Curious as to who the Watford Dealer is ? I guess its Unique Audio.
Curious as to who the Watford Dealer is ? I guess its Unique Audio.
Yes Mik at Unique Audio he was around 17 back in 1993 I think, a friend recommended him who had been dealing with him since he was 14 crazy young age to be selling hifi. Unique Audio was based in Neasden working from he grandmothers house at the time. His place is like an aladin's cave these days all sorts of crazy esoterica. I am always scared to visit as its always tempting as he has so many rare and wonderful bits he never lists. I always tell him he is his biggest customer as he is very attached to alot of the gear.
I’m nod a big fan of high mass platters like the Orbe uses and have also heard that the Gyro platter sound better. The Orbe platter has, in my opinion, a slightly recessed presence range and this makes it sound more powerful in the bass. I don’t think the actual quality of the bass is as good though. You will also find that exactly how much you tighten the clamp makes a big difference....
As you have some time on your hands to tweak the arm alignment, another choice of set up worth consideration is which cartridge/arm alignment geometry to go for. There are printable Protractor Downloads available.
The different philosophies will have varying influences on how the stylus performs in the groove.
Taking the time to set up a geometry that appeals to you the most, can be a worthwhile exercise.
I was in attendance, when I had this exercise carried out for me recently by another AoS Member, and I found it very satisfactory, insightful and rewarding.
The chosen geometry for my cartridge/arm, is now stored as a, Laminated, Print of the Protractor.
Yes I had heard that too, but now I have paid attention to the SME arm setup, it definitely does not have a recessed presence, maybe the Cusis cartridge is doing its magic here. I have noticed that having the clamp reasonably tight does improve soundstage and definition. I found with the Gyrodec platter that the bass was there but not as deep or detailed, it definitely improved with the Orbe platter, for instance the bass on Hugh Masekela is better defined and come across clearer in the mix, and tonally the drums on the Ravi Shankar are better. Im listening to Alan Parsons - Pyramid - In the Lap of the Gods at the moment and the bell and organ crash sound great.
Thanks for the advice, I have the SME arm protractor, but I will look into the setup for a Micro Benz Glider S which is the basis of my Cusis cartridge. I will have a search on the net to see what I can find out. If you can advise where I can find one that would be great?
Thanks for the advise.
Adrian
Mik certainly has a persuasive way with him, but what I really like is his passion for music, he really helped me get the best I could for my money even though I was probably at the lower range of gear that he sells. His recommendation of the cartridge and the LFD phono-stage was a very good one, as to my ears I have a very musically sounding system. It rarely disappoints, although if I put on a bad record then it is quite unforgiving as it plays what is there. Mik has some lovely equipment and I found it very interesting to listen to his top end system.
Regards,
Adrian