Now those I did like, although not enough to keep my copy of 'I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night'.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Cawley
Regards.
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Now those I did like, although not enough to keep my copy of 'I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night'.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Cawley
Regards.
Right, that's what I was getting at, it's only going for that sort of money because of bloody collectors who don't really give a twopenny crap about weather the music is any good or not just that something is 'rare' therefore collectible, so up goes the price, bonkers:mental:.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
If Andre wants to listen to it fair 'nuff, no cunning stuntery was intended on my part regarding his musical tastes but once 'collectors' get involved it just buggers things up for those of us that want to get hold of the records to actually listen to them, as opposed to just collect them, like stamps or beer mats.
I've been looking for the first Quintessence lp for ages but whenever they come up on ebay they're always described as VG (collector speak for half shagged) and end up going for 50/80 quid, FFS.
Talking of Cunning Stunts, even that goes for £50 these days and it's crap:doh:.
Good cover though.Quote:
Originally Posted by REM
Pretty much the reason i junked Vinyl, as i listern to obscure prog you can on most occassions pay like 2 weeks wages for an LP that Record Collector pricing say it's worth, finding a mint 1st issue is a no no regardless of price. They destroyed my hobby top & bottom.Quote:
Originally Posted by REM
I can cope with collecting the titles on CD but the whole nostalgia & enjoyment i used to get has all gone, absolutly no way can i go back to vinyl.
Cunning stunts as in Caravan! it's worth a fiver at the most i say
:whistle: ;)
Paid a tenner for mine a couple of months ago
:lol::lol::lol::lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by REM
Quote of the month that . . .:lol:
Got yerself a bargain there at least according to POPSIKE.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo
Mind you I wouldn't give 10p for it, I said above it was crap, wrong word really, boringly predicable, derivative, noodley doodley drivel is nearer the mark. I bought the thing on its' release, it was the last prog album I bought! Hope you enjoy it Chris;)
:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
Vade retro satanas !
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Excellent-CJ-W...item3efc5ef5e7
Great little buget decks.. Four point suspension (which is all open frame wooden construction),you can fit extra longer than norm arms on this deck, tufnol platter, doddle to set up..Walker was good , i think he went to design the 'Chester' loudspeaker for castle acoustics if i remember..'CJ55' Sounds a bit like a Manticore 'Mantra'..
I remember this one Andre, and also the wooden biscuit tin shaped one too.
Don't forget the 'CJ58' that was plain horrible & yes the 'CJ61' which was even more horrible biscuit tin, simular to the Systemdek'II'..Good old dayz.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
I completely agree - superb little deck, which would piss all over yer Rega P2/3s and entry-level Pro-Jects!
The 'Linn' LVV arm fitted was also made by Jelco, and thus was somewhat better than fanboys made out, who were at the time brainwashed into believing that 'straight' tonearms with fixed headshells (shite like the Akito) were automatically better, much like Rega fanboys were when the superb Lustre-designed R200 was replaced with the all-new 'improved', designed by Rega, RB250 (haha!)
The truth on both occasions was that was far from the case... ;)
Yup, anyone looking to get into vinyl on a budget should snap up this little classic CJ Walker tout-suite. It has 'proper' written all over it! :cool:
Marco.
Speak of the devil:
Manticore 'Mantra' Looks like the original Mission arm fitted, like a suspended Rega but don't sound as poor..Plinths were veneered at Castle Acoustics as were ATC speekas...I bought one of these new when they came out, i loved the mega bouncy suspension on em.The oddest thing was my Zerostat gun used to switch the deck off :scratch: Looks like a late-ish ones..there was a mega bearing available for this deck aswell..If anthing was a let down it was the surplus Logic lids.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Manticore-Mant...item335986b265
Colin Walker was around in the very early Ariston days and could tell a tale or three about the goings on with Hamish Robertson and Linn all but stealing the designs, themselves a blue-printed Td150..
I got to know Colin in 1975 when he was marketing the original Fons deck, also designed by hamish I believe. It's main fault was a weak motor and hideously resonant one piece platter which rang like a bell. The first ones came with wooly felt mats and the ones everyone remembers had the stuck-on rubber rings and printed strobe.
The arm marketed by Manticore was the "Musician" IIRC and it was made by Helius I think, as was the arm Heybrook had made for them. The manta deck was more Linn-like than the Axis and basik and sounded very good with Rega arms (maybe it was the fibre arm board perhaps).
There were some great mid-priced decks out there all but ignored by the Rega crowd. the Systemdek IIX 900, AR Legend (with sorted main bearing), the later Heybrook TT2 with cast sub-chassis which lacked the boingy bass of the mk1 version and the Little Pink Thing (if looked after as they were a bit frail in places). I had all of these through my hands and respected them all.
