Init bro!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Out here on the perimeter there are no stars . Out here we is sound immaculate.
Courtesy J. Morrison;)
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Init bro!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Out here on the perimeter there are no stars . Out here we is sound immaculate.
Courtesy J. Morrison;)
Isn't it, Stoned Immaculate?Quote:
Originally Posted by User211
[emoji106][emoji16]
Sent from my 9001X using Tapatalk
Definy not Josie. Definy not.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Adder
Issy u deaf?:)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...qJUhBAv5WIElAX
Interesting review here of the Duelunds versus the Jupiter Copper Foils: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/051..._capacitor.htm
Also here: https://www.dhtrob.com/impressies/ju...copperfoil.php
Can't wait to hear what these do, and if it goes as well as I think, I'll be introducing some into the Xovers for my Tannoys!:cool:
Marco.
Something else worth noting, I pulled out my NOS 1945, military spec ,Tung Sol Black Glass 6SU7GTYs [premium quality 6SL7s] from my 'spares box', and popped them in the Croft, as I hadn't used them for a while:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/MKrU0n.jpg
...and WOW - I'd forgotten just HOW good these are!!:eek:
Massive 'walk around' soundstage, holographic imaging and pinpoint micro-detailing, with the creamiest and most mellifluous midrange (a la Mullard, but on steroids) you've ever heard, combined with a gorgeously organic and tonally rich (but tight and tuneful) bass. Very addictive... They'll be staying put! Rather like 1950s-vintage ECC83s are the best, so are 1940s 6SL7s!
Andy, you should try and get hold of some of these tubes, as IMO they knock 5691s into a cocked hat:)
Marco.
I had some Teflon V-Cap CuTF caps spoken about in an earlier Lampizator.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I think the Jupiter's are much better. The Teflon's sound a bit odd to me. Too slippery smooth and it is like everything sounds 'polished". A weird description I know. But that's the word that describes it!
IMHO Dueland are way overpriced compared to Jupiter. I can see some people considering the Duelands superior but me and someone else I know prefer Jupiter. But with the caveats I mentioned earlier WRT capacitance values.
Your description of your Tung Sol remind me of my Tung Sol 6A3 BTW. I consider those the most organic triodes I own. And I own shit loads.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
We shall see, I need to get a pair first. I do own a pair of Tung Sol 67SLGT (Black bottle/Micanol base) but not the "Y" version. I rate these as very good tubes in the context of my own system. As an aside you might want to speak to Paul @ RFC, he's made lots of new modifications to Tannoy XO's since you last had yours done. We checked mine out and I'd gained a dB of efficiency. I've his top spec sitting in mine. I don't have any Duelund components sitting in my XO.
I think it's important to say that familiarity does breed some degree of contempt and a change is as good as a rest with component swapping.
With a large collection of valves when you really get to know their various personalities sometimes it's like meeting old friends if you haven't heard a particular valve in a good while.
It's almost a personal relationship, and sometimes you feel guilty that you've neglected them for a good while in favour of something else.
Tis an odd thing.
Whilst I feel that's true, some friends (or valves) are better than others. Not just different, but basically better.
Hey, ho.
:)
You should get some duelund in yours. In my research (and we (tannoyista) did a lot) they made a marked difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by REXTON
I can't remember the name to whom made Marco's but I know he was very well regarded.
Sent from my 9001X using Tapatalk
Interesting thoughts, Justers. As I've said, different makes of valves, caps, resistors or whatever will largely sound different, depending on the circuit they're in, and also like anything else, in terms of preference, it will come down to the individual tastes of the listener.Quote:
Originally Posted by User211
However, that said, I do think that, in general, the products from specific manufacturers tend to have a 'house sound', ably identified among the consensus of numerous users who, despite having different gear, have reported a similar sonic signature, hence for example why, with valves, that of Mullards and Telefunkens is universally considered as being at opposite ends of the tonal scale - and that also tends to happen with capacitors.
At the end of the day, however, you're essentially dealing with 'flavours', and the task of successfully combining them within the context/sonic signature of your own equipment, and therefore what sounds 'best' will ultimately always be governed by that:)
It does seem though that the Duelands are a little overpriced compared with he Jupiters, which is one of the reasons I opted for the latter for this project [as you know achieving the highest SPPV is always high on my agenda], so I'm looking forward to hearing what they do:cool:
Marco.
