:rfl:
They ain't called Parcel Farce for nothing!
... to be fair, I've always had pretty good service from them.
Printable View
Well ... Parcel Force delivered yesterday. A1 service, really, although most couriers will manage next day with no problem - if you buy 48 with PF that's what you get. I'm sure they deliberately delay them to make this so.
Ooooo - pwiddy lights ....
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7423.jpg
It works fine.
At first twiddle it's much less simple to set than the 7 band Akai. But I guess added complexity is inevitable with additional frequency bands and slider controls rather than coarser rez level setting by button push.
I'll use it for a few days and see if I settle down with it. But I wouldn't be that surprised if I went back to the Akai.
I played several older LPs yesterday - Turnabout, VOX, Supraphon. You'd need a crowbar to part me from an equaliser/tt setup now. :lol:
The insanity continues apace ... and escalates! :eek:
After playing a few LPs with the Yammie equaliser I was getting seriously dis-chuffed with having to tweak so many bloody controls for each LP :steam: ... but I didn't want to do without some of the fine control on the Yammie ... so I've now hooked up the Akai and the Yammie equalisers in series. :lol:
OK OK - so it's totally :mental:
But I'm having a ball of fun. :D
... I think what I really want is a kool looking equaliser like the Akai, with lots of graphic level bars dancing along with the music, but with 10 bands instead of 7. :bulb: That should give me the control I want. As luck would have it, I may have spotted one .... :eyebrows:
Yes Yes ... but you really do need to hear what can be done with an equaliser and a crappily recorded LP with good music residing thereon.
I've got quite a few of those in my collection - most "serious" classical (or jazz, blues etc) collectors will have, I reckon.
It really is a revelation. :)
(Don't be like your chum who heaps sneering scorn on things he has never heard ;))
Well done Jerry. I think too many of us were brainwashed with the whole Linn-Naim ethos back in the day, BUT, the equaliser should be chosen with much care to minimise insertion losses, hence my suggestion for a Klark Teknik unit as used "everywhere" back in the days of analogue studios...
Yup, thanks Dave. :)
I'm really just playing around at the moment finding out what sort of facilities I want.
Too much fiddling with each LP is irritating and counter-productive when it comes to an enjoyable listening experience, but too little and I can't get sufficient control.
Must admit I am surprised at how small the insertion losses seem.
Even with 2 1980's Jap equalisers in series, many LPs are far more enjoyable than without them, and I am sure that applies to quite a significant % of the LPs in my collection ....
.... for me, the music comes first (in classical music terms, the musical interpretation) and my hifi's sole purpose is to make my choice of music sound as best as I can make it. If that means twiddling with a poorly engineered recording, then by thunder, that's what I'll do! :thumbsup:
I've just been looking at Klark Tekniks gear on the 'Bay ... like this one for example. We are talking £hundreds, and the beasts are covered in controls. I really don't think I want or need to go there.
I got tempted by a swap deal and the excellent MF A5 cdp is no longer with me. :(
But this is now in its place ...
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7481.jpg
... and I have to say that it is even better than the MF :).
A minty Resolution Audio CD50 with a fairly new mech - the predecessor to the current Opus 21 cdp.
Only had a few hours on it so far, but first impressions are very positive indeed.
Congrats, Jerry. That's one of the best high-end CDPs ever made - superb machine. Enjoy! :cool:
Marco.
Drat.
I suspect you are correct, Marco. This is by far the best CDP I have heard.
Another keeper, I suspect. :(
... what with my MBL speakers, my Krell pre, my Parasound power amp and now the RA CD50 my boxswapping options seem to be closing down. :doh: I guess there is room for improvement on the pre-amp front, but at what cost? - the Krell is darn good and synergises wonderfully with the power amp and speakers.
Best pre I've heard is Nick's two-box affair. Not cheap though!
Wassat then, Ali?
I've had a few pre's here over the last little while and taken the Krell on a visit, and it has seen off all comers so far!
