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Thread: A battle of D/Ds: Heavily-modified SL-1210 vs. Kenwood L-07D and Nakamichi TX-1000.

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Arrow A battle of D/Ds: Heavily-modified SL-1210 vs. Kenwood L-07D and Nakamichi TX-1000.

    When building our systems we can sometimes delude ourselves and allow our natural bias towards the equipment we use to cloud our judgement of how good it actually is in comparison to what else is available.

    Therefore, to counteract that effect, periodically, I like to test my gear against other high-quality kit, particularly when I suspect that it’s likely to be a little better than mine, as this improves the quality of my existing benchmark and also makes me raise the game further in terms of improving the components I use (should I consider it necessary), which of course in turn benefits my system as a whole: a win-win situation, in my book.

    With that in mind, I made a return trip to Dave Anderton’s place, who posts here as 'dandy', after having visited him in Chester a few weeks back and been very impressed with his system; in particular his Kenwood L-07D direct-drive turntable. This is a superbly engineered 'no compromise' vintage turntable with a justified enviable reputation, which I rate as one of the best T/T’s I’ve so far had the pleasure to listen to. Therefore, me being me, I just had to see how close my modified Techie would get to it!

    To recap (as I’ve already mentioned it elsewhere) Dave’s system is as follows:

    Turntables: Kenwood L-07D/ Linn Troika. Also, Nakamichi TX-1000/SME 312S/ZYX Airy 3

    Phono stage: ASR Basis Exclusive (battery-operated)

    Network streamer: Linn Klimax DS

    Preamp: Music First Audio - Reference

    Active crossovers: 2 x Pass Labs XVR-1

    Power amps: 2 x Meridian 559 (stereo), 2 x Albarry M408 (mono)

    Speakers: Naim DBLs (on Mana sound stage)

    Racks: Naim Fraim

    Also PS Audio Powerplant Premier mains regenerator.

    Cables: various, including Nordost Valhalla.



    Equipment I brought with me:


    Technics SL-1210 MK5G turntable with Sound Hi-fi mat and Isonoe support feet/Paul Hynes SR3 external PSU, powered by a Furutech-modified Mark Grant DSP 2.5 mains lead/Jelco SA-750D, with heavy counterweight balance/standard Denon DL-103 fitted in an Ortofon LH-9000 headshell, wired with Ortofon LW1000S 'super high purity' silver cartridge leads/A23 MC step-up transformer, and an Ortofon SPU Classic GM MKII MC cartridge.

    Music used (amongst others): John Lee Hooker - 'Mr Lucky' and 'Stripped Me Naked' from the album 'Mr Lucky'. Hafdis Huld - 'Fucked up Mind' (7” single), taken from her superb award-winning album 'Dirty Paper Cup'.

    'Chuck Es in Love' - Ricky Lee Jones, from her self-titled debut album, and The Robert Cray Band: 'Sonny' and 'False Accusations', from the album 'False Accusations'.

    The first thing we did was to listen to both the Kenwood and Nakamichi, which Dave had already set-up side-by-side on his Naim Fraim racks, so Hafdis Huld’s 'Fucked up Mind' was cued-up on the Kenwood (you can listen to a sample of the track here: http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Paper-Cu.../dp/B000I0SGPS) and we sat back, mugs of freshly-brewed tea in hand, and listened…

    Dave’s system is undoubtedly one of the finest I’ve heard in terms of its ability to access the minutiae of subtle nuances and temporal shifts within music, thus ensuring that the artist's 'message', if there is one, is successfully communicated. Effects such as this allow music to 'breathe', and this is where the best systems are able to portray a much more convincing illusion that one is listening to real music, as opposed to merely a recording of such.

    His system does this so well, equipment and speakers aside, mainly because it has such a vanishingly low noise-floor, in no small part due his attention to detail in terms of set-up, and in particular the way the PS Audio mains regenerator removes any trace of 'grunge' from the mains supply. This combines with the effect of the battery powered ASR Basis Exclusive phono stage to create a deathly quiet backdrop, stripping recordings bare for inspection, so one is left with the blackest of black backgrounds from which voices and instruments emerge with a rather disarming crystalline clarity.

    On 'Fucked up Mind', Hafdis Huld’s voice has a stark, rather haunting quality, but is also charmingly melodic, and this was explicitly captured by the L-07D/Troika combination, allowing subtle inflections in her voice full reign, making for a truly enchanting and captivating rendition of this simple but beautiful piece of music; the ghostly quiet background and rock-solid imaging of Dave’s system adding to her atmospheric vocals, ensuring that the track was rendered as realistic and believable.

    One thing I love about high-quality direct-drive turntables (and idlers, too) is their ability to hold music in an almost vice-like grip, I suspect due to their superbly accurate speed stability, without the wavering of the pitch of notes I often hear with belt-drive T/Ts (particularly those of the low to medium-mass variety), and their, certainly subjectively, very low levels of coloration. This in my experience showcases music in all its glory, with seemingly little influence from any inherent sonic signature of the drive system and associated internal mechanisms - and in turn providing a near sonically neutral platform for the tonearm and cartridge to reproduce recorded information on vinyl as accurately as possible.

