timb

Responses from timb

Budget phono stage- advice appreciated
I Love analog, but really, for casual listening to me implies in the back ground. Why bother with the vinyl, stick with the CD's. If you have some lp's that you can't replace but don't listen to often, get a used Creek or a NAD, or Musica Hall. al... 
TUBE or SS?
To many good amps and preamps in both sold state and tube. I guess the reason I love tubes, is you can change them with different brands and experiment. SS gives better bass control, unless you are looking at some very good ARC or VTL or the like,... 
Best Male Singers of the 20th Century
Roy Orbison! 
Need a good inexpensive stereo pre!
If you are complaining about it being to bright, try a Musical Fidelty X-Pre or the 10D which is just a tube buffer. Both will reduce bright sounds. If you already have a preamp, go for the 10-D buffer, else the X-Pre. I have the X-Pre, and it is ... 
Linn LP12. What tonearm and cartridge?
Well, alot will depend on what you listen to. I love the Ittok on my Linn, no longer availble so check out the Ekos which replaced it. Naim arms go well, and I agree the Graham would also be good. Do you have the upgrades such as Vahalla or Lingo,... 
Best female vocals on CD
My votes go to, in no particular order: Mary Balck,Blondie ie Debbie Harry, Pretenders ie Chrissie Hyndes, Fleetwood Mac 2 there, Rebecca Pigeon, Jenifer Warnes, Annabelle from Bow Wow Wow, Dusty Springfield, Enya, Clannad ie Enya's Sister Maria, ...