Justin & Jerry's Hifi Blog

[MartinT]

Maybe you're simply reaching the end of a long journey to finding your nirvana?

Yep - those were my thoughts too, Jerry. It's no bad thing.

[jandl100]

Maybe you're simply reaching the end of a long journey to finding your nirvana?

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'.

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. 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.



No, I'm afraid the box-swapping will continue, irksome though some folks seem to find it!

[synsei]

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...

[MartinT]

Well, in that case "the journey is better than the arrival". Keep it up and keep us informed

[jandl100]

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.



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.

[synsei]

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

[MartinT]

Nice thoughts, Jerry. You make me really want to hear it, especially as I would love to compare it against my Ayre player.

[jandl100]

Well, this is quite interesting ...



A Decca London Gold.

I thought it was about time I tried one.

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.

[Barry]

Well, this is quite interesting ...



A Decca London Gold.

I thought it was about time I tried one.

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

[jandl100]

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 ...