Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.
Well, a combination of things, I think.
I'd started off streaming with Tidal on Justin's reccie.
I stayed with it for about a year, then an audio-buddy suggested I try Spotify Premium. I was dubious due to its lossy nature but gave it a go.
I think it was similar to Jim's turntable colourations which he seems to love so much - there were some tonal quirks and a slight smoothness (less rez) to Spotify that actually came as a bit of a relief compared to Tidal, which had come to sound a bit stark, insistent and forward.
So I kind of relaxed into the Spotify sound and revelled in the breadth of its catalogue (better than any other streaming service, ime).
But there came a day when an email from Qobuz gave me 3 months free trial at 16/44.
I appreciated getting the "Tidal rez" back and it seems rather more tonally neutral than Tidal (possibly setup dependent) so I can happily listen for hours.
So I have coughed up for a Qobuz 16/44 sub and cancelled Spotify Premium.
And that's where I am at the moment.
EDIT: And Qobuz has the advantage of being able to search by record label and also has a decent and growing proportion of "CD booklets" available for viewing.
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Chris
Common sense isn't anymore!
Cool, *but* which proves that you're not quite getting where I'm coming from mate, because in my view it has some of the best attributes of CD, as I outlined earlier, whilst still sounding like a good turntable. Therefore, by definition, in some ways it sounds like a good CD player.
I can't really put it any plainer than that
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!!!
"I don't doubt that Ollie's SP10 sounds exactly as you describe. Plinths aside, which can fundamentally change their presentation for better or worse, turntables, such as SP10s, don't need modifying, as they were originally built as pretty much 'cost no object', unlike the SL-1200, which was rather more built to a price."
I agree with this. The SP10 doesn't need much help other than getting rid of the shite platter mat and sticking a Tenuto (or a n other) on it. That was the biggest upgrade I've made to an actual TT.
The plinth is Panzerholtz and the arm is incredibly good (thanks Phonomac) so no need for change there either.
No worries, Jerry. The difference in my system is that, whilst I totally agree with you about the more "relaxed" sound of Spotify (in my view as a result of its inferior resolution), which is why I ultimately didn't get on with it after only about 3 months of using it, Tidal doesn't sound in any way "insistent and forward", simply more like music should do, in a high-fidelity sense, due to the source signal being less compromised/compressed.
With me, as soon as I detect an obvious bottleneck in the sound, compared with what I know is right, then it's out the window, as I'm not after anything that could be deemed as 'rose-tinted' or imbued with obvious coloration. I like to hear stuff, warts and all!
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!!!
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.
Well, yes - it just took me a bit longer.
-- and I do miss the extra scope of the Spotify catalogue a bit. But there's more than enough music of potential interest on Qobuz to keep me happy for several lifetimes.
Although if Spot started up a hi-rez service I would be first in the queue to sign up and give it a go!
.
Exactly my experience, which is precisely why, in my main system, I've stuck with using (now for over 10 years) an 'obsolete' Sony CDP and DAC, from the late 80s (albeit modified), the latter of which uses multibit technology!
Consequently, that's why it has some of the 'addictive musicality' you get from a good turntable, and why in my system there isn't a lot to choose between the performance of vinyl and digital, simply because my T/T has many of the attributes of a good digital source, and vice versa with my CDP/DAC - and none of that is an accident
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!!!
Absolutely Shaun. The problem is that these days few folk appreciate genuine quality and are prepared to pay for it. It's all about what's cheapest and most convenient, which for me is a really sad state of affairs, compared with how things used to be in that respect.
As I said, the current attitude is indicative of our increasingly 'disposable society', where aside from anything else, nothing has any real value or longevity. Folk simply want a 'quick hit', and are unwilling to work at anything that requires some effort, in order to be rewarding - including their relationships [don't get me started on that one]!!
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!!!
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
Yes Marco, a number of years back I had my own photo gallery in a cellar under a shop in Pickering, North Yorkshire and I sold framed prints of mainly black and white photographs. A lot of these were genuine photographs printed in the traditional manner but sadly, most of the general public didn't give a damn. There were of course the discerning few who could see the difference but most folk simply didn't care so most of what sold were framed digital prints in glorious colour.