Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I recently caught the vintage audio bug (mostly because of you guys!), and have assembled the following system:
- Mcintosh C26 (works fine, might need service)
- MC 2505 (caps replaced, serviced, sounds great)
- Pro-ject Genie 3 (stock sumiko pearl cartridge)
- Schiit modi DAC
- B&W 685 s2s
Audio through the DAC sounds pretty good, but vinyls sound a bit thin, sometimes saturate, and don't quite "involve" me, when by all accounts the above combo should be a pretty good one.
I suspect the C26 to be the weak link here, especially when it comes to its phono stage. This is due to the above difference between digital audio on the AUX input and Vinyls coming in to the phono stage, plus what seems to be the consensus on this unit's performance. The fact that the person who sold it to me was very flaky also makes me suspect it's not in great shape.
I was wondering if anybody here had any thoughts or experiences on matching a modern phono stage with the C26 and bypassing its phono stage? I was thinking of the lounge audio LCR for instance:
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/lounge-audio-phonostage/
Where will I get the best bang for the buck, purchasing a 2-300$ phono stage, or getting the C26 serviced? It seems to work fine on the aux inputs, so I mostly suspect the phono stage of needing some TLC, but I wonder if even in great shape it would be better than the Lounge unit.
I contacted the engineer who designed the above LCR phono stage, and he was unsure of whether or not the MC2505 would let his unit shine, suspecting it of being perhaps too heavy handed for the nuances of the LCR.
I'd welcome any thoughts, hints or recommendations
Long time lurker, first time poster. I recently caught the vintage audio bug (mostly because of you guys!), and have assembled the following system:
- Mcintosh C26 (works fine, might need service)
- MC 2505 (caps replaced, serviced, sounds great)
- Pro-ject Genie 3 (stock sumiko pearl cartridge)
- Schiit modi DAC
- B&W 685 s2s
Audio through the DAC sounds pretty good, but vinyls sound a bit thin, sometimes saturate, and don't quite "involve" me, when by all accounts the above combo should be a pretty good one.
I suspect the C26 to be the weak link here, especially when it comes to its phono stage. This is due to the above difference between digital audio on the AUX input and Vinyls coming in to the phono stage, plus what seems to be the consensus on this unit's performance. The fact that the person who sold it to me was very flaky also makes me suspect it's not in great shape.
I was wondering if anybody here had any thoughts or experiences on matching a modern phono stage with the C26 and bypassing its phono stage? I was thinking of the lounge audio LCR for instance:
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/lounge-audio-phonostage/
Where will I get the best bang for the buck, purchasing a 2-300$ phono stage, or getting the C26 serviced? It seems to work fine on the aux inputs, so I mostly suspect the phono stage of needing some TLC, but I wonder if even in great shape it would be better than the Lounge unit.
I contacted the engineer who designed the above LCR phono stage, and he was unsure of whether or not the MC2505 would let his unit shine, suspecting it of being perhaps too heavy handed for the nuances of the LCR.
I'd welcome any thoughts, hints or recommendations