Don, I believe your point applies equally to many of the LPs produced in the '50s and '60s and even the '70s. Those of us old enough to have heard them new had no idea of the detail and nuance they contained at that time.
Good thing now all of us gave up on vinyl! |
Don, was that (old saying in engineering) the motto among your brethren at Rohr? I could visualize Jerry falling back on that. ;^) |
Raul, since you initiated this thread I guess you have the right to include anything you see fit. But in my opinion you would have been better served (as would this thread) if you began a new thread subject for your digital observations. It just seems to be off topic for the MM and MC discussions.
The same might be said for bringing cassettes into comments here. But I will relate that I was totally amazed a couple of years ago by the sonic quality I heard at a friend's from some independent label jazz cassettes.
Regards. |
Fleib,
Who knows if Mikael got his moniker from some magic weeds, or seeds? Perhaps he has the experience of folks throwing rocks at him repeatedly? ;^) |
I agree that live music is the basic reference.
But then I ask myself, was that with the symphony in a 2,000 seat hall, a jazz piano trio in a 200 seat club, or a friend playing guitar less than 20' away in their living room? And that does not begin to address if there was a sound reinforcement system, what mic choice, a good hall/club/room or a bad one, etc., etc.
Can there be any other hobby with more complicated answers? |
Raul, interesting that you mentioned the Shinon Red Boron. I bought one from a friend back when they were a current product. The suspension collapsed within 50 hours of use so I returned it to the North American importer in Canada (Dover, could that have been you?). They graciously sent me a new replacement which I still have. It is high among my favorites of all I've owned.
Since I've owned the Shinon (the replacement) more than 20 years, it has been in and out of my system a few times and I really have little idea of the hours of use. The last time I listened to it it still had that wonderful tonal accuracy and connectivity with the music. I've had much younger ears listen and none of them could hear any distortion, break-up, or other signs of wear. So it would appear the Shinon is not only musically rewarding but fairly durable as well. Assuming of course that it is set up carefully and kept clean.
Seems like I need to reinstall it again soon for another listen. |
Maxon, amazingly I bought almost the same collection of cartridges as you from all the cartridges recommended on this site. I don't have the ED9R, F9E, or TRX1, but I did add an Empire 4000DIII/Gold, AT7V, and Technics 205C IIX.
Unfortunately my auditions of this collection continue to be delayed. Non-audio interference plus needs for rebuilding two tonearms and work on Technics DD tables need to be completed. Fun days ahead. |
Downunder, hope you find an answer.
A good friend had an EPC100Mk4 he owned since new. After being idle for many years he reinstalled it after getting back into vinyl. Within a couple of months it developed problems (suspension? I'm not sure) so he sent it to SS. Unfortunately Peter reported back that it could not be repaired.
That was 3-4 years ago so may no longer be true. For your sake I hope not, but I wouldn't get my hopes too high (all depending on the nature of the problem of course). |
The EPA-100 incorporates a rather unique feature to allow adjustments for varying compliance depending on the cartridge installed. I can't say it may work well with say an ADC XLM series necessarily but would expect it to match with most MC/MI alternatives.
http://www.thevintageknob.org/technics-EPA-100.html |
Many thanks Dave. Your confirmation is greatly appreciated.
And yes, I do look forward to an audition. However too many other tasks are in line ahead of it - both non-audio and then audio repairs.
So it waits quietly to someday spring forth music. ;^)
Nandric, you Greek paradox reminds me of the Cary Grant story about Blackfoot indians in "Charade". |
I agree Lew. With fond memories of a few earlier MM and MI carts I was tempted more than once by reading how many mastering engineers (from Doug Sax on down) still relied on MMs. I kept thinking, hey, if they are satisfactory for those guys maybe there is something still there after all. But it really took Raul's efforts to encourage me to actually begin trying them again.
So let's hope the Mad Mexican Cartridge Mavin is simply too busy to post and is otherwise in good health. |
Hi Lew, I've also experienced an issue with something returned but not checked out in a timely fashion. That can create problems.
