Hi folks, nice to be along. I recently picked up a Craftsmen Stradivarius receiver, that looks and sounds great. Can anyone give me any info at all on this unit? I probably will try selling it in the future. Thanks very much! Jim

I've been a jazz fan for years, but only very recently purchased a mid-fi system(NAD C372 amp, NAD C542 CD player, Vandersteen 1 C speakers. LOVE it!) Anyway, after doing nothing but downloading music for the last few years, I venture back into the good 'ol cd store and grab a few jazz cd's, problem is, some sound like sh%$T!

I am about to make the commitment to a Lingo / Linto fully updated LP12 through my local dealer.
He is recommending a Dynavector cartridge DV20X low output as a good start point. My budget is around $600.
Views?

I would like to ask him to give me a couple of comparison points and am thinking of

Lyra Dorian
Shelter 501Mk11
ZYX R50 Bloom
van den Hul DDT 11 special

Anyone heard any of the above on a Naim Aro tonearm?

My objective is warmth and musicality to balance the detail and slight forwardness of my all Linn active system.

Thinking about a Bobcat review, but I am not sure what measurements would prove meaningful. Suggestions are welcome.

Happy Hogmanay

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Aloha,

Hey, happy new one!

Some January issue questions for y'all:

1) About measurements:

If the NAD M3 has a rolled off high end, but "measures" flat, this would be a good opportunity to match the subjective with the objective and measure the NAD's response "in room" on the reference speakers and compare to the reference amp.

In the case of the M3, this may be a golden opportunity to really delve into the speaker/amplifier relationship.

Or maybe even help explore the system/room relationship as to listening impressions!