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Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet - The Jazz Room, Charlotte, NC on 3/15/25

I’m a 30-year-long Bryston fan. Their engineering, build quality, and 20-year warranty mean they are built to be “keepers”. I’ve enjoyed the sound quality of all my Bryston components, but I can’t say that each is the best you can get sonically at each price point. They just work well for me...

Thanks for sharing. I came very close to buying an Acoustic Signature WOW XL with a Jelco tonearm before selecting a Luxman. Good to know the reputation appears to be warranted.

@ZiggsMBK - First Acoustic Signature WOW that I've seen on N&G. How do you like it?

Speakons often make a more secure and superior electrical connection, if you can use them.

I’m not even a cable guy and I think this is a score! Well done.

Bryston is my go-to brand. Shedding a tear for how this tariff madness will impact them - I’d want to see them go on for another 60 years.

If you want to go a bit lower in cost than the GR2, there is the SL-1500C.

I don’t have any of these, but a number of people here have the Technics SL-1200GR and love it. The GR2 is even better but does not have the magnesium tonearm. That’s reserved for the G. I’ve heard less about the other models on N&G, but I’d recommend the GR2 over the Planar 6 because of the...

Please don’t Google pictures of carbuncles for comparison’s sake. Ew. Ick.

There is a median point between reliable engineering and excessive measurement anxiety. Every competent engineer measures but not all measurement results are audibly significant. I like to balance capable measurements, cost and aesthetic qualities. I tend to lean toward spartan, but every now...

I am a cable skeptic. But, I do think aesthetics matter. I’d pay more for prettier cables than butt ugly ones. I am one of those people who are happiest when the science and engineering aligns with my experience. Everyone does not experience things that way.

Do what makes you happy. This is a hobby, not critical infrastructure. Ultimately, engineering and physics won’t matter if you’re unhappy with the result.

My opinions about speaker cables are pretty well known around here. Rather than repeating I’ll let Roger Russell, former head of acoustic research at McIntosh, do the speaking for me. http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

I was thinking beer mugs.

I’ve been enamored with the Sorane TA-1 after seeing it on the Vinyl Nirvana site. The spartan good looks appeal to me. https://vinylnirvana.com/upgrade-to-new-sorane-ta-1-tonearm

The Ortofon ST-5 can also be found pre-owned for under $200. https://www.ebay.com/itm/335448199482

The Graham Slee Elevator is a MC step-up amplifier, versus a transformer. Pros and cons with each, but I'd generally recommend a used SUT to keep price down since passive devices don't really wear out. SUTs tend to add less noise than step-up amplifiers, but are less phase coherent.

The Ortofon T-5 is a similar plug-in SUT that often shows up in pre-owned listings.