terry9

Responses from terry9

How much do I need to spend to get a preamp that sounds better than no preamp?
@erik_squires Absolutely right. I just built a shaping board into my new phono/pre, and it works a treat for digital. For the first time, I am truly enjoying CD's. We'll see if that lasts. 
Koetsu Blue Lace Onyx vs. Coralstone
@nicknick Thanks for sharing your experiences - I'm happy with my KRSP, but ... good to know the options.Please keep us informed. 
Koetsu Blue Lace Onyx vs. Coralstone
@mulveling I use 8x because I constructed my phono stage so that the volume control is identically the gain control on the output stage, so there is no wasted amplification. The gain control usually sits between a gain of 50 and 150 (plus the 8x c... 
Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?
@ct0517 Your interpretation of the Trans-Fi website is accurate. Sorry if I misled you. 
Koetsu Blue Lace Onyx vs. Coralstone
@mulveling Sorry for the delay - installed my air-gap phono/pre, and now have a very good idea of preferred loading.After the 1931Ag Lundahl's (set at 8 x step-up gain), I am loading the input between 2K and 3K (nude Vishay's), and 0 pF capacitanc... 
Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?
@vinny55 Yes, the Trans-Fi is an air bearing tonearm, a low pressure tonearm. I have two of them, both of them on tables costing 10x that much. They run at pressures of 10 to 40 mm of mercury (0.2 to 0.8 psi) using an aquarium pump and a precision... 
Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?
Quite right on both counts. 
Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?
@dgarretson About the low vertical mass of the Trans-Fi, I use two work-arounds: first, instead of using mounting nuts on the top of the wand, I have a disc of brass alloy C770 (quite hard, half copper, quarter nickel, quarter zinc) with holes tap... 
Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?
Trans-Fi Terminator. I suspect the greatest bargain in audio at $1K. Uses standard parts and clever engineering instead of intricate machining.Air bearing, adjustable, repeatable, made to mod. What's not to like? 
Recent retip(canti also) Dude where did my soundstage width go
What kind of lube seems to be personal preference.OK, back to serious. Can't quite believe that I wrote that stuff without realizing where it would lead - must be older than I thought.The refinement was presented to me after I tapped a backplate m... 
Looking for thoughts from Nottingham Analog table owners
The change to my NAS Mentor (early model replaced by Dais) from NAS arm to Trans-Fi air bearing arm was dramatic. My NAS Mentor experience was, and is, very good, and only beaten out by my DIY air bearing TT. I have nothing but good to say about T... 
Looking for thoughts from Nottingham Analog table owners
Uber, an alternative suggestion. Don't know if you use US cleaning, but if not, that would be a big improvement. Another big improvement would be the Trans-Fi arm; that would leave you with enough extra to get a torque screwdriver to optimize cart... 
Recent retip(canti also) Dude where did my soundstage width go
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, Lew. 
Recent retip(canti also) Dude where did my soundstage width go
@fourwnds I prefer Stahlwille tools - what's good enough for Mercedes ... I bought mine direct from Germany, TBS-Aachen tools, just about affordable, considering what's at stake (that is, getting $500 performance from a pricey cartridge). 
Power Cord for Pass Int 60-Under 1K used
Instead of a power cord, why not am isolation transformer? It's what I did, and it works a treat. I use four of them, in fact.Plitron makes a good one, but it should go outside the listening room because it growls when working. They are a manufact...