Monday morning musings....

Mike said:
Jax - good post. A couple of things, we have only been up a little over a year and our growth has been remarkable. But hopefully over time, post counts will increase. Summer is slow too FWIW.

As for the uber expensive gear, I agree. I try my best to talk about "value" gear like Line Magnetic and others. But inevitably, conversations often turn back to the latest "$45,000 DAC" or $100,000 amp. I much prefer finding smoking values out there - like the JOB225 and LM518, then the latest $100,000 amp from Boulder, DartZeel or whomever.

Most importantly - I would like to see more posts on new artists. At the end of the day, it's all about the music.


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I think it's great that people announce their new acquisitions but perhaps they could talk more about what they had and what improvements they are hearing.
 
mep said:
I believe that stupid thread was called "Why do people like distorted sound" like it was a given that all people love distortion. It kind of reminded me of the old joke when someone would say "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"

The sad thing is that we have all been on forums where the owner of the forum takes a particular interest in protecting products/manufacturer's that are near and dear to their heart (and usually because they are being given steep discounts when they buy their products) and anytime someone speaks out against them, they shut the thread down and sometimes send you a really nasty and threatening PM in order to get you to tow the line "or else."

Any DAC that upsamples all files to DSD or PCM, I want no part of it. You end up with a Frankenstein DAC that does nothing really special. That's the same reason I would never have DSP/DRC in my system because I have too much analog source material that I want to keep analog. And since most every DSP/DRC device I'm aware of works in the PCM realm with no higher a sampling rate than 24/96 and either upsamples or downsamples everything to 24/96 PCM including converting your DSD files to PCM, I'm not interested in it for digital either. Who the hell wants to pay for 24/192 files only to have them converted to 24/96? Who wants their DSD files converted to PCM? Who wants their analog converted to digital and then back to analog? Not me.

I made the "mistake" of saying this on another forum and you talk about sharks, I felt like chum being thrown into a pool of sharks. And somebody said that someone they knew that used DSP in their system couldn't tell DSD files from PCM and they acted like it was a compliment. To me, that's no compliment because DSD doesn't sound like PCM. You can debate whether you like it better or less, but they don't sound the same. So when I made the comment that of course you couldn't hear any difference between DSD and PCM in a system that converts DSD to 24/96 PCM because the DSD has now been homogenized to PCM, oh my. That struck a raw nerve and that is another story in itself. Because of who it was that owned the system in question, I may as well have gone to Rome and called the Pope an atheist.
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To take a line from Howard's Private Parts, "MEP you're the F***ing Anti-Christ." :)
 
Myles B. Astor said:
I think it's great that people announce their new acquisitions but perhaps they could talk more about what they had and what improvements they are hearing.
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+1.

I will start....

Back to Strads....I am hearing NO (read: ZERO) mid-bass issues - :yahoo1: :yahoo1: YEAH, YAHOO, WOOPIE! :yahoo1: :yahoo1: They just work in my room. Not only that, but they have soul. Yes, yes, I've heard people say "speakers can't have soul, only music does"....but these speakers, I swear, have a soul. I should NEVER have sold the first pair I owned. Moving to the Aida's - in my room - was ultimately a step down. They were way too much speaker for my room....and did not possess the same soul as the Strads....nothing has before or since.

Kronos vs Classic 3 - not a fair comparison I know....but.....The Classic 3 is a ridiculously good turntable - at any price and it's singing great on the Tannoy's. But the Kronos, to my ears, is at another level. I am hearing a table which has a sonic characteristic more reminiscent of master tape than typical vinyl. I am hearing a depth of soundstage that no other source I've owned can remotely come close to. I know tape will likely be right there....but until I have my R2R repaired and modded and sent back, I won't know.

Tannoy's vs Raidho D3 - the Tannoy's are fabulous, but the Raidho's were really special. They did things no other speaker I've ever heard could do. They were champions of resolution and a spooky 3D soundstage, but yielded musicality at the same time. That being said, I'm enjoying the high efficiency speaker/low powered tube amp combo for now. The Tannoy's present music in an effortless, totally believable way. Nothing is humped up or stands out. But still.....D5's....maybe...one day. :)

Hegel H30 - the best Solid State Class A/B amp I've ever owned. Ultimately, one (stereo) was better than two (run in mono)....

Line Magnetic 219ia - this has to be one of the best integrated tube amps on the planet. Compared to the VAC, Mc 275's, etc. it had WAY better bass, better PRAT, tonality and pretty much anything else you can think of! It's a real head shaker/back breaker kind of product. It just isn't going to drive a pair of MBL 101e's anytime soon.
 
How much of the difference between the two tables might be attributable to the arms?

Interestingly some of the differences might also be the choice of record clamps. I prefer the HIFI Tuning clamp and heard the other weekend the prototype of a new optional (?) VPI clamp.
 
Mike...did you announce the return of the Strads somewhere else and I missed it? Mike this is why I asked you to reinstate your equipment list in your signature! I can't keep up with you guys :D :D
 
cmalak said:
Mike...did you announce the return of the Strads somewhere else and I missed it? Mike this is why I asked you to reinstate your equipment list in your signature! I can't keep up with you guys :D :D
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I haven't Cyril. Been laying low....more interested in what others are doing....and quite frankly, just to be honest, got tired of taking crap for changing gear.

I will put it back up - I guess.
 
Myles B. Astor said:
How much of the difference between the two tables might be attributable to the arms?

Interestingly some of the differences might also be the choice of record clamps. I prefer the HIFI Tuning clamp and heard the other weekend the prototype of a new optional (?) VPI clamp.
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Great question. I would guess the arms have a lot to do with it, but that being said, disconnecting the belt from the bottom platter (which spins counter-clockwise) was a real head shaker. One of those, "it just shouldn't matter that much" moments. So, I would say, there is some serious stuff going on with the table too. As a side, I don't think you can turn off the bottom platter on the original Kronos....but perhaps Mark can weigh in here on that.
 
Mike said:
I haven't Cyril. Been laying low....more interested in what others are doing....and quite frankly, just to be honest, got tired of taking crap for changing gear.

I will put it back up - I guess.
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Mike, don't let the masses get you down. :)
 
Myles B. Astor said:
How much of the difference between the two tables might be attributable to the arms?

Interestingly some of the differences might also be the choice of record clamps. I prefer the HIFI Tuning clamp and heard the other weekend the prototype of a new optional (?) VPI clamp.
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Oh, do tell.
 
Some great toys you got there, Mike, congrats!:congrats: Really looking to hear more about the Kronos from you and Mark!;)
 
Mike said:
I haven't Cyril. Been laying low....more interested in what others are doing....and quite frankly, just to be honest, got tired of taking crap for changing gear.

I will put it back up - I guess.
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Mike...don't pay heed to it. You are da man! You work very hard to have what you have and if you want to swap gear and enjoy this hobby it's nobody's business but your. It gives you enjoyment and happiness and that's all that matters. I bet you for the majority of ASers, it's fun to see what's coming in and out of your system anyway, so keep on truckin' hoss and don't mind the negative nellies :D
 
Thanks Cyril....I won't....it was mainly just a couple of knuckleheads (not guys here) who just couldn't fathom why someone could possibly sell their Magico S5's.
 
Mike said:
Thanks Cyril....I won't....it was mainly just a couple of knuckleheads (not guys here) who just couldn't fathom why someone could possibly sell their Magico S5's.
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Good question. Why would anyone sell their Magico S5s? :)


Then again, I'm glad Mike did!!
 
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