But I believe SS is pretty straight forward in their dealings so I would explain the situation to them, just as you have here. See what he says about break-in time or other possible reasons.
Good luck. |
Raul survives!
Yes Lew, I received a greeting from Raul as well. Nothing personal but nice to learn he is active, even if not on Audiogon. I just returned from a holiday visit with family and found his message yesterday. |
Some of this judgement makes me wonder how many of us 'goners met Raul face to face? I felt fortunate to have three meetings with him, first at a friend's who introduced us. second when he came to my home, and third when a group of us went out to dinner.
Based upon all that I found him to be very polite, knowledgable, and yes, opinionated. But who among us does not feel strong convictions about our own preferences in gear and music? Through all that my impression was a man of underlying "old school" charm and friendliness.
Now admittedly that was a few years ago, long before this thread reached 10K. And while we exchanged personal correspondence for awhile I know nothing about him from the past couple of years. So now I just hope he is healthy and enjoying his music. |
Don, unless he changed his policies that is not true. Peter corrected a cantilever alignment/suspension problem for me with a vdH cartridge.
Now that was a couple of years ago. |
Lew, one possible exception regarding what "specs" tell us. Most MC cartridge specs show a rising high end, often above 15K. Some perceive that as added detail, others as objectionable brightness.
I believe that may be a basic difference between those who prefer MC and the many on this thread that found listening pleasure with MM or MI models. |
Hi Dover, you make many good points.
My comment to Lew was indeed a "generalization" and was intended as such. Like you, and I'm sure many others here, I've found both good and bad among MM/MI as well as MC models over the years. I only mentioned the rising high end with many MCs because that has been discussed for so long.
Now your comments on the Koetsu Black Goldline caught my interest. I happen to have one among a collection of cartridges I picked up from a friend (and former dealer) who gave up on vinyl because of his age. I haven't installed it yet but your reference suggests I should move it to the head of the line. So thanks for that. |
Ah, if life could only be simpler!
All this discussion of improved playback for some cartridges with elevated arm height to increase VTA is interesting. And while it is not my intent to question listening responses of others, I just read an interesting twist to this concept.
Many of you long time hobbyists may be familiar with the name David Shreve. He became well known for his upgrades to the old Rabco tangental arm. Jim Smith makes reference to him in his recent book, "Get Better Sound". Mr. Shreve identified "optimal" VTA settings for various LP labels with his Rabco arm. Level cartridge alignments worked best with labels such as A&M, Warner Brothers, and Flying Fish (a folk and acoustic music label he favored for basic set up). Brightness in Columbia classical, DG, and other labels could be minimized by lower VTA settings while RCA, Vanguard, and Columbia jazz and pop LPs could be improved with higher than normal (level) alignments. His findings were that this was more label sensitive than cartridge sensitive. There is recent discussion on this at Vinyl Asylum.
Now, if that is not enough to muddy the waters, consider this. The RIAA equalization curve was finalized in 1954 but it was not implemented by many labels for another 10 years or so. Interest in improved mono playback has revealed that many stereo LPs did not conform with the (then) new RIAA EQ.
So my question is this, can we get a generalized expectation for MM/MI performance by VTA adjustment without also considering the LP manufacturer, EQ, and weight (thickness) of the disc(s) used for our listening evaluation?
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Hi Raul. Since this is your thread, I guess a diversion into amplifiers can be accepted. ;-)
For 19 years I owned and enjoyed Duntech Princess speakers, which you heard during your visit. They are a very revealing speaker and unfortunately present a somewhat complex load to whatever amp that drives them. Over that time I tried many different amps (ownership and loans) including Krell, Classe, PS Audio, Eagle, AtmaSphere, Musical Reference, Cary, and VTL (no doubt I'm forgetting some). Toward the end (no longer own them) I settled on the JC-1 monoblocs. They were simply the best overall musical presentation of anything else I tried.