I've always got cables and supports to play with. :) ... in fact, a Mark Grant power lead should be winging its way to me as I type this. :drool:
It's Nick's own design. I certainly haven't heard as many pres as you Jerry, but this is just head and shoulders above anything else I've heard. Quite often the difference between good preamps is pretty subtle, at least at first, but it was just immediately apparent that this was so much better than anything else. Very very good indeed, and if I had the necessary, I'd have one in a heartbeat!
Nick? .... which one is that then? :)
MIR !! - more information required. ;)
That'll be Mr Goram (Lurcher) I think.
Hi Ali,
Are you talking about Nick's pre that we heard at the last Eggfest? or has he designed an even better one?
If it is indeed the Eggfest amp all I can say is that I have seen it and listened to it and it is very special.
Nigel
:scratch:
Is there a thread or some info about this mystery pre?
I bet it doesn't have remote control, which would make it a :nono: for me!
Get a stick and some gaffer tape.
I know what you mean, though. I tend to turn the volume up and down depending on the track. Couldn't buy owt without remote volume control.
Hehehe... It's a bad habit I'm trying to kick! :eyebrows:
Maybe you're simply reaching the end of a long journey to finding your nirvana? ;)Quote:
This is by far the best CDP I have heard.
Another keeper, I suspect. :(
... what with my MBL speakers, my Krell pre, my Parasound power amp and now the RA CD50 my boxswapping options seem to be closing down. :doh: I guess there is room for improvement on the pre-amp front, but at what cost? - the Krell is darn good and synergises wonderfully with the power amp and speakers.
Marco.
The prospect horrifies me, tbh!
It's not something that I want to achieve. I really enjoy trying out different kit.
Nor do I think it's an achievable goal anyway.
In fact, I'm philosophically opposed to the whole concept of 'audio nirvana'. :D
My musical taste is evolving continuously, as new music comes along, and that places ever-changing demands on the playback system.
I'm afraid I just do not believe in an audio system that plays all music equally well. :nono: I've never heard one and I don't expect I ever will.
Mmmm ... the speakers are here for the long term, sure, but everything else is subject to change.
While I deeply lurv my Parasound A21 power amp, mayhap a pair of JC1 monoblocks will come along? Or maybe something else entirely will tempt me?
I don't feel the Krell KRC-3 is my ultimate pre, either, great though it sounds.
And the tt rig may well have a chance to catch up with the rest of my system, enjoyable though it is at the moment.
And there's always cables ... a Mark Grant power cable arrived yesterday along with a new set of balanced interconnects .... I haven't tried them out yet.
:hmm:
No, I'm afraid the box-swapping will continue, irksome though some folks seem to find it! :eyebrows:
Well Jerry, long may your box swapping fetish continue in my opinion. I've learnt more about this subject from reading your thread than from any hifi magazine. My only regret is that I haven't enjoyed the aural side of your efforts, although your wonderfully descriptive write ups compensate to a degree. Thanks bud... :cool:
Well, in that case "the journey is better than the arrival". Keep it up and keep us informed :)
Well, I've had a few more days and a lot more playing hours now with my new Resolution Audio CD50 cdp. So it's time for a more informed view of the beastie.
Here it is again. :)
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7481.jpg
It is simply astonishing.
I've had a few (well, OK, a lot!) of CDPs and DACs pass thru my system over the years. Of the one's I have enjoyed, some have been cheap & cheerful but surprisingly fine, others much more expensive and bloody marvellous. Some owned, some loaned, some just passing thru with a visitor to Jerry Towers.
But after a week or so with this wee beastie, I can confidently say that I have NEVER heard such good CD playback.
I'm having trouble getting my head round quite how good this player is, and in what ways it excels.
I think the ability on which everything else builds is in the way it separates out everything that's going on in the music, there's an uncanny clarity and lack of confusion in the imaging. Yes, I've had 'great imaging' before, and my speakers are good at presenting this, but the RA CD50 is simply 3 steps up on anything else I have heard.
When this sort of clarity is achieved the insight into the music is hugely enhanced.
Tonally it's good; bass is deep and very taut, treble is extended and pure, the mids nice and open.
