Step Up to the Plate - Bent Audio Mu

[Barry]

Barry,



LOL, no! What gave you that idea?

I've got six different cartridges, and a detachable headshell arm, so when the mood takes me I like to take different ones 'out for a spin', so to speak. It just happens that I've been playing with the stock 103 and 103R recently, so I decided to wake up the HA-500

The M3D will most likely go back in again later today. It's nice to have access to different presentations with music!

The weather here in the UK over the last few days has been scorching hot, so I've put the Tannoy Devons out in the garden and have been listening to some tunes as I work. With the 1210 and 103 at the helm, the sound is fantastic through the Devon's 12" dual-concentric drivers, and I have no problem whatsoever filling the garden with sound, as I sip a nice chilled glass of Chablis - later of course; it's a little too early now!

Marco.

Glad to hear it - especially as Neil has asked me to research a piece on early American cartridges of that era. I too like to try different cartridges: I have 12 and that's why I have 4 turntables. Still can't get over King (kcc123), with his thirty odd cartridges.

By the way are there many Decca fans out there? - I have a love/hate relationship with them: they're fussy, need to be carefully set up and behave like no other cartridge that I know. It is a project that I had reserved for retirement - well I'm there now, so maybe I should pull my finger out and make a start. That and revisit the M55E!

Mention of Chablis has reminded me that I ought make a couple of postings on the 'What are you drinking now?' thread.

Enjoy the Summer
Barry

[Barry]

Until I found AoS, I've been singularly unimpressed with every hi-fi forum I've ever seen. This is mainly because, I guess, they're inhabited, in part, by a small number of folks, who're more interested in scoring points than having lively & intelligent discussion about the subject.

Thoroughly agree with you Chris!

AoS is quite unique amongst all the other hi-fi fora. None of them are anyway near as informative, knowledgeable, or as friendly as AoS.

I'm impressed by the number of posts made concerning the 'software' - the music; which, after all, is what its all about.

AoS is a quality forum - just look at the Ethos section. How many other fora base their ethos around the concepts of Areto, Eunoia and Phronesis? (I expect that members of a certain forum being discussed at the moment would think that these are the names of some new Linn products - but that would be thread jumping!)

Regards
Barry

[The Grand Wazoo]

AoS is a quality forum - just look at the Ethos section. How many other fora base their ethos around the concepts of Areto, Eunoia and Phronesis? (I expect that members of a certain forum being discussed at the moment would think that these are the names of some new Linn products - but that would be thread jumping!)

Ha-ha! Harris who? Harris Tottle...........never 'eard of 'im mate!

There's a nice philosophical connection with what you write & the name of the step-up in the original post.

Mu: No Thing / Nothingness Japanese
......or as John Chapman says "Out of Nothing Comes The Possibility For Everything"

[Barry]

There's a nice philosophical connection with what you write & the name of the step-up in the original post.

Mu: No Thing / Nothingness Japanese
......or as John Chapman says "Out of Nothing Comes The Possibility For Everything"

Very Zen - I'll run it past 'Arry next time I bump into him in Athens.

(I did wonder what the Kanji squiggle meant on the side of the can)

Barry

[Mike Reed]

CHRIS,

I have to say that was an enthralling write-up of your SUT journey; whatever else, you have remarkable tenacity.

Mere mortals such as I could never embark upon such an odyssey, and I do remember the advice on the MUs you gave me a year or so back. However, it does surprise me that you tried Koetsu's own (very expensive) sut, which, ostensibly at least, was designed to get the best out of most of their carts., only to consign it to the 'also rans'.

Possibly the rather high 600 microvolts output of the Black may have been a factor.

Regarding the comments about A.O.S. differing from other forums (not 'fora', according to my New O.E.D.), I couldn't agree more. I liken it to a gentleman's club, as opposed to Speaker's Corner (or the House of Commons?).

[DSJR]

All these people with shedloads of dosh in this day and age..........

Looking at the excellent observations above and Barry's equally excellent technical backup I think I know what the main cause of my MC problems are with the Croft and Ortofon T5's (with Sony badges on). Quality of reproduction aside, the gain at 20x (26db) is far too high and I suspect even 5x gain would be ok, although 10x would be better with matching volume control settings between CD and LP.

How much are the bent Audio trannies? I suspect a good few hundred quid, looking at them...

[The Grand Wazoo]

Hi Mike,
How's it going?

CHRIS,
I have to say that was an enthralling write-up of your SUT journey; whatever else, you have remarkable tenacity.

Well, thanks for your kind remarks! Actually, the whole process sort of grew into an obsession, which I quite enjoyed.

However, it does surprise me that you tried Koetsu's own (very expensive) sut, which, ostensibly at least, was designed to get the best out of most of their carts., only to consign it to the 'also rans'.

I didn't buy the thing (thank God!!) but I had it on loan for a very long period while a work acquaintence was doing a spell abroad. I think it would be fantastic in the right system (& I've heard it behave so), but it was not right for mine.

It overdid the 'Koetsu romance' just a bit too much, making the system sound (& I think I used this term when we discussed this between ourselves) a little old fashioned - in the warm & woolly sense. I think may well have been as a result of the combination of the cartridge/SUT with my SP8. Perhaps if I'd been using Telefunken valves instead of the Mullards I favour, and/or more silver cabling, it all may have clicked. But then, on the other hand, it may not have!

[The Grand Wazoo]

All these people with shedloads of dosh in this day and age..........

Ha-ha, that wasn't this day & age my friend!!! At that time I was earning more than twice what I get now.

How much are the bent Audio trannies? I suspect a good few hundred quid, looking at them... :scratch

I have the printouts of John's emails here now, & I scrawled the currency converted figure in the margin of one . I paid John a base price of £445. Then there was shipping & the duty man got his bit, so it probably ended up at around £600 - £650. At the time the silver version was £700, but the £:$ conversion at the time was pretty much as good as it's ever been.

I don't know if the new version is available or not - there were some long delays a while back. Take a peek at his website - it's fascinating, especially if you're into DIY audio.

[Barry]

Regarding the comments about A.O.S. differing from other forums (not 'fora', according to my New O.E.D.), I couldn't agree more. I liken it to a gentleman's club, as opposed to Speaker's Corner (or the House of Commons?).

Second declension Latin nouns ending with -um take their plural as -a (I had a classical education). According to my OED, Collins and the American Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary, both plurals are acceptable. Surprisingly, Fowler is silent on this matter.

Since all of this has nothing whatsoever to do with music and it's reproduction, and in view of the fact that AoS itself uses the plural forums, I will defer to the majority.

Regards
Barry

[The Grand Wazoo]

Second declension Latin nouns ending with -um take their plural as -a (I had a classical education). According to my OED, Collins and the American Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary, both plurals are acceptable. Surprisingly, Fowler is silent on this matter.

Since all of this has nothing whatsoever to do with music and it's reproduction, and in view of the fact that AoS itself uses the plural forums, I will defer to the majority.

Regards
Barry

Barry,
Ha-ha!! Did you bump into 'Arry out in the street or something?
I always want to type fora, but think folks will think I'm a pretentious arse!! - maybe I am.

Now for a (short, for the sake of my blood pressure) list:

I also cringe as I see the word 'than' evolving into 'then' (usually as a result of our friends across the water).

A Schedule is now a scedule.

An integrated amp is now an intergrated amp.



...........were you taught that in Latin, the letter 'v' is pronounced 'w'?