My Dream Vinyl Setup - What Changed in 2024

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

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[@disquesettourne-disques]

Hi Rick! This is Thierry (yes, you got that right), that's an honour to be featured on your channel among those other passionate audiophiles. Will those set-ups be the same next year? Who knows... Mine was certainly different last year!

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

The tweaking never ends my friend!

[@StanOrr-ge3sh]

Hey Rick! Great video, as usual! Thanks for including me! Everyone seems to have not only an investment, but great systems . “Upgrading “ never ends. The QUEST never does either. Always striving for the best sound from our equipment, and most importantly, the best sound out of our vinyl. Keep up your pursuit!

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I always will, Stan! The tweaking never ends...

[@31cify]

I'me sure he will, he's a hell of a nice bloke isn't he. He shows a lot of respect to turntables at the lower end, and still rates them highly.

[@pkats9093]

Enjoying your videos, keep up the nice work. Gotta love that tubey warmth! Aric audio gets nothing but high praise from what I can tell.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I appreciate the kind words about the channel! 🍺

[@824tonimarie]

That's a beautiful set up... I have been thinking in upgrading my speakers I'm in between the KLH 5 and Forte IV. My room is 16'x12' small. Than you for all your videos they are great! 🤩

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Thank you for watching, ToniMarie!

[@3dimensionsofmusic3D]

Your system is magnificent. I have the same model 5s in one room run from a Mc 8900 int. amp and they are sweet. I think a pair of open baffles may be in your future 😊. They play well with your tube setup. Happy holidays to you and much success in the future. 🍺 🍺. Greg

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Any open baffle suggestions?

[@3dimensionsofmusic3D]

@TheJoyofVinylRecords pure audio project make a very good line with several upgradable open baffles. Clayton audio is another.

[@dominickdepaolo6668]

I think you've reached near perfection with that set-up, Rick. 👍 As a fellow NH resident, I have also made the drive down to see to Dave at Vinyl Nirvana. I've gone to see him a few times over the years for different upgrades and services on my TD's, very helpful and convenient. My current one-off model TD 160B MkII deck was acquired last summer thru Dave.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Dave's a great guy. Happy holidays, Dominick!

[@dominickdepaolo6668]

@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Indeed, he is. Happy Holidays to you and yours as well, Rick.

[@rofgabor]

watching your new post is the best part of my Sunday morning :)

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

That made my day. Thanks, Gabor 🍺

[@ptg01]

Aric Audio's products are beautifully made ! Well done !

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

He's also a top notch guy. Knows this stuff inside and out and truly stands behind his product. (lots of repeat customers as well!)

[@willwill5595]

Lovely

[@salvelegio1425]

I’m happy that you like your HiFi. Personally I prefer Linn. So my choice is Linn tt. Linn pre amp. Linn pow amp and last but not least Linn sp. ❤

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Linn is top notch. You'll never look back.

[@middleearthltd]

Beautiful system that I could only dream about but congratulations are in order I hope you can get some New England made speakers that carry over to the beautiful components Might I suggest OMEGA SPEAKER SYSTEMS hand made in Connecticut Many of us team tube like single full-range driver speakers and Omega makes a beautiful subwoofer to match so a 2.2 speaker system would be sweet

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I never heard of them - just checked their website out. Thanks!

[@TheModestAudiophile-oq2hy]

Good morning and thanks for a really nice video. "Tubey Warmth". I love it! That would look great on a T-Shirt. Being in NH as well, you have really intrigued me on the manufacturer of your turntable. I'll have to do some research. Beautiful setup you have there. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Thanks for the comment! If you do reach out to Dave about his turntables let me know.

[@jeffreysobczynski7113]

Rick - congratulations on your system. It looks great - sure it sounds great too! One thing I added recently was a step up transformer (SUT) that helps boost the gain for MC cartridges. It has made a huge difference. I purchased Bob’s Devices SUT along with their shielded cables. Just food for thought.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Bob's SUTs constantly come up when I am looking for recommendations should I go that route. I'll definitely check them out if/when I do.

[@steveh545]

Happy holidays!

[@31cify]

Happy vinyl Christmas spinning we should say.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

You as well, Steve!

