Dear friends, My uncle Boris is (still) a proud owner of the ADC 25 with 3 styli. Nobody, even his own pride and joy Jovan ( his oldest) was alowed to touch any part of this 4 parts cart. Because his LP's collection is about 30 specimens every single stylus is like new. I may , if I can survive him, inherit the whole 'collection' of all 4 ADC parts. While his knowledge about the carts was limited he was convinced that his ADC was the best cart ever. He has never heard about MC carts so it must be obvious that there was no need at all for him to 'discovere', nor to 'rediscovere' MM carts. Because of this factual circumstances he was not and could not, be impressed with the first reviews of the Supex 900 which changed the rules. After the Supex 900 one was advised not to mention to own an MM cart. This would imply that he can't afford an MC cart or the Supex 900. We all know what this means in social terms. I am not sure about the the time but my quess is 1967. So, to be more correct, my uncle Boris actually discovered the best MM cart ever already in 1967. The question than is how old Raul was in 1967?
Regards, |
Yes, yes Storyboy et all please do give us some insight on the Supex SM-1000 MKIII MM.
Auntie up on the tape-ball fiasco Raul or face furthur lambasting via your own flaming thread. |
Raul, I've seen posts on this thread about sellers who were suspected of taking money for defective cartridges. However this turns out, it is unseemly for you to be named as one. Although this is not a tribunal, people reading this have only heard one side of the story. I naturally assumed that this would be resolved in an equitable manner, whatever the outcome or reason. If someone has a bad experience buying a cart from whomever, we all read about the eventual outcome or circumstances. This is no different. Regards, |
Fleib: I think I was not enough clear and precise: I have not to give any explanation to any one on my private actions, period.
R. |
Raul,
Your qoute 4/2/12:
It is clear to me that as you some other persons here are not not only my friends but persons whom I don't like them and try to take advantage any time they can.
Storyboy quote 4/1/12:
"Am I the only one who has noticed your propensity for defensiveness, always making with the justifications?
Storyboy sure has your number! |
Raul,
You stated on this forum, if I return the tape ball cartridge to you, you would refund the money.
Where's the refund?
Actions determine the mark of a man. You have the item. You have the money.
Stand up and be a man Raul. It's time for you to do the right thing. You're a business man. Do you plan on being a ethical one or not? |
Storyboy: Btw, I decided to modify the Astatic MF-300. I have good expectations about.
R. |
BTW I decided not to buy the Astatic MF 300. If this cart needs modification in the NOS state I can deduce the rest. Raul, do you also intend to start a retip service? I would like or, better, some of my carts would like some refreshment treatment. Spoiled creatures; only 35 years old and they want a new knee (aka 'suspension'). |
Hi Nandric,
"This is probable to complex for you to understand. But the question what you are able to understand and what not is primary your own problem."
I will not force my expertise in the English language down your throat. However, I seem to have really upset you and if it would help I am qualified to assist and teach English language!? As I say, I do commend your efforts.
As always... |
Hi Dgob, You have some strange conception about the 'primary' or the 'first language' as well about the 'native potentials'. You are probable English teacher and consequently the 'language purist'. But it was not their English languge capability for which Americans were interested in all those European scientist who come to the USA before , during and after the II WW. In your conception they had nothing to offer because they were so difficult to understand. That is why I think that this subject matter is to complex for you. Consider all those gatherings of scientist from all over the world. Do you think that they all speak 'first rate' English? The case is that because they all understand the terminology or the vocabulary of their science they are able to understand each other very well. I myself learned English because I was interested in phylosophy of language. Ie I started with reading phylosophical literature. This may look strange but I was already familiar with the terminology so this was for me the most easy way to learn English. |
Nikola – Fascinating info about your uncle Boris and 1967. 1967 was a very good year for me and it also represents the start of something very bad.
The Good - I was 6 – no worries in world - I had a crush on my kindergarten teacher. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the holy grail for all Canadians. The Stanley Cup (google it).
The Bad
It is also the last year they won the cup ………
Longest championship drought in all of pro sports. Go Leafs Go ………..Go Leafs Go ………. :^(
This thread is now reading like a soap opera with multiple storylines. My wife likes to watch Coronation Street. I don’t. |
BTW I decided not to buy the Astatic MF 300. If this cart needs modification in the NOS state I can deduce the rest. I have not yet come across an audio component in stock form (friends or my own) that did not sound better modified. Nature of the hobby. My Empire 4000diii sounds better super glued. In stock form I consider its construction sub-par. |
From the recent character of the conversation here, one can only conclude that we have exhausted or will soon exhaust the subject of vintage MM cartridges. It is entirely understandable that the discussion would eventually run its course since anything made in limited quantities eventually becomes Unobtainium.
Speaking of Unobtainium, I have recently come into possession of a Signet TK100Lc with a broken cantilever. It's on its way to Soundsmith for a mid-level rebuild (ruby cantilever and line contact stylus) which should restore it to its original condition. Since this cartridge was considered to be Signet's best effort, I have very high expectations for it once it has been rebuilt.
My question: does anyone here have any technical information on this cartridge? |
No info on the Signet you have but I just happen to have bought a TT at a Yard Sale this past weekend. It is a Hitachi PS-15. It is a big veenered wood plinth TT with an S Tonearm wich has a Signet AM-10s cartridge mounted on it. It sounds pretty good in the limited audition I can perform right now. The previous owner made a few claims regarding the table and cart as being serious audiophile quality and being very expensive for its time. It's not all that I can assure you. I can't find much info about either the table or the cart. Really nothing on the table. The Cartridge was evidently part of a series of better carts by Audio Technica called Analog Masters 10s 20s 30s. This cartridge has an eliptical diamond tip. That is all I could find |
Raul posted that there are not any good Sut transformers available....I would agree to a point but..There is one that I know that is as good if not better then an active stage(probably better) and yet very low distortions ...it plays like real music and will pass the musical information.. vintage 80's Japanese brands try them out..
now I do not agree at all on the better of the 2 types of gain stages (opamps-discrete) raul says discrete being better..let me just say that I have heard many very expensive and not so expensive tube units solid state etc...never heard one of them play like real music most have colorations and dynamic limitations and they do not play like the REAL thing....
Now we should talk about what everyone if trying to accomplish?! are you going after the live musical event or just trying to put something together that pleases you....
my ref..is attending live events (opera) and good collage band concerts and there practices.. I hear the REAL thing all the time and I personally like my system to sound like the real thing ...don't believe me come on over...now if you do not know what the real live music sounds like or do not have a good musical IQ you may not like it!LOL |
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Regards, Mechans: The Signet AM series supplanted the TK9/10 family, of which Jmowbray's 100lc is a member. The AM-10 had a slightly higher output than the 20-50 carts, 5.5mV as compared to 5.0 for the higher designations. Your stylus is a .3 x .7 ellipt., the 20 a .3 x .7 nude miniature ellipt. on micro wall alu., the AM-30, elliptical on tapered alloy. The AM 40 (IIRC) was a line contact stylus on beryllium, the 50 a ML, also on Be., gold plated. The AM-10 is 490mH, 780Ohm, tracks at 1.3-2.3gm and recommended load at 100-200pF. These are pretty nice carts, avoiding the mid-range brightness some AT carts demonstrate. Should you wish to experiment, any of the AT styli from the "100" series (120 through 150ML) will exchange. Although the SAM-10 stylus is capable, there are more sophisticated assemblies available.
Jmowbray: Good luck with the Signet, I was tempted. As to the terminal status of this thread, Mark Twain observed upon hearing rumors he had passed: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated". It is necessary that this thread attain at least 6999 posts so that Thuchan can claim his thousandth post appearance again. :^)
Peace, |
Lewm if you are referring to me ..I do not do the internet bantering that others do here.....if you would like to know more eight come over or give me a private email...
Lawrence
Good Listening!! |
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Jemowbray, Instead of Peter's ruby cantilever you may consider Axel's beryllium cantilever. When we discussed cantilevers J. Carr explained why he is using boron. He also stated not to like the 'ruby sound'.
Dear Professor, Thuchan was so angry about the Agon 'new site' that he terminated his membership. But he is very busy with building his own. As soon as he is in 'the air' I will report. I also like to report the following. Some time ago (3 years?)when I started with my 'active English' in this forum and because English , as Dgob already noticed, is not my 'first languge' I made 'some' typo while my intention was to praise Lew. I stated about him that he is a 'smart gay' according to me. I got of course some teasing remarks immediately and asked my son Vladimir to help me to write an extensive apologize to Lew. Lew's reaction was: 'the rumours that I am a gay are exaggerated'. I was thankful to God that Lew was not from the Balkans.
Regards, |
Regards, Nandric: "(A}nd because English---is not my first language": Nikola, as far as english is concerned, your determination to communicate is laudable, possibly this is (a' la Freud?) evidence of subliminal "Anglo-envy"? ;^)
Jmowbray, your Signet (almost mine, I offered the first bid) is a desirable cart, esp. from a collector's perspective. As such, the ruby/LC rebuild would have been first option as it would respect the original design. An alternative would have been to try styli from either the AT22 or TK9lc already here. From the photos offered, there is a good probability that these assemblies would be a "drop-in" application. Replacements with the Be. cantilever and miniature elliptical are still available. If you go this route, there was a discussion of styli relating to this family of carts a year or so back, the result was a confusion of accurate identification & relating to vendors, caveats of various degree.
Jmowbray: I've measured some cantilevers, the TK9LC is 12mm, the AT-22, 12.5. An ATN155lc, 13mm and ATN20SS is 14mm. You might measure your remainder, a nom. 12mm from the base of the pivot block to tip would be promising. Even with a nitroglycerin capsule at hand to calm the palpitations, a cantilever transplant from closely related donors would seem a somewhat remote solution, I've had (questionable) success with a number of mutations but IMHO this cart deserves the best. Hope your example has simply "shed" it's stylus and one of the retippers can repair it with a minimum of alteration.
Peace, |
Dear Lawrence, You made a statement suggesting that your system had the capability to re-create something approaching the sound of live music in your home. Along the way you intimated that most of the rest of us fall short in that area (despite the availability of Viagra). Since I sing two or three evenings a month with a "live" jazz pianist and occasionally in public fora with a trio, and since I also attend live concerts once or twice a month, I can assure you that I too hold live music as a standard for the sound I want to get out of my system. My system is posted on A'gon for all to see, but I am interested in learning how others find their own facsimile of the real thing. That's why I asked you to describe your system. I agree that this can lead to endless carping, and I understand perfectly why you would rather not "go there". On the other hand, you can see I hope how remaining mysterious devalues your statement. Do you live in the Washington, DC, area? If not, your invitation to "come over", however generous and open it may seem, is disingenuous. If you do live in my area, by all means lets get together; you are more than welcome at my home, too.
You can hear how great that ruby cantilever "sounds" on my Grace cartridge, JCarr notwithstanding. But I have other cartridges too, if you categorically don't like MM ones (a position which I think is foolish and self-defeating). |
Timeltel, thanks for the info - and for not making me pay too much for the Signet :-)
As this cartridge does not have a user replaceable stylus, I'm reluctant to attempt any transplant operation myself. As you have confirmed, one would have to presume the cart was tuned to or designed around the ruby/LC and the SS mid-level replacement will likely get me very close to the original design. Even though Raul is not the biggest SS fan, I'm sure he would agree that this would be the way to go.
The 100Lc has already been sent to SS so I'll report back in around 12 weeks. In the meantime, I have a TK7E with a spare TKN3 LC replacement stylus (would that turn it into a TK7Lc?) to play with (mounted on my Signet XK-50). I recently received this in trade for one of my 'spare' LOMC carts (AT OC9 MLII). |
Hi Fleib,
My status (within certain quarters) should be obvious. However, I would nevertheless just say that the Essential is a very, very good preamp. I own (albeit a slighty modified model) and love it and so I suppose I would say that.
