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Thread: Michael Fremer said :-

  1. #81
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

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    I have heard pretty much the best CD playback in the 90s, owned some of it as well, and more recently, own some of those as well, and vinyl, well look after, played back on a good turntable, well set up is better.

    My AMG Giro, destroys all the CD players I have, including an Esoteric P5, D5 combination, Moon Andromeda, and Marantz CD7.

    The things that helped CD do well, back in the day was, small size, no before playback requirements. CD players just worked, no special set up, long play back time possible, no changing sides, lie that digital was perfect, lie that CDs were indestructable.
    Regards Neil

  2. #82
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pharos View Post
    I think we all at times can see aspects of ourselves as plonkerish; how many of use live with a constant internal criticism and self loathing I wonder.
    More than you think - and there are plenty of the breed posting on forums: haters who love to hate, and who resent anyone or anything that serves to showcase their insecurities!

    Valid points made about cultural differences between America and here, and his overall demeanour is something which I have inadvertently interpreted in the light of, what was, once at least, our cultural preference for humility, but I cannot remember any evidence of Framer's hard work.
    Probably more 'work smart' than work hard, but I'm sure he hasn't ended up where he is now simply through good fortune!

    Yes, the paper specs of CD probably inspired enthusiasm.

    To be scientific is to take into account all of reality, not to be selectively inattentive to the inconvenient..
    As for the first bit, indeed so. However, the second bit is spot on, and quote of the year! So much so, that I shall make it into my new signature and credit you accordingly.

    You could also say, in terms of the above "inconvenient", that it's allowing your mind to be controlled (instead of guided) by your belief system. Shades of cognitive dissonance, which isn't healthy... What you're describing essentially is LAZY SCIENCE, performed by wannabes and measurists, purporting to be scientists, not the real deal!

    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!!!


  3. #83
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    Sorry I don't understand, enjoy what? Vinyl, or having to get a train to Manchester and back to buy it? I hate Manchester but I did used to go up there occasionally to buy vinyl in the late 1990s.
    "Enjoy", as in enjoying the joys of vinyl (playing it and the music it contains), and also a day out in town, daftee!

    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!!!


  4. #84
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AJSki2fly View Post
    Yep, completely agree, I wish I had been savvy enough to do something I loved for my work, instead of the IT crap, still it paid well at the time.

    I wonder how many in hifi sales or industry actually love it themselves.
    Well I did when I was in the trade, but I didn't turn it into my own business. I did that, rather successfully, with one of my other passions: art and design

    But yes, there's nothing nicer than waking up in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead, and the chance of making some good money doing something you love that's fun!

    For me, that's worth its weight in gold, or rather the satisfaction and contentment it brings, and the subsequent positive effect on your overall well-being. I'm convinced it's one of the reasons why I enjoy such good health.

    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!!!


  5. #85
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral Morn View Post
    The things that helped CD do well, back in the day was, small size, no before playback requirements. CD players just worked, no special set up, long play back time possible, no changing sides, lie that digital was perfect, lie that CDs were indestructable.
    All very true, Neil. However, to a genuine audiophile and hi-fi enthusiast, those things should never be the driving force behind the decisions you make with hi-fi. As I've said before, often the best things in life you have to work at a bit, in order to fully appreciate

    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!!!


  6. #86
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    "Enjoy", as in enjoying the joys of vinyl (playing it and the music it contained), and also a day out in town, daftee!

    Marco.
    Yes, I did use to enjoy buying it and playing it, but times change and it's no longer where I'm at. I've re-bought most of my vinyl collection on CD now, will sell the vinyl when I retire/get made redundant. It's all personal and subjective of course, but mostly I prefer the sound of the CD. Not because it's technically better or for any reason other than I just do.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  7. #87
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,240
    I'm Adrian.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Well I did when I was in the trade, but I didn't turn it into my own business. I did that, rather successfully, with one of my other passions: art and design

    But yes, there's nothing nicer than waking up in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead, and the chance of making some good money doing something you love that's fun!

    For me, that's worth its weight in gold, or rather the satisfaction and contentment it brings, and the subsequent positive effect on your overall well-being. I'm convinced it's one of the reasons I enjoy such good health.

    Marco.
    Yes and probably why I have my ailments, due to stress from silly IT projects and bosses trying to make me and teams I was responsible for jump through hoops of fire.
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  8. #88
    Join Date: Feb 2010

    Location: Moved to frozen north, beyond Inverness

    Posts: 2,602
    I'm Dave.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    And the cd player in their Amstrad midi system was a lot better than the crappy plastic turntable sat on top of it.

    Even today after 20 years of internet there's a lot of serious enthusiasts who have no idea about the technical aspects of anything and no desire to learn. So there's no way that back in 1983 that technical knowledge was a driver of CD sales.

