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[griffo104]

Is this the cartridge you mean:

http://www.audiocubes2.com/product/D...Cartridge.html

It's what I'll probably end up buying for my mono records because I realise that the stereo 103 isn't doing them justice. Secretly though I'd much prefer one of these:

http://www.coolgales.com/store/cart....ng=ortofon+spu

Marco, yep that's the cart I plan to get, I may even treat myself to a nice new headshell as well when I order it.

I have 3 MCs at the moment, Denon DL301ii (purchased from Audiocubes), Goldring Elite and a Lyra Dorian. In a perfect world where I had lots of money for hifi I would purchase a Mono Dorian (about £550) and wouldn't even think twice about it so highly do I regard Lyra and their carts. Getting a 2nd headshell would allow me to put the DL301ii or Elite on the deck when I fancy playing with stereo records on it. I'll try and hunt out the pics when I get a chance to.

Also Benz Micro can provide any of their carts in a mono version as well.

I have to say I've been slightly disappointed in quite a few Spacedecks I've heard, sounding a little soft and too laid back. In all cases these have been at bake off and have always had a uni-pivot of some sort on them but in each case they have lacked the drive and impact that so many go on about with that particular deck.

I agree totally with you on mono records. Considering some of mine are over 50 years old, there's no sign of warping, they are thick and the sleeves and inners have a quality we seem to have given up on in this day. I suppose records were more of a luxury back then. I currently use them with stereo carts but there is still distortion coming through. The Linn amp has a mono button which helps eliminate some of the distortion but not all, which is what has triggered my wanting to go full on mono.

[Marco]

Peter,

You'll be saying you can't beat 78s through valve amplfication into a klipschorn next!

Why not if it makes realistic and believable music? I'm not sure if it'll fit in my car, though

You'll tell me I'm deaf. I don't find my iPods, even if the file being played back is 128Kbps AAC, tinny sounding cacophony. I've used my vintage Sony MDR-7's on the iPod shuffle and it sounds rather pleasant.

Nope - each to his or her own, mate. I just don't do "rather pleasant"

I'm so used to, quite frankly, outstanding sound quality with the music I listen to at home that when I'm on the move I find it extremely difficult to adjust to something vastly inferior. Obviously there's no chance of me replicating in a car, train, or whatever, what my main system is capable of, but as long as the sound I'm listening to ticks as many of the hi-fi boxes as possible, and crucially, the musical message is effectively communicated, then I can put up with whatever compromises there are.

The sound quality of the iPods I've heard is diabolical in comparison to what I get from the Sony Walkman or the Blaupunkt tape deck in my car, and so my ears can't get past the thin, lightweight, dynamically compressed sound to get access to the musical message! It's just a compromise I'm unable and unwilling to put up with no matter how 'convenient' an iPod is or how many bloody tunes it can hold! There are about 30 SA90 tapes in the glove compartment of my car full of music, most of which is diverse compilations of all sorts of stuff recorded on CD and vinyl (some are 7 and 12" singles from the 70s and 80s) which equates to around 45 hours of music - more than enough to entertain me when I'm out and about!

And if I want more music, I simply make up more tapes. I enjoy the process

It's this sort of 'tactile' experience with music that iPods and computer audio has killed off!

I normally use the Shure E2C, or which I had custom ear moulds made, It sounds fine to me and means that I can transport 700+ tunes with me on long trips using the iPod touch. I also use a 5G ipod in the car, using 256 Kbps vbr AAC, and I can get roughly 4000 tunes on the road too.

Enjoy away!

Tapes take up too much damn space!

Oi cares not a jot, me old son

No oil rigs in our lounge

Nor in mine. I have a separate room for music listening!

Marco.

[Marco]

I think you'd be surprised if you heard an iPod owned by an audiophile, with decent set-up an iPod can play very well indeed. Have a listen to one using lossless files and decent headphones and it'd give a Sony Walkman a big run for it's money, in fact it'd beat it hands down for playback stability. Also the output stage of the iPod has been improved immensely over the generations (a big jump in the 5th gen video versions) and the internal amplifiers have been beefed up to drive larger cans. If the iPod had a digital output I'd love to hook it up to my DAC and critically listen, I bet it would be very good indeed.