Oh yes ... the dynamics. How could I forget the dynamics? That's the next best thing after the amazingly lucid imaging. They are just so free and unconstrained. The system really just lets go of the music with the CD50 at the front.
I just find it hard to believe how good this sounds - it amazes me with every disc I put on.
Damn, I really am running out of things to box-swap. :(
I don't know whether to congratulate you on such a wonderful find, or commiserate with you because you're running out of swap options Jerry :eyebrows: :D
Nice thoughts, Jerry. You make me really want to hear it, especially as I would love to compare it against my Ayre player.
Well, this is quite interesting ...
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7496.jpg
A Decca London Gold.
I thought it was about time I tried one. :D
Having viewed the fora postings on this I find that some feel the Pioneer PL71 is a good match (hi, Richard!), others (of course) differ (hi, Dave!).
I started off at the Decca-recommended 1.5g but soon wandered up the scale ... 1.8g so far, and quite tempted to go higher.
Any thoughts / recommendations on setup etc? :)
I have a return option on this, and so far the openness and speed are beguiling, but it seems rather forward and excitable on more complex material. Not sure I can live with it as it is now.
Ah - Someone else being seduced by the siren call of a Decca cartridge!
Deccas of that vintage were cantankerous beasts, suffering from appalling workmanship, quality control and sample variability.
However with some TLC they can be tamed and allowed to reveal their unique strengths that put them in a class of their own; approached by no other cartridge that I know of.
First I wouldn't go much beyond 2.0g in tracking weight.
I believe most Deccas benefit from some form of damping. So I would try pushing some Blutak in between the top of the cartridge and the plastic bracket.
You might like to experiment with the loading. Some find reducing the loading to 33 kOhm helps. With my sample, depending on the preamp used, I found adding a considerable capacitance (1000pF) was necessary to tame that over lively top end.
Deccas need the most fastidious of care take with installation and setup: VTA, azimuth and tracking force.
Please persevere with the Decca Jerry. For years mine lay unused because for all their strengths, I just could not put up with the 'edge of your seat' anxiety waiting for the cartridge to 'fall over' and misbehave at any time! Encouraged by Dave (DSJR), I dug them out and went to some trouble to set them up. I'm so glad I did - now I have a Decca permanently set up on one of my decks.
I wouldn't say it's the most neutral of cartridges, but the sense of presence, air, its speed and attack are astounding. I've never had so much fun with any other cartridge!
Regards
Thanks Barry!
I'm a bit concerned about the condition - but it may just be the Decca Way!
There's very little clearance between tha bottom of the cart and the LP. Looking at the cart edge-on all that can be seen poking out is the actual diamond itself - is that the way it should be?
See if you can see what I mean from this photo - a lot less tham 1mm between cart bottom and LP ...
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7497.jpg
I tried 2.5g and the cart bottomed out.
2g seems to track best! :thumbsup:
OK - I'll try that later.
I've a Trichord Dino so my options are restricted .. it does either 100pF or 1.1nF (for the MC settings) and loading is 47Kohms or 1Kohm or less.
Yes that is quite normal. In fact the clearence is so small (about 0.5mm) that you might have trouble with 'sleeping policeman' shaped warps: the cartridge might ground, or bottom out.
You could try slightly raising the back of the arm, but be careful this does not affect the tonal balance. In not having any cantilever to speak of, all adjustments have a far greater effect than they would with a conventional cantilevered cartridge.
Your records need to be flat and scrupulously clean - even then you will probably have to clean the stylus after each play, if not each side!
I notice you have only used one of the return connections. I found I had to connect the two returns together so as to not troubled by hum.
Regards
That one needs some internal fettling. Mine has at least 1mm clearance and barely needs 1.5g to track properly. The internals can get pushed up into the body, reducing clearance and, if it's an old one, will definitely need to be returned to Presence Audio for checking and adjustment...
P.S. Which Dave said the PL71 arm wouldn't work? if that was aimed at me, I must protest as I used mine in the R200 with similar headshell (and extra mass too) for over two years with excellent results...
