Sweet Vinyl Sugarcube - I Want It!!!

I really do apologize.  I don't mean to be mean.  Sometimes I cannot resist a little humor, and I have the mental image that we are all friends sitting around someone's living room, where a little ribbing now and then would be acceptable.  But I know not everyone agrees to that scenario.

You have to admit that, were it not for your frequent bumps, this topic would have sunk below the horizon months ago.  On the other hand, that is your perfect right, which is why I do apologize.  There are a lot of egghead purists here (like me) who would never even think of using a device like the Sugarcube in the vinyl pathway.  (Maybe that speaks to a shortcoming of mine.) But that does not justify my sarcasm.

To answer your question, when this thread pops to the top of the list, I read it, because I am thinking/hoping that you finally received your device and are able to report on its effects.  I am actually curious.

No problem, lewm. I have very thick skin (and most everything else, too). I share your mental image - just like when I attend our local audio club meetings, and everybody gets a good ribbing. FedEx says it is out for delivery today!!! Very tight schedule this week, and my amplifier is in need of repair, so my ability to put the SC-2 through its paces will be somewhat limited. I also need no decent wires to hook it up. I was too nervous about ever receiving it to actually buy ICs before I was sure I would actually receive it.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - My SC-2 has arrived!  

I unpacked my SC-2 and placed it in my rack.  It is a nicely made piece of kit of light weight, but compact, and all metal construction except the knobs.  It includes the 7" calibration record, the brick power supply and generic ac power cord.  Also included is the USB stick for wifi connection.  There is no remote control, but there is an app for iPhone and Android.

While I do occassionally spin vinyl, my main interest is digitizing my vinyl for my server and portable use.  I first connected the input of the SC-2 from the output of my Kenwood Graphic/Parametric EQ (let the flames begin!), with the SC-2's output split via Y cables between my McIntosh C220 preamp (tape loop input) and my Marantz CDR-632 CD recorder.  For the time being, the SC-2's track-splitting function is not available, so I will continue to use the Marantz to digitize my LPs, but now without the clicks and pops.  

I fired it up with a particularly noisy 45 rpm single on my modded Thorens TD-166 MkII using an Ortofon OM-30 Super MM cartridge.  The thing works!  With the click filtering set to medium (5 out of 10), the clicks were simply not noticeable.  I checked this by selecting the front panel's Click Monitor button, which allows you to hear only what is being filtered out, and heard all the clicks, but, importantly, no music.  

With my amplifier out for repairs, the SC-2's headphone output was my main choice for listening.  I switched between my Grado SR-60s and Audio Technica ATH-M40x cans.  The SC-2 highlighted the significant differences between these two headphones, with the Grados sounding pleasantly euphonic next to the brutally honest Audio Technicas.  The headphone stage was clean, detailed and smooth, with an upper-mid and treble range that was delicious sounding and very inviting.

Next up was "Don't Give Up" from Peter Grabriel's LP "So".  This is a pretty clean copy, so the click filtering didn't have to work so hard.  But the sound was excellent, well extended on top and bottom, with a nice soundstage (for cheap headphones), and a very clean sound.  I do think that surface noise becomes a bit more obvious with the clicks and pops being suppressed.  Sweetvinyl has suggested that a surface noise filter may be offered as a paid software upgrade in the future.  

Next up will be installing the Android app on my phone, connecting to my home wifi network, calibration using the test record, and experimenting with the digitization function using a USB stick.

So far, I am quite pleased, although I really hope the track-splitting function gets rolled out soon. 

I will happily answer any questions.

Just trying to understand the signal path.  Is it from Mac C220 phono stage to Kenwood EQ to Sweetvinyl to headphone, in your temporary set-up?  When you have speakers, I gather it will go from Sweetvinyl back to C220 and etc.  So, right now you are only using the tick and pop removing function of the SV, correct?  Thanks.