[@ericelliott227]

My system currently and for as long as possible: We are on year #5. Parasound A23+ Amp Parasound P6 Preamp Parasound JC3 Jr Phono preamp Denon DP47f turntable with a Ortofon 2M Bronze (daily driver) although right now I am using my Pioneer PL510A because I mounted a new Sumiko Olympia cart on it and waiting for it to hit 6 to 8 hours play time to recheck the install to see if any adjustment is needed (Yes, I suspect so already). I also have a Pioneer PL530 in the wings waiting for a new cart. I generally use the Pioneer tables with my vintage receivers, but that PL510 with the Sumiko Olympia is giving me amazing pleasure right now I was not expecting. (The JC3 Jr could be part of the reason, who knows). Marantz ND8006 CD player (network player, window washer, etc.) Speakers: Paradigm Studio 100 v5 Schiit Magni headphone amp (4 generations old) New, yet to be installed: Bellari EQ As for any changes in future: Well, maybe down the road the P6 might end up in the wings. I'm not crazy about it's headphone amp (the thing can't drive any of my cans except my Status Audio studio monitors, that is why I use the Schiit Magni) and the DAC is lifeless. Other than that, it is a great preamp. However, it is not broken so don't fix it is the approach I take (I don't have disposable income and saving up is now a herculean task with cost of living basics). Additions that may happen sooner than later: Outboard DAC. I'm very curious to see if that will be an improvement. The built-in DAC on my CD player is alright, not much to complain about and I have it hooked up to bypass the DAC in the P6. Now days there is no need to get spendy with outboard DACs either. I was looking at a Geshelli Labs J2, but I don't want to risk not being able to return it should I find no difference to my system. I also can't decide what chip I want. So now I am looking at the Douk Audio Q11 with it's two different chips and outputs. Everything else remains. I won't trade the JC3 Jr for anything and it will be near impossible to replace those speakers! The turntables aren't broken so why change? I also have two vintage receivers I swap in and out from time to time: Marantz 2236B and Sansui 8080DB. Both sound entirely different from each other so they are fun. The Sansui is as close to tube as I am going to get (yes, it is solid state, but sounds very close to tube). At one time I had a Pioneer SX1050 and the HPM 100s! Playing vinyl records on that set up was like time travel, the sound was solid 70s and really fun. The HPMs are not easy speakers to handle, but once you figure them out, they are a hoot. What I'm jealous of is those who have dedicated rooms.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I find those vintage receivers very cool to have on hand. Love the comment about time travel back to the 70s - that’s what I’m always trying to achieve. I get closer and closer…

[@ericelliott227]

@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Yes, those vintage receivers can sometimes outperform modern day high end HiFi or at least keep up. Back then, audio gear was hand made in Japan mostly, but elsewhere as well. If you have ever looked under the hood of a vintage receiver or amp it is an experience seeing the pride that went into the build. In fact, that is one of the reasons I choose Parasound (The John Curl units). I popped the hood on a few of those and what I saw reminded me of what was inside my vintage receivers and why after 40, 50 years some will often still be operating! Of course, various areas will need to be redone, but doing so buys another 15 years or more. I just knew that the sound would be similar in some way as well. I have found though that the only way to really "time travel" is to actually have some vintage gear. The problem now days is not only finding the gear, but finding a tech to work on it. I no longer have a tech sadly as of about a year ago or so. I'm not that handy with a soldering iron and no longer know how to read schematics (I did at one time). So sadly, once one of my receivers has any trouble again, that's it. As for those turntables, I don't know about the Denon (I understand that the electronics on it can go sour eventually), but those Pioneers are tanks and can go forever.

[@alexlopez-u3i]

Great video. Thx for the walkthrough.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Cheers, Alex!

[@nanduullegaddi2992]

Hi Ricky, New to to channel, and I’m loving the content from Hifi gear to ultrasonic cleaners and everything in between . Hi do I send you photo of my current system. Look forward to more great content. Best wishes Nandu (UK)

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Thank you, Nandu! The email for the channel can be found on the "About" page. Thank your for watching 🎶

[@johnosullivan2017]

Hey! Love your New England system! Being in the UK I love my Old England system ;) Here it is in our North London front room - Townshend TT, Icon ps pre and pp20 power into Spendor S35a

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Love those Townshend TTs, John!

