After 9 Months of Research - Rate My First System (Before I Buy It)!

[56suited]

RCA (75 Ω): S/PDIF according to https://www.neumann.com/en-gb/products/monitors/kh-120-ii are the cables you need

I thought TOSLINK = S/PDIF. I guess I am an idiot. Can you help me understand the difference, and also what specifically to search for? I guess I have to process a return for the Toslink. The cables I need look like RCA cables, only are coaxial in design, right?

And as such, I would go from the Ultra's Coaxial out plug to the Neumann optical in? Just typing this out makes me feel like a moron.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Sounds like you bought a first class system! I don't think in your near field listening you will really need room treatments. You can fiddle endlessly but most of the time it is a waste of time. You are going to be very impressed with these speakers compared to the Bose box. These will blow you away in sound quality. When do you think you will have all the stuff to setup the system? I am wondering how long until your "first impressions" update. Good Luck and above all have FUN!

 

[56suited]

Sounds like you bought a first class system! I don't think in your near field listening you will really need room treatments. You can fiddle endlessly but most of the time it is a waste of time. You are going to be very impressed with these speakers compared to the Bose box. These will blow you away in sound quality. When do you think you will have all the stuff to setup the system? I am wondering how long until you "first impressions" update. Good Luck and above all have FUN!

I think within a few weeks or so I should be up and running and can share pics. Exciting!

 

[Multicore]

UPDATE
Purchases have been made. ETA is ~3-5 days. Here's what I bought:

• Technics SL-1500C. I know the 100C is the same but slightly cheaper, and without the onboard phono stage, but I wanted to buy local (like, down the street) so I can look the guy in the face if the thing is a dud. I also benefit from an in-store service coverage that was free of charge.
  • I also purchased a pre-mounted Ortofon Blue
• WiiM Ultra
• Neumann KH120 II (from Thomann)
• Isolation pads for the speakers
• Cost-effective HDMI, and TOSLINK cables. The turntable comes with its own RCAs
• A vinyl brush

Dang! The power of the Internet, eh? We did it.

Now keep quiet everyone. No blabbing. Wait for it. It's coming...

 

[56suited]

Dang! The power of the Internet, eh? We did it.

Now keep quiet everyone. No blabbing. Wait for it. It's coming...

Lemme guess...

• "Why did you buy a turntable? You should have gotten a UMIK and SonarWorks and a miniDSP, and things that will be way over your head as a rookie"
• "You should have gotten the Kalis...haha, we fooled you"
• "Wiim Ultra sucks. You should have just gotten the Pro Plus, and used the phono stage from the 1500C into a Topping A70 Pro"
• "Heh...dummy bought Neumanns and can't tell the difference between Toslink and S/PDIF Coax"

I am at peace with my choices...but will still be amused by the post-purchase reactions. I love ASR.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Lemme guess...

• "Why did you buy a turntable? You should have gotten a UMIK and SonarWorks and a miniDSP, and things that will be way over your head as a rookie"
• "You should have gotten the Kalis...haha, we fooled you"
• "Wiim Ultra sucks. You should have just gotten the Pro Plus, and used the phono stage from the 1500C into a Topping A70 Pro"
• "Heh...dummy bought Neumanns and can't tell the difference between Toslink and S/PDIF Coax"

I am at peace with my choices...but will still be amused by the post-purchase reactions. I love ASR.

I think everyone will be far more sensible than to slam your purchase decisions. After all, this is not a life threatening decision. Whatever YOU want is really the only decision to be made. EVERYONE was a rookie at one time. You have to buy, listen and learn. Don't listen to any naysayers.

 

[AnalogSteph]

I thought TOSLINK = S/PDIF. I guess I am an idiot. Can you help me understand the difference, and also what specifically to search for?

Toslink = OPTICAL S/P-DIF. Plastic / glass fiber and red light and stuff, rectangular connectors.

What you need is the coaxial variety with RCAs (as that is what's on the Neumanns, as well as the WiiM). Decent composite video cable should do fine, ideally RG-59 cable stock.

The data format is the exact same for both (S/P-DIF), just the physical layer is different.

 

[caught gesture]

I thought TOSLINK = S/PDIF. I guess I am an idiot. Can you help me understand the difference, and also what specifically to search for? I guess I have to process a return for the Toslink. The cables I need look like RCA cables, only are coaxial in design, right?

And as such, I would go from the Ultra's Coaxial out plug to the Neumann optical in? Just typing this out makes me feel like a moron.

It can get confusing all the different connections and cable types! You are looking for something like this deciding on what lengths you’ll need from Ultra to speaker and then speaker to speaker. You can pay more if you want to. I find that an occasional clean of the contacts with a contact cleaner spray is more beneficial than expensive cables. Other people might think differently.

 

[kemmler3D]

UPDATE
Purchases have been made. ETA is ~3-5 days. Here's what I bought:

• Technics SL-1500C. I know the 100C is the same but slightly cheaper, and without the onboard phono stage, but I wanted to buy local (like, down the street) so I can look the guy in the face if the thing is a dud. I also benefit from an in-store service coverage that was free of charge.
  • I also purchased a pre-mounted Ortofon Blue
• WiiM Ultra
• Neumann KH120 II (from Thomann)
• Isolation pads for the speakers
• Cost-effective HDMI, and TOSLINK cables. The turntable comes with its own RCAs
• A vinyl brush

Spending some time browsing room treatments, now. I am relieved and excited. Total cost all-in: 3.2K EUR.

So...rate my 'now' system vs. my first post I think I did OK and followed most of the advice.

Congrats, should sound awesome. I would say (at least in my opinion) you've gone from square one to about 1 or 2 steps away from "endgame" in one move. Not bad.


