Myles B. Astor

Myles B. Astor said:
Yes but the better tables -and I'm going to add phono sections -are narrowing the gap. :) Tape still gives better information density and imaging, lesser coloration and quietness but tables are making inroads in the dynamics area (though obviously that's a label to label proposition. What I notice the most say with the Doshi is that one doesn't involuntarily "cringe" on dynamic peaks as much. That's to say there's much greater ease with tape on the same passage.
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Not looking to get into a debate but it's not so cut and dry, very debatable like anything else in audio - you can't just plop down any tape machine and install any tape and what is the BEST analog anyways?

List of those BEST analogs would be a starting point

Would need to do direct comparisons

Really well recorded tapes are limited, choice of music very limited and not cheap.

Personally I don't like the whole tape process which is involved and personally feel it takes away that connection.
 
dev said:
Not looking to get into a debate but it's not so cut and dry, very debatable like anything else in audio - you can't just plop down any tape machine and install any tape and what is the BEST analog anyways?
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No, but neither can you for analog tts either. But a stock A80 will or an ATR-102 will best tts. After all, how many of your cherished records were done on these machines or an Ampex 350/351?

List of those BEST analogs would be a starting point.
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Well that gets tricky because there's LPs that sound crappy and when you hear the tape, one wonders whether the mastering engineer was asleep at the reel.

Would need to do direct comparisons
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Again that's fraught with problems because you don't necessarily know which tape was used to cut the LP (and that's not a trivial problem!) The best comparison might be the RR LP vs TTP release say of the Arnold's Overtures. And there's no comparison here: I don't usually use this word but the tape smokes the LP. In fact, I never understood all the hoopla surrounding KOJ's recordings until I heard this tape. It's not the same recording. One can also carry out the same comparison for the Biil Evans Waltz for Debby or two of the Yarlung recordings where you know they used the same tape at the same time for both releases.

Really well recorded tapes are limited, choice of music very limited and not cheap.
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Well no one said that tapes would replace LPs or CDs. But for demo purposes or having the best sound, there's no equal in my book. And I'd rather have one Armani suit than 10 store made suits. And I already have 10,000 or so LPs.

Personally I don't like the whole tape process which is involved and personally feel it takes away that connection.
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Actually once your tech has set up the machine, far less involved than a tt. And azimuth rarely goes out unless you move the machine a lot so all you have to do is keep the heads clean, literally a one minute job.

Connection? I don't get that comment at all. Connection is when that reel is spinning and Benny Carter, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, etc. are literally in the room with you. Or you begin to understand everything the artists and engineers intended on Yes Fragile or Tubular Bells. Now those are trips without ant artificial enhancers :)
 
Hi Myles, some great responses :)

When I mentioned about the tape process and loosing the connection "not actually listening" so not to be confused.

It's the whole process involved

The typical process to listen to music on tape is to have the spare reel already in place, now you install the reel to be played. One must feed it into the heads and then turn on slightly and stop. Clink clunk spinning, now you feed into that spare reel and finally turn on looking to ensure all is well.

Get back to your favorite listening spot and listen, sorry but I have already lost interest and that intimacy of engagement is gone.

Machines aren't dead silent either, I can hear such specially when on a quiet passage which again for me personally distracts my attention, worse than the occasional record noise.

Now it's done, the reel spinning around and the loose tape is hitting and making noise. This alone just gets me out of the relaxed mood. Now you have to reverse the whole process and get the tape back onto the original reel.

Personally I get loss in not enjoying the actual music where as on my table, I just pull out a record of choice and get to listen without dealing with all that other stuff mentioned. I'm totally relaxed, my new table is so quit I can compare to digital when referring to background noise including pops and ticks - it's quiet :)
 
Hi Myles, I saw a pic of the AF-1 with Touraj Vertere arm. Were you present?


Would love to hear some comparisons using different arms comparing to Grahams new Elite @ $14k, the Vertere @ $35,000 is some serious coin.

Sonic differences being the most important
 

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Myles B. Astor said:
I'd actually like to also hear the less expensive version of his cost no object arm. As usual, there's always things done in the second version that were forgotten about or discovered when designing the first product that are later used to update the initial release :)
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Did I miss that or is it just because the attention has been on this cost no object one?

Yes I agree in general designers are always learning along the way and don't always get to apply such to their current project they are working on because they are trying to finalize and get such into actual production so trickles down to the next.

For obvious reasons I have a personal interest to learn from other AF-1 owners, look forward to what others think when comparing the Graham Elite arm to what they are already using. I would assume the Elites should be shipping soon and getting into awaiting hands, will be interesting.
 
very nice!! is that a production model or a prototype? cause i know there arent a whole lot of those around yet. i drove past vpi today was thinking about this table.
 
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