Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

[Ghost]

I’m at an equipment crossroads. My project debut 3 has been in the shop since December. I got it back this weekend and was disappointed. It seems like there is a lot of distortion. Do I send it back one more time, or just bite the bullet and get a U turn? I’m kind of at the point where I would sink as much money into it as buying a new U Turn. I could save a bit by keeping my orophone red that is on my project and switching it when I receive the U turn. Also I have a couple of technics coming my way, but I’m kind of holding them till someone has the money to buy them (long story). I could use one of them till I got the project sorted out.

My decks were plagued by distortion all the way up until my Ultradeck. It drove me absolutely nuts, I would constantly get peakiness on upper vocal ranges and constantly experienced IGD on my Fluance with an Ortofon Blue and then my UD with a Grado Opus. I can understand the frustration very well, after spending $2,000+ on an UD thinking it would disappear only for it to be there still made me want to quit the hobby all together.

I took many trips to the local hi-fi shop for realignment and investigation to no avail, tried getting the tools necessary to align it perfectly at home on my end and that just made it worse I felt lol. Finally I went all in and upgraded my cart to a Hana SL which is a much more expensive cart than anything I had experienced to date and also was my first MC cart, I also think its a Shibata styli (I might have made that up). I'm not sure if its just chalked up to better engineering or a different stylus profile but the Hana SL eliminated all of my problems. Been in audiophile bliss ever since thankfully, I was ready to sell everything and spend all my money on a fancy DAC lol.

I'm not saying you need to run out and buy an $800 cart but perhaps play around with different carts and stylus profiles before jumping decks! I'm ultimately happy I got the UD but it was an expensive move that didn't immediately solve my problems and left me feeling more frustrated with the hobby.

 

[Dtknuckles]

My decks were plagued by distortion all the way up until my Ultradeck. It drove me absolutely nuts, I would constantly get peakiness on upper vocal ranges and constantly experienced IGD on my Fluance with an Ortofon Blue and then my UD with a Grado Opus. I can understand the frustration very well, after spending $2,000+ on an UD thinking it would disappear only for it to be there still made me want to quit the hobby all together.

I took many trips to the local hi-fi shop for realignment and investigation to no avail, tried getting the tools necessary to align it perfectly at home on my end and that just made it worse I felt lol. Finally I went all in and upgraded my cart to a Hana SL which is a much more expensive cart than anything I had experienced to date and also was my first MC cart, I also think its a Shibata styli (I might have made that up). I'm not sure if its just chalked up to better engineering or a different stylus profile but the Hana SL eliminated all of my problems. Been in audiophile bliss ever since thankfully, I was ready to sell everything and spend all my money on a fancy DAC lol.

I'm not saying you need to run out and buy an $800 cart but perhaps play around with different carts and stylus profiles before jumping decks! I'm ultimately happy I got the UD but it was an expensive move that didn't immediately solve my problems and left me feeling more frustrated with the hobby.

This reminds me…the guy in line before me at the shop. He was in for a bent needled the cart cost 6K, yes $6000. Guess how it got bent…don’t piss off your girlfriends or SOs if you have expensive stereo equipment.


Hey you live in LA? Can you DM me with the shop you used?

 

[Ghost]

This reminds me…the guy in line before me at the shop. He was in for a bent needled the cart cost 6K, yes $6000. Guess how it got bent…don’t piss off your girlfriends or SOs if you have expensive stereo equipment.


Hey you live in LA? Can you DM me with the shop you used?

It was Common Wave Hi-Fi near the Arts District. They have a great little record shop in the front as well, very high quality pressings. The owner is not for everyone though and his general attitude has kept me from going to him for system upgrades. He can be very condescending and I think he saw how young I am and in general assumed I don't do my own research before buying gear. He would kinda shit upon my whole set up no matter what it was.

Fluance RT85? "I'd return it immediately, its a subpar piece of equipment for the money.".

Wharfedale Lintons? "Why would you ever buy those when you can buy these speakers here in my shop?!"

The story goes on lol. He's a nice guy but I can tell he lets his aural intelligence get in the way and it can get annoying.

Once he found out I bought my UltraDeck from Upscale instead of him he just stopped responding to any instagram inquiries about gear. Wanted to buy a phono from him and he would read my messages but not respond, so naturally I got my Sutherland from Upscale lol. Asked him about a potential trade in from Lintons into KLH's and same thing, read my message but never responded. Asked him about the Hana SL when I was eyeing an upgrade, read it and never responded, so again, gave my money to Upscale.

