Rega Preamp and decided to upgrade both when I changed to the VTL.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the vinyl aspect. In fact my CD player sees very little use since this little gem was added. Also, the VTL was a very nice jump from the Cursa 3. The Cursa was never a bad preamp, but the VTL is a lot more musical when I compared the two. As for the Phono pre, the Dynavector is leaps and bounds better than the board I had added into the Rega. In fact, from what I understand the P-75 has a phono enhancer that can only be used with low output moving coils. This has really tempted me to buy a low output cart such as the Dynavector 20X or Karat D3. Of course this may take some time and I don't believe that I'll go over the cost of a Karat. Hopefully though it'll be in the next couple of months. Thanks for looking.

 

[Bernard]

VERY nice, clean-looking setup. As a VPI owner I love the VPI.

You really need to get your Mac out of there and on a stand of its own as it has no room to breathe (will shorten tube life).

 

[amey01]

Wow - you've had a few upgrades since getting your 'logans!!

How do you like the VPI?

Is the dog's name Sydney? Very beautiful boy....

 

[FOUNTAIN]

Thanks Bernard, and yes I am looking into getting another stand. I'm not as worried about the ventilation since it is open on both sides and the front, but it would be nice to not have a large tall stand in the middle of my soundstage. I don't believe that I'll be able to move it out of the way, but I could buy a lower/wider stand that would allow for the McIntosh and VPI to be on top.

Hello Amey. I just love the VPI and its sound.:music: I compared it to a Rega P3-24 and a Rega P-5 which were both very nice tables, but I decided to spend the extra change and get this one. And yes, that is Sydney who is now just over a year old. She is the best dog I have ever owned.

 

[slowGEEZR]

... In fact my CD player sees very little use since this little gem was added.

First, nice system! Second, I said the same thing when I added a VPI to my system. I bet you're going to find that you will listen to CDs less and less and vinyl more and more.

 

[FOUNTAIN]

'Thanks Steve and yes you are right, my CD player is collecting alot of dust these days. But just for comparison sake I listened to a Norah Jones 200g record last night and the corresponding cd and found the vinyl to be much more pleasing. It was not as if the cd was terrible, but the overall presentation was much smoother through the VPI. The one thing though that I did like about the Rega over the VPI was that it did sound a little more forward in its presentation. Now I don't want to sacrifice the smoothness of the turntable for it, but I am curious if a new cart will provide that or not. Of course some may say that the Rega is not that good of a Cd player and therefore that is why I like the VPI so much, and they may be right. But I haven't been able to compare it to anything else, especially in the same price range as what I have spent on the VPI. In either case I am very satisfied with the results this far and plan to be happy with it in the future.

Just out of curiosity has anyone else used the VTL 2.5 and/or the Dynavector Phono Pre? If so what are your opinions? I won't be replacing them anytime soon, or ever, but it was hard to find very many consumer opinions. I will say again though that the VTL is a very musical piece especially compared to my previous preamp. I wondered if anyone else has bought this piece of equipment or passed it up for something else in its price range. Thanks

 

[Zlogan]

Another Aeon i lover. Great set up. I know your enjoying them as much as I am.

My set up:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7177

 

[FOUNTAIN]

Another Aeon i lover. Great set up. I know your enjoying them as much as I am.

My set up:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7177

Thank you logan. I enjoyed them very much and would still have them if I had not gotten a good deal on some Vantages a few months back. I need to update my pictures to reflect that, but they served me very well. By the way your setup looks awesome! Keep enjoying those Aeon i's as I did and may the good sounds keep coming:music:.

Glen

 

[FOUNTAIN]

Changes

On the first page I updated my system with new pictures since there have been several changes. As always thanks for looking.

Glen

 

[amey01]

Wow - you got a new room there? How nice is that? Congratulations! I'd kill for a room like that.

 

[FOUNTAIN]

Thank you Amey for the kind compliment. The new room has really helped out alot, but the real difference didn't come until I added the acoustic panels. At first when I moved in there it was more open than before but also alot harder to understand due to reflections. Once the panels started going up the whole system began to sing to me rather than scream at me. Of course there are still issues that need to be worked out such as getting a more even bass. Overall though I am very pleased with the results. Thanks again.

Glen

 

[twich54]

looking and sounding good I'm sure Glenn !

FYI, I edited your listing so as to reflect your 'Vantage' speakers.

 

[JonFo]

Thank you Amey for the kind compliment. The new room has really helped out alot, but the real difference didn't come until I added the acoustic panels. At first when I moved in there it was more open than before but also alot harder to understand due to reflections. Once the panels started going up the whole system began to sing to me rather than scream at me. Of course there are still issues that need to be worked out such as getting a more even bass. Overall though I am very pleased with the results. Thanks again.

Glen

Hi Glen, well put '... sing to me rather than scream at me.'

A well treated room like you're putting together will lead to a more relaxing and accurate reproduction.

The room sure looks cool!

 

[FOUNTAIN]

FYI, I edited your listing so as to reflect your 'Vantage' speakers.

Thank you Dave for doing that for me. I couldn't figure it out.