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Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB & receiver/speaker combos

G

glenrob

New Member
A few weeks ago I bought a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB turntable with the Ortofon red cartridge and I am very satisfied. I have it hooked up to my Sansui 881 stereo receiver and ADS L620 speakers.
I was wondering what receiver/speaker combinations other Pro-Ject turntable owners are using and couldn't find a related thread. As much as I like my Sansui, I'm wondering if the table will pair better with a more recent/newer receiver. Thoughts?
 
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That Sansui receiver is nothing to scoff at! I wouldn't be in a hurry to replace it.

Your speakers are vintage, correct? Have they been refoamed?
 
I heard that exact table and cartridge combination at a Dealer the other day. I was not expecting it to sound all that great, but I was VERY impressed at the performance level that it actually produced! Nice table, arm, cartridge combination - enjoy!
 
I wouldnt change anything. Just about any new receiver would be a step backwards from the 881 and lacking a good phono section. As for having the ADS L-620 speakers if they are anything like the ADS speakers I have you hit the jackpot and you just don't realize it. From memory most of the ADS woofers had rubber surrounds and have no need to be refoamed. Anything new today has a big challenge to rival vintage speakers and receivers, same with turntables.
 
Slightly variant responses, that's kind of what I expected. Good feedback on the Sansui. The only thing that bugs me about it is that the cables need to be attached to the phono input just right or I get all sorts of distortion and misconnection issues, such as if I "twist/turn" them around the sockets. It's why I considered replacing the 40 year old equipment with something new. Maybe there's an easy cleaning fix?

SSaxdude said:
That Sansui receiver is nothing to scoff at! I wouldn't be in a hurry to replace it.

Your speakers are vintage, correct? Have they been refoamed?
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They are definitely not "new". I bought them used in excellent condition. The woofer is rubber, as someone else pointed out.

grottyash said:
Yes, if I were looking to change anything, it would be the speakers.
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Why do you say this?
 
Glenrob get some Deoxit to clean the phono inputs, there's built up corrosion, you can apply it to the tips of the left and right phono cable and insert into the phono or use a Q tip with Deoxit applied. Also as I said I can't think of an ADS speaker that wasnt at least very good and a few were at the top of the heap, don't let anyone talk you into replacing them at this stage of the game, your well ahead of many other new members who arrived with a lot less worthy audio equipment.
 
Deoxit worked like a charm, thanks!

Here's a separate question: will I get better audio quality with a dedicated headphone amp as opposed to the headphone jack on the Sansui?
 
Probably. A headphone amp was designed with one objective in mind: amplifying headphones. The headphone jack on vintage receivers can be good, and other times was added as a bonus without much effort.

It also depends what headphones you're using. The better headphones you use, the more they benefit from a headphone amp.
 
I don't have any experience with Grado headphones, but I can say from experience that my Sennheiser HD598 and HD650 both sounded much cleaner and articulate with a headphone amp (Schiit Magni 2 Uber) in comparison to receivers.
 
SSaxdude said:
I don't have any experience with Grado headphones, but I can say from experience that my Sennheiser HD598 and HD650 both sounded much cleaner and articulate with a headphone amp (Schiit Magni 2 Uber) in comparison to receivers.
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That one is reasonably priced too.
 
Glenrob great to hear the Deoxit did the trick clearing up the distortion/static. As I mentioned you'v arrived much better equipped than most new AK members. Contrary to others you have a Sansui 2 channel stereo analog receiver, not a new cheap AV receiver that if it has a phono input it was an afterthought at best. Your ADS speakers were designed for stereo/analog use and not designed for a inferior quality surround sound system. Your continuing to step in the right direction with decent quality headphones and headphone amp.
 
glenrob said:
That one is reasonably priced too.
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I enjoy the Magni 2 Uber, though it's not a warm sounding amp if that's what you're after. The Magni sounds "right" with my Pro-Ject 1.2/CN5625AL, but too clinical if paired with my Technics SL-D2/AT95E.

Of course the phono preamp used makes a difference too, and the ART USB Phono Plus I use is bright sounding.
 
SSaxdude said:
I enjoy the Magni 2 Uber, though it's not a warm sounding amp if that's what you're after. The Magni sounds "right" with my Pro-Ject 1.2/CN5625AL, but too clinical if paired with my Technics SL-D2/AT95E.

Of course the phono preamp used makes a difference too, and the ART USB Phono Plus I use is bright sounding.
Click to expand...

Ok, so this means I would also need to invest in a phono preamp, correct? I can't just connect into a headphone amp and call it a day...
 
AFAIK, there aren't any headphone amps out there with a phono preamp built in. And your turntable doesn't have a phono preamp built in. So yes, you will need to add a phono preamp into the chain.
 
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