The JC-1s were totally silent with the proverbial black background, extended and solid in the bass (without drying it out), appropriately fast with rise time, and completely effortless without any sense of strain on complex music (rated at 800 wpc into my 4 ohm load), all characteristics one should expect from a quality SS amp design. At the same time there was never any harshness or brittle edge, something I've found to be difficult for many SS amps. But then they also sounded sweet (when appropriate from the source), spacious, and presented "body" to the instruments like a better quality tube amp.
For my taste and with those speakers, they presented the best overall balance between the many SS and tube amps I heard. I might add that my budget did not allow consideration of >$10K alternatives, but within my price range they were tops. |
Re: Peter unresponsive to Emails.
As I understand things, his business is almost a "one man show", meaning he personally does the inspection, repair, and replacement work. If true, no wonder he doesn't have time to send additional messages, his line up of work is already long enough.
I sent him a van den Hul I'd purchased that came with the cantilever out of alignment by 15-20 degrees. Peter was able to "refresh" (sorry Raul, I couldn't resist!) the alignment and verify the suspension so a cantilever/stylus replacement was not necessary. I was pleased with the work but never received any documentation. I guess that is simply his business method. |
Raul, I was just having a little fun. I don't feel capable of splitting hairs on the head of that angel dancing on the head of a pin as some of you are. So I just read along and ask only a simple question from time to time.
It is certainly true than many have contributed valuable information to this cartridge subject. But I think traditionally whoever begins a given thread is thought of as the "owner", no matter how many others post on the original subject.
Actually, my comment was a complement to you for initiating a subject thread that created such an active following. |
The Empire quagmire:
I bought what was alleged to be a NOS Empire 4000DIII/Gold some time ago. Due to the long lineup of cartridges I've been influenced to buy from this site I have not yet mounted it to listen. But this discussion caused me to open the box to see how mine compares.
The gold body has a 4000 DIII/GOLD label on the side. The stylus housing is white plastic, including the flip up guard which has EMPIRE I in gold lettering on the front. Rather than a metal "loft clip" mine has a solid black plastic mounting piece affixed to the body. As well as I can measure it the cantilever is 20 degrees from the mounting plane at the top of the cartridge.
The spec sheet identifies VTF at 1 g +/- .25, a .25 x 2.5 Nude Paralinear stylus, compliance of 30x10-6 and loading at 47K. Oh yes, Empire Scientific in Garden City, NY is identified in the brief manual.
Since so many of these details are different from what has been described here, and in Raul's linked site, I'm quite curious about what I have? |
Raul, welcome back, good to see you enter the fray again.
After you stopped replying several folks ask about you but no one seemed to know. Some assumed you simply grew tired of the trials (or found musical nirvana and saw no reason to press further).
If you came back in the interim, sorry, I missed it. I've not seen you respond until the past couple of days. |
I think we're mixing metaphors here.
Easy rider and Hell's Angels are motorcycle references. Low rider, at least here in Southern California, is an automotive reference. Close but no cigar, so to speak (and change metaphors).
Now help me out here regarding the EPC-205 series of cartridges. I have a 205C II H but I do not see any "tension wire". Is that contained within the cartridge body? My detachable stylus has an extension tube which inserts into the cartridge body and includes a small wire extension at that end. I do not see how that small extension could be adjusted so I'm not sure what you guys are referencing?
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Thanks for replies on the tension wire but now I’m more confused than ever. My camera does not have sufficient macro to take a good shot so I’ll attempt to describe it.
First there is the large gold bracket with Technics model info on the front. This holds a gold tube about 8 mm long. Thanks to nandric I took a closer look with a handheld magnifier and saw one small screw seated on the top side (when viewed in playing position). The cantilever with stylus extends 3 mm from the front end of that tube. At the rear is a smaller diameter tube (both of which fit into cartridge body when the stylus assembly is attached) approximately 1.5 mm long. This second tube is a much larger diameter than the cantilever. At the back end of the second tube is a very short "wire", possibly not more than 0.5 mm long. It requires good light and good eyesight to even notice it is there without magnification.
