BilboBaggins
Addicted Member
I have found that a little change can have vast consequences. My little change occurred when I found a very nice Kenwood KD-550 back in September 2019 while on a weekend visit to Montreal. The lady I bought it from was selling off her deceased husbands turntable, and had agreed to hold onto it for me. At the same time, she gave me the choice of her husbands Jazz records, including a copy of Astrud Gilberto - The Shadow Of Your Smile.
That started the chain of events that led to this story. I really liked that Kenwood KD-550. As I got to know it, I started getting curious what would getting a new tonearm do for me? I liked the idea of being able to adjust on the fly the VTA. So I started investigating arms, and just missed out on a nice deal on a Technics EPA-100 tonearm. Then I started looking seriously and saw that the arm I had looked at would have been a major score if I wanted VTA on the fly. So someone suggested I might want to look at other tables that feature VTA on the fly. As I was investigating them, I came across a review of the giant and tremendous Yamaha GT-2000. I was hooked! I sold my treasured TEAC Z-7000. Then I sold my Thorens TD-160. Then I sold my Kenwood KD-3055. Finally, I sold my Kenwood KD-550 and ordered a GT-2000L from HIFIDO in Japan. In less than a week, it was here!
After keeping my GT2000 in a safe place along with my McIntosh gear during the renovations, I set up the system up again in late December 2022. I enjoyed the turntable a lot, but I was just in the process of dialing in the new Kef 107s into this system, and it required I change things around a little from the Cornwall setup. I had to move the Kefs along the long wall. They didn't sound at all right along the short wall as I had setup the Cornwalls. I also needed to change power amps. The Cornwalls had been fed by a MC-2205, but the Kefs like more instant power that the MC-2205 could provide, so I brought the Bose 1801 into the mix and moved the MC-2205 down into the critical listening system only to discover it is failing on power up.
However the Bose and Kef 107s are very happy together. I wanted more. I saw the Sota Pyxi and decided for the money, I would try it out.
After ordering the Pyxi, I started trying out different records on the Yamaha turntable. I was using a record that had been US cleaned, but had some bad scratches on the other side. I hadn't noticed it when I played the other side, and so I flipped the record, and listened, and promptly lost my stylus for the Empire 2000.
I have a good collection of cartridges, and it seems I have lost the styli on all my exceptional cartridges. And I have lost my styli contact. He isn't responding to emails. I have been using an AT cartridge that isn't bad, but by no means one of my better ones. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to order a Denon DL-103 from HIFIDO. It was actually cheaper than buying just the stylus for my Shure V15 type 4 cartridge. At the same time, I ordered a Grace HS-3 headshell and an entre ES-10 headshell.Today, I received the Denon cartridge, and will be trying it out with the Sota! I'm really looking forward to it.
Any recommendations on which of the headshells I should try?
This thread is going to be about my journey with the Sota Pyxi and my GT-2000L. I will be adding more styli to my collection of cartridges over time, if I can find a Canadian source. I will throw in a teaser. I am using my LeeStereo optimized McIntosh C26 preamp, and it holds its own against the Sota Pyxi. I was hoping for that, because Ben did a really nice job on the C26. It is very reassuring to hear it though. I will be treading completely new territory with the DL-103.
That started the chain of events that led to this story. I really liked that Kenwood KD-550. As I got to know it, I started getting curious what would getting a new tonearm do for me? I liked the idea of being able to adjust on the fly the VTA. So I started investigating arms, and just missed out on a nice deal on a Technics EPA-100 tonearm. Then I started looking seriously and saw that the arm I had looked at would have been a major score if I wanted VTA on the fly. So someone suggested I might want to look at other tables that feature VTA on the fly. As I was investigating them, I came across a review of the giant and tremendous Yamaha GT-2000. I was hooked! I sold my treasured TEAC Z-7000. Then I sold my Thorens TD-160. Then I sold my Kenwood KD-3055. Finally, I sold my Kenwood KD-550 and ordered a GT-2000L from HIFIDO in Japan. In less than a week, it was here!
After keeping my GT2000 in a safe place along with my McIntosh gear during the renovations, I set up the system up again in late December 2022. I enjoyed the turntable a lot, but I was just in the process of dialing in the new Kef 107s into this system, and it required I change things around a little from the Cornwall setup. I had to move the Kefs along the long wall. They didn't sound at all right along the short wall as I had setup the Cornwalls. I also needed to change power amps. The Cornwalls had been fed by a MC-2205, but the Kefs like more instant power that the MC-2205 could provide, so I brought the Bose 1801 into the mix and moved the MC-2205 down into the critical listening system only to discover it is failing on power up.
However the Bose and Kef 107s are very happy together. I wanted more. I saw the Sota Pyxi and decided for the money, I would try it out.After ordering the Pyxi, I started trying out different records on the Yamaha turntable. I was using a record that had been US cleaned, but had some bad scratches on the other side. I hadn't noticed it when I played the other side, and so I flipped the record, and listened, and promptly lost my stylus for the Empire 2000.
I have a good collection of cartridges, and it seems I have lost the styli on all my exceptional cartridges. And I have lost my styli contact. He isn't responding to emails. I have been using an AT cartridge that isn't bad, but by no means one of my better ones. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to order a Denon DL-103 from HIFIDO. It was actually cheaper than buying just the stylus for my Shure V15 type 4 cartridge. At the same time, I ordered a Grace HS-3 headshell and an entre ES-10 headshell.Today, I received the Denon cartridge, and will be trying it out with the Sota! I'm really looking forward to it.Any recommendations on which of the headshells I should try?
This thread is going to be about my journey with the Sota Pyxi and my GT-2000L. I will be adding more styli to my collection of cartridges over time, if I can find a Canadian source. I will throw in a teaser. I am using my LeeStereo optimized McIntosh C26 preamp, and it holds its own against the Sota Pyxi. I was hoping for that, because Ben did a really nice job on the C26. It is very reassuring to hear it though. I will be treading completely new territory with the DL-103.