    IIRC a CD was £12 and a vinyl LP was a fiver in 1983, and the cheapest CD player cost more than a Rega Planar 3. Only rich people could afford to get involved. If you look at the sales figures CD only started to take off in 1985. Before that the vast majority of album sales were on cassette tape. Nobody was buying cassettes for their technical superiority!
    I bought a CD player - an early Philips model around 1984. Before that I had turntables, arms and cartridges - and also a cassette deck and even a cheapie portable cassette player and Walkman. Every year or so I’d buy a new pickup cartridge. I started with Garrard crystal pickups, then migrated to a BSR ceramic, then to Shure and Ortofon cartridges. Each seemed to have its own sound and I thought (possibly deluding myself) that each was better than the previous one. I never got round to buying a moving coil cartridge - they were too expensive, and needed extra kit to make them work. Also my first vinyl records were mono - so my first pickups were mono too. Stereo was an improvement, though it was sometimes debatable, as the quality of stereo pickups and some early stereo records wan’t really that great, at the time. I remember the excitement of moving onto stereo, plus some disappointment with the SQ of some records and some early pickups which would hardly track the discs.

    There was no doubt in my mind that CDs when those came to market were better compared with records at that time. I’m still not sure that there’s any bias in favour of vinyl to my ears, even now. However, around the time that I got the CD player, I did hear a couple of rather good turntable set ups, and I was surprised at how good they sounded. In the 70s and 80s it would have cost many arms and legs to get sound quality as good as even a cheap CD player. Commercial cassettes were generally execrable. Some open reel tape recorders were really quite good, and in the early 1970s I used one or two to make live recordings.

    There were definitely some CDs which didn’t transfer well to CDs in the 1980s - including some supposedly demo quality LPs - the CD transfers of a few were rubbish, but that wasn’t true of all of them. Some LPs sounded almost identical to the CDs on fairly modest equipment - checked by running the CD and LP of the same piece in sync. I also discovered that not all CD players sound the same - some are much better, but it takes time to sort that out. 30+ years on we may now be comparing different things - today’s high end CD players versus similar quality record decks, or perhaps today’s modest CD players against similar quality CD players.

    Re vinyl versus CD - if the vinyl is made from digital masters then I don’t see that the SQ should be better on vinyl - it should be similar or worse. If the LPs are of older recordings, it is perfectly possible for the LPs to sound better, as remastering old recordings from master tapes may simply reveal that the tapes have deteriorated catastrophically due to the passing of time, so any CD made from the tapes may sound really bad. Some specialist firms (e.g. Pristine) remaster CDs from LPs, and some do a good job, though in some cases having the LPs still provides a better experience IMO. One example is Keilberth’s recording of the Flying Dutchman - originally released in mono, then some while later in stereo on the Decca Eclipse label. Pristine have remastered that set, but I think the LPs still have the edge - though perhaps I’ve never heard that set under the best conditions. The Sailors Chorus in that set works well with speakers with good bass, as one can hear the stomping of the performers on the stage, which gives it added impact. It doesn’t work so well with poor quality loudspeakers, as then the foot stamping is more or less inaudible.
    Last edited by dave2010; 20-11-2019 at 17:45.
    Dave

  9. #89
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

    Posts: 1,861
    I'm Dennis.

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    "The point I'm making is that you can't always expect the stuff you want to be right on your doorstep... Sometimes you have to make an effort to get it. "

    This raises what I think is true for me, and possibly others will agree; the greatest satisfactions I have had have been from personal endeavour.

    I agree about having satisfying work, but hindsight is a great thing, in retrospect I would not have followed my 'family script' and worked for large organisations for reasons of security. I attended an Amway lecture once, and in that was stated that, "You get what your job's worth, not what you're worth". Large organisations are full of mediocrity, mini-politics and skulduggery, and certainly do not often recognise talent, and when they do, often jealousy is the reaction.

    I remember being so excited in the second year of my apprenticeship that I could not get to sleep for wanting to carryon with a project. I later, at the BBC, related this to my manager who responded that I should be in management. At that time the head of External Services Engineering was griping about the low morale of the teams.

    It is possible that Framer is caught up in a whirl, and cannot believe his fortune.

    And AJSki2fly, I remember going to the Sound Organisation at London Bridge regularly on my days off, and seeing the (late) Derek and Dave Wiley. Often they would be yawning and bored, seemingly pissed off, and I couldn't at that time understand it because they seemed to have the perfect 'gig'.

    Cognitive dissonance is useful - provided we act on it appropriately, and adjust our thinking or life to eliminate it for the better.
    If we stay with it, it can really damage us.

  10. #90
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    Yes, I did use to enjoy buying it and playing it, but times change and it's no longer where I'm at. I've re-bought most of my vinyl collection on CD now, will sell the vinyl when I retire/get made redundant. It's all personal and subjective of course, but mostly I prefer the sound of the CD. Not because it's technically better or for any reason other than I just do.
    Nice one, that's cool

    I'll take the "mostly" bit though, as I've been there and saw your reaction at bake-offs to hearing vinyl at its best (you know the time I'm referring to], so it's probably safe to say that that sound you heard then is right up there too!

    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!!!


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