Dear harold-not-the-barrel: Everywhere we can find out resonances that we almost can't disappears and the best we can do is try to change the resonance frequency where do the less/lower damage to the audio signal and that's what I usually do. Not exactly what I like but where I " think " makes lower degradation.
IMHO, we need to damp all those resonances/distortions in the best way we can. As better damping as better signal, we can't overdamp anything as many people could think. We have to work in the damping regards to attain a better audio signal quality, especially on TT plater, tonearm boards, cartridge/tonearm and platter/LPs.
Like you what I want is " only " to hear in full way " only " what are recorded in those grooves with out any other single interference, but this is only a good desire that I can accomplish 100% I have to be satisfied trying to be near that perfect target.
Harold-not-the-barrel, normally my " moves " are not on what I like but what is right or wrong even if I don't like it and when this " don't like it " happened then is time to re-set the system to find out which link is the culprit down there.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Griffithds: Thak's for your detailed Mission Solitaire report. I can see that my ( years ago ) brief listening is confirmed by your deep experiences. SO and as you said: " This is one of those cartridges that's from our past, and should remain there! "
The other good new from your post is that with the P77 the Jico/SAS stylus replacement: " and performance are amazing. ".
So, this is the one combination I own and will test it. Thank's again.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Just picked up a Signet tk7lca last night. The seller says it was used for recording lps to tape only but who knows how many records that was. I have my 155lc and 160ml stylus assemblys to use also. Ive read a lot of good things here on the preformance of this vintage cartridge. Now to find the time to get it in the game.
Happy Easter to all Mike |
Regards, Stltrains: Hope you find cause to enjoy the Signet. Will be interested in any comments comparing the TK7LCa/AT155lc.
Peace, |
Hi Mike,
Let me be the first to welcome you to the club. If it's in as good of shape as he said, then you got a hell of a bargain. I was surprised it went that cheap. I guess with it being Easter, people are not paying attention. You will find it hard to rotate out of circulation once you have spent some time with it. Regards and enjoy! Don |
Don Professer yes really looking forward to spinning 7lca. Hoping the stylus assembly is in play shape. I was surprised I was able to obtain this long sought after cartridge at a reasonable price. Professer if my memory is correct from further back in this thread I thought your 7lca was used with a 155lc stylus. |
Hi Mike, I will join the others in celebrating your good luck with the Signet TK-7LCa. Hopefully the stylus is in as good shape as mine.......and has the wording "Signet TK-7LCa" on both the stylus assembly and cartridge body? Whilst I own six samples of the 155Lc stylus assembly which sounds wonderful in the 7LCa body.......the original Signet line contact stylus sounds just a wee bit fuller and more controlled in the bass whilst imaging marginally better and somehow gives the illusion of a deeper soundstage? Look forward to your impressions?
Regards |
Dear Indieroehre/Griffithds: Nagaoka had its " days of glory " in this tread ( years ago ). If you don't brought the Nagaoka name again I think that no one of us could think on Nagaoka again but certainly the Nagaoka cartridge design was one of those designs " years a head " of the competition.
Another cartridge that IMHO is a must to test/hear again. I'm sure that like you I could be happy when time permit that I do it.
Welcome Nagaoka, again!.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Regards, Stltrains: What Henry said.
Curious about the serial number, if over one thousand it'll be the first I'm aware of.
Posts are still being held for review, how annoying!
Peace, |
Folks, I personally think that it is time the moderator of this thread join us and explain what exactly is going on or what they are looking for by not letting posts go through in real life time. Somebody once suggested that we reserve the #1000 post for Raul but at the rate posts are been held it will be very difficult to reserve that number for Raul. Like I said before, "The thrill is gone from this thread" Mr/Sir/Mrs/Ms./Miss moderator, bring back the thrill before you create an artificial desert in this thread. |
I have written to the Moderators on the Professor's behalf. We shall see if anything changes for him or if......as a result.....I am also ostracized? I find this kind of 'censorship' peculiarly un-American and offensive? |
Clearly, the new owners/moderators of A-gon are unaware of the benefits of a lively, controversial thread and timely posting. At this point I see no other option than taking my ball and going home. Ahhh the lurking......
Hee, hee VE. |
Dear friends: I'm trying that that moderator's yoke as an Agon policy could change be re-seted in other way if possible.
I think that all of us and all of the Agoners need to contact Agon through its site to express our each one grief/trouble/worry about. Maybe if we all Agoner's " flood " questioning it they could do something about.