Rob, if someone can be bothered to demonstrate the above to me then I'm all ears. As you know, I'm always open-minded. Until that day though I'll happily 'soldier on' with my antiquated tapes and obsolete 1970s/1980s musical reproduction technology!

Marco.

[Peter Stockwell]

The sound quality of the iPods I've heard is diabolical in comparison to what I get from the Sony Walkman or the Blaupunkt tape deck in my car, and so my ears can't get past the thin, lightweight, dynamically compressed sound to get access to the musical message! It's just a compromise I'm unable and unwilling to put up with no matter how 'convenient' an iPod is or how many bloody tunes it can hold! There are about 30 SA90 tapes in the glove compartment of my car full of music, most of which is diverse compilations of all sorts of stuff recorded on CD and vinyl (some are 7 and 12" singles from the 70s and 80s) which equates to around 45 hours of music - more than enough to entertain me when I'm out and about!

I used to make tapes for the car to, I used to like the normal bias TDK & Maxell tapes that used to be made, can't remember what they called the now. This weekend we're going to take a box load of cassettes to the dump!

Wot, no CD player in the car ? ; To be honest, I'm not immune to marketing. Apple got me with the 5G iPod, and I thought up ways to use it. Up to that point, because I had a noisy commute i'd been using custom earplugs, because I couldn't stand the sound leakage from the crappy earplug 'phones and the crappy music played too loudly on public transport by the great unwashed. I'd tried asking peeople to turn them down, but I got ignored at best. So I joined them, but was careful to avoid sound leakage.

I don't hear my iPods as compressed and compromised, but I never heard your references either, I'll find out one day.

cheers

[Marco]

Peter,

I used to make tapes for the car to, I used to like the normal bias TDK & Maxell tapes that used to be made, can't remember what they called the now. This weekend we're going to take a box load of cassettes to the dump!

Bloody sacrilege!

The tapes you're referring to are the likes of TDK D or AD, AD-X, etc, and the Maxell eqivalent, which escapes me. I much prefer good chrome tapes as there seems to be less hiss with Dolby B HX-Pro engaged, and they give a clearer more precise sound which helps cut through the noise floor when driving. I'm not a huge fan of metal tapes, except on the Nakamichi at home, as they have the tendency to be somewhat bright on car stereos without proper equalisation. You can still buy all the classic blank tapes on the site below. This is where I get mine from:

http://stores.ebay.com/RealDeals-Steals

I don't buy new blank cassettes because the quality is shit, and there are very few being made now, so I stockpile some nice NOS ones instead

Wot, no CD player in the car ?

LOL. No - because the bog standard ones sound truly diabolical and are horrible cheap plastic things. Even the best separate ones are nothing special and simply aren't worth the money. My set-up in the car is nothing fancy: just a fairly cheap but decent quality tape deck and two fairly basic speakers on the doors, but if you keep the tape heads clean and regularly demagnetise them, and use good quality tapes with superbly recorded music on them, then the results are quite surprising and easily better than any factory fitted car CDP or bloody iPod!

To be honest, I'm not immune to marketing.

As far as hi-fi goes, I'm completely immune from marketing. That's why the 'terrible twosome' with their godawful computer speakers got short shrift here. Quite simply, unless I can see the sonic advantages of any new technology, and it results in superior sound quality compared to what I'd normally use, I'm just not interested.

Apple got me with the 5G iPod, and I thought up ways to use it. Up to that point, because I had a noisy commute i'd been using custom earplugs, because I couldn't stand the sound leakage from the crappy earplug 'phones and the crappy music played too loudly on public transport by the great unwashed. I'd tried asking peeople to turn them down, but I got ignored at best. So I joined them, but was careful to avoid sound leakage.