So unless this "wire" can be adjusted after loosening the screw on the first (largest) tube I don’t see any other possibility. But after all this, no, I’m not going to attempt adjusting anything. I’m simply trying to understand this recent discussion. I associated tension wire as something like the tie-back wire on Decca cartridges.
Also fleib, I believe what you describe as "jumping bean cars" are those with hydraulic suspensions which allow rapid height changes in the front end so they can appear to hop. Those may have been an "evolution" of earlier low riders which had lesser adjustable hydraulic suspensions to simply allow the entire car to "ride low" and still be drivable on regular streets with bumps and pot holes.
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chakster, thanks or posting the macro photo. That looks similar to mine except mine does not have the second reduced diameter tube before the wire.
So now that I understand what the "tension" wire is, how might it be adjusted? Alter the length of extension? Change the angle so it is not straight and thus in the same plane as the cantilever? Think I'll leave mine alone.
Regarding suspensions on Technics cartridges, a few years ago an audio buddy pulled out the 100 Mk 4 he purchased new many years ago, after I told him about the MM interest on Audiogon. He mounted it to audition, only to find the suspension had collapsed. So he sent it to Soundsmith but was told it could not be repaired. He gave up and didn't pursue with Axel, vdH, or any of the other repair services.
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mrubey, a comment from a long time hobbyist if I may.
You mention an Analog Productions 45 album you purchased, "Someday My Prince Will Come". That may be a great reissue, I've not heard it so cannot comment. But I'll suggest to you the same as I would to anyone now wading into the vinyl waters. Don't assume you must spend the money only for reissued albums.
There is interesting discussion resulting from comments by Art Dudley in a recent Stereophile. He spent $50 on a reissued copy of a Peter, Paul, & Mary album, one he also happened to own an original copy as well. His original copy was a bit noisier, but otherwise more enjoyable to listen to - more full range, more dynamic, better tonality. So he cautions against always assuming the new, expensive reissue will be better than a decent condition original pressing.
I can't say I've done many direct comparisons, but I can say I own many original releases that offer amazing sonics. So don't be afraid to search used record stores, thrifts, yard sales, etc. And for old or new records, a good record cleaning machine will be money well spent.
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100K phono input?
Is it really that complicated if one has basic soldering ability? The preamps/phono stages I’m familiar with have a standard 47K loading resistor on each phono input, typically on the back side of the RCA connectors. When that is the case, that can simply be replaced by a quality 100K resistor (for each channel). Then, depending on the design, one can parallel resistors to lower that to 47K or other desired values when called for, just as you would lower the standard loading to a lower value.
I don't know much about electronics but don't believe you can increase the loading value, only decrease it. |
chakster and fleib, a little more on the JLTi.
I bought a 2nd iteration unit (black box) when originally built in Australia. After Allen Wright (the designer) moved production to his Vacuum State facilities in Europe the box was upgraded (along with the price) and an outboard PS became available. Now since Allen's death I see production returned to Oz under Joe Rasmussen, the original builder.
Mine was sold for use with a wall wart but fortunately an audio buddy with better electronics knowledge than myself built a fully regulated outboard PS for mine. It was a real upgrade in performance and I wouldn't recommend using a wall wart. I've intended to change the circuit loading resistors from 47K to at least 100K but have not done so yet. I have utilized the second pair of input RCAs to lower R for MC cartridges with good success.
I never saw dlaloum's comments but certainly agree in recommending the JLTi. At the price this may be hard to believe but it goes toe to toe with the highly regarded Manley Steelhead, among other more expensive units. There is a review in PFO.
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chakster and fleib, many thanks for the links to David's information. As soon as I have time I'll read through that. It may even inspire me to finally change the internal loading to facilitate a wider range with the external RCAs.
I've had my JLTi for several years now and feel no urge to upgrade. Instead I may look for a second phono stage if I add a second tonearm (more flexibility with multiple cartridges).