 

[AnthonyI]

It was Common Wave Hi-Fi near the Arts District. They have a great little record shop in the front as well, very high quality pressings. The owner is not for everyone though and his general attitude has kept me from going to him for system upgrades. He can be very condescending and I think he saw how young I am and in general assumed I don't do my own research before buying gear. He would kinda shit upon my whole set up no matter what it was.

Fluance RT85? "I'd return it immediately, its a subpar piece of equipment for the money.".

Wharfedale Lintons? "Why would you ever buy those when you can buy these speakers here in my shop?!"

The story goes on lol. He's a nice guy but I can tell he lets his aural intelligence get in the way and it can get annoying.

Once he found out I bought my UltraDeck from Upscale instead of him he just stopped responding to any instagram inquiries about gear. Wanted to buy a phono from him and he would read my messages but not respond, so naturally I got my Sutherland from Upscale lol. Asked him about a potential trade in from Lintons into KLH's and same thing, read my message but never responded. Asked him about the Hana SL when I was eyeing an upgrade, read it and never responded, so again, gave my money to Upscale.

As a retailer, shitting on gear or having an air of superiority never ends well. You'll get better customer service from Upscale and your questions answered regardless of where you spend your money. Haven't been disappointed in anything I've purchased from there or any discussion I've had with them concerning gear.

 

[Joe Mac]

As a retailer, shitting on gear or having an air of superiority never ends well. You'll get better customer service from Upscale and your questions answered regardless of where you spend your money. Haven't been disappointed in anything I've purchased from there or any discussion I've had with them concerning gear.

Yeah the best stores I’ve bought from have a chat with you and are honest. I’ve had stores who don’t stock the Lintons tell me how great they are and recommend gear to compliment them. Equally I’ve have them tell me what I already know about my turntable that it’s great for what it costs but eventually I’ll have to spend more on something better rather than continually upgrading the rest of the system.

 

[MikeH]

It was Common Wave Hi-Fi near the Arts District. They have a great little record shop in the front as well, very high quality pressings. The owner is not for everyone though and his general attitude has kept me from going to him for system upgrades. He can be very condescending and I think he saw how young I am and in general assumed I don't do my own research before buying gear. He would kinda shit upon my whole set up no matter what it was.

Fluance RT85? "I'd return it immediately, its a subpar piece of equipment for the money.".

Wharfedale Lintons? "Why would you ever buy those when you can buy these speakers here in my shop?!"

The story goes on lol. He's a nice guy but I can tell he lets his aural intelligence get in the way and it can get annoying.

Once he found out I bought my UltraDeck from Upscale instead of him he just stopped responding to any instagram inquiries about gear. Wanted to buy a phono from him and he would read my messages but not respond, so naturally I got my Sutherland from Upscale lol. Asked him about a potential trade in from Lintons into KLH's and same thing, read my message but never responded. Asked him about the Hana SL when I was eyeing an upgrade, read it and never responded, so again, gave my money to Upscale.

When I went to buy my first upgrades of a new integrated amp and speakers, I went to a HiFi shop in NYC to demo some gear. I think I was recently out of college and was looking to spend about $2,500 at the time. I walked into the shop wearing jeans and a hoodie and walked around for almost 10 minutes before someone offered to help. They assumed that since I was young I had no money and no clue what I was talking about. Finally someone asked if I needed help and when I mentioned the gear I was looking for, they immediately started to help me. I demoed the gear, liked it then ended up buying it somewhere else.

 

[OMC]

When I went to buy my first upgrades of a new integrated amp and speakers, I went to a HiFi shop in NYC to demo some gear. I think I was recently out of college and was looking to spend about $2,500 at the time. I walked into the shop wearing jeans and a hoodie and walked around for almost 10 minutes before someone offered to help. They assumed that since I was young I had no money and no clue what I was talking about. Finally someone asked if I needed help and when I mentioned the gear I was looking for, they immediately started to help me. I demoed the gear, liked it then ended up buying it somewhere else.

Why did you buy somewhere else? Because the first shop made you wait ten minutes? Price? Something else?

 

[Hemotep]

Why did you buy somewhere else? Because the first shop made you wait ten minutes? Price? Something else?