Marco, the LVV was a bit variable and didn't take to user abuse al all. Linn replaced the few clunker samples we had and I thought the arm very musical, covering its tracks very well. This arm NEEDED its flexible headshell (and resonated better with it by the way) and sounded better with the little rubber gland left in place. Fitting a solid shell sans washer and it was worse. They fetch stupid money on ebay now - well over £100 and I think anyone paying this much for one must be mad :lol:
The Basik Plus is my favourite of all the Linn (Jelco) Basik arms, except that the counterweight decoupling rubber all but liquifies after a decade or so, making the counterweight spinn freely on the rear stub, when it should have been a firm fit.
Don't get me started on the Akito, let alone the early Ekos :( :steam: if the Ittok LVIII was the same as an early Ekos, why did it sound better at the time than the vastly more expensive replacement?
Is it that tempting Dimitri? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Themis
Regards
Your right Dave the Fons 'CQ30' was Hamish..If you look at the Ariston 'RD11E' & Fons you can see the simularity..I think a lot know what i think about Linn, put it this way my old late version Logic 'DM101' with the additional spring pissed on it from great heights...O the Linn 'Axis' was a better listern than the 'LP12' anyday..well untill the 'Axis' PSU broke down anyway :lol:
I didnt like the Manticore arms prefered the Logic 'Datum S'..
The Pink Triangle 'LPT' was a great deck, i had the 'LPT' with built in 'GTO' Power supply (Think it was the 'Export' this was also used in, not positive), i loved it even thought it was a simple design..The most worrying thing was the Moth deck i had at the sametime sounded just as good!All these decks were great stuff even if the proper engineering of say the Garrard '301'/'401', Thorens 'TD124' etc etc were all gone.
Didnt Helius make the QED arm for there R232 turntable?
Be Quick, Not a black un but you can't have everything
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Myst-TMA3-inte...item2c52c45ab3
Don't like this seller.
The 'C200' is missing from the side cheeks, but just single cheeks were at one time available..If you must have a 'C200' theres two on the flea bay now..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/a-r-cambridge-...item414c26516e
Oh yes !!! :stalks:Quote:
Originally Posted by barry.d.hunt
Hi Dave,
Yep, the Basic Plus was better still (in some ways). I'd definitely use either though, providing they were in full working order, before I would an RB250 or 300 - those two are amongst the most overrated arms on the planet!Quote:
Marco, the LVV was a bit variable and didn't take to user abuse al all. Linn replaced the few clunker samples we had and I thought the arm very musical, covering its tracks very well. This arm NEEDED its flexible headshell (and resonated better with it by the way) and sounded better with the little rubber gland left in place. Fitting a solid shell sans washer and it was worse. They fetch stupid money on ebay now - well over £100 and I think anyone paying this much for one must be mad
The Basik Plus is my favourite of all the Linn (Jelco) Basik arms, except that the counterweight decoupling rubber all but liquifies after a decade or so, making the counterweight spinn freely on the rear stub, when it should have been a firm fit.
I guess the reason that I got such good results with the LVV was because (even then) I was using it with a DL-103 (through a battery operated Lentek head amp) in an AT MG-10 magnesium headshell, which suited the LVV down to the ground, and indeed the LVV was almost idential to Denon's own tonearms of the time, so it was a match made in heaven in my (then) system of Ariston RD11S (with Moth 'Flutterbuster' PSU)/Nakamichi BX-125E/Sondex S230 integrated amp/Misson 700, with VDH cables throughout.
Nice wee system that, around 1983... Not bad for an 18-year old in the bedroom of his parents house! :)
I also got good results with a Linn Trak (an underrated Linn MC cart, IMO) on the LVV, which I used for quite a while before I later 'upgraded' to an LP12/Valhalla/Ittok/Karma. The arm and cartridge were definitely an upgrade, but the T/T wasn't! ;)
Marco.
I've got a Ariston RD110 special edition with corythuim plinth with a 3009 fitted, has anyone had or seen one of these before?
I'm currently using a AR legend fitted with a Linn Basik LVX and Goldring 1010 which sounds better than my Grado Gold:scratch:
Yes I used to have one, infact i still have a spare sub platter for it under the bed. I'll dig it outQuote:
Originally Posted by Jonboy
Nice in a Japanese kinda way ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Themis
Notice the Pinch Roller is situated above the Capstan
You should see how much worse the LVV behaved with a "decent" headshell... the arm and bearings weren't up to it IMO (and Linns too)..Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Trak? MisTrak more like. Bloody little terrier that failed the Asak quality control (and, IIRC lacked the glue added to the Asak innards to control resonance) and mistracked badly on anything it didn't want you to listen to...
Sorry mate, you may have fond memories of such a wild concoction, but you'd wince if you tried it now - I promise you :D
Hi Dave,
Not in my experience, mate... Remember we've had discussions like this before about M3Ds, Stantons and such like, and in the end you've come round to my way of thinking ;)Quote:
You should see how much worse the LVV behaved with a "decent" headshell... the arm and bearings weren't up to it IMO (and Linns too)..
