MeloManiac
-
Posts
2025 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Forums
Events
Gallery
Everything posted by MeloManiac
-
A new layer of paint, or diy re-veneer. Or have it reveneered. Most of all, enjoy the music! Wellcome to the forum!
-
Take this to another level. To test your friendship, ask your friend to take a 'blind test'. But then again, the human brain and the senses are a funny thing. Personally, I was born with 'anosmia', which means I don't have and never have had the sense of smell. Very often,when I tell people about this disability, the first question asked is if I can taste. The answer is, yes, I do... But... my sense of taste is different compared to 'normal' people: some food ingredients for me have no taste at all, eg garlic, while other ingredients are very dominant. I also find it difficult to connect tastes with the correct words for it. Also, for me, visual input is extremely important: for me, a blind taste test for cola and lemonade is extremely difficult, but when I see both drinks, I experience very distinct tastes. So, I can empathize with your friend... When he sees snake thick speaker cables, he may actually experience better sound quality...
-
They are on Spotify also! I like this recording a lot:
-
The twin powered Harman Kardon 430 is the sweet spot in my system. Only 35Wpc, but it sounds oh so sweet!
-
Vey nice! Love your TT too! If you live in Europe, can I ask where you bought the cloth?
-
Nice room and I can hear the quality of the sound, even on my mono Huawei smartphone!
-
The 4x EL84 plus 2x preamp tubes architecture is more common than you think. Luxman, Leben Hifi, and the Japanese Elekit have them in their line up. They all come with 12 to 18 watt output power. For me, the secret lies in the EL84 tubes, which, if combined with good components and thoughtful architecture, will give an amazing, small footprint, amp. Combined with highly efficient speakers, the likes of Klipsch, they offer great value for money for 2 channel listening. They are less useful if you have less efficient speakers, or if you want a subwoofer added.
-
The stylus that came with my used Technics SL DL1 (€75) was skipping tracks from time to time lately, so I cleaned and re-lubricated its rod, which dealt with the issue. But it made me realize I should perhaps buy some backup needle, advice I got here a while ago from somenone, so I ordered a 'Swiss made' EPS 23 CS needle at thakker.eu (directly, not using amazon). It took about a week to get from Germany to Belgium. It's really easy to install: pull out the old one, put in the new one.This is the entry level needle and costs €26.5, postage included. It sounds fine, perhaps slightly better than what I had already: the high frequencies are better, while it is robust in the lows too. It certainly beats my modern €400 'flashy hipster' Pro-ject Essential III George Harrison edition with an Ortofon OM10 ((€49) I know my Technics SL DL 1 is mediocre compared to some of the stellar vintage gear around, but it's fun spinning vinyl and achieving a pleasing sound with a limited budget. Is a further upgrade possible? According to @MicroMara, there is: buying the shibata stylus (€159), the SAS (Super Analog Stylus) naked shibaty stylus boron cantilever ((€249), and ultimately the Naked Diamons SAS-on-Sapphire stylus (€359). https://www.pickupnaald.nl/catalogsearch/result/?q=technics+sl+dl1 These Jico needles have a pretty good reputation. https://www.jico-stylus.com/ I guess this will be my upgrade path, but first I'm going to enjoy these entry level needles for a while! In the meantime, I'm enjoying spinning vinyl in the company of Sakuma-san (see video below).
-
As I was listening to U2's The Unforgettable Fire yesterday, several ticks, pops and scratches triggered 'total recall' of some memories of 30 some years ago... You won't have that with pristine, lossless digital files, now do you! (the title of this video is misleading)
-
U2's The Unforgettable Fire... Hadn't listened to this album for many, many years....
-
Today I visited the Bastogne War Museum in Belgium. Outside the main building, there was a temporary exhibition about Berlin, with the Berlin Wall (Iron Curtain) as a topic, with artwork AND rock artists inspired by Berlin city. If you're interested, here is a little challenge: who are the artists in the pictures below, and do you have any vinyl records from their Berlin-period? https://www.bastognewarmuseum.be/en/home-en/
-
A very special vinyl record... Currently visiting the Bastogne War Museum, Belgium.
-
The needle I use now came with my SL DL1 and I don't know what quality it is. It sounds amazing, compared to my other turntables. It must be old because the stylus and diamond are black: most likely a coating of vinyl dust. Dire Straits sounds amazing. 😁
-
I read great reviews about these Jico needles. There are SAS Jico needles which cost 159 euro up to 350 euro for my SL DL1, depending on the material used for the stylus, going from boron to ruby.... I hesitate to buy one because I'm not sure if I would hear the difference.
-
I placed an order so I have a cheap backup needle in the house. The choice for my Technics SL DL1 is limited, so I ordered this one: https://www.thakker.eu/replacement-stylus/ The other option was 'Japanese made'.
-
That's an amazing write up! When I Google for them, I mostly find 'replacement needles' or 'ersatz nadel'. I guess you're writing about the originals, right?
-
Weather is messed up on global scale. Here in Belgium, we haven't had a drop of rain for 3 months, until yesterday. This will be the driest spring since the beginning of keeping weather statistics.
-
I have three, one of his best of albums going back to the Cosmos period, and 'The friends of Mr Cairo', with Jon Anderson.
-
RIP Vangelis, 79, died in Paris. He was in hospital for treatment for corona. He's most famous for soundtracks: Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner, Conquest of Paradise, and, of course, the theme and soundtrack of Carl Sagan's Cosmos documentary series. 😭😔
-
I've been wondering for a while when I see your pictures... You're using a lot of granite in your setup. In your experience, how much does it affect sound quality?
-
Thank you for your post! Comparing set ups like that can drive people crazy... Personally, my 1972 Heresy speakers hooked on my Leben CS300 is my personal reference system. I'm not saying this is the best system in the world, but for me, it works best and is 'easy listening', while I'm totally 'zen' with the fact that there are better amps and speakers out there.
-
Interesting article for vinyl record lovers: https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2020/10/17/hi-fi-why-do-records-sound-better-the-ivory-tower/
-
I watched the 1993 movie Philadelphia tonight. The pivotal scene in the movie is when Tom Hanks listens to La mama morta and breaks down emotionally. Not so long ago I bought a Maria Callas album at the local thriftstore, and guess what, there it is, on side C! A hidden treasure in my collection!
-
PROBLEM SOLVED ! After careful listening and feeling the cabinet with my hand, I concluded it wasn't the horns that made the 'ziiing' sound, but the cabinet. So I re-opened the cabinet and checked all the screws holding the cabinet together (and the front panel and the back panel). There are quite a lot of them actually, and some of the could be fastened with a half or even a full turn. Maybe the extreme dry weather is working the wood? I don't know. See hydrometer image attached. Anyhow, after screwing back the back panel, the ziiing is completely gone and all is fine! Thank you for all your input! It helped a lot in figuring out what was going on with my 50 year old speakers!
-
Yes, I did, and it is the same speaker giving the problem. Also different amps give the same problem. My SS Marantz more than my tube amp (which has more of a roll-off in high frequencies). Thank you for doing the suggestion.
