Posted on 04/30/2025 7:52:45 AM PDT by normbal
I’m considering a purchase of a Van den Hul cartridge (XGW Colibri Stradivarius), having found a great price on them, what I can’t find is what the Tariff is going to be on this now as it’s coming out of Netherlands.
Yes, I’ve posted on several audio boards - the TDS is BAD on those, every post degenerated into Trump bashing without resolution.
Yes, I’ve dug into “our” very own US Customs site(s) and their databases are worse than the IRS’ tax code..
IF there is an easy way of determining this value, it’s beyond my google-fu.
Thanks in advance.
Yes the QL-7 and the QL-A7 were excellent turntables that went almost unnoticed. High end but not insanely high priced.
Nice collection of gear there! Good to see us analogue fans are still out there.
vdH makes great cartridges, though I’ve never owned one for long term listening. I don’t know whether they’re still around, but I got some excellent and straight deals (800 for an Ortofon MC3000 MkII, 500 for the T3000 transformer, for example) from 2juki out of HongKong on ebay in the early 2000s... OK, not much help, probably.
I think I own enough gear to start a shop and make a living of it by now...😀
Micro Seiki, Thorens, Telefunken, SME, Ortofon, ClearAudio, QUAD ESL 63s, Krell KSA 150, New York Audio Labs (Futterman/Rosenberg) tubes and MOSCODEs, Infinity, B&W, Sonus Faber, Revox, Nakamichi, and sundry...
My rig takes the opposite direction from yours, stemming from my early experience with big electrostats and ARC gear. My whole perspective changed when I heard the early Magnepan Tympani series. So today, many systems later, I'm living with a pair of Magneplanar 3.7is on Mye Engineering stands, driven by a Bel Canto REF500S and an early Bel Canto PRE 1. This combination really makes these speakers come alive. They have power, authority and a remarkable delicacy owing to those five foot long ribbon tweeters. Plus, they utterly disappear. They're not to everyone's taste, but they sure work well for me. The only thing that I'm considering for an upgrade is the GR Research crossover replacement kit. Magnepan kinda cheaped out there, I think. So I'll raise a glass to your well-put together system. At the end of the day, it's all about the music.
If you want that brand in particular so badly what difference does it make what the tariff is?
You're going to get it anyway, right, since it's a "must have" item?
Magnepans sound WONDERFUL, but after trying out some OHM-Walsh speakers for a couple years, I decided to stick with omnis. I actually drove from maryland into Canuckistan last year to audition a pair of Glenn Schmidt’s design Ubiquitous speakers - after I’d named his SUBwoofers, why, SUBiquitous, obviously - and I drove back into NY with a pair of them and a subwoofer in the back of my car no problem and at a very good price.
I wrote up a report he was kind enough to link on his website. A year later, all I can say about them is WOW.
The SET amp, Tektron I got from a local HiFi dealer, recapped it and build a DC source for the tube heaters.
I really enjoy tinkering with this stuff for a few years now - continuation of a high school hobby when I was a part time tech/roadie for a music store.
There are SO many different opinions about gear out there, so many total d!cks about it all too. An enormous amount of privileged leftists as well who run some of the boards. It’s a real mine field.
I’ve read a LOT about GRS’ upgrades to Klipsch speakers (I also own a pair of Heresy IV’s); while using REW modeling software and making changes to the room, I think I’ve gotten them to sound pretty good, but I’ve put them aside for now while using the Schmidt Ubis.
Endless tinkering. How I wanted to spend my retirement and my kids’ inheritance…
Lol. This is the way. Many years ago, I sold OHM Walsh speakers. At the time, they were a tough load to drive what with their inefficiency and all that. They got better over the years long after I got out of the business. If for nothing else besides curiosity, I'll have to lookup those Ubiquitous speakers. I'm glad you were able to liberate them while the liberating was good.
You know, the one thing I never liked about the audiophile obsession was the snobbery and as you say, the d!ckery that tends to run through it. It kills the joy of total immersion in the musical art, and while that's not cheap to achieve, you don't need a Mac stack or a Dan d'Agostino stack to get you there. And there are shockingly good speakers to be had for a couple of thousand bucks. I mean, if you've got the money to spend what amounts to a down payment on a decent home for dCS dac, clock and power supply, more power to ya. As much as I'd like to have one of the Bel Canto e.1 Black integrated at $30K+ fully decked out, it's just not affordable at this point. Aside from a few tweaks, I've pretty much got my last dance system. I've got a huge CD and LP library to enjoy and that's good enough for me. I don't stream, so I don't have to worry about dacs.
There's enough of the hobbyist left in me to tool around with restoring vintage loudspeakers and turntables. I have a couple of near mint Garrard Zero 100 turntables that I'm in the process of overhauling and there's a pair of KEF 103/Rs sitting in my living room awaiting an overhaul. Then there's a pair of KEF Calindas that I'm using for the TV that could stand a refinishing and a crossover upgrade. It never ends, does it?
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