Hi Andy,Quote:
Originally Posted by REXTON
Firstly, remember that the valves I'm talking about, and illustrated earlier, were 6SU7GTY [the 'U' is significant], not standard 6SL7s; although they are electrically similar, and so considered as equivalents. The ones you're looking for are the 1940s versions, with black glass and black writing, on a dark brown base. Those are the best sounding.
Others of later vintages will not be the same, or indeed anything marked as a 6SL7. These are very much premium, military spec versions of the latter. A pair of 1950s ones were sold a while back on here: https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...084#post829084
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/mGSsKA.jpg
You can see that those have white writing on them, rather than the black of the 1940s ones, which shows that they're later versions. Still sublime sounding, though!
In terms of crossovers, I hear what you're saying and I'm glad that you've had some useful gains, but I have my own people I use for such work, and with these types of projects, like I'm doing with the Celestions, I prefer choosing the components myself and creating my own 'sonic signature', as that's all part of the fun!:cool:
Marco.
The guy who did mine is a member here called 'swampy', David. He's top notch, and one of the best I've ever seen at soldering stuff. Amazing neatness and attention to detail! He did all the point-to-point wiring on the crossovers for my Tannoys:)Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Adder
If I really like what the Jupiters do, I intend on trying them in there, perhaps instead of the Clarity Caps, or something else. We'll see!
Marco.
Yes, I agree with that. The other thing is that, chances are, in the interim, you'll have changed your system in some way, added a new component, cables or whatever, so what was 'best' before, in a particular context, won't necessarily be so now...;)Quote:
Originally Posted by User211
Marco.
Here we are a little picture of my Duelund bypass caps in the 15's. Very nice they sound.https://i.ibb.co/ZhGL4br/WP-20201006-006.jpg
Interesting... Aside from the cap changes, they look quite different from the crossovers in mine!
Did you assess the speakers first, just by changing the existing caps for the Jantzens, or do both mods at once?
Marco.
No I did the Jantzen's first and then modded them with the bypass caps about 3-6 months later. I did the bypass caps about a month ago. The Jantzens replaced some clarity caps. Here's the original thread https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...lestion+ditton I've now got the 15's setup and intend to listen to them over the next couple of weeks to get a handle on what the bypass caps are doing. The old wardrobes have been pushed aside!
Ok, noted. So what did both mods bring to the party, sonically, but especially the bypass caps?:)
Your 15s are defo much later than mine, probably by about 10 years, with yours being from 1977. Aside from the crossover components, even the original binding posts look more modern.
This is what mine currently look like:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/Dsb3wq.jpg
Compared with your old ones on the left:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/w7b2DC.jpg
...which are positively 'high-end' in comparison!:D
Marco.
Marco,
Family time and lunch beckon so I'll write something tonight.
No worries, matey. I'm in a similar position myself:)
Marco.
Just to report that the RCAs landed yesterday, and..... They're bloody brilliant!:eek::DQuote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Firstly, these 'coin base' RCAs are very well made, and heavier than most other valves of the same type, due to what appears to be a thicker/denser type of glass, plus the (visually at least) heavier-duty construction of the internals, and also the thickness of the pins. In that respect, they're superior to earlier 1960s versions, which is rather unusual, and the first time I've experienced that with valves of a later vintage (in this case 1970s), being better built than previous ones.
Sonically, they're very dynamic, punchy and 'alive', allowing appropriate music (such as metal, in this case Tool) to motor along with an addictive impetus and rhythmic drive, which is rather grin-inducing! However, they're also extremely detailed and able to pull out the subtest of musical information buried in the densest of mixes, as well as imbuing voices with the requisite 'air & space' in order to sound convincing and real. The top end is also suitably 'crisp', but never bright or spotlit.
Therefore, these are defo keepers, and rank among the best NOS 6SL7s I've heard!:cool:
Marco.
Ooooh, something new to try out!
Well, treat yourself... The seller I used still has a pair left: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Platinum-...72.m2749.l2649
:cool:
Marco.
Hi Andrew.
I've just sent you a message.
For anyone else who is interested, everything you need to know in regards to the upgrades I've had done to the Croft are here:
https://www.tannoyista.com/2020/06/c...er-highly.html
:)
Fantastic, Jo... Andy, *that* is how it should be done!:eyebrows:
No doubt Jo's got a world-class preamp there now, very similar to mine [in real terms probably in the £15-20k league] - and trust me, when you hear what a preamp like that is capable of, sonically and musically, you simply WON'T use anything else - EVER! As it would almost certainly be a downgrade:trust:
Marco.
