The Marco-boy main system, as of August 2020

[Marco]

Marco,

Sounds like your going to have a merry old time over the next few months. Good luck! I'll be certainly looking forward to what you have to report.

A

Cheers, Andy, and yes you're right. Time to have a bit of fun again, as I've been off the scene for a while. Unlike most here, I'm not a swapper, so tend to 'throw the kitchen sink' at something ONCE, and do the job right (nail it), then enjoy and leave well alone!

So in the long run, I usually end up spending far less on hi-fi than others (with expensive tastes, lol) who are continually swapping stuff, and never get to where they *really* want to be! That's certainly the rationale behind my current shenanigans with cartridges/wires and headshells...

Essentially, after selling my Denon DL-S1, which was superb, but not 100% 'my thing' (simply because ultimately I prefer a bolder, weightier sound), I needed something to replace it, and which was capable of replicating a goodly dose of its musical magic, but underpinned by more authority. I'm confident that the GL will be it, ably supported by 'the best' [in terms of my judgement criteria] headshell and leads, in order to maximise its capabilities.

Btw, yesterday I took delivery of the capacitor loading kit I mentioned earlier (see here: https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/6...le_Accessories), experimented with the various loading options, and made some rather interesting discoveries!

More on that later....

Marco.

[matodono1]

RE: Houdini

This is really interesting guys.

I have literally heard the benefits from fitting shims between the headshell and cartridge. One of my tonearms does not have VTA adjustment so it was more out of necessity than experimentation. When I fitted a shim (just for fun) on a TT and arm with VTA adjustment, it sounded better leveled with the shim in place than leveled without . . .

These were just plastic ones, but I did consider that using different materials could make a difference. Sounds like I may have heard what improvements a 'poor mans' Houdini could bring. I don't doubt that the effect could be significant with large audible improvements, given the obvious research and engineering that has gone into making something like this.

Hi Opti,

We tested many other spacers, bits of foam and felt (no names) They solve problems but also cause problems. The Houdini is indeed designed to only solve problems and thus sounds more natural.

I have announced elsewhere that we are allowing A of S members to get hold of Pre-release Houdini's and not suffer the next month without. If interested simply mail Arthur at info@thefunkfirm.co.uk
he will make all the arrangements with you from there.

Thanks for your comment and interest...

Matt.

[matodono1]

Lol, I like that one!

The statement I made is true, quite simply because NO tonearm fixes what the Houdini does: a fundamental problem that hobbles, not only the performance of ANY arm or cartridge, but their ability to accurately retrieve the musical information from the record grooves!

Yes, a well-designed tonearm is mandatory, and brings its own benefits, but none facilitate the (all important) decoupling of the cartridge from the headshell, like the Houdini, and where instead the cartridge is tightly coupled, resulting in the loss of so much MUSIC... And you simply won't appreciate that until you hear the effect for yourself.

The removal of that bottleneck, therefore, is what makes the Houdini essential for anyone who truly wants to hear their record collection at its best!

Marco.

Yes we are very much on the same page here. All of us including Arthur (The Mad Scientist) have learned so much over the last months. It has truly been a revelation!

Continue to enjoy!

Matt.

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[Marco]

RE: Houdini

This is really interesting guys.

I have literally heard the benefits from fitting shims between the headshell and cartridge. One of my tonearms does not have VTA adjustment so it was more out of necessity than experimentation. When I fitted a shim (just for fun) on a TT and arm with VTA adjustment, it sounded better leveled with the shim in place than leveled without . .

These were just plastic ones, but I did consider that using different materials could make a difference. Sounds like I may have heard what improvements a 'poor mans' Houdini could bring. I don't doubt that the effect could be significant with large audible improvements, given the obvious research and engineering that has gone into making something like this.

