I can offer no advice, but I love the story.... :-)
Helping a kid out
So long story short I got neighbor kid into audio and to appreciate listening to music on something other than a cheap Bluetooth speaker. He’s pretty young but a good kid, a hard working honest kid. So far he’s accumulated his old mans Dual turntable that I helped him clean up and installed an Ortofon 2M Blue on it, a nice but older Marantz integrated and a pair of Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 speakers. I hooked him up with a pair of Kimber 8TC speaker cables I had retired a while ago (lol, probably making them the most expensive part of his system). He’s looking to upgrade and I suggested trying out a dedicated phono stage. I’m assuming his budget is in the $200 range and I told his old man I wouldn’t let him buy something stupid. I had no idea the sheer volume of phono stages in this price range on the market. What would you guys and gals suggest? My knee jerk reaction is Schitt Mani and I read a few good things about a Bellari unit but holy cow the choices are infinite. Maybe something a little higher end but used? Extra points if it can be purchased from Amazon but that’s by no means a deal breaker.
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Alright, I’m sold. Bottlehead it is. Agreed that the experience and skill set are worth it all on their own. I’m not sure how ‘handy’ he is and I am certain he’s never even seen a soldering iron. The bragging rights of high end DIY amongst his friends has to be worth a bit also. I’ll bring it up to him and gauge his interest is this type of project. I don’t want to force him into any avenues he’s not totally invested in. Everyone’s gracious donation proposals are really quite moving and enormously appreciated. I have no issue making the project accessible for him monetarily and would enjoy doing so if required…my initial reluctance stems from the desire for him to budget, save, prioritize and appreciate the purchase rather than have it just handed over. You guys and gals really are a fine group and I feel a bit guilty for not taking a larger part in the community over the years. I’ve been a lurker and infrequent commentator for almost a decade. The knowledge base and experience contained here is immeasurable. millercarbon- I’ll keep you posted as your offer is both unique, practical and gracious. |
Something maybe hard to appreciate right now, but he is at a stage of life where something like this phono stage could well be with him a good 10 years or more. The value of a really good phono stage is almost impossible to understand until you hear one. This will instantly be his finest component, something he will only appreciate more and more over time. Next time give him Sinatra-Basie, he will be hooked for sure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GphVjN5NXWA&list=PLdqqv4DQh82uHV5rybL4sFJUAVF5992DP&index=5 |
- 63 posts total