I think for me true "endgame" would be a sub or three and some room treatments, but those are icing on the cake, you've at least got a whole cake to yourself now.

Don't worry about the TOSLINK thing, I also thought SPDIF was always optical for a long time.

 

[GXAlan]

Spending some time browsing room treatments, now. I am relieved and excited. Total cost all-in: 3.2K EUR.

Congrats. I think you will really enjoy the system. The other thing to buy is a stylus cleaner. The Hudson Hifi one on Amazon is US$30 and works well for me.

 

[A Surfer]

And hopefully nobody would give you grief over the decision to enjoy vinyl. How we consume our audio is absolutely personal and there is no right or wrong.

You pay so you get to decide for you what is best. Sure, many members here would skip vinyl, myself included, but we can understand the appeal even if it doesn't motivate us. Congratulations. You have a great system and no doubt about it, you are going to be able to enjoy fantastic audio reproduction.

 

[56suited]

Congrats. I think you will really enjoy the system. The other thing to buy is a stylus cleaner. The Hudson Hifi one on Amazon is US$30 and works well for me.

I think I found a combo set that should do the trick.

 

[GXAlan]

I think I found a combo set that should do the trick.

I like the buzzing one.

Hudson Hi-Fi Turntable UV Stylus Cleaner - Vinyl Needle Cleaning

Hudson Hi-Fi understands sound, along with all the required attention to detail, mirrored in our accessories. Our high-fidelity audio accessories and vinyl display solutions have many applications in elevating the listening experience. Every piece of your audiophile setup matters, which is...

hudsonhifi.com

Which is a copycat of

Flux Hifi - FLUX-Sonic Nadelreiniger (Limited Edition)

Electric needle cleaner for record players The Flux-Sonic needle cleaner is designed to gently, safely and quickly remove dirt from the turntable needle with the help of targeted vibrations. Targeted vibration ensures residue-free cleaning. It is not necessary to remove the sampling needle. The...

www.hhv.de

 

[markstein]

If you are siting the speakers on a bench/desk/table you may get problems if you don't raise or angle them. Bounce from the desk surface. If you have the turntable and speakers on the same surface/don't site the turntable correctly, you may get some feedback to the turntable. On the other hand, you may be fine - only one way to find out!

The equipment itself should be fine, and an improvement on your initial list.

As you are listening in near field, I'm not sure what room treatments you will need.

Congratulations on making your decision and let's hope it all works out fine.

These should be working fine if you feel the speakers should be lifted or angled. I am using them with my KH120 on my desk in near field setup:

IsoAcoustics ISO-130

Table stand for speakers / monitors 2 Units, Height adjustable: 80-203 mm, Adjustable inclination, Allows you to adjust the speakers for an optimal dispersion pattern in the direction of the listener, Isolates studio monitors from the supporting...

www.thomann.co.uk

 

[quattro98]

I thought TOSLINK = S/PDIF. I guess I am an idiot. Can you help me understand the difference, and also what specifically to search for? I guess I have to process a return for the Toslink. The cables I need look like RCA cables, only are coaxial in design, right?

And as such, I would go from the Ultra's Coaxial out plug to the Neumann optical in? Just typing this out makes me feel like a moron.

Toslink is optical. Here's a couple that should work fine. You should be able to get a similar cable from a local store, but don't pay too much for anything fancy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/C2G-Velocity-Digital-Audio-Cable-Gold/dp/B0020MLAKU/

Cordial CPDS1 CC

S/PDIF Interface Cable Length: 1 m, Colour: Black, Conical, gold-plated RCA connector

www.thomannmusic.com

 

[56suited]

These should be working fine if you feel the speakers should be lifted or angled. I am using them with my KH120 on my desk in near field setup:

IsoAcoustics ISO-130

Table stand for speakers / monitors 2 Units, Height adjustable: 80-203 mm, Adjustable inclination, Allows you to adjust the speakers for an optimal dispersion pattern in the direction of the listener, Isolates studio monitors from the supporting...

www.thomann.co.uk

Are you specifically using the ISO 130? The measurements of the monitors are 18.2cm x 22.7cm, but the 'support surface' area of the 130 is only 13cm x 15cm. Is the ISO 155 a better fit (15.5cm x 19cm)? I don't know if it matters or not.

 

[Multicore]

I think for me true "endgame" would be a

I can't believe you said that, @kemmler3D Of all the cringe audiophile things to say: endgame ffs.

bit tired and emotional here, as Private Eye would put it.

 

[kemmler3D]

I can't believe you said that, @kemmler3D Of all the cringe audiophile things to say: endgame ffs.

bit tired and emotional here, as Private Eye would put it.

OK yes, guilty.

I was really trying to emphasize how far OP came in one leap. It's not everyday someone upgrades from a bluetooth speaker to SOTA monitors.

Just having KH120s in your room with EQ is pretty close to as good as desktop listening gets. Perhaps I should have stopped there, upgradeitis might be contagious.

 

[56suited]

I like the buzzing one.

"I prefer the buzzing one too"

--my wife, reading over my shoulder, and her stupid innuendos

 

[Multicore]

OK yes, guilty.

I was really trying to emphasize how far OP came in one leap. It's not everyday someone upgrades from a bluetooth speaker to SOTA monitors.

Just having KH120s in your room with EQ is pretty close to as good as desktop listening gets. Perhaps I should have stopped there, upgradeitis might be contagious.

I was thinking the same earlier today. How many people, let alone noobs (no disrespect), drop a few grand on an audio rig and get that close top optimal value? I'm almost tearful with pride.

And that TT ain't shabby neither. On that budget it would be either that or the 1200 for me. The difference is just aesthetic as I have no use for pitch control. My friend DJ Shwilly B once really tried to teach me to beat mach and I flat out refused. I prefer to leave it in the realm of magic.