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geoch, interesting about the Pioneer PL-L1000. I owned one back when they were current. Phase Linear offered the same table under their brand with a silver/gray plinth. So I don't believe the Pioneer version was sold in the US. I got mine from a Navy buddy on a West-Pac cruise.
I had no complaints but I don't remember particularly outstanding performance either. But that was so long ago and I've gone through so many tables that I can't even remember what my system was at that time. Anyway, nice to hear yours is working well.
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Very interesting chakster, thanks for posting that.
Somewhere I read that Grados may sound best when loaded close to 20K but I've not tried that. I've not had a Grado in my system for a few years but have two lined up in the wings patiently waiting their turn. I'd be surprised if Joe designed his other models differently enough that this advice would not apply to them as well. |
invictus, I believe you left something out of your statement, "Ortofon 2M Black is without doubt the best sounding MM cartridge". It should have been preceded by "In my opinion . . ."
Anyone who has been in this hobby very long knows there is no universal best component of any type. Individual tastes are simply too varied and systems too different for such an all-encompassing statement.
Even chakster's list (which I respect based upon his many thoughtful posts) cannot be considered to be exclusive. A simple review of just a few of the 249 pages here should prove how varied our opinions and recommendations can be. So yes, there is some doubt. ;^)
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chakster, "You can add ADC and Sonus, Ortofon etc." Yes, except for Ortofon which is not a US company. But also add more major manufacturers such as Stanton, Pickering, and Empire which were American based. What source for information do you have that those companies obtained styli and cantilevers from Japan during the '70s and '80s?
No doubt that smaller companies who offered a variety of audio components, or were simply importers, sourced their cartridges from Japan or Europe during that era. But I doubt the listed American companies who were established and well known as cartridge manufacturers sourced from over seas at that time.
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chakster the subject was cartridges in the '70s/'80s, not today. Grado for example didn't sell more headphones at that time. And they may have been a small company (still are) but they were considered a major cartridge manufacturer.
Also Decca, B&O, and Goldring are examples of other significant European cartridge manufacturers during that time.
Anyway, enough on this, back to today. ;^)
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Jessica, here's a different recommendation.
Since you appreciate vinyl and the oboe, have you ever heard the soundtrack recording to "The Mission"? That has been a favorite of mine for many years and I also find it useful as an evaluation tool.
It is decently recorded and includes a wide variety of instrumentation so one can test for many realistic tonal presentations -- everything from full orchestra to massed choir to bamboo flutes to (a huge) concert bass drum to yes, a lead oboe. Also there is a large soundstage and pretty startling dynamics. Don't bother with the CD, only a clean LP will be worthwhile.
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Raul, "Many years ago Ortofon made several tests with their " golden ears " groups of audiophiles/musician and non-audiophiles gentlemans looking for the best frequency response in their cartridges and its conclusion was that over several of those controled tests all those gentlemans prefers the 3.5db hf rising in Ortofon models that the same cartridges with flat response."
As Fred mentioned, this seems to support the preference many hi-end hobbyists hold for MC cartridges. But then isn't that also a contradiction to this entire posting?
chakster, "but with direct comparison Conical/Spherical stylus is always lose its charm when the Shibata/LineContact, MicroRidge/MicroLine can be used instead"
This may be true for your taste, but it is not fair to imply it for others. There are a great many serious listeners who enjoy playback with conical styli, and not just Art Dudley. Even the venerable J Gordon Holt, toward his last days as publisher/editor of Stereophile used a conical tipped Shure V-15 Type V as his reference cartridge. And he judged utilizing comparisons against master tapes of symphonic music he made himself.
Opinions are fine, and may sometimes be helpful to others, but none of us should assume all others may/should hold the same preferences as ourselves. |
chakster, hometown? It may interest you that I was part of the last "Russian tour" by Sam Tellig of Stereophile. That was in the fall (play on words, as Lew likes to do) of 1991. We visited three cities, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Odessa. Need I say St. Pete was by far my favorite? The rumor was that it was still Leningrad when we landed in Moscow but had been changed back to St. Petersburg a few days later by the time our overnight train arrived there.
