|
@bkeske Any results from your mat testing? |
@noromance
Well, after realizing my misunderstanding about my built-in integral SOTA ‘mat’, the cork mat has been removed, for good. Reset VTA. I’m still a bit smitten with @slaw ‘s MyMat without any clamp. Tried an LP unclamped directly on the integral mat/platter, but sounded better with slaws mat. Makes sense, as that is how Steve designed it.
Interesting enough, a couple of the LP’s in the Solti-Edition collection I am playing now are significantly warped, and I needed the SOTA clamp to flatten them a bit. Immediately, although not sounding ‘bad’, the soundstage ‘closed-in’ and everything became more center focused. Without the clamp the stage and ‘air’ are much more open, and I’ve been sticking to that the last several albums.
|
@bkeske,
A warped lp that can be played without skipping, still sounds better with a MyMat/no clamp/weight. |
Billy Preston "Music Is My Life" pp/freshly US cleaned |
+1 for not using a clamp or weight with the MyMat
Pere Ubu / Ray gun suitcase |
Ormandy conducts Sibelius Violin Concerto and Karelia Suite. Issac Stern w/The Philadelphia Orchestra. Columbia Masterworks 1970. |
Hey @boxer12,
You have an additional advantage in that you have two MyMats. Big difference in the positive realm. |
@slaw @bkeske,
A warped lp that can be played without skipping, still sounds better with a MyMat/no clamp/weight. Yep, you are right Steve, but it was bugging the heck out of me out of the corner of my eye, so clamped it 😁 |
@bkeske,
Stick with me brother. |
Don’t worry Steve, the Ormandy/Stern LP is being played nice and flat and unclamped....and sounds fantastic. |
The Billy Preston lp is awesome! Dynamic! |
Rising Appalachia "Leylines" |
Ormandy conducts Charles Ives - Symphony #1 & Three Places in New England. Columbia Masterworks 1968 |
Not worried at all my friend. I lived with it for 3 years before I offered it as a product. I know exactly what it can do. |
Akron Family / Love is simple |
|
Has been an enjoyable listening evening. The rig sounds great tonight, and could it be?.....When I bought my Jelco 850 arm from USA HiFi, I needed a DIN cable, and though I wanted the more expensing pink/red Jelco straight DIN, they did not have any in stock, so settled for their less expensive straight cable, as I wanted it at the same time for the arm install. Well, it turns out they sent me the 90 degree cable, and although it worked, was really too tight. So, was on the look-out for the better straight Jelco DIN cable.
Just so happens, I found a guy selling a new/old stock higher grade pink/red Jelco straight DIN cable on eBay for $90. I snatched it up, arrived today, installed it. I do believe it makes a significant difference. I’ll probably send the one from USA HIFI back, get a refund (as they sent the wrong one), which will pay for the better one I just bought/installed.
In addition, I think my new Audio Envy RCA interconnects (which came right about the same time as my SOTA) are finally breaking in.
A good cable night, in addition to the SOTA/Jelco/Soundsmith kicking butt. |
A lot going on my friend. |
Naw, this is easy and fun stuff. What I had to deal with today for my business was way more complicated 😁 |
Glad to hear it's coming together well for you Bkeske, enjoy!
HiM / Our point of departure |
Benjamin Britten conducting English Chamber Orchestra - English Music For Strings. Purcell, Elgar, Britten, Delius, & Bridge. London 1969
|
Been thinking....... My Classic 3 was listed as Class A in the Stereophile ratings.
With the 3D addition, the Stillpoints feet....... it’s above the Stereophile class A rating. Plus I figured out the StP issue. |
@boxer12 Glad to hear it's coming together well for you Bkeske, enjoy! Better than I could have imagined boxer. Now need some of that Pere Ubu you have on vinyl. Keep eyeing a copy of The Modern Dance on Discogs. May have to pull the trigger and get that puppy. Loved that album when it came out. |
Bkeske,
If you don't have any of their stuff on vinyl, check out the boxed sets that were released. They are good & not stupid expensive (yet). They are the studio releases (mostly).
