Time for a minor update. I've gone analog.
With help from some loving Filipino expats who reside in Singapore, I was able to get a good deal on a turntable. Here are some photos.
ABOVE: ClearAudio Performance DC Turntable with custom dust cover. The 40mm thick platter is made from Delrin and is magnetically suspended on a ceramic shaft. Virtually no friction when it spins. A "Quadro Plattenklemme" record weight is on top.
ABOVE: "Clarify" tonearm, also from ClearAudio. It also has a magnetic bearing.
ABOVE: Ortofon 2M Black. According to reviews, it is a Moving Magnet cartridge that sounds very close to Moving Coil.
ABOVE: Power. From left to right, Weiduka AC8.8 sold by Narayan (Boss Obet), PLIXIR Linear Power Supply for the turntable (aftermarket accessory, did not come stock with the turntable), ClearAudio Basic Plus Power Supply for the Phono Preamp.
ABOVE: A closer look at the PLIXIR linear power supply. The Turntable came with a 12V wall wart, which uses a switch-mode power circuit. Friends in Singapore commissioned PLIXIR to build a custom linear power supply. Hook up an oscilloscope to the output of a Switch-mode power supply and you will see tiny spikes corresponding to its switching frequency. This can negatively affect the sound. The PLIXIR power supply is linear and is rated at a higher current than the stock ClearAudio wall wart. It produces 12V cleanly, with absolutely no spikes in the output. Net effect, better sound.
ABOVE: A closer look at the separate power supply of the ClearAudio Basic Plus Phono Preamp. They manufactured it this way so that whatever tiny amounts of noise and stray magnetic fields it produces can be placed far away from the phono stage itself. This lowers the noise floor and improves the sound.
ABOVE: The Phono Preamp itself.
ABOVE: The output of the Phono Preamp goes to an input of the Main Preamp.
ABOVE: Turntable setup and cartridge alignment was made easy with the Dr. Feickert protractor.
ABOVE: A view of the turntable, amplifier and speakers.
Now for some tunes.