A very big THANKYOU Josie. :clapclapclap: .Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Adder
Cool :) Happy to help.
So.... Jupiter bypass caps now in situ (and new binding posts fitted) to the Celestion 15s:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d343be0_o.jpg
Result? BIG (and very noticeable) improvement in the sound!:eek::D
Full report later...
Also, just bought some 12uF NOS Soviet paper-in-oil caps, to try as replacements for the original electrolytic ones: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-12uF-5...72.m2749.l2649
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/6s6Dbv.jpg
Those should be here by the first week in December, so we'll see what they do, too!:cool:
Marco.
Told you so!
Russian PIOs are brilliant. I have some left over from the crossover research.
Sent from my 9001X using Tapatalk
Weel.... I'd been thinking of getting back into the 'humble' cassette tape again for quite a while, having last dabbled in it about 10 years ago, with a Nakamichi DR-10. I'd originally thought of returning to what I'd used in the 80s, for a little bit of nostalgia, which was a BX-125E, then thought of going better with the 3-head BX-300E...
However, a search on Ebay revealed this vintage Tandberg, and I fell in love with the the VU meters and its overall 'retro' looks:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/2VcVD5.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/tOuDjf.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/8YFyyv.jpg
Original purchase receipt:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/9gp2y6.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/v7GO76.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/dZyoxm.jpg
Even comes with some NOS tapes! And joy of joys, it was located in Wrexham, 15 mins from my house!:D
Not only that, but also the seller's description, for a piece of vintage kit, was 'text book':
"This was a prized possession of my fathers who bought this on 06.01.75 for £157.50 as per the receipt in the photos. It is immaculate and I have tried to show any tiny marks in the photos. The deck comes with all the original paperwork including receipt, guarantee card, operation instructions, vertical mounting strips, and a variety of other information that had been acquired and copied."
A totally quality thing, with only one owner from new and in virtually mint condition, with the original purchase receipt, instruction manual and guarantee! £157.50 in 1975, equates to around £1300 today...:eek: So this is top-of-the-range gear from its time, and from a renowned and arguably 'Rolls Royce' manufacturer of cassette and reel-to-reel tape machines.
More info here: https://stereonomono.blogspot.com/20...ction%20system.
What makes this deck a little more interesting is that it has 3 motors, one synchronous motor for record/replay, and two motors for fast forward and backward winding.
It doesn't need to do metal tape, as I prefer good chrome position ones anyway. I still have lots of unopened NOS tapes, from the best manufacturers, I'd bought before from ebay (shown below). Not plugged it into the system yet, but sounded great at the seller's house when I collected it.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/iIAV3b.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/60g0Qo.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/K0rrG6.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/HyTjjQ.jpg
I intend on enjoying it for a while 'as is', then having it fully serviced by RDE, just to get it performing at its full original potential. Anyway, a nice bit of fun to have over Christmas, as I intend on recording lots of vinyl onto tape and making up some good compilations!:cool:
Marco.
Always good to see 45 year old kit still in showroom condition with all the paperwork. How it should be. That's a great score. I've always rated Tandberg. Cut above.
Seeing those old BASF and TDK tapes brings a lot of memories back. Everyone had their favourite, used to get quite tribal as I recall. The TDK-SA boys vs everyone else - who were wrong ofc.
i had one of those, or very similar model... excellent decks.
Ah, the rabid 'tape wars' - I remember them well!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Macca
I did like TDA SA (and SA-X), plus Maxell and others, but my favs were the BASF Chromdioxid (as shown) - a nicely crisp, dynamic and weighty sound, but of course much of that is down to the deck used, how well the heads are set up, and synergy with different tape formulations.
I agree with what you said. The looks, condition and provenance was what sold it to me, plus the 3-motor thing, and the fact that there are much less moving parts than normal for a tape deck. With a proper service, it should perform as new, as well as look like it, and be easily maintained.
It was £250, so not 'beer money', but considering the condition and its sonic potential when fully serviced (it's already very good), plus the fact that collection was local, I thought it was worth it:cool:
Marco.
Cheers, mate. Interesting that you had one. How long ago are you talking about and where did you get it from?:)Quote:
Originally Posted by struth
Marco.
