Baron Mole
Established Member
Hello All,
After 23 years of languishing in the attic (after house downsizing) my vinyl collection and old hifi is being unpacked and recommissioned. I'll have separate digital (AV) and analogue (music) systems. But I don't need 4 turntables....
I have no point of reference to assess how my old kit compares to current hifi equipment as my last purchase was 25 years ago and most of it was 45 years ago! I'm looking to get an idea of what sort of price ballpark I should be looking at in order to get a similar quality of sound from modern equipment. For example is the SL120/SME/V15 combo the equivalent of a £500/1000/£1500 modern set-up ? I have no idea how far technology has moved on. This is so I can consider whether to sell and start again and/or keep some items and upgrade them - for example arm rewires, new cartridge, Dada electronics Quad upgrades, Origin Live Technics upgrades etc. I am aware of how all the parts of a vinyl system are interdependent and don't want at this stage to disappear down the more esoteric rabbit holes such as cartridge capacitance and impedance matching! It's the turntable arm and cartridge area that I'm especially hoping for advice on, from those of you who have actual listening experience of old and new. The equipment is
Quad 33/405 bought 1975. Quad 44 bought used when 33 died. Both MC and MM boards.
KEF 104/2 bought 1990s. These are at Wilmslow Audio being serviced and upgraded. When I get them back I'll be able to start connecting stuff up and seeing how it sounds.
Technics SL120, SME3009/2 improved FH, Shure V15/III with 3 x VN35E, 1 x VN35MR and 1 x VN35HE. Bought 1975. I used to change the stylus every few years so there may be some life left in them. I've cleaned, lubricated, serviced and accurately set this up. It still works ! This was in regular use for 23 years and looks like it. My feeling is that it's just too old and it's time to retire it.
Michell Mycro, Michell RB300, moving coil cartridge which I think is an Ortofon 10 Super mark2 - the identifying label on the front has gone missing ! Bought 1997. Very little use before move. My recollection of the KEF Quad Mycro system was that it was lovely and transparent. However the Mycro was so sensitive it was impossible to move around the room without it skipping.... Will try wall mounting and ringing Michell to get their advice and new belt and oil so it can be auditioned again.
Also 2 x Technics SL1210Mk2, Ortofon Concorde Pro S. Bought 1997 and only used for a few parties so almost as new. The point of mentioning these is that I like their fuss free nature and good isolation and could go down a path of say, Origin Live arm, new cartridge and other Origin Live Technics upgrades on one of them. Although this would cost £1000 plus cartridge so I’d need some serious convincing.
Budget for vinyl player- whatever I get by selling some or all 4 turntables. Replacement of Quad and KEFs under consideration but not yet - am hoping they’ll be good enough for now.
For the last 23 years entertainment has mainly been TV, DVD and CD based. The current set up is Sky Q, Marantz SR6008, Monitor Audio Silver 200 6AV12 (6th gen) and a now ancient (2003?) Pioneer DV-757Ai multi-disc player. This sounds great on AV stuff but less so for music - but then I don't consider this system to be hifi! And let's not get into the analogue v digital wars !
As I said at the start, I'm looking for ballpark advice based on real experience of the old v new - for example would a £500 modern amplifier blow the Quad out of the water ? Or how much would I need to spend to equal the Mycro set-up ? How does the MC board in the Quad compare to say a £200 phono stage ?
Thanks for reading so far - I'm also going to post on Vinyl Engine - very much looking forward to your replies.
Regards Michael
After 23 years of languishing in the attic (after house downsizing) my vinyl collection and old hifi is being unpacked and recommissioned. I'll have separate digital (AV) and analogue (music) systems. But I don't need 4 turntables....
I have no point of reference to assess how my old kit compares to current hifi equipment as my last purchase was 25 years ago and most of it was 45 years ago! I'm looking to get an idea of what sort of price ballpark I should be looking at in order to get a similar quality of sound from modern equipment. For example is the SL120/SME/V15 combo the equivalent of a £500/1000/£1500 modern set-up ? I have no idea how far technology has moved on. This is so I can consider whether to sell and start again and/or keep some items and upgrade them - for example arm rewires, new cartridge, Dada electronics Quad upgrades, Origin Live Technics upgrades etc. I am aware of how all the parts of a vinyl system are interdependent and don't want at this stage to disappear down the more esoteric rabbit holes such as cartridge capacitance and impedance matching! It's the turntable arm and cartridge area that I'm especially hoping for advice on, from those of you who have actual listening experience of old and new. The equipment is
Quad 33/405 bought 1975. Quad 44 bought used when 33 died. Both MC and MM boards.
KEF 104/2 bought 1990s. These are at Wilmslow Audio being serviced and upgraded. When I get them back I'll be able to start connecting stuff up and seeing how it sounds.
Technics SL120, SME3009/2 improved FH, Shure V15/III with 3 x VN35E, 1 x VN35MR and 1 x VN35HE. Bought 1975. I used to change the stylus every few years so there may be some life left in them. I've cleaned, lubricated, serviced and accurately set this up. It still works ! This was in regular use for 23 years and looks like it. My feeling is that it's just too old and it's time to retire it.
Michell Mycro, Michell RB300, moving coil cartridge which I think is an Ortofon 10 Super mark2 - the identifying label on the front has gone missing ! Bought 1997. Very little use before move. My recollection of the KEF Quad Mycro system was that it was lovely and transparent. However the Mycro was so sensitive it was impossible to move around the room without it skipping.... Will try wall mounting and ringing Michell to get their advice and new belt and oil so it can be auditioned again.
Also 2 x Technics SL1210Mk2, Ortofon Concorde Pro S. Bought 1997 and only used for a few parties so almost as new. The point of mentioning these is that I like their fuss free nature and good isolation and could go down a path of say, Origin Live arm, new cartridge and other Origin Live Technics upgrades on one of them. Although this would cost £1000 plus cartridge so I’d need some serious convincing.
Budget for vinyl player- whatever I get by selling some or all 4 turntables. Replacement of Quad and KEFs under consideration but not yet - am hoping they’ll be good enough for now.
For the last 23 years entertainment has mainly been TV, DVD and CD based. The current set up is Sky Q, Marantz SR6008, Monitor Audio Silver 200 6AV12 (6th gen) and a now ancient (2003?) Pioneer DV-757Ai multi-disc player. This sounds great on AV stuff but less so for music - but then I don't consider this system to be hifi! And let's not get into the analogue v digital wars !
As I said at the start, I'm looking for ballpark advice based on real experience of the old v new - for example would a £500 modern amplifier blow the Quad out of the water ? Or how much would I need to spend to equal the Mycro set-up ? How does the MC board in the Quad compare to say a £200 phono stage ?
Thanks for reading so far - I'm also going to post on Vinyl Engine - very much looking forward to your replies.
Regards Michael