I think we all have very good reasons as foundations in our requests.
Please do it.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Raul,
Your statement "Welcome Nagaoka again!", got me thinking about all the great cartridges that we have reviewed and no longer discuss. When reading my discussion of the Mission Solitaire, you will recall that I dismounted 3 cartridges of the 5 I had mounted on tone arm wands. The decision of the 3 wasn't just a random pick. One of the 2 remaining that I subconsciously didn't want to remove from use was the Adzen YM-P50VL. Raul, if you want to revisit some of the past champions of this forum, I would highly urge you to remount this gem. Difficult to get correctly set up but when it is, WOW! Regards, Don |
Hello Tom,
Your post to Stltrains (our latest CLa member), asking for it's SS# got me off my butt to look at mine. It is SS# 306.
Regards, Don |
Halcro, I also just emailed them. It is very hard to communicate the way this is being moderated, and if you back up your statement with a source that does not meet the moderator's approval, you get Blacklisted, for lack of a better word.
If you've noticed, even Raul's replies are even being held up, and the answers are coming through the next day in blocks of disjointed answers. It seems really hard to argue! :>) |
Dear Halcro, It was your blunder to begin with. You started with calling the innocente Timeltel 'Herr Professor'. You should know that those are the most dangerous persons for each regime. Prof. Krugman wants to end the capitalistic system, Prof. Zacharow was the nail on Lenin's and Stalin's coffin and Prof. Habermas wanted a new German revolution. So all the rulers know: look out for those professors while censorchip is the cheapest control methode. |
Regards, Griffidths: TK7Ea/7LCa, by my rough estimation only one or two a week were produced.
Nice write-up on the Mission, I gained a real sense of your experience, wondered, could a faulty suspension be to blame?
Raul mentioned 4 million + views, readership depends on the quality of posts. Once spent two hours compiling & double-checking info. on the (really good) Pio. PC-330/770 carts, post was denied because it "did not contain relevant material". Won't do that again.
Still lurking &
Peace. |
Henry, Sad to say, you've got it wrong. Anonymous censorship without explanation or notification (or other consequences) is now as American as apple pie. It's also emblematic of the computer age in which we live. |
From the pictures the serial number looks like 438 And both body and stylus assy are marked tk7cla. Many thanks for the warm welcome. Should have that jewel by the end of the week. Mike |
I received a reply from Louis at Audiogon, stating that he was sorry for the inconvenience, and that he would remove the mod. restrictions, but we needed to report any "miscommunication" to him.
Sounds fair to me. |
Sounds fair to me also, but........
Are we now suppose to police each other for the sake of not having posts been held ? What Louis needs to do is take a ride with us on this thread and when there is a post he finds offensive to Audiogon/members, he should communicate with the writer to tone it done and if the writer refused, then he can moderate that particular writer. Louis can even go further to let us know that a particular writer is now been moderated and the reason(s) so that we can learn not to be offensive in the future. This is my take. |
The thrill is back folks. My post appeared in real time. |
the best thread on the net for us mm/mi fans. glad some of you took the bull by the horns and got through to agon. fantastic looking forward to the next kabillion posts. |
Timeltel,
Hi Tom,
The Mission Solitaire had been on my "try to find" list for quite some time. I will not rule out suspension problems with it but as I stated in the review, I looked very carefully at the cantilever/suspension for anything out of the ordinary. No deflection, right or left when the stylus was placed in the groove. I watched very closely as to how much the cantilever deflected up into the body also when it settled into the groove. Everything looked very good to me. But this thing is 30+ years old. It was put on that list due to a recommendation from Raul many, many forum pages ago. After your above comments about possible suspension issues, I decided to go back from page 1 of this forum and find exactly where it was that convinced me to place it on my "look for" list. Lucky for me, I only had to reread through page 4 because that is where the following quote from Raul came from.
"10-29-08: Rauliruegas Dear friends: Well another cartridge report. I the last 3-4 weeks I was trying different MM cartridges from Signet TK10ML, ADC TRX-1, Sonus Dimension 5, Mission Solitaire, Andante P38 and Nagatron 350E.
I can live easy with any one of them, no it do not sound the same but all are " right ."
