Best/Favorite Analog Front End You've Ever Heard?

[musicfirst1]

Cartridge/Tonearm/Turntable and phono stage if you'd like.
The best I've ever heard was the Continuum Audio Labs Setup with the Cobra Arm; although I can't recall the cartridge or phono stage.
It was at the CES back in the '00s. Magic. It made me unhappy with my system for months..

 

[astrotoy]

I would skip TT and choose tape as the best analogue system. Are you including this in your topic?

Larry

 

[musicfirst1]

I would skip TT and choose tape as the best analogue system. Are you including this in your topic?

Larry

Sure lets open it up to Reel to Reel as well.

 

[Nemal1]

My late father owned a 15ips revox A700 back in the mid 80’s which was excellent through his beveridge/threshold system and ranks up there as one of the best I’ve heard

 

[Gregm]

I'm hardly qualified to pronounce "the best" but, I'll go for the two that most impressed me:
the Goldmund Reference - T3F - Clearaudio Goldfinger
Air Force One - Thales (I think) - Allaerts

Regards

 

[DasguteOhr]

Raven AC / TW 10.5/ Zyx Universe /Innovative Audio Phono at RL 901k Geithain Speaker. Best Bass and Dynamic i ever heared in my Life.

 

[gadawg58]

Lyra Atlas cart w. VAC Statement phono preamp ... heard on a couple different tables and is my favorites so far.

George

 

[andromedaaudio]

Tw acoustic Raven AC with koetsu diamond on zanden phono amp.
Cannot beat a good tape set up though with quality recordings .

And with that said the ultimate performance has to come from the recording.
No 50 K cable set up is gonna change that

 

[gadawg58]

Tw acoustic Raven AC with koetsu diamond on zanden phono amp.
Cannot beat a good tape set up though with quality recordings .

And with that said the ultimate performance has to come from the recording.
No 50 K cable set up is gonna change that

I've heard that tape is king .... is tape hiss just something you have to get used to listening through with R2R? I've heard really expensive R2R a couple of times and each time there was quite a bit of hiss there. I just can't listen through that ...

George

 

[andromedaaudio]

And with that said the ultimate performance has to come from the recording

Its a recording issue , tape can be extremely quit .
However i agree with you a lot of tapes are noisy also from very expensive manafacturers .
But it not need to be
LP can be very quit as well

 

[andromedaaudio]

I've heard that tape is king .... is tape hiss just something you have to get used to listening through with R2R? I've heard really expensive R2R a couple of times and each time there was quite a bit of hiss there. I just can't listen through that ...

George

Before you give you re final tape verdict listen to one of these tapes
It might be partly in the modded ampex machine with flux magnetic heads they use .



Analogue Productions Ultra Tape reel-to-reel reissues!

Twelve masterpiece titles, each a 15 ips, ¼-inch 2-track (½ track) analog tape copy

Sourced from original master tapes

Transferred using ATR-modified Ampex Tape Machine with flux magnetic heads

Custom slipcase cover - highest quality tape reissue!

From Acoustic Sounds, Inc., the world leader in audiophile music sales, comes the highest quality analog reel-to-reel tape album reissues — Analogue Productions Ultra Tape!

 

[DasguteOhr]

I know tapes can sound better , i had a Telefunken M 15a in the 90s, the machine ran for 10 years on almost all german radio stations. very musically and dynamically.
Today I prefer to invest in good first pressings of LP than in good masterpiece tapes. my opinion.

A Pic of these Monster over 70kg

 

[PeterA]

I’ve heard limited examples of tape in peoples systems and some was better than others. By far the best analog source I’ve heard have been the two tables I recently heard at DDK’s house in Utah. His own AS 2000 turntable with a Neumann Cartridge and Lamm phonostage and his Thorens Reference turntable with an Ortofon A95 SPU. Both tables had the SME 3012R tonearm.

These two tables through his system produced the most natural and convincing stereo reproduction I’ve ever heard. The amount of sheer information retrieved from the vinyl grooves and presented naturally was staggering.

 

[DasguteOhr]

as in the past, good sound recordings made. a small video for those interested.
Microphones (Neumann), microphone amplifiers of the Telefunken V series, Telefunken tape recorder M15a.
Listening was done with Klein & Hummel (now Neumann) Model OX active loudspeakers with built-in tube amplifiers.
were still reactived to for piano recording.
Hope you enjoy it

 

[Lagonda]

as in the past, good sound recordings made a small video for those interested. Microphones (Neumann), microphone amplifiers of the Telefunken V series, Telefunken tape recorder M15a.
Listening was done with Klein & Hummel (now Neumann) Model OX active loudspeakers with built-in tube amplifiers.
were still reacted to for piano recording.
Hope you enjoy it

Cool !

 

[howiebrou]

The best analog front end is the human voice

 

[Folsom]

I’ve heard limited examples of tape in peoples systems and some was better than others. By far the best analog source I’ve heard have been the two tables I recently heard at DDK’s house in Utah. His own AS 2000 turntable with a Neumann Cartridge and Lamm phonostage and his Thorens Reference turntable with an Ortofon A95 SPU. Both tables had the SME 3012R tonearm.

These two tables through his system produced the most natural and convincing stereo reproduction I’ve ever heard. The amount of sheer information retrieved from the vinyl grooves and presented naturally was staggering.

There was a bunch of engineers that tried to test each other for hearing the difference between tape and LP. None of them could do it. All of them could tell the difference between CD and LP or tape however... The story is lost to the folds of the internet somewhere.

I'm still waiting to hear tape sound good. For example MSB likes to do it at shows in after hours. It sounds bad.

 

[Al M.]

as in the past, good sound recordings made a small video for those interested. Microphones (Neumann), microphone amplifiers of the Telefunken V series, Telefunken tape recorder M15a.
Listening was done with Klein & Hummel (now Neumann) Model OX active loudspeakers with built-in tube amplifiers.
were still reacted to for piano recording.
Hope you enjoy it

I love Haydn piano sonatas!

 

[beaur]

What I have now:

Fairchild 750 TT
Schroder Custom Arm
Miyajima Kansui cartridge
EMIA Step-up
AprilSound LR phone with FET step-up

 

[marty]

I would say Steve's rig about 2 years ago w his AF1/SME/ZYX Uni Premium /MB Ultra to Lamm LP1 Sig Phono connected to the rest of his MB/Lamm/Alexandrias was right up there with the very best I have ever heard. I remember it as one of those "transfixed" audiophile listening experiences which set a very high musical bar.