I think that's a big part of why I've never really 'got into' iPods. I very, very rarely use public transport of any description. I think the last time I was on a bus was about 6 or 7 years ago and a train about 4 or 5 years ago. I live in a fairly rural area, not a city, so I can use the convenience of a car very quickly and easily. I also hate having to wait and be reliant on other people to get from A to B. I just like jumping in the car and going out at the times which suit me, where my super-duper tape deck and music awaits...

All this probably makes me sound somewhat of an anachrophile - I'm not, far from it. I just don't see the point in replacing something I consider as excellent for something that I consider worse simply to have the 'latest toy'. Also, I *hate* 'following the herd'. I like to be different - I always have been and I always will be.

I don't hear my iPods as compressed and compromised, but I never heard your references either, I'll find out one day.

Jump over to the UK anytime you fancy, Peter. It would be a pleasure to entertain you with some fine Amarone

Marco.

[tfarney]

Originally Posted by Marco View Post

iPods are the spawn of the devil. I have never heard such a tinny sounding cacophony. Give me a Sony Walkman Pro, some proper headphones, playing music recorded from my system at home via a Nakamichi DR-10 on NOS TDK SA90s any day! I don’t do ear bleed, old chap.

Marco, Marco, Marco. My dear luddite friend. I don't know how you've heard an iPod, but if you've ever heard one with a line out into a decent portable headphone amp into good cans...no, let me take that back, if you've simply heard an iPod straight into a set of high quality in-ear phones of a low enough impedance to be driven to potential by the iPod, and you still prefer cassette tape, I can only assume that you must enjoy compressed dynamic range, a high noise floor and a narrow frequency response.

Lossless files played through a line out into your car audio system? I would be able to smell the cassette plastic burning all the way across the pond.

Tim

[Marco]

Yes, Tim, but how do I indulge in my enjoyment of making up tapes for the car? - The process of recording compilations of my favourite music on vinyl, recording it onto tape with my Nakamichi, and revelling in the warmth and natural tone of the analogue sound whilst driving around beautiful rural North Wales?

It's this 'tactile' experience with music, apart from anything else, that 'digiphiles' don't seem to get.

Marco.

[Peter Stockwell]

Lossless files played through a line out into your car audio system? I would be able to smell the cassette plastic burning all the way across the pond.

Tim

That's were I am with the 5G ipod I have in the car, going to a pioneer DEH-50UB. I've got some Focal speakers for it too, 130VRS. The sound quality out of the deck + speakers is very good, and makes me want to try some focal 2 ways on the main rig (1007Be's to be specific). But, honestly, vibration from the door panels and road noise makes lossless files a waste of time, which is why I went to 256 kbps vbr AAC. I can't tell the difference when I'm rolling. (The car is a renault clio III).

Marco, as for the cassettes, none of them are top notch cassettes, they're Evelyne's from a previous lifetime.

We live very close to the city of light and using a car, as I do, for daily get about is not the smart solution. I have a commute that get's me going in the opposite direction to most people, it works for me. I work just south of Versailles.

I went to College in Bangor, so I know where Wrexham is, more or less.

cheers

[Filterlab]

Duh ! You got me there!

I don't do games either. So that looks like the question answered.

cheers

Rob, if someone can be bothered to demonstrate the above to me then I'm all ears. As you know, I'm always open-minded. Until that day though I'll happily 'soldier on' with my antiquated tapes and obsolete 1970s/1980s musical reproduction technology!

Marco.

I'm in no way saying that it replaces other technology or am I saying that other sources are obsolete. I seem to remember tape recording sources were deemed as poor quality upon introduction, as were CDs etc etc.

[Peter Stockwell]

It's this 'tactile' experience with music, apart from anything else, that 'digiphiles' don't seem to get.

Au contraire, you can make compilations on the fly with digital music files, you can arrange them anyway you want. You're not stuck with the sequence you first thought of. You're also not stuck with thinking about how you can fill the last 3' 29" of a tape side.

And for tactile, we got LPs and a record deck!

cheers