It was grouped with some mighty fine competition. I own all but ADC TRX-1. Look at the date. 5 years and this was the first one I discovered for sale. Raul did state on 3/28/13 that he remembers not caring much for it but he does say that he didn't get to spend much time with it. Since the review, "Indieroehre" also had commented that he got rid of his sample after only a couple weeks of used. Wasn't his cup of tea either. Considering all the time spent looking for the Mission, I actually had high hopes for it. After the review, I would expect to hear comments disclaiming my opinion but there was nothing except 2 agreements. Tom, after thinking about this and looking at the high level of cartridges that Raul grouped the Mission with, I'm going to send the Mission up to Andy in Seattle and have him look it over. If the suspension is in need of replacement, I will have him do the work and I will then do a update. Raul felt that back in "08" that he could "easily live with any one of them" If a suspension replacement can bring what I have been hearing up to the Signet TK 10ML or the Sonus Dimension 5 level, it would be well worth the small expense. It would be a shame not to give it a chance to redeem itself. By the time this gets posted, the cartridge will already be on its way.
Regards, Don |
To All,
"By the time this gets posted, the cartridge will already be on its way."
I was wrong! It will ship tomorrow. I guess miracles do happen!
Regards, Don |
Acman3,
I am still at a loss as to what is meant by "miscommunication" Exactly what "did" happen that created this mess! Regards, Don |
Griffithds, not exactly sure of the answer to either question.
However,please report any miscommunications to us. ( Louis)
I take miscommunication as bad behavior. Freedom has responsibility; be responsible and keep freedom.
I think the moderation started with Jbethree on pg. 173. This is about a month after the headshell war spilled over to this thread, starring on pg. 163, so I don't know if they are related. I don't see anything else, although I am skimming. |
04-01-13: Acman3 I received a reply from Louis at Audiogon, stating that he was sorry for the inconvenience, and that he would remove the mod. restrictions, but we needed to report any "miscommunication" to him.
Sounds fair to me. Acman3 (Danny) you sound like a real nice guy to work for. Congratulations on your new role as the MM thread moderator. BTW – Louis sounds like a sincere person, but I have to tell you that Shannon is a real sweetheart. (Attention Shannon) in the subject line works well. Good luck Cheers Chris |
What's up with Axel? Won't answer emails, sent my cartridge and styli over FOUR MONTHS ago.
People at this forum recommended his services, so am I just impatient? Is four months+ normal? |
Travbrow, 'People at this forum recommended his services' (aka Raul) may answer your question. Raul also mentioned the number of the 'passive members' of our thread. Axel get about 250 emails from all over the world each week . He just engaged a young co-worker who need to be trained first. But as a rule: if the repair is simpel (exchang of the cantilever/stylus combo) this can be done fast. By the complex kind like Henry's Dynavector or my Shiraz there is no way to tell when the cart will be fixed because he need to get (damaged) parts first. I am waiting longer than you for my Shiraz but my frustration is that Henry got his already ... |
Thanks Nandric, I understand now. I was thinking he did the cartridge work in the order of receiving them. Mine are to get the suspensions checked and rebuilt if needed, saving the original cantilever and diamond.
I don't mind waiting, just needed to know that he is still in business! : ) |
Nikola is of course jealous that I received my XV-1s after only a four month wait whilst he is still awaiting his Shiraz. I must admit I also panicked a little at the waiting time......but considering that Axel needed to 'find' a new coil to replace the one I 'blew up' as well as re-build the entire wiring, suspension, cantilever and stylus........this waiting interval should be seen as the 'minimum'? With the relatively simple procedure of cantilever and stylus replacement.......Axel turned those around in rather quick time. But he has become more popular and busier (thanks to his chief publicist Nandric).....and times have extended for these as well. As Nikola rightly advises.....if he answered every Email......we would never see our cartridges again? |
04-02-13: Travbrow What's up with Axel? Won't answer emails, sent my cartridge and styli over FOUR MONTHS ago.
People at this forum recommended his services, so am I just impatient? Is four months+ normal? Travbrow if it helps any – I waited much longer for my XV1. Mine was waiting on a part. It never arrived so Axel made it himself. This is the same cartridge that SS said was not repairable under their business model, and Dynavector only wanted to sell me a new one. Any advice I can give based on my experience is to send him a friendly hello email every now and then. Good Luck |
Dear Henry, When you got your FR-7 back and wrote your praise about Axel I was so stupid to write to him and inform him about your 'ode'(poem?) for him. I had then no idea about the consequences for myself. Not to mention the fact that your Dyna was more complex to repair than my Shiraz. Axel told me this by phone btw. So what am I supposed to think or feel like? I also mediated for my 1/4 compatriote Chris with similar repair as yours but he obviously forget about that?
