Dear Ctm: For the KRSP: Lustre GST 801 or Ikeda 407.
Allaerts MC 2 Finish: Ikeda 407.
Colibri: Sumiko MDC 800 or Brinkman.
Myabi 47: SME IV ( rewired )
XV-1: Lustre GST 801, SME IV and Ikeda 407.
Those ones are my experiences about.
For turntables I recomended any all metal design like: Galibier, Acoustic Signature, Micro Seiki, Avid, Verdier, etc. etc.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Ctm: I have experienced the Triplanar but never in my audio system .
I have a very good idea about the VII due to my " in other systems " experience and to the opinion of one person that I respect a lot ( an Auiogoner ) who thinks that the MAX 282 is on the same league than the VII. This is an " elogio " ( achievement ) for the VII. Btw, this tonearm is not exactly my cup of tea, between other things: I don't like " unfinished " products, this one goes in its seven up date and counting: maybe I will buy it when it goes in the 11 stage: it will be a better one than today, don't you think?
Now, more important and a critical issue about the quality of the analog music reproduction is the Phonopreamp specially with all those top performance cartridges: the MC2 Finish ask for the best of the best : no exeption here, so take cere about the Phonopreamp.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Norm: +++++ " Groove and more recently, my Whest and ASR Basis Exclusive experiences, none of them did for me what the top performing tube-based gear has done.... " +++++
If you heard those SS phonopreamps in your system and the only thing that you do was to disconnect your tube unit and connect the SS one then I understand your statement.
It is almost imposible that with a totally different technology you could hear the differences for the good/bad with out " touching " any single link on your audio chain, it is the same if you pass from SS to tubes : what we have to do is to set up again our whole system: VTA, load impedance, cables, speaker position, etc, etc.. If the new unit is really a very good one then this new unit could tell you some problems that you have in your system and that appear with this new unit in the system chain. As a fact those problems always were there but the " old " unit hiding through its lesser quality and higher distortions/noise/colorations. You don't have to be and engineer to have a point on this statement, everyone can do it.
If with the new unit you don't like what you are hearing you don't have to conclude that this new unit is the problem, why? you have to do a research for to know where is the problem because maybe the problem is in other place in the system and till now you never knew you already have it.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Norm: +++++ " The above adventures have led me to the discovery of how sonically influencial are output coupling and other signal carrying capacitors. Boy was I floored when a capacitor change (at $18 to $35 each) impacted the sonic signature significantly more than an IC, PC and tube change. " +++++
We have to understand this kind of statement ( btw, about the TP I will let you know " alone " by e-mail, I don't want a heavy controversy here. Dan, well was almost a joke but how far we are on the 11 version when we almost are in the VIII one? )
Like the step up transformer: the best capacitor is NO capacitor at all.
If you compare a phonopreamp DC coupled against any cap/transformer coupled the quality differences is really great in favor of the DC coupled one.
The Allaerts MC2 Finish, that is a glorious quality performance cartridge, deserve not only a very good phonopreamp circuit design but a DC coupled unit with around 80 db of clean gain with out distortions/noise and with out SUT. The MC 2 is an around 7K dollars, please don't tell me that you will " leave " the whole cartridge performance in the " hands " of a " cheap " capacitor and transformers. Well you can do that but in that way you never/ever know which one is really the MC2 Finish quality and you never know why you do a 7K payment for that cartridge.
We can do an analogy: would you buy a Lamborghini Contact to use it in " your virtual home " that is located in the mid of the Sahara where there is no any serious ( German Vans ) roads? I think that you don't. Then why try to do the same with the MC2 Finish? or the Colibri or other top jewelery/cartridges.
With all my respect to you that does not makes sense to me: it makes sense to you?
Other example: just imagine a Soprano singing through a paper box instead to do it directly/in a natural way. It don't makes sense, no?.
Now, if I were in your position to buy those top cartridges/tonearms/TT before I take action about my very first step should be to have the phonopreamp that will be abble to do " justice " to those great " analog devices ". At the analog stage ( in the audio system ) the phonopreamp has a vital " work ", we can't do mistakes here. Of course many of us already take the wrong " road " and many times we take the wrong road because a misconception about the critical importance that has the phonopreamp. I think that sooner or later we have to give to the phonopreamp the vital " life " that represents for the correct quality music sound reproduction at home.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Jeff: Direct coupled. Between others: Boulder, Ayre, Fm Acoustics, Rowland, etc, etc.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Sirspeedy: Unfortunatelly all is in the " way " that you post.
I think that we are putting the " finger where it hurts " and maybe it is time to make a " stop " in our system race and try to " understand " the PHONOPREAMP " figure/real importance.
A few years ago I I was interested in to have a better phonopreamp but today I already learn that the Phonopreamp is the brain/hearth of the analog system, its importance is unique and unfortunatelly for many of us its validity is a misconception/misunderstood and no know how about.
Well, in my humble opinion ( right Neil ) we have to take a very serious look to the phonopreamp " figure " in the quality music sound reproduction and that with out the right phonopreamp all what we do in the audio chain before it is a waist of time and money.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Norm: +++++ " Boy was I floored when a capacitor change (at $18 to $35 each) impacted the sonic signature significantly more than an IC, PC and tube change. " +++++
This statement tell you what you are really hearing: to that capacitor not the " real quality sound reproduction of what your cartridge has ". Think " a little " about.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Norm: +++++ " . Feel free to recommend either here or offline your top choices of DC coupled phonostages in the $4-7k range. " +++++
This is what you told me in this thread: I'm sorry to disturb you about, I'm only trying to help " someone " with a very high targets ( real music ), that's all. Maybe there was a misunderstood by me.
Btw, I already give you my experiences with your cartridges ( that I own, too ) and in which tonearms.
+++++ " but the VDH, although fast, transparent, detailed and dimensional, it is also lean and uninvolving... "+++++
This tell me that something is really wrong in your system or in the set-up of the Colibri: my experience with it tell me that in no way is a " lean and uninvolving " cartridge. Plkease take a " look " to this thread:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1132299685&read&3&4&
There is something important about the Colibri: Dr. Van denHul recomended that after 250-300 hours we have to send the cartridge to him for he makes the " final touch ", when the Colibri return it was amazing ( he do this for free, you only do a payment for the shipping ).
Sirspeedy, oviously is a misunderstood, please re-read carefully and off-line we could talk about for not following disturbing Norm.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
