Hello from New York
Hello and Welcome.
So glad to find your wonderful forum, lot's of great people here.
I am a world citizen and Analog fanatic. Long time lurker, I have found your forum so many times reading about so many topics.
My system is heavily Vinyl centered, I have 5 tables setup in the 'Main' system right now. All tables are run into a Audio Research PH-1 phono stage>Conrad Johnson PF-1 (soon to be replaced with lightspeed attenuator)>Xover/Amp.
-For reference I have a VPI Scout and SDS motor controller & surgical silk, currently with a Supex SD-900 Shibata and Cinemags transformers. (just received a Koetsu Black, waiting for a retip, also have a Grace F11L and Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk2 to retip as well.)
-Fairchild 412 with Grace G-704 Arm (the aluminum one) and Grace F9L, tape belt. I love all Fairchild gear, amazing build. Papst motor
-Thorens TD-124 with Grace G-860-F 12" arm, with a mix of carts (Sony XL-MC2 LOMC, Grace F-9R,U,L,E) soon to get a 3ph motor controller
-Rek-O-Kut N-33-H with Grace G-840-F and mix of carts from above, used with VPI SDS controller (working on finding a true 3-phase inverter/controller for the papst motor most of my old tables share)
-Rek-O-Kut T-12 with homemade bamboo arm (old hdd bearings) and Sony XL-MC10 HOMC (mixed feelings, almost as good as an F9) and M-12-S Master-Pro Lathe with audax head. Need a beefier single phase motor controller for this, the VPI SDS can't take that much juice (30+watts).
I have been making various bamboo arms for years, about to foam fill some wands, also working on mycofoam/carbon fibre composite arm with the classic zenith cobra arm shape, as seen on the ob$cene Continuum Caliburn table.
Really happy to read about the siemens micromaster 420 being used to run 3 phase EMT turntable, set me off finding as many applicable AC motor drives as possbie, the Idea to run my papst motors as god intended (3 phase) really is optimal, I have dreamed of this since first reading of the Fairchild 412-4 motor controller.
Secondary system for 78's:
-Empire 208 with Grado wooden arm and a mix of mono/78 carts (a few old GE VR type carts mostly) and tape belt.
-Army Turntable from korean war, I think bogen made it, cheap on *bay a few years ago, built like a tank and has a decent astatic broadcast ceramic cart which makes reaally worn 78's sound listenable (think victrola damage), and that's what really matters after all. Ceramics really do have an amazing ability to see through noise. I would'nt play any modern record with it, but for 78's it's a good Idler drive with a ton of torque.
-Bogen DB-20F Intergrated tube amp I found on the street (switch for different 78/mono eq's, 2x 6l6gb tubes. works well with very old carts. Using a RCA 12" Alnico Fullrange (very interesting sound, very nice midrange) or a single Sequerra Metronome 7 (very neutral and lack of low end is ok for many 78's)
Other table not set up:
-McCurdy MC-12, still waiting on the idler, but impressive build. Nice heavy idler wheel table, 3 speed, nice bearing, the poor mans garrard 301...
-Fairchild F-26 16" Lathe, similar to a 199/539 series but older (currently restoring) and Fairchild 541a cutter head. (you guys seen the lathe trolls!)
-Thorens TD-160, for years was my main table, very good for a belt drive, want to try it again with silk/tape as a belt, also got to try the VPI SDS with it.
I have a few more.....
The Amps/speakers on the main system are either
- 2x Perreuax PMF-2150B amps biamped with a heavily modified Urei 518 crossover running to either a mix of my Magnaplaner SMGA's cut at 200hz, my Heil AMT-1 Tweeters cut at 700hz, or my Sequerra Metronome 7's cut also at 200hz, with 4 10" woofers in sealed cabs (im working on different options for xover/woofer combos)
- McIntosh MC2105 (found on the street by a friend!!) With a Pair of Yamaha NS-1000's, this is the speaker combo I am most accustomed to from over the years.
I am working on a strain gauge preamp/power supply, I believe there is much promise here, especially with certain older tables where hum is often unavoidable. Have seen a growing interest in these cartridges, so I hope someone other than sound smith jumps on the strain gauge boat.
