Macca's Lash Up 2: Lash Harder

[Macca]

I just found 12 inch single of 'Money For Nothing'. Forgot I had this. Swapped it with Nobby Clarke back in the fifth form. Can't remember what I traded him in return. Just gave it a clean, sounds excellent given it is 31 years old. Brand new, in fact.

Managed to clean 6 LPs before I got bored. Just another 294 or so to go then.

[jandl100]

I wish I could get rid of my vinyl and its playback kit.
But I know if I do I'd only buy it again 6 months later.
Mostly, I have a fairly deep hatred for it when I have it, but when it's gone I kind of pine to have it back again.

[jandl100]

I quite like the extra 'rez' on offer over the Akais as it draws my attention more to the music.

Yep, rez is good. It's nice to hear what is actually on the recording and what the musicians are doing.

[brian2957]

I wish I could get rid of my vinyl and its playback kit.
But I know if I do I'd only buy it again 6 months later.
Mostly, I have a fairly deep hatred for it when I have it, but when it's gone I kind of pine to have it back again.

Don't do it Jerry , I pined for 30 years

[jandl100]

I've gone thru the sell-it-all / buy-it-all-back cycle several times already, Brian.

[brian2957]

So have I mate , but only once with the turntable .

I sold a complete system many years ago and bought a very nice car with the proceeds All before I got married though

[Gazjam]

Did the same with Marriages....

[Marco]

Marco came round in the week for a listen. Like me he isn't really the greatest fan of contemporary WAF tower speakers and on the whole he preferred the Akai 'tea chests' to the ultra-modern JM Labs. The JM Labs are all about detail, or 'rez' as Jerry calls it. The Akais paint in broader strokes. Neither is really right or wrong, just personal taste and expectations.

Having said that we had a listen to the Stooges album (vinyl) Marco had just bought and it was quite an impressive sound, no nastiness anywhere, clean, clear, slightly sweet but also quite analytical and 'studio control room' sounding. Bit of a shock for me but I have not really had a proper listen to the turntable since Marco set it all up a couple of months back.

To confirm to myself this wasn't a one-off I had a long vinyl session (6 hours!) on Friday night which was highly enjoyable. I quite like the extra 'rez' on offer over the Akais as it draws my attention more to the music. I got the impression that I was now getting the benefit of the quite expensive cartridge, especially noticeable with the top end such as snare strikes and cymbals which were properly resolved. Actually a little better than the digital front end(s) - oops! -

Lol, aside from anything else, I'm delighted that my visit has inadvertently reignited your interest in vinyl!

I agree. I thought that The Stooges album we played sounded fab, and could've enjoyed listening to many more such albums for hours, as the sound was both engaging and 'effortless', thus the Techy simply 'disappeared' from the equation, allowing the music itself to be showcased in all its glory.

Like I said though, if you want to move the vinyl replay side of your system forward significantly, replacing the stock arm for the likes of a Jelco SA-750 (fitted with one of Shuggie's collars) would really open up your eyes (and ears) as what your T/T is capable of, especially if you also took the opportunity to fit one of Speedy Steve's beautiful, custom-made ebony arm plates.

Do that, and trust me, you'll not be able to stop playing vinyl, and your T/T will move into a different league from your CDP, as good as that is. If you do get a new tonearm, I could even come down and help you set it all up, perhaps also with Alan or Jimbo.

As for the JM Labs... I know them well, as they used to form part of many of the systems demonstrated at Acoustica (in Chester), when I used to work there, although that was mostly with Naim gear. However, I'm well aware of their inherent sonic characteristics and 'house sound', which is typically French. You could hook up, for example, a pair of Triangles, and achieve a rather similar balance.

I enjoyed listening to the JM Labs, as it brought back memories, and it's difficult to find any major fault with them, certainly in a hi-fi sense, although their top-end 'sheen' and rather insistent treble emphasis, together with their somewhat overall 'cold tone', could be a problem in some systems, although it wasn't in yours.

Certainly, the JM Labs are more than good enough to tide you over until you embark on that active JBL set up you proposed. Furthermore, for analysis purposes, it's useful having access to a 'sorted' pair of speakers, amongst your semi-functioning 'vintage pap'

Anyway, I hope you continue enjoying spinning those big black frisbees!

Marco.

[Macca]

As for the JM Labs... I know them well, as they used to form part of many of the systems demonstrated at Acoustica (in Chester), when I used to work there, although that was mostly with Naim gear. However, I'm well aware of their inherent sonic characteristics and 'house sound', which is typically French. You could hook up, for example, a pair of Triangles, and achieve a rather similar balance.

I enjoyed listening to the JM Labs, as it brought back memories, and it's difficult to find any major fault with them, certainly in a hi-fi sense, although their top-end 'sheen' and rather insistent treble emphasis, together with their somewhat overall 'cold tone', could be a problem in some systems, although it wasn't in yours.

Certainly, the JM Labs are more than good enough to tide you over until you embark on that active JBL set up you proposed. Furthermore, for analysis purposes, it's useful having access to a 'sorted' pair of speakers, amongst your semi-functioning 'vintage pap'
.

I'll have you know that at least some of my vintage pap is fully functional.

I can imagine the JM Labs with Naim (the older Naim anyway, not heard the newer stuff) being too upfront and 'spikey' for want of a better word. I think the pre-power combo I have now is pretty much perfect for getting the best out of them. Was playing Foo Fighters 'Nothing Left To Lose' at the level they will go to just before you start to hear the midrange driver start to struggle, superbly clean but after it finished my ears were ringing slightly.

Would still like a bit more dynamics in the low bass and a little more 'meat' in the mid-bass even if it is a colouration. You kill the fat, you kill the burger.

[Marco]

I'll have you know that at least some of my vintage pap is fully functional.

Lol... There's more that's currently 'hospitalised' though, than otherwise!

I can imagine the JM Labs with Naim (the older Naim anyway, not heard the newer stuff) being too upfront and 'spikey' for want of a better word. I think the pre-power combo I have now is pretty much perfect for getting the best out of them. Was playing Foo Fighters 'Nothing Left To Lose' at the level they will go to just before you start to hear the midrange driver start to struggle, superbly clean but after it finished my ears were ringing slightly.

Yup, I'd go along with all of that.

Would still like a bit more dynamics in the low bass and a little more 'meat' in the mid-bass even if it is a colouration. You kill the fat, you kill the burger.

I think you can do it without introducing coloration - it just takes finding speakers you like that employ the use of bigger bass units and boxes. You can get deep bass, but not realistic scale, from sub-12" drivers, no matter how many of them you try and squeeze into slim, floor-standing cabinets!

Btw, this is what you should be doing with your Techy (pics courtesy of Speedy Steve):










Jelco + SS armboard will make Macca a very happy boy!

Go on, you know it makes sense....

Marco.