ND555 dilemma (or else)

Yes – Apheta2 and Aria are what – “mid level” perhaps? Good value for the money to be sure, but there is a whole other world of esoteric cartridges and phono stages!

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I’d rather that than stallion’s milk.

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In terms of numbers of hours you may be fine …but, the valves themselves can degrade.

There is a electronics engineer near me who I use, I took the 868 in for him to look at as I thought that things had developed a very slight edge and I was unsure why. Henry has a valve tester and one of them was slightly out of balance and I had it replaced, I heard the difference.

In terms of the number of hours I would drop an email to Dena Ross (sales@earyoshino.com), she is very helpful and will get you the answer on the hours/service.

Although the cost of return to base within the UK is very reasonable I imagine it may be a bit more of an issue from Gaul. If you are not in need of a service then I hope you can find someone nearby with a valve tester.

my valves were replaced one year ago, by tubes nos telefunken ecc88. nice upgrade. I wonder more on other components as transformers or …

very good value indeed, and perhaps more middle level as you said. But the comparison with the nd555 is not fair in that case, essentially due to the phono stage level.

That is where Dena can assist.

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I would rate Apheta 2 rather higher than that. Someone I know who went from an original Apheta to the Apheta 2 couldn’t believe the difference - a whole different class of performance.

And my own experience with the Apheta 2 on the RP10 has been very positive indeed - it’s a lovely cart, fast, exciting, agile and strong on rhythms as well as having that rare ability to really get inside the recording. For a £1k cartridge it plays at a level well beyond its price.

OK, steady as you were…

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Hi Eoink,
Our experience of the ND555/555PSDR and the Vertere MG-1 is that the MG-1 with SG-1 arm and Dynavector XX-2 cartridge is even more musical and engaging. However, the ND555 finally starts to reach the point where digital is close to a good turntable. At this level, the choice of tonearm, wiring, motor controller, cartridge and phono stage all matter in terms of preference, as does the choice of server and the number of power supplies on the ND555, so it is not as simple as the MG-1 betters the ND555.

The Vertere motor controller is truly worthwhile, as is a better, more modern phono stage for the TMS.

Happy auditioning!

Best regards, BF

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Thanks BF, much appreciated.

i find one Mr Underhill avatar with a horse. :rofl::grin:

:joy: now that would be Mrs Underhill!

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i was searching if there was a trace of your past avatar on the net, and google found that. It’s funny.
You have no avatar on pink fish media now, which was the same as in the past naim forum. I am not a member of the pink fish forum, but find sometimes interesting discussions.

I think the only forum where I have bothered with an Avatar is here. I do keep an eye on three other fora, more particularly The Wam as there are a few fellow members who I get together with.

I think that one of the best changes with the arrival of the Internet is Bake Offs, the ability to go and listen to other people’s systems and gain a knowledge of what you think sounds good is tremendous.

The two people on this site who have systems I have listened to are very different, classic vs olive, CD555 vs Tangerined LP12 - and both are excellent in their own way.

I would love to listen to an active SBL setup, so if anyone is Sarf of the river, or in the home counties, and wants to show what their system can do then I am willing to travel, and supply biccies!

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What a nice idea, wished there was something similar here.

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it’s a good idea Mr Underhill, to listen to other systems. If i can come in England i will think to mail you. You can do the same if you come in Paris area.
P fish forum seems to be very convivial. Is it a uk only members or worldwide ?

Be careful I’m in Paris in 2 weeks😁

you are welcome Pete! you can contact me here and i will add my contact @ on my profile page for a couple of days.

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You’re a very generous man Mr @frenchrooster but my wife would surely kill me if I took time out on holidays to listen to “more” hi fi :smile:

You will be very welcome.

Shame, I spent a very convivial fortnight in Paris last August.

I think PFM is worldwide. If you check out WigWam they have a specific section for Bake Offs, also mainly in the UK I am afraid …but, you could start a trend :grinning:

The Naim forum would be ideal, but as it has no in house ability to PM, and I presume this is a deliberate choice, trying to contact people and organise get togethers is a bit more onerous.

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i understand. No problem. June is the best month to enjoy Paris.

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