Anyway, lots of stories from that trip. Some involving Sam, truly a character, and several about the Russian experience. Tellig promoted the trip as a chance to see famous landmarks, experience great live concert performances, and buy LPs at bargain prices. The landmarks were all there, but many top musicians had fled the country and the record bins were nearly empty. As an example, attending a ballet in Odessa turned out to be a disappointment because the music was recorded, apparently too many musicians from their orchestra had departed.
Sorry for the diversion from cartridge construction and debating who should do retips. ;^) |
chakster, hometown? It may interest you that I was part of the last "Russian tour" by Sam Tellig of Stereophile. That was in the fall (play on words, as Lew likes to do) of 1991. We visited three cities, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Odessa. Need I say St. Pete was by far my favorite? The rumor was that it was still Leningrad when we landed in Moscow but had been changed back to St. Petersburg a few days later by the time our overnight train arrived there.
Anyway, lots of stories from that trip. Some involving Sam, truly a character, and several about the Russian experience. Tellig promoted the trip as a chance to see famous landmarks, experience great live concert performances, and buy LPs at bargain prices. The landmarks were all there, but many top musicians had fled the country and the record bins were nearly empty. As an example, attending a ballet in Odessa turned out to be a disappointment because the music was recorded, apparently too many musicians from their orchestra had departed.
Sorry for the diversion from cartridge construction and debating who should do retips. ;^) |
harold, I'm not an engineer but as I understand such things, everything resonates once an appropriate stimulus is applied. The question is, is that resonance at a frequency that is detrimental to the desired purpose?
I've read several references that the desired resonance of a turntable "system" is around 2-3 Hz, low enough so that it does not interfere with music playback. So a "decent headshell" would be one which does not produce sympathetic resonances within the frequency range of your playback system. |
Raul, with all due respect, I find your recent comments dumfounding. How could you have spent so much time, and expense, over the past nearly 10 years in exploring analog playback when you believe digital is so superior/more accurate? When you express such strong preferential feelings I can't believe they are based upon discoveries made in just the past few months. Meaning I'm doubtful that digital reproduction advanced so far within that recent, brief timeframe.
And frogman, I'll use your attached video link to vent a big frustration. I found it to be a terrible visual experience, distracting from any merits in the music. Constant camera movement and jump cutting have become popular I know but that doesn't mean I like it. It creates too much distraction. Pax.
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Harold, yes, I've enjoyed that since Tull's album "Stand Up" was released in 1969.
frogman, that was much more enjoyable. An interesting point about his lip-syncing the earlier video, sometimes a large space like an abandoned warehouse can provide nice ambience with long reverb. So I wonder if they even tried that, or were they just looking for a visual counterpoint?
And while this is off-topic in the MM post, my irritation with excessive camera movement and jump cutting started with movies, not music videos. But my frustration holds for both venues.
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For what it's worth, to Technics EPC 100 fans.
Several years ago one of my audio buddies recovered the EPC 100 Mk4 he bought new years prior to that. He became curious after I advised him of Raul's post on MM cartridges.
Since he was the original owner he knew it had not been mis-treated. But when he installed it he found the suspension had failed over the intervening years. So he shipped it off to Soundsmith, requesting the suspension be rebuilt. A reply came back that they tried but it couldn't be rebuilt. That seemed hard to believe to me but I'm not an expert. All too bad since the stylus likely had less than 100 hours. :^(
Now with Technics return to analog with their new DD turntables, can we hope for a new EPC 100 Mk5?
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Hi Raul,
I'm not sure you understood the intent of my post when you replied, "I understand your concern about but in reality that did not happens that way."
My point was my assumption that your stated position on digital playback had likely developed over an extended period of time, not from recent developments, say within the past year or so.
