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ODS123

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Posts posted by ODS123

  1.  Pretty cool but it seems to me this levitating drive approach Is a solution in search of a problem. We already have turntables with better wow and flutter performance and S/N ratios. The Technics SL-1210GR  appears to outperform it in every respect that may be audible.  And costs considerably less. 

     

     I find it curious that in the video you do not actually see the needle land on the record. I suspect that initially the needle impact causes a little bit of wobble. Indeed, in the close-ups it looks like the whole platter is ever so slightly wobbling.    I don’t mean to detract from what they’ve achieved. It’s very very cool. But it Has to move analog forward or it will simply be a fascinating gimmick. 

    • Like 1
  2. I'm a subscriber and read the review.

     

    Although the subjective comments about the speaker were positive, the measurements were a bit disappointing.  And I was a bit dismayed that in the Manufacturer's Comments section in the issue, Klipsch chose to simply copy/paste text from their brochure.  ..Very strange.  Typically, you'll find comments from an engineer speaking to measurement anomalies or functional issues, etc..  I would have expected some comments from Roy.

     

    Their review of the Heresy III was more positive, but lacked any measurements.

    • Like 1
  3. On 5/4/2019 at 10:10 PM, Dave A said:

    . Buying and selling speakers for five years now and I can tell you MDF fails in so many ways. I hate that junk.

     

     
    And Yet 99% of audiophile speakers are made from MDF.  Vandersteen, DynAudio, KEF, B&W, PSB, Infiniti, Paradigm, Polk, and on and on all use MDF with hardwood  veneers.  Indeed, they’ve done so for years. And most are still around today without any cosmetic issues.  This is certainly true of every speaker I have ever owned - some for over 20 years (still perfect).   Personally,  I think you are vastly overstating the risks. After all, none of my other components were engineered or manufactured  with water resistance in mind.  Not my  amplifier, my turntable, my DAC, my CD player, my Mac Mini music server, my plasma TV, etc....   All were built with the assumption the owner would keep them out of the elements.
     
     My hunch is that consistent density wins over rain resistance as an important design consideration for audiophile grade speakers , except in cases where they are to be used where they might be exposed to elements (train stations, amusement parks, etc..).
    • Like 1
  4. Rather than adding the cost of subs to Heresy's maybe consider instead just buying Cornwall III's - they dig deeper, play louder, and probably take up less space than H3's and a Sub.  

     

    I too love occasionally cranking music to ear-bleed levels  and have been known to do so with a Bombay Saphire martini on-board.  Still, I find the CWIII's to be extremely satisfying despite dropping off at the very lowest frequencies. 

     

    The only time I miss a subwoofer is when I make my system pull double-duty as the L/R front and sub for movies.  ..And even then ONLY when watching movies with lots of deep deep special effects which usually isn't my thing.   ..I don't miss hearing explosions and the footsteps of T-Rex's enough to add another run of unsightly cables and another big box to our common room and deal with the challenges of finding the optimum crossover frequency, etc...  

     

     

  5. On 5/28/2019 at 2:12 PM, dtel said:

    Walnut and some pic's on how they build them.

    I wanted Walnut because of the color and it has more of a grain pattern on average.

     

    link         VVVVV

    http://www.cyclonecj.com/dtel/Dtelcorns-small/

     

     

    Can't recall if I've made this comment before, but these pics are great - HOWEVER, these craftspeople need to be wearing respirators for gods sake!

     

    Know any smokers who have died from COPD?  ..It's an awful death.  And the same can happen from environmental fallout, like toxic paint/ stains and sawdust.  So Klipsch, show your employees some love and appreciation by INSISTING on respirators.

  6. 1 hour ago, richieb said:

     

    === it’s also good to keep your local dealer in business too —

     

    Totally agree with this.  ..I'm sure Cory is a good guy and all but if there's a Klipsch dealer within a reasonable distance give them a chance to earn your business.  I'd be totally cool with paying a nearby dealer a bit more.  If we don't support our local Klipsch dealer they will all soon disappear.

    • Like 1
  7. 1 hour ago, Fredzz0rs said:

     

    Cool! How does they sound compare to originals? I bet some will argue that colouration from cabinett and driverchassi  brings soul to the sound. 