As always... |
Lewm..Let me just try to answer like i know how...I have owned many speakers including beveridge model 3's 2sw's hell I am of one of a few that can repair/fix/rebuild them...I am a very musical person meaning that i have almost perfect pitch! out of all the speakers/systems that i have owned only 3 come to mind at being more correct in how live music sounds...as you may know Harold Beveridge loved the symphony and wanted to create that in his home with the opposing firing cylindrical wave front it gets some of it right but if you are a person that like/loves vocal/opera it just doesn't cut it diction is wrong the ssss ch sounds are smeared etc..almost like a person is stretched out in width and a grand piano is 15foot wide also most systems are bandwidth limited do not play the bottom like it is in life and the beveridges are bandwidth limited in there high freq too..your dead in the water right there! now there is a speaker that is MOSTLY not bandwidth limited 13cycles to 100k IMMHO covers it and was made by a company call FMI it plays top to bottem no compromises but.. there so much more to it then good speakers i don't want to get into it on here....
bottom line is just because you like something does not mean it cuts the mustard as far as sounding like the real thing!
again I would like to see what people on here are trying to accomplish.... (live) the musical event or all warm and fuzzy sounding?
if you are going for the real thing please stop talking like an illiterate and move on from your typical audiophool things like slam...3d sound stage etc..they do not pertain to the real thing!!!
people lets talk about... color of the instruments structure, tone, dynamic range things that are made up of how real music sounds... vocals require proper diction get yourself familiar with live events and i do not mean rock concerts!
I mean no direct harm and i hope i did not offend anyone
Good Listening Lawrence
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I don't suppose you've read Nikola's posts wherein he has censured me for having a pair of Beveridge 2SWs in my basement that I am not using. (I want to rebuild the amplifiers first.)
Personally, I consider the language available to us to describe the sounds that emanate from audio systems to be wholly inadequate and always colored by subjectivity, except for the most general statements. So I usually don't bother to use the terms you dislike or even the ones you prefer. If you indeed do not wish to be offensive, then don't be condescending. For example, I have never in my life been to a rock concert. My sister and wife were both at Woodstock, however. (They did not know each other at the time.) For another example, a speaker with a 13 to 100K response could as well sound horrible as it could sound "good". |
lewm..let me give you some advise on the bev amplifiers...do not rebuild them just make sure that they function correctly ...IMMHO newer parts really will not make them sound better personally they ruin them! and if you need a part local and original!! I cannot stress this enough
sorry if i offended you...but I have issues with me holding back ..so i usually call it like i see it
if you would like to discuss this further you could contact me via email or by phone
Lawrence |
Dear Lharasim: Maybe my IQ musical is inferior to the one you have but nothing for what I shame of me. Always trying to learn about.
As many other persons here I attend with some frequency to live events and yes the live music is my " natural " reference. This is what you can read on my Agon virtual system description:
+++ " My reference is: live music, I use at least 12 hours ( each month ) hearing live music, mostly classical and jazz/blues. I attend to hear live music not only because I'm a music lover ( first than all. ) but because in this way I don't loose my references, this way I try to have my foots on earth an my ears equalized.
My audio/sound reproduction priorities are in this order: neutral and natural tonal balance, accuracy ( low distortion, low noise, no colorations, no cliping, grain free, liniarity, no compression, etc...), timbre, dynamics, focus and soundstage .
My whole audio system target is to be nearest to the recording adding the less and loosing the less of the audio signal through each audio system link. " ++++
In many ways my system is better than the " real thing " but this is only because a microphone at 2-3 m. has not only better resolution but takes in better way the live music sound than my ears at 15-20m from the music source.
In the other hand I try to mimic the natural tone color of the live music as its dynamic, this last with not very good success. No, I don't try to get what please me but what is right.
IMHO we can catch the whole real thing but only some " high lights ". How good are our each one systems depends on those real thing's " high lights ".
The suts issue could be controversial till we analyze one or two suts limitations like ( for example )to handle accurate/non-colored low bass frequency range against a good active design: no contest in this regards. The key here is " good " active phono stage design. There are many active and expensive high gain PS with a mediocre quality design, I don't know which ones you already compared against suts. Anyway, could be no important on the whole subject because by physics laws we can't do nothing against each technology self limitations where suts are more imperfect than active gain stages.