That's a good price, have you seen what tape decks are selling for now? Utter tat is selling for not much less. Plus Tandberg kit in good nick has always held its price.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
got it on here and resold it here. (i think) might have been different model but very similar otherwise. I did like it ;build quality is superb really and sounded good too. Ive done away with tape medium although ive lots of tapes, including lots of new old stock ones i got from Barry. Still got a cd style loading cassette deck but not used it for years.. think it was a denonQuote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Ah yes, the famous Shure SC35C. I'm quite fond of it myself, I have an old "made in USA" one along with a small stash of styli (most also NOS "made in USA" with white lettering as opposed to later Mexican ones with black Shure logo). They are the best, although this Jico conical is not bad at all (it tracks very well at 3g): https://www.jico-stylus.com/product/n-44-7x/
Blimey, the lad has gone completely audiophile bonkers. I've never seen as much kit documented in such a long time. Keep up the good work Marco. I'm feeling less sanguine about the hobby myself!
Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
:D
I had a pretty decent Technics machine in the 70s. The only way I liked it was with Maxwell ferric oxide tapes and definitely no Dolby. Dolby was like listening through an ear muffler. Just plain sucked.
Sssssssssssssssssssssss. Ssss.
LOL.
No clicks and pops, though, which lets face it are even more annoying. TBH the ssssing never bothered me much as the music I listened to didn't have much in the way of quiet passages.
Enjoy Marco tis quite pretty.
I thought the number of 'Dolbys' a deck had was purely a status symbol. Did anyone ever use any of them when taping a mate's records? Except once to discover that on balance they'd rather have the hiss?
I used mine mainly for recording John Peel.
I had to find what I had.
Here it is. It was a well made thing. It got nicked, unfortunately.
https://youtu.be/Hqwt6pkBCzQ
Lolz - churz! Clicks and pops? Not on my vinyl watch, bro!:nono: Moi black frisbees iz squeaky cleanio, so niento poppity-clickety:DQuote:
Originally Posted by User211
Yeah, totally agree about zero Dolby - eva! In terms of audible hiss in between tracks, there isn't much at all (even through 95db Tannoys) with the sound up pretty loud and Dolby off, as this thing is so well 'sorted'.
I'm currently in the process of recording a CD to tape (Yello - Touch), using one of the NOS Maxells, so will report back on the results when finished. What a joy it is having cool VU meters to use for adjusting levels, along with some good slide controls for each channel - *so* much better than naff LEDs and a knob...
On playback of chrome tapes I'd made from my system years ago, I'm very pleased with the sound - really crisp, clear and punchy, with a lovely rich, tight and tuneful bass, SO analogue! Even without it having had a proper service so far, the Tandberg is right up there with the best decks I've heard, including top Sonys, Pioneers and Naks.
It has a very open sound and isn't rounded-off or muffled in the mids and top end like many of its ilk, and in that respect sounds more like good CD than tape, but with that addictively 'creamy' and organic sound you only get with analogue.
There's defo more to come though with a proper service. I examined the heads and pinch rollers earlier, and can see little signs of wear, but gave them both a good clean - not much dirt came off, which is testament to how well this deck's been looked after - and it is veritably immaculate. Like Martin says, 'showroom condition'!:)
I'm using the phono sockets just now as outputs to the preamp, but there's also an option of a 5-pin DIN socket (to phono), a la Quad and B&O, which the manual says is more sensitive than the phono sockets, so once a suitable cable arrives, I'll be trying that to see if there is any difference. It sounds great through the phonos, but I suspect there may be a gain in SQ using the DIN.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying it, so it's defo 250 notes well spent!:cool:
Marco.
Yeah, defo... Although as I've just told Justers, there really isn't much hiss to speak of. A nice thing too is that when you're in record mode, a really cool big (vertical) red light illuminates, rather like the 'On Air' sign you once seen in radio stations, and along with the coloured VU meters, creates a nice glow in the dark!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Marco.
Find yourself a PXL-2000 and you can record video on your cassette tapes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PXL-2000
Actually although analogue VU meters are pretty, the LEDs were a significant advance at the time. They were much quicker and hence more accurate at displaying peaks. And the ones on my Technics were lovely. Spent ages just staring at them.
I wouldn't mind that machine again. Three on eBay in Germany at the moment. £180. Not sure I want to bother with the servicing etc.
A cool thing... But not really something I'm into:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Marco.