     

    I don't mean to offend, but I would not even think about modifying a speaker in this way - particularly a current production model that may still be under warranty.

     

    So you're adding bracing to fix presumed resonances, but you're also decreasing internal volume which is apt to have all sorts of ill affects.   Remember, those who engineered these speakers had every opportunity to design bracing into the design if they felt it would improve their sound.  And they didn't.

     

    Before even considering this I would insist on a careful direct and blinded comparison b/w a pair so modified and an original pair - I would NOT simply take someones word that it improves the speaker. 

     

    I have Cornwall III's and will admit that they sound fairly hollow and unbraced when you knock on them.  Yet, I hear ZERO smearing at ANY volume and with any kind of music or test tones that could be attributable to resonances.  To my thinking, adding bracing sounds like a solution in search of a problem.

    • Like 5
  8. Sound better after break-in?  Doubtful.  More likely it's an acoustic issue related to your listening environment.

     

    Regarding break-in, here is what Bob Crites (noted Klipsch historian and designer/manufacturer of Klipsch upgrades and replacement components) has to say:

     

    (from his website)

     

    1222378562_ScreenShot2019-05-19at7_54_54AM.thumb.png.f5618e38506adda26769be628f0dd872.png

    • Like 2
  9. On 5/10/2019 at 5:20 PM, Panelhead said:

      

      A digital volume controller is even worse when dropping 60 - 70 dB. Throwing away most of the bits.

     

    Please elaborate.  ..My McIntosh MA6600 uses a digital volume control.  ..So what exactly am I missing??  

     

    My previous integrated amps and pre-amps all used analog stepped controllers and ALL of them attenuated volume at different rates for each channel.  ..In other words as you turn the volume all the way down either the right or left channel would go silent before the other.   Though not related to the volume controller they all also allowed bleed from other inputs that could be heard by simply playing a source, then turning to an unused input and turn the volume up.  ..Before turning the volume half way up you could hear music from the source.  ..I found this maddening.   This NEVER happens on my Mac NOR my Onkyo AVR - both of which have digital pre-amp sections.    And I hear all the detail that I heard through my separate analog preamps (Bryston BP-25, B&K Pro-10MC).

     

    As far as I'm concerned, much of what happens in a pre-amp should occur digitally.  ..Technology has taken us to a better place where pre-amps are concerned.

  10. 24 minutes ago, glens said:

    On second thought the AC/DC might've been thinner.

     

     

    And what are they using to play / monitor, I wonder.  Certainly could make a difference in reaching a determination.  And whether the disc will ever sound as good again...

     

    Exactly...

     

    I'm pretty clear-eyed when it comes to vinyl.  I LOVE the format, I do.  But not b/c I think it sounds better than CD (it doesn't).  But it does sound more than good enough to be enjoyable and wayyy better than a rock being dragged along a plastic grove ought to.  

     

    What I love about vinyl is the album cover, included lyric sheets, posters, etc..  And just as importantly, the fact that advancing to the next song or album side is inconvenient thereby forcing you to listen to the whole album as a continuous, connected piece of work, etc...  

     

    Music has never sounded better than it does today b/c of digital.  ...But it was never more fun than vinyl.  

     

    So none of my reasons for enjoying vinyl have much to do with finding the 1-in-100 best sounding pressings.  ..But has everything to do with what vinyl represents.  So a website like this does relatively little for me.  ...But if they're being honest about their process, then I wish them success..

  11. This could mean anything....

     

    "Our full time staff of eight devotes its time to finding, cleaning and playing as many pressings of an album as we can get our hands on. We take only the best sounding copies – we call them "Hot Stampers” – and make them available exclusively to those who appreciate (and can afford) the ultimate in analog sound."

     

    This could mean they bought three and picked the 1 best.   So the best Chuck E's in Love pressing is $449??  ..It would help make the case if they showed on their website a three foot stack of these that they culled.   

  12. Hmmm....

     

    Before spending $449 on Chuck E's in Love I'd want to hear a downloadable high rez file of both their Hot Stamper version and of the regular release  so I can compare them through my system and speakers, headphones, etc..

