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Since you're buying the WTL turntable from him, ( Don Better) will he let you audition the Slipsik 7 vs. your current Black Cube? Really the only way for you to truly determine if the Slipsik justifies its fairly stiff price. I think you're on the right track for the most part. The WT cartridge looks to be based on the Nagaoka 150, so you're in good company there. Choosing an SUT for low output coils in the future is also the road I would take.
BTW, what are you currently using for a line stage?
I would also consider Lounge Audio phono preamps. Stereophile did a nice review of the standard LCR MKIII. I heard the LCR Silver in my system with a Thorens TD-145 TT and a Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge. The silver is a step up from the MKIII and it sounded great, musical, resolving and huge sound stage. I would consider stepping up to the Gold for $750.https://www.loungeaudio.com/lcr-seriesAlthough, I too would consider an upgrade to a nice integrated amp instead. You might want to consider the AVA HiFi Control amplifier depending upon your speakers.What is your budget?
Yeah, I’ve heard great things about Lounge. I’ll look into the AVA. The only complication is that I need something with bypass because I’m using the same speakers for my TV (my house is too small to have two systems).With that in mind do you think an integrated amp would be a better investment SQ wise than upgrading my pre-amp?Budget is tough for me to determine because as you can see I’m very new to this world. I was thinking something in the 1000-1500 range for the preamp so maybe a similar budget for the integrated.
Thank you mick! I’ll look into that. Open to any recs you’d have there as well!
Frank can probably add a HT bypass switch. He has done it before so give him a call.I would consider a Peachtree Nova 150. Their amps us newer technology and are better than before. Cambridge Audio CX-81, Marantz PM8006, Audiolab 6000 to name a few. The Peachtree for sure has HT bypass.https://www.peachtreeaudio.com/collections/amplifiers/products/nova150
Integrated amp choices would strongly depend on your current speakers.(don't remember you mentioning them unless I missed it) I'm pretty firmly in the tubes/separates camps, so my experience here is limited. A couple of my friends who do favor integrateds are in the Luxman camp, but that's a bit out of your budget. That said, looks like I. Greyhound Fan has offered some good options for you to check out.
Wow, speakers would of course be my first thought to upgrade and then electronics. But speakers could be the most expensive to upgrade. It looks like you have a pretty good phono preamp. If you are happy with your current speakers and have the upgrade bug, do the integrated. Something like the new Peachtree Nova could power most speakers and be comfortable paired with higher end speakers. Then you would need to match speakers with the electronics vs the other way around. The Peachtree would not handcuff you with power since it is 150 wpc at 8 ohms, 300 at 4 ohms and can handle speaker impedance down to 2.5 ohms.
Well, from reading reviews only, the HSU HB-1/HSU sub combination seems to be fairly decent. Certainly appears to be an excellent value at its price point. I would continue the search for an integrated as a priority. Try to find something you can audition in home with a return option. I even see more than a few possibilities over at Amazon. Some that have been mentioned already.
The Falcon LS3/5A is quite possibly the best of the LS3/5A litter. I was looking at the Q7 kit myself at one point, but then ended up building the GR NX Studio Monitor instead. That said, if the Falcon is your direction, I'm guessing they won't play as loud as your current HSU's or be a perfect match for the HSU subs. You might find yourself seeking a pair of REL T0 Mk.III's subs to better match the Falcons. IOW, you may be opening a bigger can of worms than you thought. If you're looking for a speaker roughly the same size, consider the ATC SCM 7. It's less expensive than the Falcon, will play louder and "might" have a better chance of working with your current HSU subs. Also note that both the above speakers are quite a bit less efficient (83-84db) than your current HSU's.