Yeah they looked good on the video, although I'd have to disagree about LEDs. I like to see tips of needles hitting the red zone on meters, not (what I consider) as indistinct, flickering bursts of light on the peaks. I guess it's a personal thing, but I can just read VU meters easier - and at the end of the day, something is only as accurate as you're successfully able to use it:)Quote:
Originally Posted by User211
You should take the plunge, as it doesn't necessarily need to compete with your other sources, sonically, just provide a bit fun.The big bonus for me will be making up compilations of my 80s 12" singles (got around 1000 of them), and over Christmas enjoying them through the Celestions downstairs in the lounge.Quote:
I wouldn't mind that machine again. Three on eBay in Germany at the moment. £180. Not sure I want to bother with the servicing etc.
Servicing isn't a massive issue, depending on how much the deck is used and how well it's looked after. Once I get the Tandberg done, I wouldn't envisage needing it serviced again in years.
Got a few NOS 100-minute blank tapes, so having nearly an hour's worth of uninterrupted choons from my yoof, per side, will be quite nice! My next toy though will be a Tascam CD-R machine, so I can start ripping vinyl again to CD, and do it to a very high standard:cool:
Marco.
I used to have a Sony cassette machine which I bought when I found it could make equally good recordings as my Series 6 Ferrograph reel-to-reel machine, but without the inconvenience of the latter.
It had fluorescent bar meters which I liked as it had the facility of leaving a short term record of the highest reading ( a bit like a maximum and minimum thermometer). The argument over whether needle meters or bar meters are better or not, is simply one of aesthetics. What is more important is the 'ballistics' - how quickly does the meter react, and how quickly does it fall back from a peak. In that respect PPM (peak programme meters) are much better than VU (volume unit) meters, and I have found that in general bar meters have similar ballistics to that of PPMs.
I quickly found out that the best tape to use was Sony's own, as the bias etc was obviously set up for it. It was poor with pre-recorded tapes (I later found out that only a few manufacturers adhered to the Philips Red-book specification).
Within a year or two I had replaced it with a Nakamichi B125E, and used it with 'bog standard' TDK D tape (but later had Bowers & Wilkins re-bias the machine so as to use TDK MA metal tape). Always used 90 minute tapes, so as to fit two LPs worth. Oh, and I also used Dolby 'B', as I could hear the difference with and without. The Nak also played back pre-recorded tapes properly, as it was one of the few machines to follow the Red Book; not that I had many pre-recorded tapes (about three, I think). Most of the tapes I made were for the car, but I did record some plays and many, many editions of 'Late Junction' on Radio 3, to hear 'new', contemporary Classical, Electronic and 'ethnic' music.
I also have a Nakamichi BX-2 machine - forerunner of the BX125. Both machines are capable of making good recordings. I once made a copy of a piano concerto using TDK metal tape in a metal-bodied cassette - the copy was indistinguishable from the CD. I wish I had bought a lot more of the metal-bodied cassettes; they are absurdly priced these days.
I do have a CD recorder, picked up for a song, but haven't tried out yet. Must do so, if only to record CDs for the car (I dislike the 'slot' entry players, fearing they might scratch the CDs, so will only play copies).
All interesting stuff, Barry.
I take your point about meters, but as I'm not really making 'serious' recordings, absolute accuracy isn't important. The VU meters on the Tandberg are very well engineered and seem to do their job well - certainly good enough for me, and they also look cool, which in my case is an important factor..
I always found metal tapes, except one that Sony [and TDK] did, with a solid-metal casing/bodyshell, which was silly expensive, and sounded superb, rather 'shiny' sounding and lacking in warmth, tonally. A bit like they were trying too hard to sound 'super-clear and clean' (like 'digital'), to my ears, at the expense of musicality.
It's probably largely a personal taste thing, but I also feel the same way with, for example, many modern MC cartridges, which for me are voiced in a similar way: hi-fi over music.
The Tandberg [do you like it, btw?:)] seems to really like NOS (I only ever buy the best NOS, unopened blank tapes, as anything remotely new is cack in comparison) Maxell XLII90s, as the recordings I'm getting with those, with Dolby off and EQ set for Chrome, are quite superb, and quite honestly deviate little from the source CD. Yes, THAT good!:eek:
There's obviously nothing wrong with the heads of this machine, which is something that was of slight concern, as with 45+ years of use, you just don't know what you'll be getting in that respect... It'll be interesting hearing what (if any) difference a good service makes, but I'll be doing it mainly for peace of mind and to know that everything is 'right'.
I'll be spending some time tomorrow making recordings from vinyl, so I'm looking forward to how that turns out:cool:
Marco.
I thought the same about Chrome tapes. But I guess it's a matter of taste.