Btw, good that you " hear the REAL thing all the time ". I hope you already learned about.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Regards, Jmowbray: Just looked at the pictures of the 100lc again, there are two screws just behind the cantilever pivot block. The first, set with red sealant, is the "compliance screw". From the picture, it appears the cartridge was subjected to excessive downward force, the cantilever was levered forward and now the v-magnets are nearly in contact with the front pair of poles. There also seems to be a slight cant, azimuth may also be off. It may be repairable by slightly loosening the compliance screw and repositioning the assembly. If this is the case, SS has a fine reputation and should the diamond be usable, SS may advise you so. This would be a best case scenario.
The second screw, this one bright brass, secures the block-like red stylus assembly to the cart. BluzBros has several photos of this assembly. It is entirely possible one of the AT styli for the 22 through 25 carts, or Signet TK9E, LC or TK10 through "Mk 11" (ML stylus) will be operational with your cart. But then, it would no longer be a Signet 100LC. This is NOT a recco. for BluzBros, just offered as a visual reference, suggest you take a look.
Looking forward to your report & meanwhile enjoy the TK7E (now TK7SU with the #3 stylus).
Peace, |
Dear Chris, I needed some time to comprehend your statement:'I have not yet come across...a component that did not sound better modified'. To my knowledge only Raul and Lew are capable to improve on their (respective) 'best speakers in the world' by making their own crossovers. Ie the capability to find the best sounding capacitors and resistors in the world. The producers of the (respective) speakers were able to find only the second best kinds (probable). But the other possible reading of your statement is: what kind of crap deed you 'come across'?
Regards, |
Hi Nikola – you said what kind of crap deed you 'come across Well…. Are you sure you really wanted to say this? Just for that I am telling u a story first. A funny phenomena happens in our neighborhood around this time of year when people start putting their “crap” out at the front of their house with stickers that have prices on them. It’s called a street sale. Its amazing that somebody’s else’s crap is worth money to somebody else. Hence to me growing up I heard the term many times – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I learned from my wife the key to success in this activity, depending on your objectives, is to either get there early for best selection, or wait till late in the day – this usually gets you the best price as the owners do not want to bring the “crap” back into the house. I did not like going to these sales – my wife used to however and she needed someone to carry the “crap” home. Now this is how it works. You clean this crap out of your basement - in Ontario we all have basements. They all contain contents of previous lives. When people are finally ready to give up those lives, they put these reminders “crap” out on the driveway where visible on a special Saturday morning that is advertised in the newspaper/internet usually. BTW – I am not sure about the Netherlands but many people around here get back into Vinyl in this fashion. Lots of crap in the form of records and record players. The crap seed gets planted…. Crap.. sorry for getting sidetracked. Anyway Some of my modified crap can be seen on my Agon page – For me not a lot …. like some others here – Still some record players, tonearms, a few speakers, a preamp, amp, other miscellaneous. Some of these mods I did – some of it other people’s passion did. I just recently modded the Verdier motor. My two best sounding cartridges are modified from stock. Our mutual virtual friend Geoch told me about what he did with his former 801’s crossovers and planted the crap seed in me – so I think I am going to attempt to perform surgery on Winnie the Pooh later this year. I don’t own a money tree. If I never modded, and just bought and sold components to fill the audiophile “void” disease, I would not have been able to afford to send my kids to university later this fall. Besides this is a lot more fun for me. Holy Crap – sorry for all. Now Nikola - Even your speakers can been modified. (Take note of the preamp) Modded UshersPhanatic PhileThis represents just one person, one opinion among billions. Have no idea if they sound better than stock. |
Ct0517, FWIW, AVShowrooms.com, which produced those videos, recently filmed a video tour of me and my system of all-modified components. I don't know if/when this will appear on the site. At the time I had no idea who they were, but there is indeed some interesting material on that site and I will be in good company should video ever sees the light of day. Unfortunately I had no MM/MI mounted for that show. |
Dear Jmowgray: +++++ " Even though Raul is not the biggest SS fan, I'm sure he would agree that this would be the way to go... " +++++
agree.
Btw, SS was the source that fixed my Virtuoso wood and I have no real compliant with. My take on SS subject was for what I posted months ago where B&O made a comparison with the two official B&O cartridge sources: SS and Axel. Well they find out that the work by Axel was a better one that SS one.