Zola Jesus / Okovi |
@boxer12 If you don't have any of their stuff on vinyl, check out the boxed sets that were released. They are good & not stupid expensive (yet). They are the studio releases (mostly). Wow, just checked those out on Discogs. I wasn’t even aware those existed. Thanks for the heads up. |
@bkeske Good to hear you are clamp free! Have you tried no mat?
Also glad you got the pink cable. The dark green one is crap. |
|
@noromance Also glad you got the pink cable. The dark green one is crap. Well, all in all, compared to where I came from, it ALL sounded fine. But. Like anything, you are always inquisitive about any weak link. When I found that cable on eBay, it was too good a deal to let get away. Maybe it was just one of those nights, when everything sounds great, or it was indeed the new cable. Whatever, it makes me feel better that it was replaced. |
Man, I go away for a few days and it’s clamp free pink cable mania....
got to listen ! That’s the only way to know.
War Dept was under weather, got tested = negative..... music therapy later :-)
some may also want to try the lighter 140 g pressings for fun |
@slaw you need to invent new rating system A-Prime, etc.... |
@tomic601 War Dept was under weather, got tested = negative..... music therapy later :-) Good news Jim. And yea, try without a clamp. And try to be objective 😁 |
Karajan conducts Beethoven - The 9 symphonies, box set. Berliner Philharmonic. Deutsche Grammophon 1975
Started at the beginning....Symphonies 1&2
Have a batch of ‘new’ vinyl arriving any minute. |
Brian - I am the King of objectivity, that’s why I like wine so much !!!!
Eve of 6th I will be back w Sapphire and metaphorically throw clamp to the winds.... |
@tomic601 .
I was thinking more like AAA+++ |
‘New’ vinyl arrived....first up...
Leonard Bernstein conducts Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 1 w/Andre Previn & Poulenc - Concerto for Two Pianos w/Gold (not Gould) and Fizdale. New York Philharmonic. Columbia Masterworks 1962.
EDIT: Dang, this sounds fantastic. Must be the new cables, or the MyMat unclamped, or the SOTA, or Jelco, or Soundsmith Zephyr 😁
See how I far I get into this, as The Berlin Philharmonic is coming up live. Which should be a good concert today.
|
@noromance ,
Never say, try no mat! Ha ha |
Kenne'lmus "Folkstone Prism" |
Linkin Park : { Hybrid Theory } pp
Excellent lp! |
Juilliard String Quartet plays Charles Ives String Quartets No. 1&2. CBS Masterworks 1985
Wonderful |
@bkeske,
You may have mentioned it already,..... what load settings are you using with the Zephyr? |
@slaw
My MK III is HO @ 2.4mV, so 47K loading, of course , and 42db gain. Right in the upper middle of where Peter recommends (38-43). |
|
"no clamp/weight"..... my Stillpoints LP1 is now relegated to dampen the top plate of the Trio. My VPI ss weight to dampen the top case of the Shunyata 8. |
Gonna try my hand at building a power cord to run one of my Shunyatas. Been waiting to find connectors that are made for larger diameter cords. Found some through www.partsconnexion.com . The Cardas connectors, not cheap but he gave me 30% off. Gonna use my long in waiting Furutech Alpha Nano Series FP-S55N cable. Should be a simple/easy project. Notice I said (should be). |
The Billy Preston lp is on again. |
|
Regarding the Bybee iQSEs............. I still have two in each of these components, Shunyata Hydra 4, 6, and the SMc amp. When I get around to taking the current amp system down and converting to platforms for the Quicksilver monos, I'm gonna take the two out of the SMc and place those inside of the ports of the Ushers.
That was a very noticeable uptick in SQ. |
Another from my new acquisition’s....
Szell conducts Mozart Piano Concertos No. 15&17. Casadesus with ‘members of’ The Cleveland Orchestra. Columbia Masterworks 1969 |
Where's @uberwaltz? Not sure slaw, but just assumed he is traveling on business. Hasn’t posted anywhere for a couple days, so hope he is OK. Or perhaps he is just tired of us 😁 |
