Just pulled the trigger on one of these babies....

[Marco]

Btw, whilst I was looking at the Audiocubes site I noticed this in their description of the DL-S1:

http://www.audiocubes2.com/product_i...products_id/40

Features:

A new frontier of high quality sound is made possible from the superfine coil that is made with 6N copper and pure gold compound...

I guess that refers to what was mentioned earlier in the product description for the DL-S1:

"A newly developed ultra fine wire combining pure gold and 6N copper is used in the voltage generating coil."

Most interesting....

Marco.

P.S Some difference in the price of the cartridge there, too... $1299.99 is roughly £780 - I only paid £500 for mine!!

[Beobloke]

Why you say so, mansab? Which T/T and arm is it, incidentally?

Marco.

The turntable is a Micro Seiki DDL-150 - http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-DDL-150.html and the arm is an SAEC W308 http://www.fonolab.com/service-saec.html

The arm is of late 1970s vintage and, although it uses knife edge bearings like the SME 3009, it's built on a much larger scale and is a higher mass design. Fairly rare outside Japan and reputedly very good indeed - and the sort of thing that's right up your street I'd have thought!

Oh, and the deck in Simon's video is a Marantz 6300. I really should get out more...

[Marco]

Yesh, but we rely on you, darling, to be suitably anal!!

Thanks for the info. Yup, those T/Ts are right up my alley, although not aesthetically, in the case of the Micro Seiki, as I hate that plastic looking 'faux rosewood' veneer the Japs *so* love!

However, I'm sure that the DDL-150 sounds superb.

It certainly appears to, taking into consideration the limitations of listening to an MP3 file on YouTube. The SAEC tonearm is just simply GORGEOUS and defines pretty much what I consider as 'the perfect tonearm' (although from the link you supplied, the WE-308SX hits the spot most). The engineering quality there is simply to be marvelled at... Only the Japs can do it like that!

Look-wise, (and it doesn't seem to sound too shabby either) I much prefer the Marantz 6300. Isn't it crazy, and somewhat of a scandal, how all these superb D/D turntables never made it to our shores during the heyday of vinyl replay (most likely because of the belt-drive 'superiority' bullshit we were fed at time)?

Incidentally, do you have any thoughts on the Denon DL-S1? You know that I value your opinion

Marco.

[Beobloke]

Although, when it comes to turntables, I am a firm subscriber to the theory that it's not how you do it, but how well you do it, as someone once commented to me "If the best way to drive a platter really is with a little Philips motor and a rubber band, then why did the Japanese throw so much R&D time and money into developing direct drive turntables?"

As to the DL-S1, I've not heard one. Be interesting to hear your thoughts on it, especially comapred to the DL-103, which I am familiar with!

[Marco]

Although, when it comes to turntables, I am a firm subscriber to the theory that it's not how you do it, but how well you do it, as someone once commented to me "If the best way to drive a platter really is with a little Philips motor and a rubber band, then why did the Japanese throw so much R&D time and money into developing direct drive turntables?"

Ha - I couldn't agree more!!

As to the DL-S1, I've not heard one. Be interesting to hear your thoughts on it, especially comapred to the DL-103, which I am familiar with!

I'm expecting it to be the latter's more refined younger brother

Marco.

[CageyH]

More expectation bias creeping in?



Only kidding....

[Marco]

Yesh, from now on, jusht call me exshpectashion biash-boy: cartridges, T/T bearing-base plates - you name it. I just automatically *know* they'll be excellent!!

Marco.

[YNWaN]

Although, when it comes to turntables, I am a firm subscriber to the theory that it's not how you do it, but how well you do it, as someone once commented to me "If the best way to drive a platter really is with a little Philips motor and a rubber band, then why did the Japanese throw so much R&D time and money into developing direct drive turntables?"

That wold be a more compelling argument if the Japanese hadn't also spent a huge amount of R&D time and money developing belt and thread drive turntables - particularly their hi-end designs!

[Marco]

Precisely, Mark - but those high-end thread-drive designs don't use a piss-poor little Philips motor or an elastic band!

Marco.

[YNWaN]

Not all their 'high-end' designs are thread drive, there are also belt drives. I'm working on my new turntable now - it will be belt driven (albeit a very carefully made one). To be honest, drawing conclusions about a turntables performance from the drive method used is about as justified as judging a cars performance on the size of its wheels.