See you after 12 weeks of expectation!
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Chris, The armboard on the plinth of my SP 10 is 3cm thick and I needed two days to 'accommodate' the board for the Lustre GST I. Such 'skilful' persons are characterized in Holland as having two left hands. So next to Timeltel's 'Anglo envy' you can add 'modifier envy' about me. BTW thanks for the BE-20 suggestion but my assumption is that Usher is much better equiped for the job than I or some other modifier.
Regards,
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Dgarretson– that is wonderful news. I really look forward to seeing the video. When I think of mods here at Agon you are at the top of this list. The virtual systems here probably represent a tip of the ice berg scenario ? Am curious what Storyboy and Lawrence are using as source and speakers and MM's ?
Nikola – I hope u enjoyed my garage sale story.
Cheers Chris |
Larry, Now I think of it, I do believe I have seen other posts of yours re the Beveridge speakers. In fact, I had counted you as a big fan when I was making my buying decision. (We may even have spoken on the phone.) They are purely an interesting sidebar for me; my Sound Lab 845PXs are giving me great pleasure in my main listening room. I do not intend to do a mere parts upgrade on the Bev amps. However, all the electrolytic caps in my pair appear to be OEM, which means they are 30 years old. Thirty year old electrolytics tend to be leaky. I don't want to throw 3200V at leaky caps. So I plan to replace them with modern high quality like- value caps. Also, several of the tube sockets are grossly loose; the tubes tend to fall out of them, since they are mounted horizontally. Ergo, I plan to replace a few tube sockets. With professional input, I would also like to implement a balanced input, eventually, but that comes later... maybe. Sorry I was grumpy in my responses above. I have no issues with your being frank; I was more resenting the fact that you were/are unwilling to disclose your frame of reference. Thanks for keeping your cool.
Anyway, this thread is about MM and MI cartridges and the men who love them, or the men who are ambivalent. |
Dave Garretson and I went down the road of modifying our Atma-sphere MP1 preamps together. At first, I taught him a thing or two, but he has been flying on his own for some time. His workmanship is exceptional, really professional, far superior to mine. I can solder. Dave can do fantastic things with metals and wood. Take a look at the ingenious arm wand he made for his Terminator tonearm, with adjustable effective mass. Way cool. |
Lewm, Not a problem... if i can help in any way give me a call... anytime!
Lawrence |
Dear lewm,
"At first, I taught him a thing or two, but he has been flying on his own for some time..."
"Dear Avid Fan: inherit my mantle and surpass my achievements"
--Coded message from Hannibal Lecter to his protege Francis Dolarhyde(aka Tooth Fairy)
Each the master of his hobby/obsession.
http://nativeaudiogrrrl.blogspot.com/2011/02/character-of-week-francis-dolarhyde.html
Dave
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Me and Hannibal Lecter. I am flattered; I think. I don't much care for liver, however, fava beans or no fava beans. |
Dear Dave, 'Each the master of his hobby/obsession.' Should this not be the other way round? Something to do with amygdale or Freudian 'it'? Btw the (one) way or the other in which we describe something is determinant for the way the addresse understand our message. Consider: Oedipus killed his father and Oedipus stroke some annoying old man. Both are assumed to describe the same event. However only the second is true of Oedipus. Consider then the expression 'upgrade' . While we have no idea whatever about what is actually done we have the inclination to understand this expression as 'improvement'. The same apply for modifications. Those who made them are usually convinced to have improved something and like to share their feelings with the rest. Chris suggestion to me to 'upgrade' my Usher BE-20 remind me of this story. The Virgo II speaker was the first one below 5 K to get the A status from Stereophile. Some guy wanted to check the inside of the speaker and, Heureka :' cheap wire inside.' So this guy 'improved' his Virgo with some 'expensive wire'. Some other guy who was more cautious wanted to check first and asked Gerhard , the designer, avoiding the crude expression 'cheap':''why deed you use those wire in the Virgo?'' Gerhard: ''Well we experimented with 20 different kind of wire and thought after a long listening period that 'those' sounded the best.''