The Disrespect! - GIPHY Clips

People Try Fast Food Flavored Ice Cream

giphy.com

 

[OMC]

The Disrespect! - GIPHY Clips

People Try Fast Food Flavored Ice Cream

giphy.com

I guess I had to have been there. Personally I’d think that perhaps in the first ten minutes they were simply letting you familiarize yourself with the shop. Not rushing up to you right away could have been an effort to make you feel comfortable in their space without pressure on you. I’ve noticed what you experienced too and never felt disrespected. Anyway… Did you buy from another brick and mortar or online?

 

[Hemotep]

I guess I had to have been there. Personally I’d think that perhaps in the first ten minutes they were simply letting you familiarize yourself with the shop. Not rushing up to you right away could have been an effort to make you feel comfortable in their space without pressure on you. I’ve noticed what you experienced too and never felt disrespected. Anyway… Did you buy from another brick and mortar or online?

This wasn't me, I was just making a joke reply. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Mather]

When I went to buy my first upgrades of a new integrated amp and speakers, I went to a HiFi shop in NYC to demo some gear. I think I was recently out of college and was looking to spend about $2,500 at the time. I walked into the shop wearing jeans and a hoodie and walked around for almost 10 minutes before someone offered to help. They assumed that since I was young I had no money and no clue what I was talking about. Finally someone asked if I needed help and when I mentioned the gear I was looking for, they immediately started to help me. I demoed the gear, liked it then ended up buying it somewhere else.

This was me in pretty much every hifi store I went into for the first 35 years of my life. Having bleached blonde hair, an eyebrow ring and tats meant I was immediately ignored for any purchasing purposes but watched like a hawk for any shoplifting purposes.
As soon as I actually spoke to someone and they realized that I knew what I was talking about and more importantly, had actual real money that could be exchanged for goods and services, they gave me all the time in the world.

 

[Joe Mac]

This was me in pretty much every hifi store I went into for the first 35 years of my life. Having bleached blonde hair, an eyebrow ring and tats meant I was immediately ignored for any purchasing purposes but watched like a hawk for any shoplifting purposes.
As soon as I actually spoke to someone and they realized that I knew what I was talking about and more importantly, had actual real money that could be exchanged for goods and services, they gave me all the time in the world.

There are 3 hifi stores I go to.

One in Dublin is mid range and they’re super nice and friendly and immediately engage and offer help, opinion and try to get you a good price. I like them but they haven’t stocked everything I’ve wanted

The other in Dublin is high end and they ignore you until, and even after, you make eye contact. They assume you know nothing and can afford nothing. They do know their stuff and sell really nice gear. I don’t like most of the staff though so I’ll avoid unless the other option is importing.

The third is up the north, is even higher end again but the guy is a true enthusiast and he could talk the hind legs off a donkey. I’d say you could go in for a record brush and spend 3 hours with him running about telling you how much he loves everything and showing off his favourite new gear in, especially the turntables. I like the last guy. I bought the PrimaLuna off him during Covid and went up for a quick masked pick up and despite the masks he had me in there showing me stuff for well over an hour.

 

[Mather]

There are 3 hifi stores I go to. One in Dublin is mid range and they’re super nice and friendly and immediately engage and offer help, opinion and try to get you a good price. The other in Dublin is high end and they ignore you until, and even after, you make eye contact. They assume you know nothing and can afford nothing. They do know their stuff and sell really nice gear. The third is up the north, is even higher end again but the guy is a true enthusiast and he could talk the hind legs off a donkey. I’d say you could go in for a record brush and spend 3 hours with him running about telling you how much he loves everything and showing off his favourite new gear in, especially the turntables. I like the last guy. I bought the PrimaLuna off him during Covid and went up for a quick masked pick up and despite the masks he had me in there showing me stuff for well over an hour.

It really sucks that there isn't a really solid hifi place around me. Like I'm willing to say there isn't one in all of Toronto. Bay Bloor Radio is the biggest one and it's... fine... but really it's too big and sells too many things, it's pretty impersonal. There's another out my way called Trutone which again is okay, some of the sales people are good but a lot of them are just way too dismissive. Planet of Sound was a cool one but they folded. I honestly can't even name another one. I'd love one that I could go to and actually casually talk to them about gear, but none of the places I know really excel at that sort of thing.

