laikadog Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Revealing my limited knowledge with this question, but here goes anyway. I recently acquired a Cary SLI-80 integrated, so now the Scott 355 preamp/tuner combo that I have will now be pulling duty as a phono stage and tuner only. Since the signal will now go from the Tape Out to the Cary, what exactly is being bypassed in the Scott? Are the Scott's phono section tubes still in the loop? I was also lucky enough to get a nice deal on a Scout TT (probably going with a Dynavecto 20XH cartridge) and have a couple related questions as I don't want to cheat myself with an underperforming phono stage. I had the Scott refurbished locally here in San Diego by a pretty well known tech whose specialty is tuner alignments and such. He's an old school type who doesn't go for the whole 'modding' experience and prefers to leave the original design well enough alone, resulting in an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it philosophy'. Subsequently, he ended up focusing on the tuner section leaving the unit entirely stock with original parts (not many original tubes which are now a mish-mash of nothing special) for the most part. It seems that some of the capacitors, resistors, would need replacing after 42 years. For example, (showing my ignorance again) the little white ceramic looking cylinders near the power transformer get very, very hot. Not in a position to DIY, so how much work would need to go into the Scott to bring the phono section up to snuff? Or, and I know folks here are fond of vintage, should I cut my losses and go with a modern phono section in the $400 range new or used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 I find it hard to believe that Scott is all up to proper specs if it has all original parts in it. Thats a nice TT you are going to be using, give it some justice by either picking up a well respected phono stage or having that Scott rebuilt properly. On this forum Craig can give you a heads up on that issue. You can only decide whats right for your situation, if keeping the Scott is not an issue, you can sell it on ebay or audiogon and pick up a phono stage with the proceeds. You can find some nice ones used on Audiogon. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Techs all have their comfort zone. Some like your tech specialize in tuners. Some have no comfort level with tuners at all. I persoanlly like the Scott phono sections. 299A, LK-48 and 130 preamp are the ones i have listened to the most. A phone conversation with Craig at NOS Valves to discuss your options may be a good option to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 The white cylinders power resistors and will get quite warm after a while. That is perfectly normal. As long as there are no hums ( there will be some noise when the volume is turned up on the high gain phono stage),there is no reason to not use your 355 tuner/preamp until you can afford a Juicy Music Blueberry. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 ---------------- On 10/8/2004 2:23:50 PM laikadog wrote: Or, and I know folks here are fond of vintage, should I cut my losses and go with a modern phono section in the $400 range new or used? ---------------- If your interested and decide to go the new route, I have a very nice, near new, Mapletree Ultra 4A SE with PS1t that I would be willing to sell for $550 + shipping. I bought a Juicy Music Peach after I decided not to make the return to vinyl. The Mapletree Ultra 4A has a real nice phono section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laikadog Posted October 10, 2004 Author Share Posted October 10, 2004 Thanks for the replies and info fellas. I think for now I've decided to use the 355 as is and see how the sound shakes out once I've got the Scout and Cary SLI-80 dialed in and then I'll focus on the phono section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 No reason to use the tape outs with your 355/Cary combo. You can benefit from the active preamp section of the 355 even though your Cary has a volume control. But to answer your question yes your still using the phono section tubes when hooked up as you described. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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