Regards, |
Dear nandric: That Virgo " scene " happen all the time. Modifications to axhieve a real improvement are not only modifications per se ( better this or better that. ) but a knowledge level and skills by your self because if not you only get a different performance but not a better one.
Certainly Dgarretson knows very well what he did and do everytime!
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Nandric, I agree with you that casual modification invites a natural tendency toward confirmation bias. This can be ammeliorated somewhat if one spends long enough inside a particular component(sometime longer than the original development cycle of the stock unit.) After several dozen experiments freed of the cost constraints that may have limited the OEM, enough confidence may be gained to become a reasonably reliable judge of one's work.
Add to this the more recent multiplier effect of knowledge obtainable from DIY forums and virtual associations-- absorbing the collective consciousness both of professionals and talented amateurs-- discounted, of course, with a healthy skepticism about many such virtual acquaintences and anecdotes.
Now rather than celebrate mods unconditionally, here is the perspective of a part-time sales agent of premium piece parts to high-end audio OEMs-- based on a book of around 100 OEM contacts.
A minority of OEMs in high-end audio have the resources, time, and inclination to conduct consistent evaluations of piece parts or to perform design exercises very far afield from established practices and supplier relationships. This is of course true of many industries, but particularly true in our cottage industry. Most OEM designers concentrate on the areas that they deem important. For example, in loudspeaker manufacture drivers and cabinets tend to get more attention than crossover components. And very few OEM designs are unconditioned by cost constraints.
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Dear Raul, With any description we use we want to to say something to the other. I don't believe that the expression 'a real improvement' is an 'improvement' in comparison to the customary expression 'improvement'. They mean the same. The 'real one' imply that the other kind is no improvement at all. Ie the 'false one'. We get then the paradox that some improvement is not an improvement. This I call 'verbal acrobatics' usually performed by phylosopher and theologian. The point I wanted to make with the Virgo speaker is the difference between the professionals and the amateurs or laymans. In my previous post I refered to you and Lew as pretending to have 'improved on the best speakers ever' which of course imply that you both are more capable then the producers of those 'best speakers ever'. I am sorry but such 'argument' looks to me rediculous. To put it otherwise : why do you both don't start your own speaker company? It must be very interesting to get speakers which are better than the best. Something like: John is the tallest guy in the class but Peter is even taller.
Regards, |
Dear Nandric: Perhaps the most " elusive " audio ling to design is a speaker. It is an electrical/mechanic item where is very complex to achieve an equilibrum between all the factors/parameters involved to get firt class quality performance in any environment.
It is IMHO so " elusive " to get the " near perfect " speakers that if we read or see through the Audio and Stereophile magazynes ( bible audio items year by year. ) we can confirm that spekers models are the higher number of items against any other audio link ( amps, TT, cartridges, cables, cartridges, CDP and the like ).
Obviously I don't heard every single speaker out there but I heard several ones from the top to the lower performance steps on the speaker quality performance ladder and even that there are some great designs I never encountered a " perfect one ", that's why I'm still with the ones I own that are far away to be perfect.
In many ways is more easy to modified speakers than to design it and that's why we can get real improvents through modifications.
This is the same that many of us already experienced through cartridge modifications as with the Clearaudio Virtuoso or Acutex or Astatic or ATs/Signets.
What all of us already made/done about: we decided to take a very good cartridge motor design and changed cantilever/stylus with great results.
Same happen with modified tube electronics and not so often with SS electronics where is way more dificult to modify it.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear friends/Dover: I received my Dynavector Karat Nova 13D and it is just amazing the very high craftmanship level that Dyna achived here, the best I ever saw from Dynavector.
My sample came with out cartridge pin connectors but hard wired all over the dedicated headshell pin connectors. Everything looks so special on this cartridge: from its wood body and dedicated headshell through its removable stylus guard. This cartridge makes that any one of us be so proudly to be an owner of this " baby " as I never experienced before.
I can't test it yet because my system still down and because through micro the stylus needs a retip. I have no doubt that will be a whole experience listen to this LOMC Dynavector.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Nikola, I must take issue with your last post. You do have a tendency to side with audio "authority" in most cases, and here you have done it again. I assure you it is quite possible to make real and meaningful improvements in analog electronic audio gear and often in speakers. You don't have to "know more" than the designer to do that; you merely have to have a good understanding of what you are doing, what the designer left undone, and why you want to do it. However, I like to think I know my limitations (like the Clint Eastwood character). I won't be messing with digital gear, cartridges, or tonearms, for example, or turntables except to re-do the plinth.