Regards, |
Quote: "I waited much longer for my XV1. Mine was waiting on a part. It never arrived so Axel made it himself."
I find this kind of service, no matter how long it takes, just amazing! The World would be much better place, with more people like Axel. Regards, Don |
Dear Griffithds: +++++ " One of the 2 remaining that I subconsciously didn't want to remove from use was the Adzen YM-P50VL. Raul, if you want to revisit some of the past champions of this forum, I would highly urge you to remount this gem..." ++
I know that that Azden always was and is a winner and I agree with you, there are a lot of cartridges that were put at the top of the cartridge quality performance ladder.
Yes, as you I think too that maybe is time to all of use to revisit all those gems. Some of us are " sticky " with one or two other good cartridges but maybe right now we need to compare these ones with the other champs. Maybe we can be surprised not only how good are those " old " performers but maybe we could be surprised that are even better that some of those cartridges we are sticky with.
I really want to do it and I will try hard to find out the time to do it.
We have/own own a huge: " mine of gems ", so why not use it!
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
I find this kind of service, no matter how long it takes, just amazing! The World would be much better place, with more people like Axel. Regards, Don 100% agreeement. |
Axel has my highest approval after the amazing repair to my AKG p100le. At least 5 months of waiting for return findlly I was able to listen to this gem. It was well worth the wait. |
In Europe we are supposed to retire at the age of 65. So Axel could enjoy his pension already. But he still enjoy his work. While I was aware that my Shiraz was 'irreparable' and asked him to try I also suggested to him to avoid complex repairs which cost him so much time. 'Nobody repairs coils' was one of my arguments.I of course noticed complaints about his failure to delivere on time and the delay with answering emails. His answer was that complex repairs are a chalenge for his curiosity as well as a kind of test for his capability. It may be the case that he enjoy complex repairs much more than simple catilever/stylus substitution. So in a sense he is not doing this kind of work to please us but himself. The praise like those from Henry, Chris, etc., are a kind of bonus for him. There is also , I assume, the so called 'professional honour' involved but we are accustomed to think in terms of money for our valuation. Anyway he is one 'old-fashioned German Meister' and I should mind my own business but I wanted to help. I also hope that my 'intervention' is not the reason that my Shiraz is still not fixed?
Regards,
|
Raul: regarding revisiting gems from the past, I submit that this is particularly appropriate as we approach the thread's 10,000th post.
I plan to mount my YM-P50VL this weekend to see how far I've come (or not) since then. |
Jmowbray,
I am finding that when I remount these after they have been sitting around/stored for awhile, that they need to have some time of playing before the suspension loosens up and settles down before they start to sound their best. I had originally thought this only applied to our old M/M's. I have recently remounted my London "Decca" Jubilee, a cartridge which in currently being manufactured, and found I had to do this re break-in to get it to sound as I had remembered it. Your Azden might sound thin and bright upon first listen. Give it a few records before you make your judgments as to "how far you've come (or not)." Regards and have fun Don |
I was finally able to find a Shure 120he cartridge, and having purchased a couple of 140he stylus awhile back, now have a Shure 140he. It is starting to sound good, although only a few hours on it. The guard on the 140he is not a snap off, and seems to have a pin through the cartridge. Has anyone broke this stylus stabilizer off?
I was also wondering if anyone had used the Shure Ultra 300 stylus on the Shure 140he and if it was an improvement?
Mike, did you get the Signet TK7lca yet? |
04-04-13: Jmowbray writes: Raul: regarding revisiting gems from the past, I submit that this is particularly appropriate as we approach the thread's 10,000th post I post for no particular reason but to help to see the post count hit 5 digits. Regards, |
Dear nandric: Axel, between other things, take work that other sources refuse to do it. One of the first kind of that work was with the Dgob Technics 100CMK4 ( I think ) that other two cartridge fixing sources refuse to do it.
Axel has over sic cartridges from me and some of them by several months now.
I'm not worry about. Those cartridges will be fixed when be fixed.
Travbrow, the good news is that you will have that cartridge playing again. Patience is the name of the game.
regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Jmowbray: If your Azden was " seated " for more than six months the Griffithds advise is a must.
Maybe some of those cartridges could sound right after ten playback minutes but sincerely I can't remember which one was the cartridge performance after firsat playback minutes.
From my latest cartridge tests the one that need it more playback hours was the JVC X-1 MK2 but the Precept 440LC performs great almost from the very " first " minute: perhaps because is a used/second hand cartridge where the X-1MK2 is a NOS one.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Acman3: I own the 140 too and even that is a good performer IMHO can't even the Precept 440LC quality or the ANV one.
