[jdawg]

I have been using my Cornet 2 for 4 months now and it sounds really good even though I don't really hear any difference between this and the phono section of my NAD C160 preamp.  I know that the capacitors can be upgraded with Auricaps and someone also recommended I can get a bigger improvement if I use these capacitors:

C208 - Mundorf Silver/Oil bypassed with .1 uF Russian Teflon FT-3
C206/200 - Sonicap Gen 1
C203 - Sonicap Platinum
C202 - Sonicap Gen 1
C204 - Sonicap Gen 1

I am a bit skeptical that spending lots of money on capacitors will make a noticeable improvement in sound.  So for those of you that have upgraded capacitors did it really make the Cornet sound better? 

[GRD]

Unfortunately, yes.  I started with the auricaps on C208 and upgraded to PIO.  And upgraded the other caps.  And it does make a difference.  Subtle, but it's there.  If you listen critically and your system is good, there will be an improvement.   

[schubert]

By all means yes, a thousand times yes - and maybe not where you think.  Based on some posts at other forums I recently replaced my run-of-the-mill caps at C106, C209 & C210 with Elna Tonerex (they don't fit very well, but c'est la vie), C103 and C201 with JJ, and C207 with Panasonic ED (no particular reason for this - I meant to do all JJ or ED but ordered the wrong quantities).  The JJ are a pain because they're snap mount, but the pins can be filed down so they fit.  And holy smoking capacitors, Batman - the unit sounds like a million bucks!  Of course it sounded good before as well, but now it's amazing.  Maybe I'm making this up - what with the shaky and unreliable nature of aural memory & all - but everything I throw on the turntable now sounds incredible.  As for the rest of the caps, they're Obbligato Gold Premium, bypassed at C208 with FT-3's.  Now if I can just get rid of the hum........

[machine]

Did you do the grey transformer wire to ground mod?
Fixed my hum issue on both my cornets:-)

[schubert]

Yes, and it made no difference - because in the end a good share of the problem was that I had it on a shelf directly over a Hafler DH-500.  I moved the Cornet a distance off and voila! most of the hum went away.  It's still far from silent, but I had a buddy over today and he couldn't hear the hum, and it's not noticeable over the music any more.  It's even quiet-ish with a Cinemag in front but not, interestingly enough, with the Piccolo.

[machine]

Placement can make all the difference!

Had a piccolo with huge hum problem that was resolved by turning it 90 degrees:-)

[schubert]

Zowie - no wonder this hum stuff can drive you crazy - especially for someone who wants to know the why behind it!

[jdawg]

One person says there's a subtle difference that you have to listen critically to be able to hear and another says there's a huge difference.  If there really is only a subtle difference then I'm thinking its not worth spending over $100 for the capacitors.  But if the difference is a big as some people say it is then its something I might have to think about.  For now I think I'll just leave it the way it is until I hear more feedback from others that have upgraded their capacitors. 

[schubert]

Last word on the hum - I lined the wood part of the case (sides and bottom) with a double layer of extra heavy duty Reynolds wrap - it's practically sheet metal - and the hum is almost all gone.

[poty]

If there was huge improvement from just using certain type of capacitors the "stock"  variant  would use them definitely. It is really "thin" tuning, opportunities differs so dramatically because for some people the "flavor" of changes is important, for others -  not. Full cost of building the Cornet is rather high, so people use it in hi-quality systems which must deliver exactly what the owner wants. Upgrading the capacitors  brings some taste of finishing touch.

[BobM]

Audio is a hobby where subtle differences cose big bucks. Of course there are some people who believe a cap is a cap and some who can;t hear differences between any component. If that's the case then they are probably in a happier place than me and certainly spend far less than they might otherwise to achieve a sound they like and can live with.

On the other hand, if you are looking for the best sound you can get per dollar spent, then the extra cost to use reasonably priced boutique caps in the Coronet is a no brainer. Same for trying different tubes besides inexpensive Sovtek's or other Chinese brands. But they can be far more expensive than a cap change.