The response you got from the Usher designer was to be expected. It was his best line of defense. Do you REALLY think he sat around listening to many different wires before marketing his speakers? More likely he empirically chose a wire he truly believed to be "good enough" and went with it. Likewise, the rave review of the boutique hyper-expensive wire that was substituted by one owner is specious, IMO. Having gone to all that trouble and expense, he cannot be trusted to make an objective judgement of the result. You might even say that my claims are BS as well. Except 3 other guys in other parts of the world have made the same mods to their SL speakers and have the same opinion of the results. As regards the MP1 preamp, Dave and I agree on the merit of the improvements, even though we have never met in person. So I tend to believe "us". Anyway, this is all fun and games; for me messing about with the circuit where I am confident I won't blow myself up is part of the fun. Interestingly, my MP1 is about 12 years old; the current Atma-sphere product is quite a bit different from my original circuit, and my MP1 is more like the current product than it is like its original self. |
Dear Lew, Not all discussions are also polemic. I read your contributions since I become member and admire your scientific and objective way of argumentation as well your prose. A kind of double enjoyment: learning something new in technical sense and enjoyment of your way of writing. If I don't understand the technical part I can still enjoy the literary part. This is called, I believe, the 'win-win situation'. However your last contribution is 'obviously' polemic. The method is to attribute or ascribe to the opponent some 'negative charcteristic' and then put your own arguments in full glory forward. I am very familiar with this method because I have read many philosopher. Because my English is not my 'first language' I am not sure about the expression but it has something to do with (making of) a straw man and then beat him to death. Our 'beloved' Wittgenstein used this method by attributing a very naive conception of the name relation to his opponents and then wrote 6000 phylosophical remarks about his language theory aka the languge games(Phylosophical Investigations). Consider possible empirical investigation about those (games) in China. Well according to some of my 'authoritíes' the deviation between the drivers is usually about 3 dB so to adjust them to each other one need to measure them first and then use some specific resistors for the correction. Also the impendance deviations need to be corrected with resitors networks which need to be very specific. Not easy to do in some garage or cellar. I want mention all the needed measuring tools. So no wonder the thread in the speaker forum about the capacitors is nearly as successfull as our MM thread. I am sure that my aunt Natalija is also capable to solder some 'very expensive' capacitor of the same value in place of the 'cheap one' which , of course, sounds as such. Strange actually that the same terminology is not used to describe sound. I never heard about 'expensive' and 'cheap sound'. However I am sure that my aunt Natalija would persist to get the most fashionable kind. BTW that is how Mundorf become rich.
Regards,
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Addition, This is the problem with polemics. I totally forget about the wire. To be more specific those which are assumed to be put in the Usher BE-10 or BE-20. The 'arguments' go from bad to worse. 'One need to save somewhere' and the wire can't be seen from outside so... Well it may be not a known fact but Usher is a very successful driver producer. They started in the Japanese way. First immitation and than, at some point in time, their own research. The 'strange thing' however is that while Usher produces their own drivers they bought those, uh, 'éxpensive' Eton bass drivers in Germany. My BE-20 is a proud 'owner' of two of them in each enclosure. Strange way to save 'on something or other'. So they were willing to risk the whole project of their 'top line' speakers in order to save , say, $30 on wire. This is of course 'some argument' which can be assumed but how strong this argument is a totally different question. But in my case I have those jewel producers in my neigbourhood: the Siltech. I can order the gold/silver kind which are treated in cold as well in the hot way, for only $6000 per side. But to be able to show off with my wiring I would need to remove all the drivers first for my vistors.
Regards, |
Congratulations Nikola you are poster 7000. Your prizeNo need to hide these away inside your speakers or components where they can not be seen. They can be placed on top of your ushers. They work great in natural and neon lights. Amaze your audio visitors while listening to music as they change those sound waves and work their magic. |