but I couldn’t part with it. I really ought to get it all cleaned up and see if I can get it fixed.

Do it! It’ll be a rewarding journey.

BTW, great comments on the 215’s, at the current pricing they can be picked up for, they certainly sound a great purchase

CountZero-do you use the Shure triple-Flange or copies? Do they come in different sizes?

I think they’re Shure ones, but, TBH I’m not absolutely sure (!) now. Thinking about it, yes, they’re Shure tips.
The reason I was confused is because I also have UE SuperFi 5 Studio and TripleFi 10 Pro ‘s and I needed triple-flange tips for those, and I couldn’t remember which ones were which.
The Shure’s really are fantastic for the money, the standard cables are really solid, compared to the weedy things that earphones usually have. The alternative cable with remote for iPhones isn’t quite as chunky, but still pretty robust; the standard cable has a 90° plug, the remote cable has a 45° plug. 😀
Size-wise? Good question, the tips I got for my UE’s came in small and regular, but I really don’t know about the Shure ones. Check their web site, or look for alternatives; there are plenty about, just be certain they are for Shure ‘phones, they have small diameter acoustic tubes, the UE’s have bigger diameter tubes.

SE535s plugged in now, D&B playing, head nodding, slumped in chair so it’s not too obvious…

I use the silicon tips that come with the Shures as standard. Not quite as isolating as the triple flanges but they are less intrusive. The seal is good for me – insert them and then pull them back slightly seems to work.

slimjim78 – Member

I have a Michell Syncro with Moth tonearm, owned it for 25years or so, very nice kit IMO

thats interesting, as I have half an eye on this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150980040202?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

was blown out of the water on the Planar 25 I wanted.. The Syncro may end up a rebound purchase

You certainly won’t go wrong with it. I’m not sure if that’s the earlier one? I think they had the rounded corners and the later ones had square corners – or maybe the other way around lol.

Anyhow, it’s a lovely bit of kit.

Hmmmm….

Things just got interesting guys..

In a fit of frustration as missing out on the lovely Planar 25, I went about filling the void and in a typical knee jerk reaction, I bid much more than I budgeted on a turntable which I know very little about.

And the seller only bloody accepted my offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271033500370?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

In my eyes it gorgeous. And the little research I did revealed a turntable that ‘must be considered’ in the price bracket of £1200-£1500

Ok, so its the former model, but its brand new old stock. New version retails for £1500 (with cartridge) This one was up for offers at £699, I won it for £511 (gulp). It certainly seems like a bit of a bargain?, and I certainly didnt expect them to accept my first offer, and I feel like a total mentalist (heaven knows what’ll happen if the wife finds out)

So what I need from you guys is the following:

a) tell me its an absolute flippin bargain at the price I paid (bid history shows they had previously turned down offers of £700)
b) tell me I did the totally right thing
c) tell me how much better my life will now be
d) tell me this model offers incredible playback
e) tell me what cartridge and phono stage I need to do this justice, without breaking the bank (tricky)

Either satisfy me that this is a great bit of kit and a greater price, or I think im possibly going to need to do some grovelling to the seller, and try to ‘downgrade’ to the Planar 3 or RP1 that would totally have done the job!

Cripes!

EDIT: slight sick in the stomach feeling after reviewing the sellers questionable feedback history..

I thought that you were going to say that you had bought a Voyd turntable to fill the void…

It should be good, although it may demand a better cartridge and phono stage than you were first thinking of.

slight sick in the stomach feeling after reviewing the sellers questionable feedback history

99.5% feedback – looks OK

I get that feeling sometime – before xmas I bought an 853 equilibrium frame from the classified on a whim, but my 725 equilibrium is fine and I find road riding pretty boring anyway, so it was pretty stupid.

Probably going to ebay it, but have to make sure I don’t make a profit or I would be breaking the rules!

come on, dont hold any punches, tell me what you really think of it..

cash hasn’t been handed over as yet, if you interrogate his feedback you can find at least a dozen awful transactions. And pics of the rest of his stock seem to reveal he is trading from a concrete bunker.
Of course, I could have checked these things before bidding..

They look OK – I think they have been around for a while and look like enthusiasts. I bought my Quad 909s and Music First preamp from somewhere like that.

I note from their web site that they sell the Promitheus TVC pre-amp, which is a good value pre-amp that has been making waves on the forums, so for them to be the UK distributor is good.

See if you can go to one of their shops to pick it up, explain that you are after a phono stage/cartridge and would like a demo of stuff. Explain it might be out of your budget but they will probably go for it as you could be a future customer.

