Tír Na HiFi

I think Cloney’s have it for 2669 euro, but I agree, still a serious amount of money.

I’d buy it, but given my usage of vinyl it’s very hard to justify, in fact can’t be justified tbh!

Some people can justify it by saving in other ways, not smoking, not drinking or other expensive hobbies / pastimes / vices etc

With lockdown ongoing and quarantine regs many people won’t be going abroad this year, so perhaps it’s possible to spend it on a cart instead?? On the other hand I might be unemployed in 12 months time!!

More seriously,,,joking aside,, I heard an article recently highlighting two observations.

The euro is 21 years old (released in 1999), and since then it has lost about 80% of its value against gold.

Which makes me wonder, if the euro continues to devalue over the next 20 years will a pair of B&W 800 speakers (30k euro approx today) cost 55k in 2040?

Does anybody know what was the price of a pair of B&W 800’s in 2000?

B&W 800s were about $1,600 in 2000 so they have doubled in price over 20 years.
Worth noting that the USD has also lost about 80% of its value to gold over the same period.

Looks like the devaluation of Fiat Money is only set to get worse over the coming years with all the controls being removed from the FED and central banks worldwide so i would say a doubling of price in the next 20 years would be at the low end of estimates....that is if the Fiat system as it is today still exists....somehow i doubt it!

Very topical meme at the moment is: Money Printer goes bbbrrrrrrrr :-)

Back on topic i have a Rothwell MCL into a Puresound P10 and it did sound good and was my reference against digital playback chains.
I have not had vinyl out in a few years to compare again and it is something i must try again later this year.

Thanks Adrian for the recommendations. Definitely wouldn't have the budget nor the setup to justify a 3K cart. My budget is around 1K, 1.5K tops.
I do like the presentation of the little Pro-ject Tube II I already have so maybe their Tube Box DS2 might be worth checking out.

The dynavector P75 gets great reviews and is relatively affordable as a phono stage. Never heard one though.

Lots of carts to choose from at that money. I like the benz ones a lot, but there are plenty of fish in that sea.

Dave, given that you like the Quad "sound" have you considered their phono stage? A 24P or something. It wouldn't be be mad money either (I imagine)

Found a link, it seems to be flexible enough too. I think Tom Evens stuff has to go back to Wales to be configured for a specific cart. From the rear panel on the Quad it seems a few selections and you're off...

Ivor wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 9:34 pm Dave, given that you like the Quad "sound" have you considered their phono stage? A 24P or something. It wouldn't be be mad money either (I imagine)

Found a link, it seems to be flexible enough too. I think Tom Evens stuff has to go back to Wales to be configured for a specific cart. From the rear panel on the Quad it seems a few selections and you're off...

I looked into the Quad 24P a while ago alright. The loading for MM and MC carts are fixed at 47k/10ohms respectively. There is a sensitivity control also but from any of the reviews I've read it's not the most flexible phonostage. It is an all-valve stage though so in the right setup I'd say it would sound lovely. Yeah the old Tom Evans stuff needs to be sent back to Wales for cart matching. Some of the new ones have dip switches for the adjustment.

On the cart front, I've added the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze to the shortlist. I've been going through a lot of the reviews of the Cadenza range of Blue, Bronze and Black in recent days. The Bronze seems to be have been deliberately voiced by the manufacturer to give a warmer rich tone compared to its brethren . Cloney's do them so might be able to get a demo first if I ask nicely. It comes in a tad over 1500Euro.

FWIW Dave when the demonstration of Ortofon carts was held in Cloney’s back in November 2018 ( I think) the favourite of the day was the Cadenza Bronze.

The Black came across as just too sharp or detailed. But the Bronze had a nice ability to not be tiring.