Enjoy,
Bob

[poty]

Audio is a hobby where subtle differences cose big bucks. Of course there are some people who believe a cap is a cap and some who can;t hear differences between any component. If that's the case then they are probably in a happier place than me and certainly spend far less than they might otherwise to achieve a sound they like and can live with.

"Change for the sake of change should be ..." There are more types of group of people than you have sketched above. For example I know (and hear) the difference between different types of caps, but never bother to play with them if I hear music i like from the current parts choice in the device. Maybe someone can achieve slightly better sound for himself, but who can define universally the term "better"? In this field all is subjective.

[jameshuls]

I have been using my Cornet 2 for 4 months now and it sounds really good even though I don't really hear any difference between this and the phono section of my NAD C160 preamp.

If you can't hear the difference between the Cornet (which is maybe not to everyone's taste but is undeniably a very good phono preamp) and your NAD (which makes very good sounding equipment for the $$$ but not known for their phono preamps...) you are either not a critical listener or the rest of your equipment is not resolving enough to differentiate between the two.

If it is the former then don't waste your money and enjoy the tube glow. If it is the latter your money would better spent on upgrading another link in your chain (even stock, the Cornet will NOT be a weak link until you spend significantly more). I am not aware of the rest of your system but if you have a turntable/cartidge that is fairly basic you need to upgrade this first. I have used cartridges ranging from $70 Grado MMs through a Zu Denon DL103R, Cartridge Man Music Maker III up to my current favorite a Dynavector Karat 17D3. The Cornet was able to reveal each change in cartridge and their improvements/weaknesses/strengths and would probably continue to do so as better cartridges were installed (up to a point). A really good cartridge and turntable through the Cornet is magical (assuming the rest of your system is up to snuff) - think of your phono preamp as the optics in a microscope. The better the optics the better the image. However, if the image is poorly resolved or unfocused (as determined by the cartridge and turntable) the final image you view will only be as good as the weakest link in the chain.

Based on my experience, the Cornet will continue to reveal significant upgrades to your vinyl system into $3-4000 (beyond this I don't know and can't afford).

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you bon't have a really good turntable and cartridge (and a quality interconnect to your phono preamp) spend your money there and worry about upgrading the caps once you go down that rabbit hole

If it is your amp and speakers that might be the bottleneck then the same advice applies. Caps do make a difference, but it will not be noticed unless the rest of the chain is strong enough.

Hopefully this is helpful!

[jdawg]

I'm not sure if its my equipment or maybe I just can't hear the difference.  I did try moving the Cornet to my home theater system to see if I could hear any differences between the Cornet and the phono section of my Yamaha RX-V1800.  I switched back and forth between the Cornet and my receiver but once the volume was level matched I couldn't really tell much difference.  Maybe the Cornet sounded more musical but maybe i'm just hearing things because I expect it to sound better.  I might upgrade the caps some day but I guess I'll leave it the way it is for now. 

Anyways here are the two systems I had it hooked up to.  I don't know if its good enough to to hear what the Cornet is capable of. 

My main music listening setup:

DIY LM3875 chipamp
NAD C160 preamp
Usher S-520 speakers
Rega P3-24 turntable with TT-PSU and Elys 2 cartridge

My home theater system:

Yamaha RX-V1800
Emotiva XPA-3 amp
Paradigm Studio 60 V5 speakers
Dual 1218 turntable with AT 440MLa cartridge. 

[Rocket]

Hi,

Your speakers and CDP are fine but your and preamp could be the weak link.  When I first started out in this hobby I had a nad 3240 int and nad 2200 power amp.  I thought they were honest products but a cornet phonograph is audiophile standard product.

Do u have have enough dollars saved for an upgrade?  Virtue make a good amp called the sensation.  This hobby costs a lot of money

Regards rod

[dnewman]

FWIW,

The Virtue Sensation is a Class T (tm) amp (a variation / improvement on Class D).  Class T and Class D amps have an appealing performance to cost ratio.  Look for reviews of Class T amps.  (It looks like the Virtue folks are calling the amp "T Class"; maybe to avoid trademark issues with "Class T"?)

Dan