A battle of D/Ds: Heavily-modified SL-1210 vs. Kenwood L-07D and Nakamichi TX-1000.

[DSJR]

The PT's never sounded syrupy as I recall and the LPT *could* sound spiteful in the wrong hands... Actually, I don't think the Roksan Xerxes did either and this deck caused headaches in some quarters.

The Techie of mine has much to commend it and a further upgrade path by way of isolation, but the Supex misssssstracks sometimes and I now I have the TD125 finally up and running upstairs in the "office/workshop" and will be boring you all with that over the weekend I suspect

As for cartridges, maybe I just want a squeakly clean treble and a taut lean bass (the Spendors don't and can't "do" meaty bass anyway)

[Techno Commander]

I then chose an appropriate cut-off point to keep you all waiting for more

Marco.

You git!!

I was looking forward to hearing how the Nak sounded. Although, it was already winning on looks alone.

[Spectral Morn]

Nice so far however imho what would enhance the review is photos of the event and actual system.....

Marco get yourself a digital camera....its not like you can't afford one

I suppose I shouldn't complain too much as he has actually started to publish the long promised review


Regards D S D L

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

As for cartridges, maybe I just want a squeakly clean treble and a taut lean bass.

That's fine if that's what you want.

The SPU, when optimised in the right system, though, doesn't have a pronounced signature - it just simply sounds 'right', as close as possible to that of real music

It certainly lends voices and instruments the requisite body and texture to sound realistic, which IMO the vast majority of modern designs (in comparison) strip from the sound to give reproduced music an, anaemic, rather 'bleached' quality. However, I don't see the former as coloration - quite the opposite in fact, as for me, one sound (the former) is natural, and the other artificial.

Of course that opinion is entirely subjective, but it's one based on extensive experience of hearing all sorts of live music in a variety of venues, amplified and un-amplified, over many years.

Cartridges such as SPUs, DL-103s and M3Ds are largely deemed as 'fruity' or 'romantic' because over the last 20-odd years our ears have become accustomed to a sound from hi-fi equipment (and I'm not just talking about cartridges - I hear it in speakers, amps and source equipment, too) that is, IMO, artificial and bears little resemblance to how real voices and instruments actually sound. And therefore we consider anything which has a richer tone than what our ears have been accustomed to as being 'wrong'.

Often, in many areas of life, things that are different to what we are most used to, and which don't conform to our accepted wisdom, are considered as 'wrong' - and aspects of our interest in audio are no exception. It's human nature to rally against that which is deemed as different to 'the norm', simply because we are creatures of habit and stubbornly cling onto our deeply-ingrained beliefs. And I'm convinced that this is the case with, for example, the sonic presentation of current cartridges and (the best) vintage ones.

It's rather like someone's palate after years of being accustomed to tasting intensively produced 'battery farm' chicken then being introduced to an organic free-range one, and thus for the first time sampling what chicken really tastes like.... All of a sudden there is FLAVOUR instead of bland artificiality!

It's rather like that with the best vintage cartridges vs. most modern varieties (and much of today's hi-fi equipment in general)...... I trust you can appreciate the analogy.

IMO, a lot of equipment today is deliberately voiced by manufacturers to sound 'squeaky clean' and/or falsely 'exciting/impressive' to comply with what is considered as the commercially acceptable 'modern sound', rather than what is actually faithful to the real sound of voices and instruments in music.

And so the SPU is the tasty 'organic free-range chicken' in a cartridge world full of rather bland and flavourless, artificially produced, chicken nuggets!

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Neil,

Marco get yourself a digital camera....its not like you can't afford one

Point taken, and I completely agree, but the brutal truth is I'd never use it, as I'm not a picture-taking person, and neither is Del - I mean, we go on holidays and don't take one single picture! I've got a pretty decent camera on my mobile phone and I never use that, so why would another one be any different?

Don't get me wrong, I very much admire other people's photography skills (and Del did it as part of her art degree) but I just can't be arsed taking any myself - and then getting involved in the ball-ache (for me) of getting it from the camera onto my computer.

Also, bear in mind that I hadn't planned to write a review of my experiences at Dave's (it was initially just a music sesh between two friends) - but that's how it transpired, as what I experienced there was for me so significant that I had simply to share it... And I knew others would be interested, too

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

Nice one - thanks Marco, serialisation is a good idea, but don't get any notions of leaving us hanging at the end of Season 1 for too long... please!

[Stratmangler]

I've got a pretty decent camera on my mobile phone and I never use that, so why would another one be any different?

How do you know it's a pretty decent camera if you haven't used it ?

[Joe]

How do you know it's a pretty decent camera if you haven't used it ?

It was made by Technics.

[Marco]

How do you know it's a pretty decent camera if you haven't used it ?

Because others have used it, Chris, who can be bothered with such things.

Rather 'bizarrely' I use my mobile phone simply to make and receive calls and send texts - radical, eh!

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Alex,

Nice one - thanks Marco, serialisation is a good idea, but don't get any notions of leaving us hanging at the end of Season 1 for too long... please!

Nah, no chance, dude. I actually do want to get it finished but, as I'm sure you'll appreciate, the needs of 'real life' must always come first!

Marco.