Hi Chris,

In terms of the bits in bold, most certainly. The first bit I've also heard for myself, and have tried various "shims" made from different materials, such as graphite, exotic hardwoods and brass - all made improvements in slightly different ways, but there's no doubt that most cartridges, certainly moving-coils, benefit from a bit of added mass, and the Houdini provides that with its 2g weight.

However, that's just a side show... The 'main event', as it were, is the isolation and decoupling effect it provides, which touching upon the latter (above) is designed and engineered, in order to tackle the two aforementioned issues WAY more effectively than any wooden, plastic or metal "shim". Therefore rest assured, that if you try a Houdini, it will outperform ANY other such device you've used to date, and in a way that will amaze you!

Marco.

[Marco]

Yes we are very much on the same page here. All of us including Arthur (The Mad Scientist) have learned so much over the last months. It has truly been a revelation!

Continue to enjoy!

Matt.

Cheers, Matt. The Houdini is one of the best things I've fitted to my turnable in years, as it's really making me enjoy my vinyl collection like never before!:cool"

Marco.

[Marco]

Ok, another incoming toy... As you know, I love quality vintage cartridges and have had great success in the past with the G800, so fancied trying the improved version, after spying a fully-NOS one in Holland:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxroHrr0zQk

[/URL]



It gets a good rep, and sounds pretty funky on thus vintage Akai player:



Anyway, I'm looking forward to adding it to my cartridge collection in due course!

Marco.

[Roy S]

Think I've got one of those in the collection, came off a PL115D, 1st right but looks like the stylus isn't a Goldring.

[Marco]

Nice selection of carts... It's probably a modern replacement, Roy, but you can get NOS ones on ebay, etc. Have you listened to your G820 recently?

If/when you do so again, fit it to your heaviest/highest-mass headshell, as it will respond well to that, as will tracking it at the upper end of its range (1.5-4g), so say 3g. Details here:

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/...ng/g-820.shtml

I'm really looking forward to hearing this cartridge, as NOS ones are as rare as hen's teeth, and comparing it with my Shure SC35C. All I want now is a NOS Shure M3D [shouldn't have sold that one either when I had it], and I should have all the cartridges I'll ever need:

The line up will be:

Denon DL-103GL (NOS)
Denon DL-103 stock (NOS Nippon Columbia)
Shure SC35C (NOS ex-BBC stock, Evanston USA-sourced with NOS Shure stylus)
Shure M55E (NOS, with NOS Shure stylus)
NOS Shure M3D [incoming]
Goldring G820 (fully NOS)

I think that'll do, although I may still add another vintage low-compliance moving coil, if a suitably 'sexy' one shows up, or a vintage Decca!

Marco.

[Wakefield Turntables]

I love my m55e. Am I right in thinking it was s re badged v15 mk 3?? I'm sure I was read that somewhere.

[Marco]

Not sure, Andy, may well be. One to research, unless someone 'in the know' could verify?

I also love mine and think it sounds fab, in the adequate 'meat on the bone', rich-toned [but not warm & cuddly], musical way of the best vintage cartridges, although not fitted with any 'posh' (Jico-type) stylus, just a good old Shure original (and BEST)!

IMO, folks get too bogged down trying to 'modernise' these old classics with a mindset of 'that old shank, posing as a 'stylus', with a cantilever as thick as a toothpick and fat/round spherical tip, tracking at some 'ridiculous' VTF', simply *can't* be any good', and therefore MUST be bettered by some etched, lightweight treble-forward, hi-fi sounding fine-line bollox, tracking at a more 'sensible' weight, and subsequently completely LOSE almost everything that made the cartridge sound so good in the first place!

It's completely the WRONG mindset to adopt, IMO...

What should be done instead is obtaining an unused original stylus and using the cartridge on the kind of turntable and arm (both high-mass, no flimsy belt-drives or low-mass arms need apply) it would've partnered originally, embrace the necessary high VTF with a smile, because as long as the stylus is in good nick and tracking securely, it'll do FOOK ALL damage to your records, and simply sit back and join BOOGIE WONDERLAND!



Marco.