     

    Not holding my breath however.  ..I'm sure they'll claim that the advantage of the Hot Stamper version would somehow disappear during the analog-to-digital process - that when digital files are made from analog LPs you'll lose all of that beautiful analog warmth and majesty.  ..This would  therefore make such a side-by-side comparison unrepresentative.  ..This of course would be a nonsense claim, but I'm pretty sure they'd make it.

     

    So.... I'm going with "yes, snake oil."

     

     

  13. 5 hours ago, mopardave said:

    So, what are the differences in a DJ TT and an audiophile TT and which one would I want for 2ch tube listening?

     

    All TT's are engineered same goal: Turn the record at the right speed; minimize bearing noise; and provide a low friction tonearm that holds the cartridge/stylus at the correct angle (horizontally and vertically) in relation to the record.  That said, not all do it equally well and not all would lend themselves to critical listening.

     

  14. RIAA equalization (phono stage) can be accomplished very affordably - there is no need to get some exotic, full-sized component with a 1/2" thick faceplate and armor-plating.  You'll find several on Crutchfield.com that do their job quite transparently (ie., without introducing audible levels of distortion) for under $200.

     

    • Like 1
  15. 1 hour ago, mopardave said:

    Technics 1210gr looks like a very nice TT.  The Pioneer 1000 has twice the torque start up. Does that mean anything?

     

    No, not at all.  ..So long as the table gets to speed quicker than you can drop the needle, you're fine.  ..And the 1210gr most certainly does that.  ..It gets to speed w/in about 1 sec.  ..compare that to most belt-drive tables.

  16. IMHO, the biggest challenge of a turntable is to turn the record at the correct speed w/ inaudible fluctuation. ..Secondly, is to do this with minimal bearing or motor noise.  ..It is for these reasons that I much prefer direct-drive tables to belt-drive.  Direct-drive tables tend to measure better and sound better.


    Again, if your budget can accommodate give a look to the Technics SL-1210GR - $1600 from Guitar Center.  

     

    https://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class/direct-drive-turntable-system-sl-1210gr.html

     

    In addition to sounding fantastic, it has an incredible build quality. ..It feels like a precision made instrument rather than something made in wood shop like most of the similarly priced tables.   Both the aforementioned Pioneer and AudioTechnica are nice too for the money.   Personally, I'd take either of them over a 20 year-old used Technics SL-1200.  ..Yes, the SL-1200's were wonderfully made and built to last but 20 years is 20 years. Should something finally fail it will be much harder to get it fixed.

  17.  I have a 1 year old SL-1210gr which betters the new SL-1200 only slightly in terms of specs.  

     

    My 1210 is .Absolutely the quietest TT I have ever owned plus piano notes are rock steady.  And when I cue up the same 12 minute song on both my CD player and SL-1210gr and synchronize them they both play in perfect sync with each other  all the way to the final note.  

     

    ...No warbling sustained piano notes, no speed issues, and no audible rumble whatsoever.  ..I've never been as impressed by any exposed rubber-band/ motor TT.

     

  18. 13 hours ago, ILI said:

    To my millennium ears and brain, mono is boring and flat, but I'm intrigued by this. Is this a nostalgic eccentricity, or is there more to it? Or lies the secret exactly in the Sakuma-san amp?

     

    To me, there's no comparison b/w mono and properly recorded stereo.  Stereo wins hands down.  HOWEVER, some of the early stereo recordings were so absurdly mixed that they are unlistenable .  The only way I can listen to them is in MONO. 

     

    Some early Beetles, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan come to mind where the voice comes entirely from one speaker and instrumental accompaniment entirely from the other.  These songs are WAY more enjoyable after engaging the MONO switch.

     

    I'll never again own an integrated amp or pre-amp that lacks a mono switch (or tone controls, for that matter).

     

     

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  19. I am unable to elicit ANY feedback whatsoever from my Technics SL-1210GR, even with my Cornwall tucked in a corner a mere 2 feet away..  I paid $1600 for new about a year ago.   It is a fabulous TT imho. 

     

    IMG_0406.thumb.JPG.6028124499559d834aab0332cf87be5b.JPG

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