I am mostly anti digital (definitely anti-CD), but being young it is an unavoidable evil, so I have jumped into a project from japan for DSD recording/playback over USB. It's called the ElectrArt USB-Dual-Audio, and so far I am very impressed. It is just a pcb and needs an external ADC/DAC attached via i2s, and has a custom driver and software for windows (very basic). I don't really care there is a lack of decent DSD material downloadable legally, as long as I can record my vinyl and tapes. Recoding at rates of 64fs 2.8Mhz and 128fs 5.6Mhz are supported, havent even tried 64fs, all my recording have been at 5.6Mhz. (a lot of people are trying the SD-Trans192 without any real source of DXD)
Current tests show it promising, I am working on extensive clock/power supply/analog front end modifications for the PCM4202 ADC, and likewise for the DAC Buffalo-II. I have recorded around 50 records testing so far, and rerecorded a many multiple times, I know this is an endless loop of improvements then rerecording, than getting a new cart, rerecording, than getting a better clock....,... and so on.
I am trying to get it to a level I consider "Mastering" quality, whatever that means.... (I've been around professional recording environments often over my life), My final tests will be in a professional studio comparing it to other high end pieces of gear.
The Twisted pear Bufallo-II is a great piece of kit, a lot of fun with all the mods possible. Pretty decent stock, compares to Protools 192 stock (not amazing, but acceptable) but with power supply/output stage mods it really shines (compares to higher end DACs like lucid, lavry, apogee, but there is still room for improvements on all fronts). I have tried the Legato, OK, clean and detailed, but not engaging (tried the Placid BP supply and a mix of medical linear regulated supplies)..., Transformer output has given me the best sound I've heard so far in the high's, but still working on loading to get the lows well balanced (I Might need some sowters, jensen or lundahl's, currently using german mil-surplus which are high bandwidth 50k+). Also tried using a pair of RCA MI-9362 Movie theatre tube preamps for the output stage, with matched tubes it really is a beautiful sound, punchy and detailed, not as 'clean' as xformers or the legato, but something special, and works very well for a lot of music. I am working on different ends for a neutral, clean and wide bandwidth tube i/v stage, thinking 12b4a or 2a3 maybe, nice linear tubes. If I want a fatter fuller warmer sound I was thinkng toward 6SN7/6SL7 (have quite a few stockpiled.) As it stands I switch between the tube/legato/xformer ever few hours....
Also on working on the DXD side, can't wait for the Arda At1201 ADC to be released. You guys seen Ted Smith's Discrete DSD DAC, really incredible work would love to build one, or better yet just hear it.
On the Tape side.
Definitly going to make a tube phono preamp one day with switchable IEC/NAB/Nagramaster/RIAA/FFRR/Flat Eq, should cover a lot of bases..... Running a few Revox's, 3 A77's (2 track and 1/4track) and a PR99Mk3 (gotta get those opamps out!!!!) and have an ampex 351 transport which oneday might be reunited with it's associated tube electronics.... love what the tape project/bottlehead has done as far as a tape revival, wish they had more selection though....
The lightspeed LDR preamp is really an eye opener, and John Swenson's BDT preamp looks too amazing to not try. I want to take the LDR idea and run with it, and make a analog active crossover with no moving parts in the signal path, if anyone has tried this I wanna know.
My speaker research has brought me from field coils to massless plasma speakers, and everything in between. Plasma microphones are a curiosity too, ever saw the Tri-Ergon system from the 1920's? or the Ionophone. Would love to revive plasma mic's even if they have severe limitations, imagine a neumann style dummy head with massless mic with a frequency response into supersonic and incredible speed, maybe with DSD/DXD/1" Tape you might have true aural immerison with plasma headphones!?
Cables are handmade, I don't believe in the $1k+ power cords.... Speaker cable is twisted pair mil-spec silver plated 18.5 gauge solid wire, interconnects are as thin as possible, Has anyone tried that ultrathin ribbon wire from inside old electronics for headshell leads? Also gotta get on carbon nanotube wires for tonearms/headshells, I feel it might just be the holy grail of tonearm wiring, the skin effect is very powerful.
Well that should be enough to start me off here, hope that was'nt a boring read.
-Alexander Countey
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Originally Posted by alexcount
, but my father frequented them from the 60's till they closed. 
At least, I can say I was still a teenager at the time, I think. I wasn't alive in the 60's, I know that! 
I was back in the city for the holidays; but, sadly didn't have time to shop. Heck, I've been down south so long I probably don't know what's still open and what's closed it's doors. Got any recommendations for a displaced New Yorker?
