I unpacked my SC-2 and placed it in my rack. It is a nicely made piece of kit of light weight, but compact, and all metal construction except the knobs. It includes the 7" calibration record, the brick power supply and generic ac power cord. Also included is the USB stick for wifi connection. There is no remote control, but there is an app for iPhone and Android.
While I do occassionally spin vinyl, my main interest is digitizing my vinyl for my server and portable use. I first connected the input of the SC-2 from the output of my Kenwood Graphic/Parametric EQ (let the flames begin!), with the SC-2's output split via Y cables between my McIntosh C220 preamp (tape loop input) and my Marantz CDR-632 CD recorder. For the time being, the SC-2's track-splitting function is not available, so I will continue to use the Marantz to digitize my LPs, but now without the clicks and pops.
I fired it up with a particularly noisy 45 rpm single on my modded Thorens TD-166 MkII using an Ortofon OM-30 Super MM cartridge. The thing works! With the click filtering set to medium (5 out of 10), the clicks were simply not noticeable. I checked this by selecting the front panel's Click Monitor button, which allows you to hear only what is being filtered out, and heard all the clicks, but, importantly, no music.
With my amplifier out for repairs, the SC-2's headphone output was my main choice for listening. I switched between my Grado SR-60s and Audio Technica ATH-M40x cans. The SC-2 highlighted the significant differences between these two headphones, with the Grados sounding pleasantly euphonic next to the brutally honest Audio Technicas. The headphone stage was clean, detailed and smooth, with an upper-mid and treble range that was delicious sounding and very inviting.
Next up was "Don't Give Up" from Peter Grabriel's LP "So". This is a pretty clean copy, so the click filtering didn't have to work so hard. But the sound was excellent, well extended on top and bottom, with a nice soundstage (for cheap headphones), and a very clean sound. I do think that surface noise becomes a bit more obvious with the clicks and pops being suppressed. Sweetvinyl has suggested that a surface noise filter may be offered as a paid software upgrade in the future.
Next up will be installing the Android app on my phone, connecting to my home wifi network, calibration using the test record, and experimenting with the digitization function using a USB stick.
So far, I am quite pleased, although I really hope the track-splitting function gets rolled out soon.
I will happily answer any questions.