 

[Joe Mac]

When I went to buy my first upgrades of a new integrated amp and speakers, I went to a HiFi shop in NYC to demo some gear. I think I was recently out of college and was looking to spend about $2,500 at the time. I walked into the shop wearing jeans and a hoodie and walked around for almost 10 minutes before someone offered to help. They assumed that since I was young I had no money and no clue what I was talking about. Finally someone asked if I needed help and when I mentioned the gear I was looking for, they immediately started to help me. I demoed the gear, liked it then ended up buying it somewhere else.

I get the fact that snobbery is a bitch so you went somewhere else. I’ve never felt snobbery quite like in a hifi store anywhere else. Well maybe designer clothes boutiques but expensive clothes intimidate me so I’m not often there.

But back to the point. The hottest take here for me is that you came out of college with a balance that wasn’t preceded with a minus sign. Like what the fuck!

 

[Joe Mac]

It really sucks that there isn't a really solid hifi place around me. Like I'm willing to say there isn't one in all of Toronto. Bay Bloor Radio is the biggest one and it's... fine... but really it's too big and sells too many things, it's pretty impersonal. There's another out my way called Trutone which again is okay, some of the sales people are good but a lot of them are just way too dismissive. Planet of Sound was a cool one but they folded. I honestly can't even name another one. I'd love one that I could go to and actually casually talk to them about gear, but none of the places I know really excel at that sort of thing.

I’m surprised at that to be honest given Torontos size. We have most of them here because it’s the capital and the biggest population centre by a considerable distance. The fella up the north is just one of those people that suceed with a super niche business in a small town that shouldn’t support it but because he’s so passionate and knowledgable people travel to him. Also it’s a small country. Its a fair way in Irish terms but equally was only just over a two hour drive.

 

[Mather]

I’m surprised at that to be honest given Torontos size. We have most of them here because it’s the capital and the biggest population centre by a considerable distance. The fella up the north is just one of those people that suceed with a super niche business in a small town that shouldn’t support it but because he’s so passionate and knowledgable people travel to him. Also it’s a small country. Its a fair way in Irish terms but equally was only just over a two hour drive.

Yeah I'm surprised too honestly. I know there are some very small appointment only shops around, they're off the charts high end. But most of the fun mid to high shops are outside the city by a good bit. Any locals who care to tell me I'm wrong please direct me to the places I'm missing.

 

[Joe Mac]

Yeah I'm surprised too honestly. I know there are some very small appointment only shops around, they're off the charts high end. But most of the fun mid to high shops are outside the city by a good bit. Any locals who care to tell me I'm wrong please direct me to the places I'm missing.

The snobby one that I’m not overly keen on but they know their stuff isn’t quite appointment only but it is in a converted Victorian terrace house with a doorbell and intercom to gain access. And still after letting you in and leading you though what aren’t so much displays but listening rooms, they don’t tend to have most equipment out and on display to browse, they still silently judge you and avoid eye contact…

 

[OMC]

This wasn't me, I was just making a joke reply. Sorry for the confusion.

D’oh. I shouldn’t post BC. Before coffee.

 

[MikeH]

Why did you buy somewhere else? Because the first shop made you wait ten minutes? Price? Something else?

they were empty when i walked in and wouldn't help me at first even though all their sales people were just standing around. i even said "Excuse me" to one salesperson who just kept walking and ignored me.

i later heard from other friends that if you weren't a 50+ year old white guy, the salespeople there just refuse to help out. One of my friends went in there to buy some gear not long after me. when he went in and asked where their headphone section was, they told him the Best Buy was across the street, laughed and turned their backs on him.

I ended up buying from another brick and mortar shop a friend recommended and they couldn’t have been more helpful. This was probably 15 years ago now and many hi-fi shops I’ve been to since haven’t been as “old-school” with the snobbery

 

[Mather]

they were empty when i walked in and wouldn't help me at first even though all their sales people were just standing around. i even said "Excuse me" to one salesperson who just kept walking and ignored me.

i later heard from other friends that if you weren't a 50+ year old white guy, the salespeople there just refuse to help out. One of my friends went in there to buy some gear not long after me. when he went in and asked where their headphone section was, they told him the Best Buy was across the street, laughed and turned their backs on him.

I ended up buying from another brick and mortar shop a friend recommended and they couldn’t have been more helpful. This was probably 15 years ago now and many hi-fi shops I’ve been to since haven’t been as “old-school” with the snobbery

As a mid 40's white guy I will say that despite ditching the eyebrow ring and bleached hair years ago, they still do not like hoodies, ball caps and high top sneakers. I get less ignored than I used to. But I still get pretty ignored.