Shade

Agreed, the HDMI out is pretty ideal. Was using that on my HT system while testing Runeaudio & Kodi (HTPC app). My 2-channel setup is a tube amp though, so I needed the DAC. The hifiberry does a surprisingly good job for the money, and uses the GPIO pins instead of USB which is nice. Haven't had to do any reboots on mine yet (fingers crossed).

I'm of the opinion that as long as a cable is built to a reasonable spec, it's as good as it's going to get. What I mean here, is that if I try to power my 200W x 7 amp with 40g wire, there's going to be a problem. As long as you're meeting the electrical requirements, that's it. They already sell audiophile power outlets. What's next, directional 8g wiring in wall? Audiophile fuse box? Anyone really think they have audiophile grade service from the power company? People are free to spend their money how they choose, and if they enjoy having that "high-end" power cable, good for them. But it's not for me.

If you're trying to avoid software re-installs (due to missing discs/time/etc), yes, your old drive will need to be the boot drive. This thread is reminding me I'm a bit behind on my backups, need to fire up the backup server later tonight. If you get back up and running, if s/w re-installs is an issue, you might want to look into disk imaging software. Would allow you to create a disk image that could be later copied to a new disk for an easy restore. More complicated than regular backups, but might be worth considering.

Looked that up on google a bit. Looks pretty slick with a screen interface. Digitized my CD collection around the same time, but always used HTPC solutions for playback previously. Enjoying working with the Pi, lots of options and they've multiplied.

Jim, The Elevator looks pretty nice, but I don't think I could justify the cost just to normalize volume. Would probably be better off putting that money in a new cart, and maybe some table upgrades. I'll probably re-evaluate carts when the needle on my Shure goes. Replacement needles are out of production sadly, and while the JICO SAS is available I've heard it's a bit bright.

I'd highly recommend nosvalves. Previous owner of my 299 had Craig rebuild it. Sounds great, and he's helped me a few times over the years with questions even though I wasn't the original customer. He was just answering a question I had about gain levels here the other day. If I get another Scott, it's going to him for sure.

Thanks Craig. I hadn't even considered that the modern sources would be sending a higher signal than the Scott was designed for. I'll keep enjoying my system as is.

Not yet, thought I'd check in here first.

After my recent adventures with Raspberry Pi, was wondering if anyone else here has tried streaming with this as well. Have a Pi 3 with hifiberry dac + pro in my 2 channel setup now. Running Runeaudio to primarily stream FLAC (occasional MP3 use as well) over the network. Pi's onboard audio was pretty bad, but the quality with the DAC is pretty nice. And the convenience factor is high. Anyone else with a similar setup?

Hey folks, been a while. Hoping to get some input re: the Scott 299A phono stage. Recently fell back in love with my 2 channel setup, hasn't seen much use the last few years. Have a Scott 299A, RF-7s, Rega P3, and a Shure V15vxmr cart (MM). Recently added a Raspberry Pi with DAC for streaming. Anyway, noticed a significant difference in volume between the phono & line inputs (phono is quieter). For comparison, 1/2 volume is pretty loud on phono, while the line in I'm probably around 1/4 for the same output. I remember talking to Craig about the phono stage several years back, and it sounded like the amp was good, but I think that was related to some noise I was getting at higher volume. My memory's a bit fuzzy (been a while) so I've been reading up a bit. I think the volume difference might be due to my Shure cart only putting out 3mv, read somewhere the Scott was designed around something higher (I am using mag low input). If my line of thinking is right, my options would probably be to get a new MM cart with more output, get a new phono stage, or just live with it. It does sound great as it is, but I think not having to lean on the volume so much would give a cleaner output. Hoping for some reccomendations from folks with experience here. Is my cart probably the issue? If it is, would I be better off going for a different cart (guessing this is my best option), or maybe a separate phono stage?

Haven't been on here for a while, and haven't kept up too well with a lot of the newer model gear. Hoping to get some suggestions on some pre-amps to check out. My Lexicon MC-1 just bit the dust. Pretty sure the power supply's shot. At power on nothing lights up, & I can hear a clicking noise from the power supply. From what I looked up online it's probably the voltage regular clicking. Not sure right now whether I want to try ordering a new power supply & swapping it out. Easy to do, but I'll be guessing as to whether anything else went south with it. Here's the rest of the system : B&K 200.7 amp, RF-7 fronts, RC-7 center, RF-5 rears, HSU ULS-15 sub. Mostly being fed media by my PC, and occasionaly the DVR. So, I'm hoping I can get some suggestions for some good pre's worth checking out, I'm thinking somewhere around $2500. Figure that this is the best place to ask what would mate well with my Klipsch. Sound wise, looking for something Neutral - Warm sounding. I found the Lex to be pretty neutral, and loved the sound paired with the warm B&K. Thanks,

In case you haven't checked, make sure the port tube didn't come loose. Had this happen on mine, ended up fixing it with epoxy.

Thanks for suggesting getting in touch with Craig. Emailed back & forth a number of times, and it sounds like it's probably moisture retention with the resistors in the phono stage. Just need to run the amp for a good while & see if it clears up some. He also suggested de-oxit for the controls & connections, as I was also having a bit of trouble with the RCA terminals. This is the 2nd time Craig has gone out of his way to help me out with this amp. Definatley a good guy.

Hi Gary. Yeah, I haven't been around here in a while. Kind of hit a wall with what I could do with the stero in an apartment, and got sidetracked with a few other hobbies. Finally got myself a house I can enjoy the stereo in. Was keeping pretty busy working on it for a while, but things have finally slowed down, and I'm getting bit by the stereo bug again. Was able to set up a 2 channel rig separate from my HT finally. Trying to get that going, & hopefully a sub for the HT. I guess it never ends [] How've you been? I didn't try cleaning the controls. It's not that the volume knob gets scratchy past 4, there's just a lot of constant noise past 4. Can't remember the right term for it. But it's perfectly quiet below 4.

I'm getting a lot of static on the phono input of my Scott 299A past 4 on the volume. Below 4 it's clean & quiet, and I've no problems with the tape & tuner inputs. Tried unplugging the turntable, and switching to pickup 2, and still have the same problem. From an old post I found, the 2 12AX7s on the left should be for the phono stage, & the 2 on the right should be for the preamp functions. The 2 on the left are Fishers I think, labeled made in west Germany, and the 2 on the right are Telefunkens. Was thinking maybe the Fishers went bad, so I tried swapping them with the telefunkens, and still have the same problem. Could all 4 12AX7s be going south on me, or is it something wrong with the amp? Except for the EL84s, all the tubes came with the amp when I bought it. Had them tested maybe 4 years ago and they were ok, but it's been a while. Also, If this is normal, please let me know. I haven't used it for about 2 years, and am finally getting it set up again. For all I know I just don't remember it doing this. Thanks