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Art DJPre II -> Cambridge Duo, worthwhile upgrade?

Nosaj122081

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Joined
Mar 22, 2021
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Hi all,
My son wants his first "real" turntable setup, most of which is coming out of my old gear heap. The one item I'm missing is a preamp.

In my current setup, I have a Dual 1009SK with an AT VM95ML cart, to a Art DJPre II, then to a Schitt Loki PEQ (then a modern Marantz AVR and DIY SEOS-12 mains).

Instead of buying my son a new, low-buck preamp, I was considering upgrading mine and giving him the Art. I have ZERO complaints about it... But after combing this forum, it sounds like the Cambridge Duo performs empirically better.

TL;DR, I'm wondering if the Duo is $230 better than the Art... I would miss the adjustability of the ART, but rarely adjust it from my baseline anyway. Is the Duo's measured performance advantage going to equate to enough to notice in real listening (especially with both being upstream from the Loki)?

The headphone amp would never get used, I only am looking at the Duo vs Solo based on the superior preamp test results.

Thanks,
Jason
 

Lttlwing16

Active Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
201
Likes
113
Hi all,
My son wants his first "real" turntable setup, most of which is coming out of my old gear heap. The one item I'm missing is a preamp.

In my current setup, I have a Dual 1009SK with an AT VM95ML cart, to a Art DJPre II, then to a Schitt Loki PEQ (then a modern Marantz AVR and DIY SEOS-12 mains).

Instead of buying my son a new, low-buck preamp, I was considering upgrading mine and giving him the Art. I have ZERO complaints about it... But after combing this forum, it sounds like the Cambridge Duo performs empirically better.

TL;DR, I'm wondering if the Duo is $230 better than the Art... I would miss the adjustability of the ART, but rarely adjust it from my baseline anyway. Is the Duo's measured performance advantage going to equate to enough to notice in real listening (especially with both being upstream from the Loki)?

The headphone amp would never get used, I only am looking at the Duo vs Solo based on the superior preamp test results.

Thanks,
Jason
Just came across this and am considering upgrading from the ARTPREII as well. Looking at the CADUO (299), ZPHONO(185), and MUSICAL FIDELITY V90-LPS(199) to pair with a VM95ML on a SL-23 turntable.

Did you ever pull the trigger on the DUO?
 
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