[@jimsregaturntableshifijukebox]

Thank you for another interesting one. Like number 17 from me. If you aren't finished, It may be worth investigating turntable platter mats! I like the ones from Origin Live and Funk Firm, though there are many more worth investigating. You may also find the world of tonearms worth looking into, my friend has a Rega Rp8 and a Rp6 with an Audio Note tonearm fitted and he says the RP6 gives his RP8 a very good go! Best wishes and happy listening from Scotland. Jim🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🙂

[@31cify]

Turntable platter mats aswell. I replaced the felt mat on my LP60X with an acrylic mat. I think there has been a more tighter bass produced and a flatter contact on the acrylic with less static than there was with the felt. Upgrading the conical stylus with an elliptical has enhanced things too.

[@jimsregaturntableshifijukebox]

@31cify my apologies Andy, my friend, I meant to write "platter mats", though I have and use different platters too! I have changed my comment now, thank you. It's great to read you are having a good experience trying different things. I'm a tweaker at heart, as my wee channel shows and I'm always interested in different upgrades. Happy listening 🎶🎵🎼⭐ Jim 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🙂

[@31cify]

Thanks very much for that Jim. The LP60X has been a great upgrade from that mediocre suitcase player I was using. We're all friends in the vinyl community, thanks and take care.

[@jimsregaturntableshifijukebox]

@@31cify and thank you for taking the time to reply Andy, I really appreciate it. You have a good turntable that should give you a lot of pleasure for years to come... Enjoy 👌

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Thanks, Jim! Cheers from NH. 🍺 I think the guy behind Funk Firm reached out to me a while back. I need to check his stuff out.

[@bluebuddha74]

Another great video that speaks to me. I might have to look into the Thorens as well. I have a pair of Clayton Shaw open baffle speakers on order and have spoken to Aric Audio about his amps. Pretty much everything built by one person.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

If you do go with one of Aric's amps let me know 🎶

[@bluebuddha74]

@ will do. Looking at the Super 2A3

[@sidesup8286]

The last room really had a cool atmosphere. And it was intelligent too; except for the TV scren in the room which is acoustically a no no. I recently found something which I believe is an art piece, but the dozens of odd shaped wood pieces in the frame loojed like it would be a good diffuser. You can guess the main reason I bought it for. I put it behind one speaker and it made my left speaker sound bad in comparison. I then put it behind my left speaker and the right speaker paled in comparison. Until I.find another diffuser, I put it in between the speakers. It doesn't do as much good for any particular speaker, not being directly behind it, but benefits both at least some. Your main improvement in the future will be getting speakers where the the driver(s) is out of the box.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I may attempt to build a couple diffusers in the new year.

[@Robert-r4s4c]

My Vinyl system... Pro-Ject Perspex Magnetic suspension turntable. Hadcock Export GH 242 Uni-pivot Tonearm (made in England) Denon DL 301 11 Moving Coil cartridge. Eastern Electric Mini-Max tube Phono stage. Sengter Belle JP 200 line stage tube Peamplifier Rotel RB - 1582 MK 11 Power Amplifier 200 W continuois /channel ("warm" sounding) i pair of KEF LS 50 Metas. Two SVS Sub woofers.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Great system setup, Robert!

[@wanderlustjohn]

Love your journey....definitely audition the Forte IV's...end game for me (unless I hit lottery and buy KHorns). Happy Holidays Rick & Mandy!

[@31cify]

Rick's a hell of a nice bloke isn't he.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Happy holidays to you as well, John!

[@gregcarson3444]

LOL everybody is jealous of someone, me I am jealous of your system. It really is a thing of beauty my man. Don’t get me wrong I am happy with my modest systems, I have two living room, and my small office. But sometimes, you get gear envy, and want more.