Ooooo, a Roksan! I have a recollection of those being pretty desirable. Very pretty. All you have to do now is find a suitable arm and cartridge.
Let me cast the Tarot…
…hmmm, I see an unexpected call from a man in a suit, bank something-or-other? 😆

I use the silicon tips that come with the Shures as standard. Not quite as isolating as the triple flanges but they are less intrusive. The seal is good for me – insert them and then pull them back slightly seems to work.

Believe me, I have tried every different size of ‘bud’-type eartips going, and I’ve never yet managed to get the damned things to fit and seal properly. Triple-flange ones have been my saviour regarding canal-phones.

That’s a serious bargain, nice one 🙂
The Nima arm that comes with it is top quality.

I’d take it to a local Roksan dealers for a set up and get them to install a decent cartridge for you.

ok, feeling a bit better.. yes, the arm certainly looks the part.

suggestions please, for nice quality cartridge to suit this.. Ortofon Red?

Phono Stage too, I like a Pro-Ject Valve that I spotted, any great benefit?

I did the same thing last night and bid on a Rega Plannar 3 without an arm! Put my bid in about 60 seconds before the end pretty sure I wouldn’t win, just dicking about really, and I did.

Just WTF am I going to do now with a posse of 2 Rega 3’s and a Thorens TD 150 MK2 and only one working phono stage. Thankfully mine was a lot cheaper 😆

Not heard a Red, but pretty much anything by Ortofon will be fine.
See what your local Roksan dealer recommends.

You’ve got a Cambridge Audio amp?
They do some very good phono stages – you really, really don’t need to spend loads.
There’s one for £70.00 at Richer Sounds. It gets better reviews than the Project one.

Just WTF am I going to do now with a posse of 2 Rega 3’s and a Thorens TD 150 MK2 and only one working phono stage.

😆

See what your local Roksan dealer recommends.

Have you got an amp already?

Looks like ive a bit of a trek to find my nearest dealer, Henleydesigns in Didcot look to have a nice set-up so i’ll give them a call. They also appear to carry out Roksan upgrades.. im a sucker for an upgrade.

I have a humble Cambridge Audio amp at the moment, and Mission 773 speakers. In the long run ill build the system around the table but for now it’ll just have to do its best with the company on offer!

EDIT:

Cambridge Audio amp?
They do some very good phono stages – you really, really don’t need to spend loads.
There’s one for £70.00 at Richer Sounds

I had a Cambridge Audio phono stage on my Debut TT, and have to say I really liked the sound (not much to compare to though) so i’ll certainly consider the same again.
Wheres the best place to look for reviews/advice on phono stages? WhatHifi?
Im not familiar with any forums as yet.

Wheres the best place to look for reviews/advice on phono stages? WhatHifi?
Im not familiar with any forums as yet.

Me neither.
There’s only one person I trust when it comes to HiFi and that’s me. 😀
I’ve heard so much crap over the years from supposed experts that I only trust my own ears.

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/

Always been pretty reliable source of information.

I’d agree that HiFi World seems to be a better source of reviews than most.

It’s already been said onthis thread that the Rega phone stage is a better bet.

But there is also the Lehman Black Cube, which is suppossed to be good, or there is a Trichord Dino on ebay.

TG – have you any experience of any of the graham slee phono amps?

Lots of happy customers from what I can tell

No – but I believe they are good.

I have an old Michell ISO HR and I had a Denon one before that, and before that used the one in my Quad 34.

HiFi World opinions are generally good, I think they list that on the World Favourites page.

Make sure you get some quality speaker cable, these should do 😯
Jees!

so in a nutshell, I knocked the Roksan on the head.

I got sensible and picked up a mint Planar 2 for relative peanuts – and have since spunked the best part of a months mortgage (on last count) greedily grabbing every old mint copy of my fave albums that I can find.

vinyl is addictive.

Picked up an amazing Marrantz PM66SE KI amp today to make it all sing even better. What a fab amp for the money, with a great built in phono stage, what a bonus!

Picked up an amazing Marrantz PM66SE KI amp today to make it all sing even better. What a fab amp for the money, with a great built in phono stage, what a bonus!

I’ve just picked up one of those about a month ago:

Best HiFi upgrade I’ve ever made, tbh.
I’m hearing stuff I didn’t even know was there.

Great piece of kit.

Rega here too – use mine with a Rega cartridge and a cheap pair of Mission speakers on decent stands – sounds amazing.