Everyone, the suggestions are excellent. To address some specifically:
1. Vibration/ footfall- a HUGE problem I discussed in previous posting. Resolved by ripping out floor under equipment & pouring 12'x 8' x 5 deep concrete slab. Ran separate dedicated 20a supply circuits with 8' deep copper ground. Equip rack is Critical Mass Soto Vocce w black diamond iso shelves. Noise floor & vibrations pretty well handled now.
2. All cabling is Transparent Reference or RefXL. The AQ Leopard TA cable is stiffer than the Linn cable, but I was careful to install to allow movement. The SQ improved so much I'm not going back to the original.
3. Great point about upgrading phono section over cartridge w limited life. In fact I can easily audition a few phono sections in my price range to see if I get the improvements I'm hoping for. I want more resolution or detail than I currently have, particularly in the upper midrange. Maybe even more analytical, if I could actually hear an example of what that is. I'd like a little more extension in the highs. Of course everyone wants lower noise floor, speed & broader soundstage.
4. Having hybrid system with a full lush sound now, going to a SS phono stage might be a option. Any thoughts on Merrill Jens, T+A, vs
Lamm, Zesto or Aesthetix Rhea ? This change might as impactful as going to a Lyra Etna or DV1-S, which are my first choices for a cartridge upgrade.
I honestly appreciate you the helpful and thought provoking responses. For the other responses, go f yourself. Haha.
1. Vibration/ footfall- a HUGE problem I discussed in previous posting. Resolved by ripping out floor under equipment & pouring 12'x 8' x 5 deep concrete slab. Ran separate dedicated 20a supply circuits with 8' deep copper ground. Equip rack is Critical Mass Soto Vocce w black diamond iso shelves. Noise floor & vibrations pretty well handled now.
2. All cabling is Transparent Reference or RefXL. The AQ Leopard TA cable is stiffer than the Linn cable, but I was careful to install to allow movement. The SQ improved so much I'm not going back to the original.
3. Great point about upgrading phono section over cartridge w limited life. In fact I can easily audition a few phono sections in my price range to see if I get the improvements I'm hoping for. I want more resolution or detail than I currently have, particularly in the upper midrange. Maybe even more analytical, if I could actually hear an example of what that is. I'd like a little more extension in the highs. Of course everyone wants lower noise floor, speed & broader soundstage.
4. Having hybrid system with a full lush sound now, going to a SS phono stage might be a option. Any thoughts on Merrill Jens, T+A, vs
Lamm, Zesto or Aesthetix Rhea ? This change might as impactful as going to a Lyra Etna or DV1-S, which are my first choices for a cartridge upgrade.
I honestly appreciate you the helpful and thought provoking responses. For the other responses, go f yourself. Haha.