Amp recommendation and setup advice please

@laher – Some more information.  PS Audio is discontinuing the Nuwave Phono Premp and selling it at a big discount (about 48% off) for $999 USD.  If you are interested, you could contact them to see about shipping to UK and to make sure it is configured internally to support your local AC voltage (either 110V or 220V):

http://www.psaudio.com/products/nuwave-phono-converter/

A good review here:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/ps-audio-nuwave-phono-converter/?page=3

It appears that the PS audio Phono is highly configurable to match up with a lot of different turntables (maybe not all of them).  Another feature is that it has an analog-to-digital converter.  This allows you to connect it to your DAC to play the audio.  I have heard this is a very detailed sound, but maybe not quite as “analog”.  It’s just another option for you to work with.

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This was an email I sent to another friend advising on a turntable RCA cable.  He actually bought the Equinox and says it sounds excellent as a turntable cable.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/man-this-is-frustrating

teo_audio has some very interesting thoughts on turntable cable burn-in. He says that turntable cable never burns in because the voltage levels never reach proper heights. Interesting.

Almarg also says that that it’s critical to have as low as capacitance as possible in a phono/tonearm cable. I remember reading once a long time ago that phono cables should be very small gauge (like 28awg). This could be why.

Based on that, it seems to me that one cable I would consider for this would be the Wireworld Equinox 7 RCA. It uses very small 31awg OCC copper strands. It is not quite solid-core. The strands are grouped into collections of 5 strands, which are all side-by-side (like a ribbon cable). It’s not a fully stranded cable, but it’s not fully solid-core either. It uses 10 strands for each conductor, making it a 21awg cable. The small strands give you the low capacitance (good for tonearm) and the collection for 21awg lowers the resistance and would open up the sound.  It’s important to note that the more expensive Eclipse 7 cable would not work as well because the copper strands are little bit larger 29awg.

Thanks again for fantastic guidance auxinput. It’s all so very exciting and I can’t wait for everything to come together :)

I will focus on the TV setup first because my father’s TV has arrived and the satellite will be installed in 2 weeks.

I contacted Audio-GD about the NFD-29.28 and they sent me an order form. It seems that the brand is Chinese, is that right? Have you ordered off their website before or know anyone who has?

http://www.audio-gd.com/En%20audio-gd.htm

If all seems legit then I will go ahead and order one. I do not know any other online shop that sells them. Do you?

Do I need to tell them about AC Voltage for the UK?

I think I will buy the Big Sur Audioquest cables, I found them on eBay. Do I need a particular length like with the digital cable? Or is it just determined based on how far I want the speakers to reach?

I can’t seem to find any online shop that sells the Blue Jean Belden cable, do you?

What is the price of the Monitor Audio Silver 10, and the PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter brand new? I found both on eBay UK for what looks like good prices. Are you able to have a look for me and tell me if they look like good buys? Is there anything particular I should be asking before purchasing?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Monitor-Audio-Silver-10-Speakers-Pair-Walnut/332406853482?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PS-Audio-NuWave-Phono-Converter-Silver/122746561273?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

I know I said I want to focus on TV first but I don’t want to miss out on good savings if these are good buys.

Also, I found the Hegel H200 and the Gustard DAC-X20 Pro on eBay UK too but they look like they’re being sold from new.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HEGEL-H200-Integrated-Amplifier/152733904987?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-GUSTARD-DAC-X20-PRO-HIFI-DAC-2xES9018-XMOS-USB-384KHZ-DSD64-128-256/282396178689?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

What are the price of both of these brand new?

For the Vinyl setup, I thought about it and I will not use iPod/iPhone, only laptop. So if there are no complications with this approach then I will stick to integrated amp as it is cheaper and easier. Will the Gustard still be the right DAC for me? Do I need to consider a USB card for the laptop or does that only apply to desktop (which I don't have).

What is JRiver? I have not heard of this software before but it sounds interesting.

Thanks for all the cable and setup advice, I will follow up on these in time to come. I want to get the TV stuff sorted first and then slowly (due to the wife, not budget haha) start on the Vinyl stuff :)

The Audio-GD site is legit and you have to order direct from China.  I have not ordered any of their items, but many others have and you can search the forums if you want.

The NFB-29.28 is offered in two version:

Version 1: 100-120V  AC 50/60 Hz

Version 2:  220-240V  AC 50/60 Hz

You need to pick the one that matches your local AC voltage. (You need to determine this on your own)

Blue Jean Beldon Cable:

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/shopbycable/1694A.htm

Big Sur Audioquest RCA cables – you just need to determine the length based on how far away the speakers are.

Monitor Audio Silver 10 retail for a pair is £2110 /  $2800 USD

That Oak version on ebay is a nice one and a good price.

The PS Audio Nuwave Phono retail new price is currently about £750 / $999 USD because PS Audio is discounting it almost 50% off.  They are discontinuing the model.  That ebay one is £600 (cheaper), so it’s up to you if it’s worth saving a little money.

That Hegel 200 on ebay is used. It was original retail for £3313 /  $4400 USD.

Here is a better place to buy Gustard if you are interested.  It is rarely on the used market. Make sure to get the USB version:

https://www.shenzhenaudio.com/gustard-dac-x20-pro-super-ultimate-2-x-es9028-xmos-hifi-dac-384khz-dsd-dop-decoder.html

If you have a laptop, you do not need a USB card.  I would try the laptop out first and see if the sound is good enough for you.  If not, you can look at getting a USB Reclocker such as the Wyred 4 Sound Recovery.  Or buy a Windows PC Desktop and an audiophile USB card, but I would try the laptop out first.

JRiver is media player software that can be used to play all different types of media and sound files:

https://www.jriver.com/