Honestly, the LVV I used in the RD11S sounded fantastic with a high quality Audio Technica magnesium headshell on it and the DL-103. Like I said, check out some of Denon's own tonearms from that era (made purposely to suit the 103) and you'll notice a remarkable similarity in their respective designs....
Linn LVV:
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3103/linnlvv.jpg
Denon DA-309:
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3...on20da3092.jpg
See what I mean?
I've no idea how the LVV worked with other, more 'normal' cartidges though, as I only ever used it with the 103 and Trak....
Again - not in my experience. I used one happily (along with the 103) for about a year and a half before getting the LP12/Ittok/Karma combo. The Trak worked very well in the LVV. It absolutely loved all the 80s stuff I used to play at the time.Quote:
Trak? MisTrak more like. Bloody little terrier that failed the Asak quality control (and, IIRC lacked the glue added to the Asak innards to control resonance) and mistracked badly on anything it didn't want you to listen to...
Trust me, if it sounded like you suggest I wouldn't have had it for that long!
Well, it certainly wouldn't be as good as what I'm using now, but I doubt it'd make me wince. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this :)Quote:
Sorry mate, you may have fond memories of such a wild concoction, but you'd wince if you tried it now - I promise you
Where we do definitely agree, though, is here:
It's *precisely* that addictive musicality/tone which I feel is sadly lacking in many of today's tonearms (cartridges, too), where the sonic balance is voiced to be more incisive, 'mechanical' and rather clinical sounding. We've definitely lost some magic along the way in our quest for 'accuracy' with hi-fi equipment these days.Quote:
Marco, the LVV was a bit variable and didn't take to user abuse al all. Linn replaced the few clunker samples we had and I thought the arm very musical...
Thank God for the Jelco SA-750, though, as it's got that very musicality/tone in spades, reproduced by equipment from the good old days we both love, which is why I adore it so much. It's got 'soul', man!
Marco.
The LVV was based on the ADC arms and the bearing block, if not the pillar were identical..
Remember, I sold the Trak with 1980's Naim... The high treble was very "scratchy" when compared with the Asak, although most of the Asak character was there (being the same thing basically). My favourite of the three was the Asak "T," which was the best selected one at a very profitable price premium.
P.S. One characteristic of the Trak and Asak design was a lack of the 3-D image in a good recording, something you and I value hugely Marco. I agree that they were good at reproducing 1980's contemporary music, but the Karma and Troika were so much better, especially today with less "fruity" turntables and an EsCo re-tip
You know Marco, at today's prices an Asak would sell for nigh on a grand (well, several hundred anyway). Would I pay that much for one when the AT33PTG is less than half the price, or a ZYX R100 or Lyra sell for the same, let alone the Royal N SPU? Nah.....
I didn't get Naim until later. Dunno about ADC - I've not used their arms. All I can say with absolute conviction is that the LVV worked a treat with the DL-103 in the Ariston, as did the Trak.
It's probably a context/synergy thing, as often happens in hi-fi.
Catch you later, dude :cool:
Marco.
I got my Asak in '84 and IIRC it cost £200 which made it an expensive cart at the time but at todays prices it would be around £450/600, depend on whether you measure price or wage inflation, so in contemporary terms a more mid range item.Quote:
Originally Posted by DSJR
My particular Asak died on one channel after about 8/9 months and Linn refused to repair/replace it as they had just introduced the Asaka, it took the intervention of my dealer to get them to replace the thing, so much for Linns' customer support. The Asaka was a huge improvement, made me realise that much of the Asak 'character' was in fact mis-tracking!
The pricing shows how the market has changed (become more expensive) over the last 1/4 century, however the Denon 103 cost £100 back in the day when Ian Rankin 'didn't' review it for TFR and still does today, food for thought.
I've just noticed your edit, Dave....
I couldn't say, as I never used an Asak. However, the treble definitely wasn't "scratchy" with the Trak on the LVV. Perhaps the better quality (heavier) headshell I was using on the LVV made the difference?Quote:
The high treble was very "scratchy" when compared with the Asak, although most of the Asak character was there (being the same thing basically).
I know from experience that headshells can make a significant difference to how a cartridge performs, and the Trak was quite low compliance, if I remember correctly, so probably liked a bit more mass. That's another reason why the LVV worked so well with the 103 (particularly with a higher mass magnesium headshell), as the arm had a standard effective mass of 13.5g (further increased by the heavier headshell), compared to the 10.5g of the Basik Plus - and this extra mass probably also benefited the Trak.
