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Does the hum get worse when the volume is turned up? Reason I am asking is because it could be caused by feedback via your speakers. Have you tried moving your speakers further away from your turntable? Also note that turntables are very susceptible to any vibration. I had a similar hum issue...

Me too. :cool:

Nope. I've rolled more than my fair share of audio tubes to get the tone I was looking for.

My primary integrated amp is a Black Ice Audio Fusion 3502S with Tube Amp Doctor (TAD) EL-34s power tubes, Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 preamp and 12AT7 driver tubes. I have a really nice Vincent Audio SV-500 hybrid integrated amp as my secondary. My phono preamp is a Darlington Labs MM5, which is...

The funny thing is, I've owned the Cambridge Audio Duo Phono Stage and sold it. I bought it based on the first ASR review but found it less than dynamic. Ironically, I am currently listening to a Darlington Labs MM5 and find it much more satisfying. I don't sit there listening and worrying about...

Appreciate the offer, but it went out with the trash today.

I just replaced a badly worn out elliptical stylus. The reason I knew it was shot: When lowering the cartridge onto the record, the stylus was having trouble catching the first groove, just making some scratchy noise. I'm sure that did some damage. Inner groove distortion became very obvious...

This is good controlled approach to finally providing some tangible data to support stylus wear figures from phono cartridge manufacturers. Based on your impeccable test regime, your results may not necessarily reflect real-world customer expectations. For example, I just finished cleaning the...

I have a "cheap" (by integrated tube amp standards) Black Ice Audio Fusion 3502S. I consider it a "good" tube amp in that: It has a 30 second filament warm up time before applying high voltage to the power tubes. Some tube amps merely mute the input signals to give the appearance of a "soft"...

"...we are imagining sonic differences and when they are in the sound waves. That’s not technical, that’s just grasping reality." Well then, I must really out of touch with reality, seeing as I have a tube amp and I "imagine" it sounds better to my ears than the solid state amp in my other...

My apologies for not meeting your standards. I'm trying to enjoy my music hobby without getting too overly technical. You see, I just retired after 40 years in the defense industry as a Sr. Principal Design Engineer. I've had more than my share of dealing with requirements, specifications and...

I believe the founder of Darlington Labs is a contributor at ASR. Maybe he can chime in. Personally, I let my ears be the judge of audio equipment. I did look at the ASR test on the Darlington Labs MM-5 but I was not dissuaded. For $179 dollars, the MM-5 sounds amazing and that's compared to...

This post hits home for me. I've previously ventured far down the road of expensive turntables, cartridges and phono stages. After spending way too much money on diminishing returns, I sold everything and started over again with the goal of proving to myself that I really didn't need to spend a...

Thanks GXAlan from us tube guys. We love our music just as much as the solid state crowd. My old ears really appreciate the smooth and warm sounds of tube amplification.

I'm enjoying the newest version of the Darlington Labs MM-5 phono stage immensely. Truth be known, I previously owned an earlier version of the MP-7 but sold it due to unforeseen financial burden. I was doing my best to live with my Parasound Zphono and the Emotiva XPS-1 phono stages (both on...

That would be nice, but I'm retired now on a fixed income, hence the reason I'm using a $43 dollar phono preamp and a $39 phono cartridge. Appreciate the suggestion, of course.

I have to confess that I am most pleased with the sound I am getting from the TCC TC-750 phono stage with upgraded power supply and an AT-VM95C cartridge. These are literally the cheapest audio components I've had in my system and I'm surprised at how well they sound together. I've owned some...

Another vote for the TCC TC-750. I just pulled my Emotiva XPS-1 from my system due to unacceptable noise/hiss. Installed the TC-750 and it's dead quiet all the way up to full volume (Vincent SV-500). I also have the upgraded power supply and it sounds terrific. The unit has the RIAA curve...

It's a very popular phono preamp. All kinds of user board discussions and DIY mods on the internet. Would be great to get some formal engineering testing. I'd do it myself (retired engineer) but I don't have much in the way of test equipment on hand. Can't get back into the labs at my old job at...

Link on the PHONOPREAMPS.COM website for the premium 1.5 A power supply sold on eBay for $12. I can definitely hear the difference between the basic power supply that came with it. Sound stage is wider with greater depth. Realism of vocals and instrument placement is excellent. Very enjoyable...