[@MrWkendwarrior]

As a fellow New Englander…I can appreciate an all NE rig…may I be so bold as to suggest some restored vintage Bozak speakers to pair w your tube gear. Bozak I believe started in Norwalk, Ct….may have moved mfg later on. Kinda Diggin your #2 room rig , not just because we share the RPM-600m speakers… Will send u pix and desc of my rig soon…. I have dogged it restoring my TD150….pretty handy, been thinkin of building a repl plinth…have new belt, lube….gotta test cart and stylus….would like this to be my 2nd TT, my Denon DP52-f sensors hate semi transparent records, and I was thinking of a TT with a decent, cart/stylus that can play some of my older warn records without fear of damaging my DL110 MC cart…with a budget friendly used phono stage ….unsure of MM VS MC cart at this time.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I just looked up Bozack - love the vintage look! If you do build a plinth for the 150, I'd love to see it.

[@ace_and_gingers_adventures]

Hi! Love the channel. Have you seen the MLTL speakers my Neil Blanchard Designs? I built a pair of the Tower 6’s from his plans and flat pack. And he’s in Massachusetts!

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I hadn't seen them, Ace. Thank you for the heads up - just pulled up huis website.

[@ace_and_gingers_adventures]

@ on the website if you click on the build it button for the tower 6 speakers the next page has 16 photos. Mine are photos 14-16. Really fun project and the bass is unreal!

[@richardwalley2862]

I need the best powered bookshelf speakers for a record player. It has a built in phono. If you had a budget of $400 or less for the speakers what would you recommend??

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

You can't go wrong with the Edifier powered speakers. Most are well below the $400 budget range

[@joelicari1623]

Hi Rick. I see Aric Audio can add the Sowter SUT to the Super MM phono amp for MC cartridge. Did you add the SUT when you ordered your Super MM or does your Hana MC cartrige sound ok without ? Is it worth the $800 extra cost? Btw love the videos.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

Hi Joe! No - I didn';t add the SUT (although I considered it after and asked Aric about it). I could still do so, but I checked out the Hana SH so I could go with a High output MC and not worry about a SUT (for now). Sounds incredible. I'll stick with the high output line for now and check out the Hana MH next year. I have no doubt at some point the desire to try the low output will win out and I'll break down and look for a standalone SUT.

[@johnkreutz3207]

If you can step up to the Hanna Blue ...fantastic for the $$ worth every penny

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I bet it is!

[@dasherf17]

It ain't over till it's over...😅 By the way, if you think handling records is Zen, working with reel-to-reel is something you don't get with cassettes...I miss mine...

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I have a feeling I'll have a reel-to-reel someday

[@dasherf17]

@TheJoyofVinylRecords Doo-wit, Rick, DOO-WIT!😎

[@jimromanski2702]

You didn't keep or buy the Maurah Turntable?

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

I didn't. I am very attached to the Thorens. If I didn't have that I would have been very tempted to do so. I'm actually reviewing one of their phono stages next month.

[@hificave]

What type of tube rectifier is in that phono?

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

That would be an RCA 5U4GB - flanked by 2 Raytheon OD3 regulator tubes 🎶

[@hificave]

@ damn! That must be sweet!!

[@edwardgonczy3170]

So, they are not original KLH 5s. If they were, then they would have been built in your beautiful New England. Let me let you in on a little secret. I grew up in New Jersey. I went to a summer camp from 1961 through 1967 in East Waterford, Maine. Then somehow, I found myself in Florida for the next 50 years. Since then, I have been trying to get back to New England, Maine in particular. I've made it to Tennessee. Politically not my cup of tea but why I moved here is a story for another day. My system? A 40 year old Linn Sondek LP12 that was upgraded to Cirkkus and Lingo, a Rega Elys cartridge, Acurus P10 phono, Aragon 18K with Penny & Giles volume pot, Linn LK85 power amp and then the odd ball item, a vintage pair of Rectilinear XIa speakers. Yes, they totally took me by surprise but apparently, this brand was Duke Ellington's favorite brand (not this particular model). I will try and get a picture to you. Let me tell you that years ago, an audio dealer in Sarasota introduced me to the seductive world of tube audio. But I just can't deal with the "tweaky" nature so, this boy is sticking with solid state. But tubes DO sound better.

[@TheJoyofVinylRecords]

That Linn is a classic that will last forever. Happy holidays, Edward!

[@davidcarter3109]

I have no 45's. Just Albums.