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Deleted member 316927
Writing to see if anyone has experience with the Vendetta Research SCP-2 variants, specifically the SCP-2C which integrated support for a 47K load. Have been using a Threshold Sl-10 using a ZYX Airy 3 and find the unit incorporates an excellent and reputable built-in phono stage -- very silent -- but wondering as to the cost-benefit of using an outboard phono stage such as the Vendetta Research which is apparently at the pinnacle of vinyl playback. Apparently the Vendetta would most likely require new caps and not sure about other matters given it was introduced quite some time ago.
The Threshold has the following updates:
The Threshold has the following updates:
- All electrolytic capacitors in the preamp module were changed for Elna Silmic II capacitors, considered among the very best for audio applications
- The resistors in the phono input section were changed to Vishay Dale metal film
- All RCA input jacks were replaced with gold plated copper units
- The volume potentiometer was replaced with an Alps BLUE
- All input/output wiring replaced with foamed teflon insulated Single Crystal continuous cast oxygen free copper wire
- The balance control was taken out of the circuit.
- Electrolytics in the power supply were replaced with high quality units of higher capacitance (this went up from 13,800 mF to 24,000 mF)
- The diodes in the power supply were replaced with ultra fast soft recovery hex fred
- The connecting cable between power supply and preamp was upgraded with higher AWG teflon insulated pure copper wire.
- The IEC connector was replaced with a gold plated copper unit.
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Deleted member 316927
Not so sure your pictorial lingo and obfuscated, symbolic copy-paste contributes to a healthy dialog user zen mod. I was hoping to contribute to a healthy learning atmosphere on direct listening and engineering experiences from others in the community. Perception is in the beholder -- Don't appreciate the vandalistic contribution. ThX
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Or just write OCC and anyone with an interest in wire will know exactly what you mean. Saves on frivolous capitalisation too 🙂
"Considered"? Are you doing these mods based on other people's taste and ears?
Just trying to figure out the purpose of all this effort.
I think ZM's link addresses this aspect of your post, or at least its the info I'd want to see if I were considering purchasing the Vendetta Research phonostage.
@Stakkallapelli
That Zen Mod included a link to the amp8 site's page on the Vendetta is actually a very useful thing to the overall conversation. That you don't understand that is ignorant. However, we are here to learn.
That said,
Your tone is inappropriate.
I say this as a friend of John Curl, the Vendetta's designer: According to John, its still sounds very good. However, another mutual designer friend of our says he thinks it could be a little better. One alternative some people might consider would be a Step Up Transformer which allows use of a moving magnet preamp, rather than a moving coil preamp (with more gain). Sometimes phono sounds better than way. A review of some of the better SUT options is available at: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/review-of-quadratic-mc-1-sut-with-comparisons-to-other-suts-2
I think John and our mutual designer friend would think a good SUT a reasonable alternative to consider; different but probably reasonable. Depends in large part what sound you like and maybe on your budget. Also depends on the loading your cartridge wants to see. Transformer needs to be compatible with that.
BTW, Vendetta wasn't designed to minimize measured distortion. It was designed to sound as good as John could get it without using global feedback. One thing it was very good at when it came out is what some people refer to as 'black level,' the space between the instruments going all the way to black rather only to what sounds like some shade of gray. What I suspect that terminology might be trying to say is that signal-correlated noise is very low. Its a type of noise effect that isn't usually measured, as it can be hard to quantify. Most noise measurements are noise floor measurements of uncorrelated noise. Having said that about correlated-noise, I'm not sure that's what black level is all about, its only a conjecture that may be a part of the underlying explanation.
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Good luck finding a vendetta phono stage. I had a google alert set for years. On the rare occasion they come up for sale they are gone instantly.
My main rig uses a ZYX Airy 3. I’ve used it with a Pass XP-15 and a RS Xono 2019 with fantastic results. I’ve also used a tube unit by Juicy Music that employs a SUT for the MC phono section.
I’d still love to try a vendetta phono stage, but I doubt I’ll ever be lucky enough to own one.
My main rig uses a ZYX Airy 3. I’ve used it with a Pass XP-15 and a RS Xono 2019 with fantastic results. I’ve also used a tube unit by Juicy Music that employs a SUT for the MC phono section.
I’d still love to try a vendetta phono stage, but I doubt I’ll ever be lucky enough to own one.
Don't know if I should say this, but some people I know have moved away from magnetic carts and now use DS Audio optical carts instead. IIUC, NP himself has one or more DS Audio optical cartridge systems. Using one of them myself too, although with a custom equalizer box.