Justin & Jerry's Hifi Blog

[jandl100]

Some folks here may recall my planned exit from the Wonderful World of Vinyl ....

As some folks here might have seen in the Classifieds section, I've ditched my trusty old Techie 1210 as the joys of vinyl have once again worn rather thin for me.

But, fear not, Monte-Tom, Marco and others ... I'm not going to be entirely without the wonders of vinyl.

Just picked up this leetle tt.

Denon 103 cart all mounted and ready to go ....

When I bought a Numark TT1 DJ deck.

The story continues .....

Well, the Numark has been donated to a friend. Nice but I didn't settle with it in the end.

A Philips GA312 arrived ...



Very pretty but sadly it couldn't keep a perfectly steady speed - I think I've been spoiled by direct drives!

And so a couple of days ago this wee beastie arrived ....



A Technics SL-1800. Direct drive (of course!) but, unlike my old Techie 1210, it has a suspended chassis.

Dead steady speed and with my rebodied Denon 103 ..... err, well ..... the sound is actually pretty bloody stunningly good.
Sitting there last night spinning some vinyl with my jaw agape in astonishment, happiness and extreme irritation.

I do (very much) hate to admit it, but it's the best sound I have heard from my system.

Pah.
Fekkin' vinyl. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

[jandl100]

You may also recall that I found a Mystery Grado cartridge in my spares box, and that it was identified as a £150 rrp award winning Prestige Gold.

Well, I've finally gotten around to trying it in the Techie 1800 and comparing with my re-bodied Denon 103 ....

The Grado sounds much much better than I expected.
Lovely midrange tonality and a quite 'gentle' sound overall. Nothing to irritate - but nothing to get excited about either! "Mostly harmless" would be the write-up in the Hitch Hikers Guide to Audio, I think.

The Denon 103 simply destroys it in terms of rez and dynamic inflection and focussed soundstaging - musical interest, in a nutshell.
Then again, the Pipe & Slipper brigade may well prefer the Grado! The Denon is very explicit in my current setup.
Mind you, I suspect that my Denon has found its true home in the slightly clunky arm of the Techie 1800 - I've had that 103 for quite a while and it has never sounded so settled and happy!

[Marco]

Hehehe.... The Techie and 103 just keep comin' atcha!



Marco.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Thanks Mark - no, I didn't know that.

The thing is the TA2020 amp I have is way more transparent than the older TA2024 chip sound that I am familiar with. So IME not all T-amps are born equal!

I've not heard a 2022-based amp though.
... HAMISH !!! - where are you when someone needs you?

WHAT YA WANT?



yeah, hlly is good stuff ... ya wanna another loan buddy?

[The Vinyl Adventure]

dont talk to me about chip names/numbers but the hlly has much bigger balls than the bantam .. long term listening has proven that it might be a touch harsher ..but, the hlly is still the clear winner and punches WAY above its weight ..
i have just had my bantam back from horace so im happy to loan out the hlly for a week or so if you want?

[Ali Tait]

Agree about the possible slight harshness,but this is sorted by driving it with a good valve pre.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

indeed...
i am also now using it in not the best circumstances with the pc volume control for convenience... which doesn't help matters

[The Vinyl Adventure]

in fact, jerry, if you want a loan, then buy one, then decide to sell it ... can i get first dibs as i am after a second one long term... reading this thread it seems you have to play the long game to get first dibs on stuff

[jandl100]

i have just had my bantam back from horace so im happy to loan out the hlly for a week or so if you want?

Thanks Hamish - that would be great!

PM on its way to remind you of my address.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

no probs... as in pm, busy, but will get it out to you asap