I know… I am way too deep down this rabit hole… 
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oh, i thought someone had ordered a topping d10 DAC and got a Aimpire. maybe he just made a mistake
Maybe, maybe.
Oooo what are you thinking of the sound so far?
It’s like comfort food
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Whelp, completed my [decade+ “endgame”] setup. Harbeth Compact 7-ES3 40th Anniversary edition and a Line Magnetic 216ia. Mind-melting warmth.
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Um, I did some quick WalMart shopping before stopping at Dunkin for a large hot coffee. Shrugs Not the same, but hell, I’ve still got my XD-05 and PortaPros.
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That’s great to hear!
Someone did. The D10 was only available on amazon from aimpire at the time. It might be different now.
How are the pads? I’m always a little wary of artificial leather, especially when it’s humid.
Was reading about cleaning the pins on my tubes and how that makes for good general practice, especially considering NOS tubes can be over 70 years old.
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Decided to order a cartridge to upgrade the Rega Carbon. Went with the Goldring E3… as the price/performance sounds like it’s a solid upgrade without having to spent too much at the start. Payed $95 after using some Ebay credits (which would have expired feb 2nd) from a seller on Ebay, but i’ll have wait a few weeks as it’s coming international with free shipping… lol
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I find them comparable to a qc35 ii… very comfortable and they do get a tad warm after prolonged use but it’s not really bothersome to me… not sure how they’d fare with high humidity though 
The Rega Carbon isn’t that bad… and the E3 is good too.
But maybe a good idea to figure out what kind of sound signature you like. I think the Goldring stuff is a very good choice with older scratched vinyl. Gives you the warm sound and tracks a lot better than Grado… use 2g or more if needed to minimize distortion. Don’t go below 2g and have fun aligning it. I recommend the Rega Baerwald Alignment Protractor V.2.
The G1006 would be a very noticeable step up. It’s in a completely different league. Especially in resolution and clarity.
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Thanks for the protractor recommendation. Yeah, I am overall pretty happy with the Rega Carbon, honestly, but curious to try the E3… as reviews were generally solid and said it had a pretty well balanced sound.
I did definitely see the G1006 too as a solid option, just more expensive.
The Nagaoka catridges are super hyped by people, but I am not sure, I will maybe give them a try at some point… but I’m always a bit wary of stuff that is super overhyped, especially when it seems to mainly come from one source.
And will definitely consider trying some others as well. The Denon DL-103 and modified versions of that one seem like they are talked highly as well, but for that I’d need a new phono pre-amp.
I felt like for now the E3 seemed like a reasonable, solid option as something just to try that wasn’t too expensive for a newbie like myself.
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I didnt know there were so many vacuum tubes out there. I thought it was a old dead technology till i hit the audiophile forums. I thought there was a finite supply of tubes. with them only lasting a year, everyone relying on old stock thats should be vanishing, how long is this gonna last? Is there anyone making new ones?
Several current manufacturers.
General consensus is that NOS are generally better, but some of that is just snobbishness.
Some of the more highly regarded NOS tubes of commonly used types are now getting very rare, and run many $100’s per tube.
While not bought so much as being repurposed, but still. This small cookie tin could prove to be a decent case for IEMs.
Also, I only just got the cookies, and gave them away since I’m not that into sweets.
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NOS tubes getting very expensive. Despite what some audiophiles insist not all the new tubes sound terrible. Yes there are factories still producing new tubes, many of which work well with new production tube gear. Figuring out what sounds good to you though can become very costly quickly, Even new tubes are pretty pricey.