billstevenson
Responses from billstevenson
| VPI Record Cleaning - Does Bidirectional cleaning really make a difference? I have an HW-17 and definitely think the reverse feature helps. But, it is not essential if you wet the record and then turn off the motor and use a MoFi brush to go back and forth over the record surface much as you would do to wash a dinner pla... | |
| Cartridge Alignment I believe that your Grado mono cartridge will have a conical stylus. If my assumption is correct, cartridge alignment is a non-issue for you, as in it doesn't matter at all. This is because the perfectly round cross sectional profile of a cone wil... | |
| How much am I missing with SL1200 mk2? I have a full KAB SL1200 and several cartridges the most expensive of which is an Ortofon Cadenza Black. To answer the question for myself, I have ordered a VPI Classic 3 and will post here once I have had time to listen and compare the two. In an... | |
| Phono cartridge for classic rock I agree with Bongofury too, and particularly like the Audio Technica line of MM cartridges for vintage rock. User replaceable styli trump the Denon 103 for me, but sound wise both are good. | |
| Bose 901's with "highend ancillaries"?? Bdp24,If you can find them, I commend your attention to the many reviews of 901 speakers that praised them when they were first introduced. Do you remember Bert Whyte of Audio Magazine? He was and is held in very high esteem in the audiophile comm... | |
| Bose 901's with "highend ancillaries"?? While no longer considered "high end", Bose 901 speakers are really quite good. Very forgiving and of course they do sound better with good source components and good electronics. I still have a pair, but haven't set them up in the past year or so... | |
| What's your "diminishing returns" preamp choice? cj ET5 | |
| Solid state phono/linestage vs Tubes I like Manley phono stages. Currenly using a cj TEA2MAX that is also a hybrid and is dead quiet too. | |
| Conrad Johnson LP125sa and ET5 I have the very similar ARTsa with an ET5. You cannot go wrong with cj. The sound is just magical and the quality is first rate. I have owned (and in the past sold) a lot of high end stuff and honestly must say that cj is second to none. | |
| Conrad Johnson vs. McIntosh Tube Gear FWIW, my cj ET5 is so full of expensive capacitors that you can barely find anything else. | |
| question about these turntables Rek O Kut is a famous name from the early days of hifi. They were ruggedly built and found in a number of radio stations back in the day. Another competitor was Weathers. My first "serious" turntable was a Weathers. Both companies favored idler wh... | |
| Conrad Johnson vs. McIntosh Tube Gear VAC is not "better still" in my opinion. Compared to either cj or Mac, VAC sounds no better (it typically sounds damn good though) and yields to both in terms of reliability. ARC is also worthy of consideration. Some of their better stuff is sonic... | |
| Conrad Johnson vs. McIntosh Tube Gear This thread illustrates a dilemma we all face. It is very difficult to find and listen and compare for most of us. We wind up buying on blind faith and hope we have done well. I have owned both Mac and more recently cj. My current cj is a an ET5, ... | |
| Fozgometer Dougdeacon,Can you recommend a currently available test disc that facilitates the listening method? Interestingly enough many years ago I found that the listening method was easier, faster, and better than all the instrumentation just as you sugge... | |
| McIntosh MR78 tuner repair There is no magic to it, although it is a bit tedious to do. Getting an MR apart is not so bad, but putting them back together is complicated by the fact that you can't touch the glass, at least on the inside. Gloves help, but I hate the things. O... |