    The Kenwood achieves this with consummate ease and thus exhibits the calmest assuredness I’ve heard from any turntable, easily in this respect trumping the SP10s I’ve experienced to date - and it comes with its own (rather good) tonearm and housed in a top-notch plinth, too! The L-07D is extremely heavy and massively over-engineered in every conceivable way, and this I’m sure is largely responsible for the particular way it sounds. Here is a picture of the beast in question:



    More detailed information in terms of its construction is on this website: http://www.l-07d.com/

    In my opinion, when it comes to turntable design, there is no substitute for solid engineering principles, as turntables are largely mechanical devices, and so the Kenwood epitomises the benefits of this design philosophy, and indeed, encapsulates and maximises it in quite spectacular fashion, at the same time retaining an elegance which belies its 'hewn from stone', almost industrial, aesthetics. In terms of its sonic qualities, the Kenwood’s superb engineering is showcased in the way it handles music with unflustered aplomb, and with it an addictiveness which makes one simply want to listen to music all day long - and then some more….

    So after enjoying the Kenwood immensely listening to the Hafdis Huld track, Dave transferred the record to the Nakamichi TX-1000, shown here:



    To be continued......

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: North East UK

    Posts: 6,358
    I'm InSpace.

    Default

    Bloody hell!

    He's finally done it!

    Erm.... I'll read it later.
    Shian7
    --------------------------------------------------------

    Kudakutemo
    kudakutemo

    ari mizu-no tsuki

    Though it be be broken -
    broken again - still it's there:
    the moon on the water.

    - Choshu.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    It's not finished yet, ya daftee - but it will be!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  4. #4
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Cricklewood

    Posts: 9,074
    I'm ILOB.

    Default

    great start build up the anticipation hahaha
    Loves anything from Pain of Salvation to Jeff Buckley to Django to Sarasate to Surinder Sandhu to Shawn Lane to Nick Drake to Rush to Beth Hart to Kate Bush to Rodrigo Y Gabriela to The Hellecasters to Dark Sanctury to Ben Harper to Karicus to Dream Theater to Zero Hour to Al DiMeola to Larry Carlton to Derek Trucks to Govt Mule to?

    Humour: One of the few things worth taking seriously

  5. #5
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: North East UK

    Posts: 6,358
    I'm InSpace.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    It's not finished yet, ya daftee - but it will be!

    Marco.
    I gathered that, yer muppet.... but at least you've done something!
    Shian7
    --------------------------------------------------------

    Kudakutemo
    kudakutemo

    ari mizu-no tsuki

    Though it be be broken -
    broken again - still it's there:
    the moon on the water.

    - Choshu.

  6. #6
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

    Posts: 14,535
    I'm David.

    Default

    Do be aware that "calm assuredness" will definitely translate as boring and slowwwwwww *in an incorrectly matched system.* One reason Dave W wants to hear it again thirty years down the line (I'm saying it for him in case he misses this.....)

    [edit] - 30 years ago (around 1979 - 1982) we almost all had systems and philosophies based solely around the LP12 of the period and not listening to high quality neutral (ish) setups was discouraged (Quad, Rogers, Spendor etc..), let alone some of the better US models (and some of these work really well in UK rooms).
    Last edited by DSJR; 02-07-2010 at 19:19.
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  7. #7
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    I gathered that, yer muppet.... but at least you've done something!
    Lol - I always had done something, but I was going to wait until I'd finished the review before posting it, but with all the moaning and groaning going on by folk, like big girls, I had to show some of it!

    I then chose an appropriate cut-off point to keep you all waiting for more

    And that won't come until next week sometime, as we've got friends coming this weekend and on Monday - so..... BE PATIENT!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DSJR View Post
    Do be aware that "calm assuredness" will definitely translate as boring and slowwwwwww in an incorrectly matched system
    You need to read the context properly, Dave, and the rest of my comments in relation to the Kenwood, without focussing on certain phraseology in isolation........!

    I can assure you that the L-07D sounded FAR from "boring and slowwwwwww" in Dave's system - the complete opposite, in fact!!

    It might've done, though, in an incorrectly matched system from 20 or 30 years ago!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  9. #9
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

    Posts: 14,535
    I'm David.

    Default

    You mis-understand me Marco. I meant *in an incorrectly matched system!!!*

    Dave obviously doesn't have such a system. I'll edit my post above in an attempt to avoid further misunderstandings
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Smile

    My apologies, Dave - nice edit:

    [edit] - 30 years ago (around 1979 - 1982) we almost all had systems and philosophies based solely around the LP12 of the period and not listening to high quality neutral (ish) setups was discouraged (Quad, Rogers, Spendor etc..), let alone some of the better US models (and some of these work really well in UK rooms).
    Indeed. In those days, systems were artificially tailored to produce a certain 'sound' (to suit the hopelessly coloured LP12s of the day), which seemed far from being sonically neutral and/or faithful to what was actually recorded on the vinyl itself.

    Slotting an L-07D into systems expecting to 'see' the euphonic and syrupy bloat of the (then) LP12 would result in, as you say, a rather 'sober' and boring presentation, and so a complete sonic mismatch!

    It's that type of sound (the former) that I utterly detest with vinyl replay (so how then would I seek it from an SPU? Think about that Dave!! ), although I fully realise that the best of today's LP12s sound very little like that. However, some low and medium-mass B/Ds I've heard from other manufacturers still have that type of sonic signature.

    It's not an effect I seek from vinyl at all, or indeed have in my system from any component.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


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