Ha indeed, but I'm not imagining it.
You must come down and check it out.
Ha indeed, but I'm not imagining it.
You must come down and check it out.
agreed with that tony totally
ou might slip, you might slide, you might
Stumble and fall by the road side
But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down
Remember you're walking up to heaven
Don't let nobody turn you around
… Walk with the rich, walk with the poor
Learn from everyone, that's what life is for
And don't you let nobody drag your spirit down
Eric Bibb
Simple, Lenco's rumble through the stylus in the vertical plane as in the mono days, we only used horizontal stylus movement. a Lenco in stereo isn't always a quiet beast.Fitting one into a massier plinth may well take the noise figures down as stray vibrations may possibly be sunk into the plinth better? Back when the G99 was a current model and when we didn't have substantial bases, Hi Fi Sound magazine tested it and found cutting the mains input voltage knocked several db (audible) off the rumble and noise figures. I don't have the scan of the review group test sadly - they also did the 401, TD124 and Sony TTS3000 which won that little measurement battle.
As for active vs passive preamps, it's up to the amp design really I think. The geriatric amps I use don't like passives at all and are as quiet as a mouse with the matching active preamp. The other amps I have a little to do with still, sound fine with the passive and at all volume settings... Valve vs solid state preamps? Depends on the expertise of the designer IMO... Just my take.
Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me
How would you know of your amp was suitable to be used with either?
Other than trying it that is.
Turn the volume up fairly high and listen for HUMMMMM (in my case and this is irrespective of earthing arrangements). With other scenarios, the interconnects should I believe, be as low capacitance and short as reasonably possible (a metre or so seems fine with good cables) to prevent the frequency response being unduly affected. Your mileage may well vary though and while it shouldn't work properly (it doesn't really I'm told) the Krell amp Macca now has could be used successfully with a passive pre where this particular amp is balanced right from the input I gather, one leg needing to be tied to 'earth' if used with standard phono connectors, let alone a passive attenuator as well... So, as said above, I reckon you need to try it for yourself and see how the mysic is affected or not - (I used a variable output source to see what my different preamps did when daisy chained in, so am happy with my compromises). No hard and fast rules though.
Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Missed this earlier...
Defo, I would. It's *precisely* what I seek from my system, and have striven as much as possible to achieve... In Tony's well-known realism scale, I've always been a '10'!
I 'relax', and indeed derive most enjoyment from my system, when to my ears it reproduces music in the most lifelike way possible. I don't want anything deliberately 'smoothed off'.
Therefore, when I want to chill out, I keep the volume low, and simply revel in the realistic tone/texture of voices and instruments, and information retrieval at that volume, and when I want 'true realism', I crank it up, so that I achieve the correct level of dynamic impact to convey that effect (as far as possible). Simples!
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Indeed, which is why I'm currently having one built to a high spec. So why do LDRs not lack 'drive' or suck the life out of the music, in the way some other passives do, when used with a sub-optimal power amp? In that respect, LDRs don't seem to care!
That question, btw, is directed at all 'techies' present.
Exactly my experience, although only up to silver-wired throughout, Music First levels of passive, nothing much more exotic than that, but they've all sounded as you've described: beautifully sweet and open, detailed to a fault, but compared with the best actives, valve or SS, lack 'urgency'/drive, thus ultimately eroding musical involvement - the often elusive and defining factor that makes recorded music 'come alive'.Every-time I have place a passive pre amplifier in my own system, it takes a backwards step in transparency, natural pace (not artificial naim inspired falseness), stage depth and involvement. I have personally had many passive designs over the years including some ultra exotic Japanese uber constructed wonders which cost kidney transplant amounts, beautifully sweet, delicate, nice layering and fluidity in these area's you would struggle to get close even with valves, yet it was like watching a world class painter at work through a first floor window, not all of the perspective was apparent.
And with TVCs, as good as they are, I can always hear the sound of the transformers, a bit like with SUTs in comparison with the best MC head amps. The latter usually always have less of a defined sonic signature.
Au contraire, mon ami... These days, I think there's far more we agree on, than disagreeI would agree with Marco on one point though (I know hell freezes over twice this year!), passives upto £2K are generally better than most equivalent active pre's, there are always exceptions, though it is a valid point...
Yes, I'd rather have a well-designed passive, at any price really, than a budget active preamp, especially SS, as in my experience they make music sound as rough as a badger's arse. Some imported Chinese items, however, can surprise.
Ha - and what exactly are you implying, sir?The channel separation measured on the pre amplifier I use is 0.00025%-0.0005% @ 1khz and 1v even at maximum out (40V I know no one will ever use that level!, oh maybe Marco ) is still 0.093% THD
I agree, but I also think forums such as this can sometimes be useful for taking the advice of those whose ears you trust, when you aren't in a position to hear something for yourself. In that respect, if you're a regular contributor/reader, you get to know those who like a similar type of sound.Use your ears, in your system that is the only way YOU can decide if it is right for you not Joe blogs forum buddy group.
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!