I think you own the Precept too: did you compare it against the 140?
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear Metralla: Welcome a board. Now, you are part of this 10K thread. thank's to help to those 10K posts.
What really like me on this thread other than the overall freedom of audio subject discussions and overall great shared MM/MI inforamtion/experiences is the very close relationship that almost all of us achieved over the years.
For me we are not only Agoner's but persons with a real ( not virtual ) audio friendship very rare to achieve these times.
Good for that !
I sincerely hope that our ignorance level already goes down in the same manner that the thread grow up.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear friends: I can't wait for the JVC X-1MK1.
Right now I have to agree with that NOS JVC X-1 seller when he posted that this cartridge was the " MM Holy Grail ", I can't argue against his statement.
The sample I'm testing for the last 2-3 weeks is the MK2 version and it's simple and plain: the best MM/MI cartridge I heard.
is there other cartridges that performs better on the bass management?, none I know ( not even the Pioneer PC-550 ).
is there any other cartridge that performs better at the high frequency extreme?, no other I know.
so the musical frame for the music overall performance is the best frame out there.
what's the differences?: precise notes/harmonics definition. When in other cartridges the sound arrives to our ears with a 80%-90% of clear definition with the X-1 never was more clear: we hear every single note/sound coming from the instrument as if we were the player where we lost nothing of the first attack of the instrument " we are playing ".
The pristine quality of the sound as a whole and note by note is second to none ( even the Precept 440LC stay short on some ways about. We can detect this differences only because the X-1 performance under comparison. ).
This " pristine " X-1 characteristic is unique for a MM/MI cartridge and I heard it only and not sure if at the same level only with the top of the top LOMC cartridges.
The cartridge is a tracker champ and only missed the last cannon shot on the Telarc 1812, so we have here only " fifteen orgasms ": the Precept 440LC is even better in this regards.
That pristine X-1 performance quality characteristic seems to me is in that way not only because its great tracking habilities but mainly because the cartridge motor design, a unique design and obviously great care on the excecution of the cartridge design.
How far away are the Precept 440LC or the ANV from the X-1?, it's hard to tell you because when you swtich from the X-1MK2 to the 440LC you don't dislike what you heard on the LC and can go on listening to it but when you switch from the LC to X-1 you " feel " the change you feel and heard that pristine precesence of the music notes you feel the precensece of the music and the asumption that you are nearest to the recording because that pristine definition is what is in the recording and that other " lesser " cartridges can't reproduce at the same quality level.
The X-1MK2 IMHO is a faultless performer, it has to be when both frequncy extremes are handle with that top quality level and with that so low low distortion that is almost coloration-free. This fact is not easy to find out in any other cartridge because we can find out cartridges that are great at one frequency extreme and very good at the other one but the difference with the JVC X-1MK2 is that is great at both frequency extremes and this gives the whole music performance the right true and real frame to enjoy it as you can imagine.
Right now I'm really knowing my recordings, discovering the " complete " and precise recorded sound with that pristine accuracy that's full full of meaning/emotions and with the real music rythmum and the real music color.
You can ask: hey Raul what about the soundstage or inner detail or the layering SPL or the dynamics or or...or...?, gentleamns all are there in the best " true " I heard on a MM/MI cartridge.
Whay about the X-1 MK1?, we have to wait till I receive it or wait for the post of that gentleman that bought the NOS " holy grail " for 695.00 dollars. I hope he is reading this thread and could share his first hand experiences.
In the mean time try to find out this JVC X-1 a true " holy grail"! . If any cartridge deserve to name it " holy grail " certainly is the X-1MK2 and think that I get the cartridge body by free!
Btw, after heard the 440LC I really can't imagine to find out a cartridge that could outperform it but the " records " exist to beat it.
I would like to know whom of you own the Telarc 1812 original pressing, please let me know.
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |
Dear friends: Till today these is the thread's number of views: 4,604,183.
I want to tell all of you that I appreciated and appreciate all your contributions, that I appreciated even our hot discussions because on each of these discussions we always learn something we always improve our each one audio knowledge level and always can incorporate to our arsenal " new " and powerful tools to improve and grow up along our each one home audio system in favor of the MUSICAL EXPERIENCE!
Thank's again to all of you! and " keep walking ! and " see you in the next 10Ks!
Regards and enjoy the music, R. |