You now verified that, stating your digital appreciation began around 2000, at least for the promise you heard then.
So my confusion comes from your statements over the years in this post beginning January, 2008, and up until recently, when as you now report you find digital to be the more "true" playback. If you developed greater satisfaction from digital playback at some point since 2000 why did you continue to spend the time, effort, and money with MM, and eventually MC, cartridges as you were reporting here? "Still listening to LPs" is not the same as actively promoting specific components to do so.
Of course each of us may choose whatever medium suits us best. You decided at some point that digital best suits your needs. I'm just surprised that you would put this much effort into analog, and specifically MM cartridges, once you came to that conclusion.
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Thanks Raul, apparently I just assumed wrongly that vinyl was your preference over the years of this post, with MMs being your favorites until recently when you again discovered MCs you found satisfying. At least up until your most recent statements about digital.
I only have about 3K LPs. But that has been enough to keep me committed to vinyl playback. And while I'm not anti-digital (some local audio friends, including a couple you met when you visited San Diego, stated they couldn't stand listening to digital for at least the initial 20 years or so) I find I simply enjoy listening to analog more. So I'm in a similar place as frogman.
Peace
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Raul, now you've confused me again with your statement, "Remember that my main target in my home system is to stay nearer to the recording not to the live experiences."
How many of us can have the experience of hearing a recording session to then judge how closely the resulting media (in any format) sounds on our home systems?
At least in attending acoustic musical performances I can "refresh" my auditory memory of the sounds of the instruments being played. For me that furnishes a basis for judgement of my system at home. No my recording will not (likely) be the same musician with the same instrument in the same acoustic environment. But if I attend enough live performances I can fix in my sonic memory the tones, colorations, dynamic abilities, and details of say a trumpet. Listening to trumpet recordings at home may not be an exact replication but I can judge how close I've come to some average of those.
Attempting to understand the basic sonics of each and every recording to judge the accuracy of playback seems an impossible task.
Sorry if I've diverted from the analog VS digital discussion which is a diversion from the original cartridge design type topic. ;^) |
chakster, ". . . if you want to talk about unique design. And cacti growed by his friend Frank Schröder"
Cacti styli may now be unusual, but they are not"unique". At the beginning of home playback the acoustical Victrolas and other models utilized cactus as well as steel needles. ;^)
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Most likely I should stand aside and try to ignore these recent comments and counter-comments, but I don't understand why they continue. If anyone here has major issues with Raul then why are you reading and replying to this site? If you have questions or comments relating to specific MM cartridges why not start a separate post?
I've been reading, and occasionally commenting on, this post for years. In fact I met Raul in person years ago when he toured the US demoing his (then new) preamp. Neither as a follow up to my comments or in person did he ever approach me to sell anything. Not even his preamp as he simply explained a little about the design, then let it speak for itself in a demo -- overall it was very low-keyed.
I defended Raul here once before, suggesting there might be misunderstandings relating to English not being his primary language. But more recently I'm less sure of that. I do agree that some of his comments can be pretty off-putting if not belittling. But some of the replies to him are pretty aggressive as well.
I'll likely continue to follow this post because there are bits of information I find informative and possibly helpful to my own musical enjoyment. But there is enough discord in the world today that I wish I didn't find so much of it here. |
raul and others,
No "facts" here, which I know you appreciate, just observations.
Regarding boron cantilevers, one of my all time favorite cartridges was the Shinon Red Boron I enjoyed for many years. The suspension collapsed within a few months in my first sample. But the importer replaced it and the second sample held up for years. I may not play as many hours/day or week on a cartridge as some of you but that one amazed me to continue sounding good for so long. Musical, rich, and detailed without any edge or harshness.
For Audio magazine, I saved the annual Directory issue for about three decades. Those listings were a great resource for looking up information on most older components. When clearing out things for a long-distance move a couple of years ago I found a ready buyer for that collection. But 30 years for all issues would have been quite a stack! |
@nandric, an as new Red boron for me? That's very good of you! ;^) |