Sounds like a reasonable theory, no? :)
These days, yes, but I'm not sure how important such things were to me as a 17/18 year old jumping around his bedroom like a dafty to Duran Duran or Heaven 17! :eyebrows:Quote:
P.S. One characteristic of the Trak and Asak design was a lack of the 3-D image in a good recording, something you and I value hugely Marco.
It worked for me because that system boogied like a bastard and was FUN with a capital 'F' (I've still got that sound in my head now...) When my mates came round we always had a riot, and they loved it compared to the stack systems and music centres they were using at the time, which sounded shit in comparison.
Well that's all I listened to in those days, so for me it wouldn’t have mattered a jot what the Trak sounded like with anything else. Perhaps then we can agree that it was a good 'pop' cartridge for playing the likes of your Human League and Frankie Goes to Hollywood 12" singles? ;)Quote:
I agree that they were good at reproducing 1980's contemporary music, but the Karma and Troika were so much better, especially today with less "fruity" turntables and an EsCo re-tip
Yes the Karma and Troika were much better, as I later discovered, but I always kept the 103, as none of the Linn cartridges I used quite had its addictive sheer verve and 'get up and go' qualities, when partnered with the right ancillaries.
Nah, an Asak wouldn't interest me these days, but then neither would an AT33PTG or a bloody frigid sounding Lyra (!) ZYX are quite nice, but the Royal N is more my cup of tea - or a Decca! :cool:Quote:
You know Marco, at today's prices an Asak would sell for nigh on a grand (well, several hundred anyway). Would I pay that much for one when the AT33PTG is less than half the price, or a ZYX R100 or Lyra sell for the same, let alone the Royal N SPU? Nah.....
Marco.
Found the 110 sub platter, just shoved the spindle in to hold it upQuote:
Originally Posted by Jonboy
Yes, oh well... it's an Akai... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
:scratch:Quote:
Originally Posted by Themis
Jonboy, The best of the cheaper Grado's is the basic model. Any dearer and sound gets softer and softer and softer and softer............ Some call it refinement, I call it dullness!
Marco, we're not so far aprt you know. I had a whale of a time in the eighties and bought loads of 12" singles - all played on an Asak before the karma. I also have a home pic of an LVV on an LP12, but I don't think I had the thing very long as I don't remember using one.....:scratch:
In case anyone wants to know what the heck I'm going on about -
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q.../LVVChoice.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...eccaChoice.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...AsakChoice.jpg
The Asak pic is wrong incidentally... By the way, these cartridges were tested AND auditioned in an LP12/LVX (ferchrissakes) through - wait for it - a CYRUS 2!!!!! - oooh my head aches at the thought.....
Trak review comin' up..
There a typical company thats for sure *get worse as the get on*..
Hi Dave,
I've got that very copy of Hi-fi Choice - in the days of its 'mini' format! I've read it many times :)
I'd agree with their summary of the Trak - only thing is, I got it to 'sing' very nicely indeed on an LVV with a heavy headshell, with no need for anything more expensive to "do it justice"! :ner:
;)
Marco.
This very evening - Sony CDP-777ES for £560
Nice.
Wasn't the 777 one of the classic ones we never saw, or was it the 557 - I lose track of model numbers.
I think the last one of this series we saw in the UK was a single "7" digit IIRC. It was a smoothy as I recall and the last ones were flogged off for £550 approx in HyperFi....
You can tell he's chuffed as a badger, can't you? And rightly so! Keep on grinning from ear to ear, Stevey boy :lol: :eyebrows:Quote:
Originally Posted by twelvebears
Oh, and welcome to the 777 club! :)
Dave, Mark will verify, but I'm pretty sure that the last of the truly great Sonys was the 777.
Marco.
At the time, it was being lamented that none came over here. Obviously some did, either grey imported, or a handful to the best city dealers perhaps. What a shame....... I believe the German audio scene was wetting itself over it and even Ash had some good things to say about these players (and I mean that as the sincerest compliment :lol:)
'557' an earlier player than the '777',both very simular looking, both are larvley..I prefer the '557' tho Dave..Quote:
Originally Posted by DSJR
Last was the ESJ version of yours..Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I am quite happy actually. Just hoping it's a good as it looks in the pics. The owner (he's had it from new) insists it's been only lightly used in the time he's owned it, so fingers crossed. :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
My plan is to get him to send it straight to Mark at Audiocom, so that he can get to work on it. Will be a bit tortuous not getting to see it first but it'll save postage cost and bother.
Service manual if you need it ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by twelvebears
http://pcbunn.cithep.caltech.edu/jjb...CDP-X777ES.pdf
Andre, you're driving me bonkers with that F307 avatar. I have no need for it now but the F307 is one amp I'd LOVE to own for some strange reason....
Why ???
I've got one in the loft and that's where it belongs. Looks great but......:vomfest:
Quote:
Originally Posted by hifi_dave
Sell it me then i need another you could use the money for a set of ear in aids :lol:
You can never have enough F307's