My Setup

Because music is one of the main reasons to write this blog I hereby present my setup and collection to give some idea in what level I´m on at the "game". My collection is somewhat problematic in terms of form. First of all I collect music in all the possible formats. I have a huge collection of CD:s and particularly CD singles (which is probably the most dead format of all) but I also do have a huge set of vinyls! Here is some pictures to give you the idea.




I have lot´s of MP3´s and even C-Cassettes but those are not the preferred formats at the moment. I have recently updated my setup the way that I hope 12" vinyl would gain advantage in the future.

About the setup: I have two Technics SL-1200 MK2 direct drive turntables. These are the so called industry standard (even though Panasonic announced last autumn that they will end the production of these classics). The ones that I own are real warhorses that have been in a professional use for years. I bought them used from a good friend of mine about six years ago (the joke here is that I have been collecting vinyl way over ten years and didn´t have any kind of turntables before).




Recently I bought new Headshells and Cartridges because the old ones had worn out and actually rusted trough. Both headshells are Technics´s own but the Cartridges are from Stanton and Ortofon. Stanton one is a classic 500-II model. It´s trustworthy and strong and will not brake easily. Problem is propably on the sound side that is not as dynamic and good as some hifi people would like these to be.

Stanton 500-II

The other one is Ortofon Night Club MKII. This one I bought last week and haven´t tried that much yet but it really feels good. I had some other ideas about this cartridge but got this one pretty cheap as it was slightly used.

Ortofon Night Club MKII

Weakest link in the setup is my mixer. It´s quite old Gemini PS-626 Pro-2 model. Here is a short list of problems I´m having with this at the moment: It has a ground noise that comes and goes without any logic reason. It sometimes loses left channel sound from all the main channels. The cross fader leaks from both sides. Most of the knobs feel like they are not properly attached. And the whole feeling is cheepish... I´m probably going to invest in a new mixer soon.



Here is my soundsystem: The old and reliable Technics Rack that I bought over fifteen years ago! I really don´t have anything to complain about this, it just rocks! The speakers could be better but they are good enough.



I also have Sennheiser HD25-1 II headphones. At the moment I don´t have proper cd players but I´m thinking of getting one or two. Anyway, since I bought the new cartridges and such, I have had new kind of inspiration to play with my records. Hopefully this enthusiasm is here to stay!