Arcam Alpha 9 phono board.
 

Hi, anyone know where i can get one new.Or would i have to go to Arcam to get one ?.

Nath.

Funny I tried to get one recently for an Arcam 10. The short answer is they are hard to get hold of and expensive. You are much better off getting an external amp like a second hand CA 640P which will cost less and give better quality. You can even upgrade them with new capacitors if you like... http://www.theartofsound.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=7647

I'm a big Arcam fan. AVR300 and DV79 here kicking out to B+W XT4 XTC XT2 and Pressure vessel sub.

If i went for a more expensive phono amp like a Creek OBH-15 would that be too much for my speakers ?.I've got a pair of B&W P4 speakers.

Shouldn't be. The sound coming OUT is dependent on the sound quality of the signal going IN. Remember the old advert for the Linn Sondek? "Garbage in: garbage out!" It was the first time people really started to think of the quality of the signal at the front end, until then all the money would have been spent on speakers.

I have the opportunity to buy a Linn Sondek, from a close friend of mine.It has a Ittock VII tonearm on it too.I know Linn make speakers etc so i know they are good.The only problem is i have a naff record collection and is only small.Another problem i guess would be that all crackles etc would be picked up as the equipment will be that sensitive.

Crackles, yes and no.

Crackles are caused by either dirty, or poorly looked after vinyl. Either way, a decent cartridge, arm etc will always make a better job of tracking the groove, whether dirty, or scratched.

If they are dirty, you could try a cheap record cleaner. if it has no effect, or not enough, you can still have them professionally cleaned....but it's harder to find anyone to do it locally now.

One method of cleaning I found that worked was to play the disc wet....wet it with DE-IONISED, or DEMINERALISED water, such as is sold for batteries, NOT tapwater and not the stuff for irons...it has scent in it:eek;

add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to about a pint of water, spread over the playing surface with a fine paintbrush, following the line of the grooves, then play the LP. Afterwards, rinse with CLEAN water from the same stock, (no washing up liquid), and dry carefully with paper towels, patting dry, or following the groove, before putting it away. Make sure it's completely dry before it goes away, or it can grow mouldy in the sleeve. I used to rinse mine by having a large bowl with water in to a depth of about the playing surface of the disc, then placed a child's paintbrush through the hole, and spun the disc on it's side so that the playing surface was under water. The water can then be allowed to settle and poured back into it's container, discarding any obvious debris, or the last few mls.

If that Linn/Ittok is a decent price, I'd get it. Most of my LP's have been put on CD, but that's because I am inherently lazy, and I ran them through recording software that allowed me to remove major scratches and crackles manually, NOT over the whole disc. Takes a while, but worth it.

It's i think a 1970's Linn Sondek with the smoked lid Alcazar.I am guessing it's worth between £800 and £900 pounds.The only thing is my friend is in a serious situation and is desperate for the money.

If it's in good nick and the cartridge is present and with a decent stylus, it's a steal at that price.

Also it apparently it comes with a £400 pound stylus so could be worth more than that Alcazar.I think turntable is complete aswell.Plus it's a one owner from new jobbie.

bear in mind cartridges wear out as well. My advice is have a listen to it and ask yourself do I want to pay 800 quid for this. Simples

I am only an average listener and wouldn't know what to look for as regards maintenance of turntables etc Warrenm2.

If you're only an average listener, then maybe its a bit over the top for you and something simpler (and cheaper) like a Rega Planar would be fine (which is what I have with a Ortofon 2M blue). The only test is what you like the sound of, listen to demos to make up your mind rather than reading reviews, that way lies madness (and bankruptcy!)

Thats a steal for a Sondek/Ittok/decent cartridge combo.. Get it you won't be disappointed.

It may need a service but there are dealers around who could do this and then it will give you years of service. If you need any further info once you have the exact spec let me know.

( Linn owner since the seventies :thumb: )

Absolutely agree. Always audition your sound system before buying, preferably in your own home.

Another Linn owner for years, although only the Axis/Akito/K18 in my case. Now out of use due to a totally Cyrus system with no cartridge pre-amp........and Cyrus ones are like hens' teeth;)

I guess i would notice the difference between my Alpha 8 cd player and the Linn.Plus i would need a good phono pre amp too.

My dad owns an Onkyo hi-fi system, which he has owned for about 20 years.It's a good one though as it cost about £2k without speakers.This included a tape deck, cd player, amp, tuner and an Onkyo turntable.I suppose i could let the linn be sold, buy a phono pre amp and use that turntable maybe.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo......

Ok guess not.Alcazar would the Linn match my system if i bought a decent phono pre amp ?.Also i can't remember if it's MM or MC too ( no idea what this means ).

Yes it would, and the Linn is PROBABLY MC, which means Moving Coil cartridge, which has a lower output, so needs a bigger amplification factor than the MM, or Moving Magnet. You mate will know whether MC or MM, but if he's not sure, ask for the name of the cartridge and Google it. If it's worth £400, I'd guess a Troika, and that's MC.

Most modern preamps can do both.

This reminds me of my very early HiFi, made by Sinclair as modules. You had a preamp module, two 12W amp modules and a power module. THEN you had to research and build in the correct inputs for each side of the preamp, depending on what cartridge you were using, (usually a Shure M44E in those days), made up of various resistors and capacitors.

It was always a game getting rid of the mains hum in feedback loops.

We used to knock up our own amp boxes, turntable plinths and lids and speakers. I remember the Wharfedale speaker KITS as being a proper boon.

I think the £400 stylus is Japanese come to think of it mate, although might be wrong.I think we are going to photograph it all today too.

If its Japanese the cartridge could be a Supex in which case MC. I had one of those with my first Sondek setup. It could also be a Koetsu again MC and a topline cartridge.

LOL, I hope it's NOT a £400 STYLUS, that would make the cartridge best part of £1000........

Just download 128kbps mp3's

Just a quick question does a Valhalla power supply make much difference to price.I don't know if it has one, so what would i look for ?.

MIDI files ftw.

Yes, it was a much sought after mod to the turntable. Seems to add a couple of hundred £££'s to the price on ebay.

It's INSIDE, so no way to know if it's there unless you start taking it apart. I THINK it was retrofitted by Linn themselves.

I am sure there would be a bill, if it has one.

Could be retrofitted by dealers. Best upgrade on power front was Linn Lingo Power supply, this was an external upgrade in separate box.

Hi guys, just taken pics of the hifi system today.On the back of the turntable it's ticked as 240 volts, is this standard or has it had an upgrade ?.The whole hi-fi system will be up for sale soon on Ebay if anyone is interested in it.

So hifi system consists of:

Linn Sondek LP12 transcription turntable ( smoked lid ) with ITTOK LV2 tonearm plus various cartridges etc
Roksan Kandy K2 Integrated amp Silver
Audiolab 8200CD cd player Silver
Yamaha HDD/CD recorder CDR-HD1500 black
Roksan Kandy power amp KMA-2/3 mk3 in silver
Denon TU-1800 DAB radio Silver
Tannoy DC6T floorstanding speakers in black with plinths.

I will post a link to the ebay listings soon.

SB.T