Weakest Link? Your honest opinions.


Before I spend any more on audio equipment, I'd like some opinions on my current vinyl rig:

Nagaoka MP200 Cartridge (this I will be upgrading to a Zephyr as soon as possible)>

VPI Classic 1>

Blue Jeans BJC LC-1 RCA Cables>

Jolida JD9 Phono Stage>

Monster RCA Cables>

Marantz PM-68 Int Amp>

Canare 4S11 Star Quad Speaker Cable>

Kef Q55 Speakers (bi-wired)

Everything aside from the turntable/cartridge I've had for 5 to 6 years, and are my first foray into HiFi audio.

Just bought the Classic 1 recently, and I'm loving it so far, but I feel a better cartridge will really improve the sound. The Nagaoka was used previously on my Rega P1 (which I'm using in my office rig). I'm saving up to buy the Zephyr, but does anyone notice any other obvious faults in my system?

I feel like the Marantz and Kefs could be replaced at some point, but I wouldn't want to make a purchase unless I know it's going to make a significant improvement over what I already have.

Also, does anyone think some part of my rig might prevent the Zephyr from performing as well as it should?
narticus
Snow,

They are letting us ,the members here , have at 3000 for being a DH. I kind of like that. I am sure 3000 will not be heard of again on this thread. Well done members LOL.
we got your back Narticus!

fwiw I have a Monster IC (M850I) and it has terrible bass and the mids are 'splashy' - decent tone but terrible imaging and washed out.

I am not so sure about the Blue Jean cable but I recently tried some Signal Cable (which often is recommended as well as Blue Jean) and it was better than the Monster for dirt cheap but still not very detailed (even their silver Res).

I would try new cables first.

and good luck with lurking idiots....

;^)
Try the Mogami cable i mentioned above with the neutrk golds for $25 a pair. U will like them and it is what the music studios use.
Sbrownnw,

I agree the Mogami is good for cheap, I use the 2536 with Neutrik Pro Fi ends as well for about $58 from Pro Audio LA
Rlwainwright - I believe the weakest links are the Kefs and the Marantz. But I started the thread to see what other people thought.

Sbrown - I listen primarily to rock, metal, country, bluegrass, and jazz. I love acoustic music, but I also get off to loud distorted guitars. But I'd say 9 times out of 10, I'm listening to something guitar driven.

Tbromgard - I plan on upgrading the JD9 soon. Any tubes you can recommend?

Sbrownnw - I will be looking into these Mogami cables for sure. Cables of all kinds are something I haven't put much thought into.

Elizabeth - I'll look into the Pangea cords, AudioAdvisor does seem to have a sale on them.

Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions, and for keeping the bully at bay. It's funny Sliktinydic3000 talks about getting a better job, since that's what I just did.

Fresh out of college, I purchased my first rig (the Marantz, Kefs, and a Marantz CD player)through craigslist for 300 bucks.

Now that I have a better job, I'm making upgrades, hence the purchase of the Classic 1 and soon enough, the Zephyr. I bought the Jolida for $350 through Craigslist about 3 months ago.

As for speaker placement and cartridge set up, I feel I have researched both very thoroughly and have them close to as good as they're going to sound in the room. I've bought DVDs, watched youtube videos, read countless articles, and experimented a bunch on both procedures. I'm sure a professional could make it sound better, but I feel like I've done a pretty good job.

So the next step for me is to upgrade.

After reading through your suggestions, I have a few questions:

Re: the Hubbell HI8300 outlet -- How hard is it to replace an outlet? Also, because I live in an old apartment, I need to wire my rig through an extension cord. I realize this isn't ideal, but I really have no choice in the matter. This is the only possible way to set up the living room. Do you guys think this degrades the sound? Are there any audiophile extension chords you'd recommend?

Re: Power conditioner. Any of those you can recommend?