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSCF1438.jpg
Put it this way, in its second life (in the mid 90's and as a Microscanner), like many, it developed a sort of "buzzing" coloration on sustained piano and guitar notes. This was one of the things that caused Max Townshend to go over to the Dynavector 17D IIRC. Mine was put away in disgrace for over ten years and before funds ran out, I sent it to be serviced via Mike at Moth Marketing. The bill was well under £100 and in my case (because I'd been peeking further - ahem!), involved a new lateral coil, the top maget to be re-glued in position and a full cleanout and re-alignment. It came back better than ever and was sounding swell last I used it (the TD125 is now gone, but I've kept the R200).
I've returned to my Zu103 with a sense of relief.
OK, so it hasn't (quite) got the Decca's speed and openness, but it ain't bad, it ain't bad at all ... and it's a much easier listen.
Plug & play - that's the way I like 'em. :)
Excellent stuff, Jerry! What did I tell you? ;)
The CD50 is a veritable example of one of the 'proper' CDPs I often refer to when CD was in its heyday, such as what I've been talking about on the Audio Note thread.
I can tell you that it would give my Sony a run for its money, as they both share a similar musical presentation. Everything is 'right' about how the RA CD50 handles music. It should put a big smile on your face every time you hit the 'Play' button: genuine 'no compromise' digital repay at its absolute best!
CDPs are just not made like that anymore. I can tell you quite categorically Jerry that if you let the CD50 go, you'll likely never find another CDP to better it. Enjoy! :cool:
Marco.
Yup, the more I listen the more I agree with you.
Damn. :eyebrows:
I didn't particularly mention the treble in my main posting, but it's just so bloody natural. It reminds me a lot of the treble of the early top Focal Utopia beryllium tweeters. (No, not the more recent mid-range Utopias which screech).
It's a keeper. :doh: or :carrot: depending on whether I've got my boxswapper's hat on!
Go along to Stu's room (chelsea on AOS, russ abbott on the Wam) - I'm loaning him the CD50 to use in his system at Scalford. :)
Nice one, Jerry - I'll defo be checking it out. The CD50 was one where they got the recipe 'just right'. That doesn't happen so often!
Marco.
I wonder if the Zu 103 can have its tip tweaked with a better diamond profile? We need to find someone who's done it to a 103, leaving the lower compliance, but fitting a line tip or similar...
Hasn't Dom done 103's? Maybe not Zu ones though.
My retip 103 and cantelever upgrade by Dom gives it almost Decca like speed and aliveness Well worth a try
Herewith my 2nd system, based in my conservatory. Great for kicking back in a greener environment!
One of a pair of Usher X-719 speakers and, underneath the blanket box, a Mini-T amp and a Marantz CD63 fitted with a Ten Audio valve output stage.
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7521.jpg
It sounds bloody good, actually! :)
Just to keep things up to date, I had a couple of forum friend visitors over yesterday, so all is tidy and dusted! -here's a pic just taken of my main system in my "cluttered Man Cave" as it has been called :eyebrows:....
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7520.jpg
Looks great, Jerry - and very homely :)
I love rooms with 'stuff' in them, which clearly evoke the personality of the people who use them. I believe that 'lived in' is the term. That's what a home should be all about. Our house is the same, as is my 'man cave'. And a wee bit of dust is healthy!
I can't stand the clinically bland, near sterile, 'statements in magnolia', devoid of personality that some people like; where rooms have been modelled on the latest 'me too' fashions of interior design (approved by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen), and where you feel guilty disturbing someone's plumped-up (colour co-ordinated and very carefully positioned) cushions from Habitat! ;)
Clean, but relaxing, comfy and cosy is the way.....
I think ya gets where I'm coming from :eyebrows:
Marco.
Very very nice system! I've never had the luck to audition any pair of MBL loudspeakers or gear, in the past... But I've heard the best. It's a pitty I don't have the ability to come around for an audition... I wish, musically, the best!;)
Yeah, thanks Marco. I like my room very much the way it is!
"relaxing, comfy and cosy" is exactly right! :thumbsup:
I, too, have real problems with "clinically bland, near sterile" environments. Mind you, I've seen a few pics on AOS with exactly that kind of room! :lol: