Gear pics

[Slippershod]

I listen in two areas really:

main listening area equipment (as per my 'welcome' thread) - bit difficult to get to for photographs, but hopefully the stuff can be made out.

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/_DSC3308.jpg

in the unlikely event anyone wants close-ups let me know and I'll oblige.


pic from my listening position (the sub-woofter is an ex-woofter):

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/_DSC3326.jpg


my t/table setup is upstairs doing ripping duty - really pleased I've finally got round to doing this ... this first pic shows the isolation bits underneath the board the deck's on - must be working, as it's a sprung floor, but no footfalls seem to be getting through to the business end:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/_DSC3286.jpg


slightly better pic of the t/table combination:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/_DSC3300.jpg


and one last one of the entire ripping / listening area; using an EMU tracker pre as an external soundcard:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/_DSC3318.jpg


to recap, equipment as follows :

Turntable: JVC 71 / sme 3009 (not improved) with fluid damper / denon 304 / trichord dino.

Hitachi HCA 7300 pre and HCM 8500 power, and tannoy DC2000s.

CD and tuner a nice little current Denon mini system.

upstairs: jvc mini dvd-A system (you know, the one with speaker cones soaked in saki ... :) ), and emu tracker pre, as mentioned above.

[John]

Some lovelly gear

[MartinT]

What's the strange three-holed device in front of the LPs, Marc?

[Slippershod]

thanks John - I think much of it could do with a service / freshening up ideally, but, by my standards, it's making a decent noise.

As implied in my first post, I'm actually listening to records with this arrangement, as opposed to endlessly fiddling about!

[Slippershod]

ah, Martin, should have included a pic of what that assists with:

it's the centering unit for an outer rim record weight that I bought from a polish dental surgeon (honestly) through ebay. He makes / made them, but it arrived slightly warped iself :doh:

I added some pound coins to it, and use it with badly warped discs - centre weight / clamp I use with it seen to the right in a couple of the pics.

[Toby]

I like those little speakers you have either side of your monitor in the very last photo.

[Slippershod]

those are the jvc 'saki soaked' ones I mention above, Toby.

glad I held onto that mini-system - sounding good with my pc set-up for ripping.

[Reid Malenfant]

<snip> (the sub-woofter is an ex-woofter)
:scratch: It looks more like a Peerless (Tymphany) to me :) XLS10 by the look of it..

Nice looking setup fella, both of them ;)

[Rare Bird]

Great stuff Marc

[Techno Commander]

Love the Hitachi Pre/Power combo. Not a make usually associated the top end amps. :)

[Slippershod]

:scratch: It looks more like a Peerless (Tymphany) to me :) XLS10 by the look of it..

Nice looking setup fella, both of them ;)


Thanks RM - but 'I wish' on the woofter front (as the model you mention sounds expensive - and good - mine failed on both counts :( ).

Bit of a story on it actually, but I wont 'go there' and risk getting this esteemed forum mired in any controversy - suffice to say I think I was probably lucky just to end up with an ex-sub-woofer rather than an ex-Slippershod as well ... :eek: Makes a nice TV stand tho' ...

thanks Andre and TC for the positive comments. I had a Hitachi DD a while back (looked a bit like the JVC actually) and that was alright too, I thought. I guess they had a period of making decent stuff.

[Alex_UK]

Nice. Lovely curtains, too! ;)

[Macca]

Love the Hitachi Pre/Power combo. Not a make usually associated the top end amps. :)

I want some! How much?:)

[Slippershod]

thanks, Alex :)

I swapped an SME 309 for mine, Macca :scratch:

[Macca]

thanks, Alex :)

I swapped an SME 309 for mine, Macca :scratch:

I don't have any SME 309s lying around so may have to use cash:lol: - will trawl e-bay later but I am guessing they are a pretty rare combo.

[Slippershod]

some update pics:

this AT 1120 arm was nice - has a fluid damper as well.
using it on the jvc deck, until I naffed a cartridge tag (nope, I can't solder neatly... :rolleyes:). OM30 stylus on a Pro body - oddly enough I really liked the actual Pro stylus on, with a HEAVY tracking force - but was getting unacceptable surface noise (sort of like a gentle 'click - click-click always there in the background):

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/AT-arm.jpg


re-instated a slightly odd combo: first helius arm in an sme fit mount made by a guy in Oz for the vintage ortofon arms ... not a flush fit, but the grub screw in the mount holds the arm firmly enough, it seems...:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/helius-arm.jpg


pic of the entire deck and arm; I like the look and sound of this setup:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/jvc-with-helius.jpg


but, as I've got the following t/table (sony psx-800) back from The Deck Doctor, I'm giving it another go - and liking what I'm hearing (cartridge is the V15 mkIV with a jico SAS stylus):

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/sony-psx-800.jpg


trouble is, it's so highly strung I've been told I can only play supertramp albums on it, and then only one side every 8 days :)

[Spectral Morn]

those are the jvc 'saki soaked' ones I mention above, Toby.

glad I held onto that mini-system - sounding good with my pc set-up for ripping.

That was the last in a line of excellent wee JVC micro systems. All sins of omission and not commission. I gave mine to my Dad a few years ago.


Regards D S D L

[Thing Fish]

Are you trying to flatten those CD's under your record player feet...?

[Beechwoods]

Nice gear Marc, very nice!

[Slippershod]

Are you trying to flatten those CD's under your record player feet...?

:lol: yeah - was going to start a thread about the problem of warped cds (and don't get me started on hole eccentricity!) ;)

thanks Nick! keeping my fingers crossed over the sony linear-tracker ...

[WOStantonCS100]

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/sony-psx-800.jpg

Is that the original platter?

[Slippershod]

original platter - but not mat(s).

the original mat allowed automatic selection of disc size, but mine doesn't sit flat - I also wanted to raise the height a bit...

it's a notoriously temperamental deck, but this one seems to be accepting the change - at least for the moment :)

[ursus262]

something tells me you have a dog :)

[Slippershod]

aye - was trying to get george to pose in one pic (he looks a little bit like 'nipper' the hmv dog), but he wouldn't have it ... :)

[Slippershod]

now, this is interesting .... :hmm:

just got this back from Richard at Vantage :

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/yammie.jpg


been back and forth a couple of times (Richard really gives amazing value for money in the 'will not be beaten' stakes ...), but this time working well (fingers crossed).

just popped a new AT 440 mla on and ... between the two of them (?) I'm tracking things pretty cleanly that I've never managed to with any number of previous combinations (I mean different decks/ arms / carts)...

I've long pondered the whole question of 'tracking' distortion as opposed to the sound of previous damage inflicted upon a (used) record, and which it is one's hearing at any given time...

Perhaps a little premature to draw any real conclusions, but encouraging for sure.

[Butuz]

Aha DC2000 good man!

I have a lovely pair of DC3000 that I am not using if you fancy a bit of a bass upgrade :)

Butuz

[Slippershod]

I like the DC2000s by and large, although they're sounding better with compter audio than vinyl (not their fault I guess), but they don't score highly in the waf stakes, so the 3000s are probably out.
thanks for the offer 'though... 'tis appreciated.

actually, just ordered some dali zensor 1s and stands for the above reason - first 'new' speakers since JPW sonatas a very long time ago (;)) ...

wonder if they'll be ok, or just 'boom and tizz' ... ?


btw - re: the yammie px-3 - now have an ortofon pro on there tracking at 5gms :lol:

[Slippershod]

as this lot have ended up, through force of circumstances to a degree, sounding pretty good, thought I'd do an update.

the yamaha deck pictured above has started getting a bit sticky again, unfortunately; luckily I hadn't parted with my technics 1500 (mostly coz they seem to go for peanuts on ebay), and also retained the old empire arm I picked up a while back:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/empirearmtechnics.jpg

cartridge is the AT MC which takes replaceable stylii - can't remember the name, but relatively low compliance, and it seems to have suited the arm well, despite the mounting of latter being as jerry-rigged as it appears in the photo...


picked up one of these last september - uk members may have noticed the gentleman's auctions on ebay uk. Went that route as I could get a 'customised' unit with loading plugs provision etc.

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/angle-phone-stage.jpg

wasn't sure of it with MMs, but sounds great with the AT.


Finally - had been hanging my nose over auctions for sister models to this technics model speaker (pictured in relatively seasonal garb) - some steep prices being asked for the higher models, but I got these quite cheaply, although postage was a significant addition.
One of the tweeters turned out to be non-working, but John at the Emporium in exeter kindly sorted that out for me, and I think they sound great - balanced, and with enough bass (for me) when it's there in the recording.

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/Xmas-Technics.jpg

I think they look great, too, although beauty definitely in the eye of the beholder with these ones, I admit.

[Alex_UK]

Lovely - the Empire arm is gorgeous - don't think I've ever seen one on a Techie!

[jason]

Thats some very nice kit, I like the technics.

Jason

[Tarzan]

Thats some very nice kit, I like the technics.

Jason,


l really love the look of the 1500 mk2, one of the best looking T/T made imho- by the way Slippershod, how do you find the Angle Audio stage?:)

[MartinT]

Yes, that Empire arm is a keeper. Must be rare and I've never seen one on a different deck.

[Slippershod]

thanks gentlemen.

my gasters have been well and truly flabbered by the empire and AT combination - a very good fit, obviously, and that's with less than optimum mounting (but then ... ;) )

as regards the angle audio stage, I had the full shebang from Chris - his 'top of the range' speck, with internal battery etc, as well as making it switchable between MM/ MC and taking loading plugs...

as I said, I wasn't too sure about the results with MM - he supplied me with sets of plugs from 33k up to 100k, but I wasn't hearing an enormous difference tbh - but, as ever, there could have been other factors involved.

for sure - the AT is sounding great through it, although I think I'm using 1k plugs I got from Nick at the suffolk emporium some while ago.
I don't doubt that these are theoretically too high a value, but (finally and quite by chance) I seem to have got some synergy going, vinylally speaking, again.

the empire table the arm comes from is a thing of beauty as far I'm concerned - would love the whole set-up, but you don't seem to see them for sale over here.

one of my main 'test' discs is cruel sister by pentangle (particularly side A) and it's sounding 'right' again after what I realise now is a very, very long time.
Mcshee's unaccompanied vocal track and 'lord franklin' with bert jansch taking vocals can sound truly magical (hairs up on the back of your neck stuff) when everything's in whack - and I was pretty close with that earlier today...

[Slippershod]

apologies for bumping my thread - but don't seem to have an edit option on the above post ... ?

knew there was something wrong - should be 1k loading plugs, not 1000k!

having said that, I've put the 440 mla back on, and actually everything's much cleaner.

ripping 'northstar grassman and the ravens' last night - best 'out loud' reproduction of this lp I've had (my reference remains what I used to hear through a set of ergo 2 headphones I had once upon a time).

only thing is, that this is without any loading plugs being used at all, so, as a 'layman' on such matters, I'm not sure where I am with that at all, in terms of the effective value, and Chris's short reply thus far (he's actually away somewhere en vacance, so exemplary customer service) hasn't clarified this for me in terms I understand.

[Alex_UK]

I've edited your post for you Marc - you only get 24 hours to do edits yourself.

[DSJR]

I bet you could have picked up that Empire arm for peanuts not many years ago. We had a "Troubadour" turntable at KJ for a while until we took on Linn and swept all else away (why did we dod this so blindly???):( It was a superb deck - I believe Beobloke has one of the very few in the UK, maybe our old demo one? - but the comments at the time were about the high mass of the arm and the very high compliance of their top line cartridges at the time, making them supposedly incompatible.

[Slippershod]

oh, right, Alex. Thank you.

Dave - the Troubadour's the one I was talking about above I think - a lovely combination, although I don't like the high wooden 'cheek' at the back that's part of the lid.

Ironically, with the 440mla I guess I've ended up doing just what was so frowned upon at the time you mention (it's relatively high compliance I think?).

however... I must confess to using a somewhat ill-advised tracking force (don't try this at home!), so it'll probably last a week or two. Sounds really good 'tho...

btw, if KJ is the shop I'm thinking of, I bought my first 'proper' hifi stuff from there in the late 80s - michell syncro and the original jpw sonata speakers :)

[MartinT]

michell syncro

That was a lovely deck, I had one too. If only I hadn't bought a Helius Aureus to go with it (a complete piece of dreck), I would have kept it for longer. To think that an Acos Lustre was quite cheap at the time :eek:

We live and learn.

[Slippershod]

it was the mk. II syncro, with square cornered lid, Martin, and a humble rb250 and at95.

sounded great - partnered it with a mate's nad 3020 and the afore mentioned sonatas when we shared digs together at the time.

[MartinT]

Ah - mine was a round-cornered Mk. I in green-ish perspex.

[Dominic Harper]

Hi Marc, the loading plugs are for use with MC cartridges only. For MM carts, capacitance can be fine tuned with some phono stages. Thought I'd add this if you were un aware.

[Slippershod]

oh right, thanks for the heads-up, Dominic,-

but that surprises me as I've read about various diy'ers using plugs to tune such as the shure 97xe (which apparently tends to sound too rolled off at 47k...) - also, some old SS amps give you ratings of 47k, 60(ish) and 100k, which I assumed were for use with MMs (they'd be too higher values for MCs?) ... as well as capacitance options separately ... (some of the big old pioneers I think - I've had one or two of them anyway...)

am I getting totally confused here?


the guy at angle audio didn't suggest I'd asked for anything stupid - although perhaps he was just being polite :doh: :rolleyes:

actually, I'm not really hearing any difference with loading plugs when using MCs either ... so really am a bit lost this time 'round.
Although coming to think of it, I remember I couldn't hear it with a whest 2 I had briefly either (this when using MCs again).

I had some fancy full-size valve preamp which took plugs, and could definitely hear the differences with that one ...

but, as I say, I'm surprised, given what I've seen and read, on t'net, with regards to MMs.

Isn't there that Nova Phenomenon (or some such) phono-stage, that gives loading values all the way from 10 ohms (or so) right up to 100K?
again, the higher values would only be use for MMs, wouldn't they?

further clarification, or appropriate pointers would be great :scratch: although perhaps a bit of a lost cause in my case.

(actually the unit, generally, is sounding fine without any plugs in at all, so perhaps I should just accept my ignorance and 'carry on listening' ...)

[Slippershod]

too late to edit again - so another bump...

couple of links:

the nova stage:

http://www.musicalsurroundings.com/mslsurr_NovaPhonom.html


and a link to DaveyW's phonostage page (which I hope is ok with him and AOS):

http://daveyw.edsstuff.org/vinyl/loading/


I'm not going to pretend I really 'understand' this stuff, but I guess what I was hoping for from Angle Audio was something similar (in effect) to the Nova, but less expensive (:rolleyes:), and allowing for resistance change through the use of plugs (from 100k on down) ...

the unit has one gain choice: an either/ or for MM / MC ...


btw, shure IV with jico SAS on the empire now. Brush down, and sounding pretty good (no loading plugs :D)

[Slippershod]

a quick update on the t/table front:

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m626/slippershod/lenco-_-denon-_-jethers.jpg

second time I've had a gl75 (lenco) - but this time I've got it closer to where I wanted (last time had it serviced by a 'pro' who refused to take the silvery 'plate' off, and rewired the decca ffss arm I had on at the time into the 'junction' box on the top-plate which left it humming like a bad-un... :rolleyes:).

got the top off myself - although impatience meant I marked it quite badly to begin with - still looks a lot cooler to me, regardless.

have serviced the bearing using 'Joel's' kit - but am not diy enough to go any further.
Am thinking of sending it up to Dom at NWA when ready for more intensive servicing.

picked up a standard model revolver off ebay, as the jelco arms are a linn-fit drop in (in terms of spindle to pivot) on the lenco... the original arm sounded pretty good, actually - but really needs fettling.

almost didn't bother trying the wooden-bodied denon on the arm, as I assumed it was an obvious mis-match, mass-wise etc... but glad i did - seems fine to my ears.

hope I can stay put with this set-up, as it's really got the 'look' I like, and sounds pretty good, vinyl permitting...

the binocular-y lights thingy isn't attached to the t/table itself btw :)