The Puffin DSP phono/preamp

[Black Stuart]

Richard,
forgot to answer the question about o/put - apparently Shannon has had a good few people asking about a digital o/put. He's putting together a mod that can be used to achieve this end. This then would be damn good ADC.

The unit is cheap enough and I'd be more than happy to pay extra to have a unit that had the option for either o/put.

As to the doubters - TNT doesn't have reviews based on b/s or waffle and I'd suggest that the luddites take a look at the t/t, arm, cartridges and phono stages used on the TNT review and the comment by Richard Varey "that the sound quality is not compromised by this Puffin unit.

Greg doesn't like DSPs but his very expensive Devialet uses just this system in it's phono stage - has he ever tried it?

[Greg.]

Originally Posted by Black Stuart

As to the doubters - TNT doesn't have reviews based on b/s or waffle and I'd suggest that the luddites take a look at the t/t, arm, cartridges and phono stages used on the TNT review and the comment by Richard Varey "that the sound quality is not compromised by this Puffin unit.

I find that a bit disingenuous. You are implying that unless we check out the Puffin, we are all Luddites. I for one have explored many avenues before settling for what I currently use and this includes very modern and up to date products. My current TT (Denon DP-80 direct drive), arm (Audiomods Series 6 10.5 inch) and cartridge (Hana ML) are in my opinion the very best I can afford and actually, the arm and cartridge are new products gaining a reputation for punching well above their weight.

Originally Posted by Black Stuart

Greg doesn't like DSPs but his very expensive Devialet uses just this system in it's phono stage - has he ever tried it?

Wrong. The Devialet phono stage does not use DSP. Certainly it is configurable to automatically adjust load and capacitance settings for any cartridge you like and even to change RIAA if you need to, but that is not introducing DSP. Furthermore, I have used the Devialet inbuilt phono stage and find it incredibly dynamic, but unfortunately with low output MC cartridges, it audibly hisses (currently under investigation by Devialet with users recording hiss files and forwarding for analysis). That is why I am using a Longdog Audio MCJ3 Hybrid phono amplifier with valve output stage
http://www.longdogaudio.com/project/...e-phono-stage/
The very latest technology coupled to old world technology to produce the best sound fed into my Devialet at line level.

A sort of DSP application can be enabled in a Devialet amp, known as SAM. This changes the amplifier settings to give best results for the speakers being used. In the Devialet configurator, there are a list of speakers currently or previously available. Devialet even do an engineer visit to dealers so unusual speakers can be measured and set up in SAM. You just click on the file relating to your speaker and the SAM adjustment is made. It does not consider the listening room, so it just corrects the imperfections of the speakers. That to me is a nonsense. Safe to say, I don’t use Devialet SAM either. I’ve got a nicely tuned room and my Phono stage and speakers don’t require signal adjustment.

So, I don’t need DSP in my vinyl replay and don’t need it through my Roon (I’ve tried it) streaming. This is because I have got my system, in my listening room right.....nowt more to be said about it.

[Greg.]

Anyway, optical cartridges are the new thing, and although they are expensive at the moment, no doubt the prices will drop as more manufacturers get involved and the technology develops. They dispense with the need for any phono stage altogether. Interestingly they are based on technology developed in the 1970’s, but problems at the time with heat from the lighting system prevented further development.

In our modern age with LED lights, the optical cartridge is coming back. I predict that all of us vinyl lovers will be using optical cartridges over the conventional in no time at all.