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Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
MarkSJohnson #396458 08/26/13 09:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: MarkSJohnson
"Bob takes cd's out of persons hands and puts them back on the shelf. "You don't want that, buy this one."

Jeeez, that got a good laugh out of me!


Chris almost got it right. It's more like, "You don't want that, but this one, AND this one, AND that one. Oh, look! This is a REALLY good one. You should buy THIS, too!

Peter, when Led Zep II was released, we all thought it was defective, because no one's cartridge could track it.


Always call the place you live a house. When you're old, everyone else will call it a home.
Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #396459 08/26/13 09:35 PM
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The stylus said to the groove “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”.

“Why?, asked the groove.

Because “You Shook Me”, and it left me “Dazed and Confused”.

Yeah? Said the groove. “Your Time is Gonna Come”! You’ve left me six times already! “How Many More Times”?

Look, there have been “Good Times….Bad Times….”

But, if you leave me, there will be a “Communications Breakdown”!

Well, alright. You know “I Can’t Quit You Baby”!

Hi Bob!

Edit: Crap. I read it as Led Zep I. Bob, did you edit that or did I mess up?

Last edited by MarkSJohnson; 08/26/13 09:36 PM.

::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #396463 08/26/13 11:30 PM
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New Speakers

Been listening to the PSB Titantium T6's with both CD and LP. The only constant is that there is no constant, some LP's sound better than the CD and some CD's sound better than the LP. I find that i tend to prefer listening to vocals or single instruments or small combos on LP but CD's of similar material also sound very good. With the T6's and the brystons the performer sounds like they are in the room, ie John Lee Hookers's Live at the Cafe a Go go and Solodad Prison sounds like you are seated right there.

The hardest trick to pull off on an LP or CD is a mass of instruments, a 'wall of sound' without becoming blurred or distorted. So where does this leave us?

- Well recorded masters and well produced media will sound good not matter what. So invest in good recordings.
- Both analog and digital are capable of good sound, there are no absolutes. Analog seems to be a bit more realistic on voices but that comes with a penalty of media degradation thru playing, more fiddling, and higher cost
- 2 channel stereo can be quite good with proper positioning and the right sized room and it works with many recordings. Multi-channel sounds better BUT only if the recording is done right, there are too many 'ping-pong' recordings with instruments all over the room.

So there are many paths to audio heaven, don't listen to the audio elites who preach 'tubes & vinyl' only. Yes you can get good sound that way but it is expensive, fiddly, and maybe that is why they like it. As Vinnie says "It's all about the music, man" (not about the toys).

System #1 Cost = $250 Sound = Good for LP, bad for CD
Sphrex sub with 55 watt per channel amp
AR 18s speakers
Optonica RP 7505 Turntable and Sony CD
TCC Phono Pre-amp

System #2 Cost $250 Sound Good, CD better than system 1
Akai Integrated Amp
PSB B25 speakers
Optonica RP 7505 Turnable and Sony CD
TCC Phono Pre-amp

System #3 Cost = $1000 Sound = Amazing with LP and CD
Bryston 0.5 pre-amp
Bryston 2LP power amp
PSB B25 speakers
Optonica RP 7505 turntable and sony cd with TCC phono pre-amp

System #4 Cost = $4000 Sound = Astounding with LP/CD
Bryston 0.5 pre-amp and 2LP power amp
PSB Titanium T6 speakers
Optonica RP7505 turntable, sony CD and TCC phono pre-amp

There were two eye-openers in this process.

1. How good the PSB B25 speakers are. Incredible soundstage, spot on accurate mid-range. Not much bass. These were a trade so had no expectations. If you come across these GRAB THEM! Really good in a small room when mounted at the correct height and played at reasonable volume. A steal.

3. How good the Bryston combo sounded. They really drove the PSB B25's, audio writers like to talk about speed and slam - whatever that is...but with the grills off you could see the amp driving the woofers with an amazing excursion and recovery. This made the B25's sound very dynamic. The T6's less so as that is a larger, more complex load for an amp, smooth sound but less punch. Perhaps that is a trade off of a multi-driver speaker?

Next Steps

Do some multi-track recording the the 3/3 sony deck using mkv audio only masters onto sony metal type 4 tape with dolby S and then some a/b comparisions

When the akai reel deck comes back from refurbishing play some pre-recorded tapes and make some recordings like above for comparision...going to be a busy fall!

Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
MarkSJohnson #396502 08/27/13 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: MarkSJohnson
The stylus said to the groove “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”.

“Why?, asked the groove.

Because “You Shook Me”, and it left me “Dazed and Confused”.

Yeah? Said the groove. “Your Time is Gonna Come”! You’ve left me six times already! “How Many More Times”?

Look, there have been “Good Times….Bad Times….”

But, if you leave me, there will be a “Communications Breakdown”!

Well, alright. You know “I Can’t Quit You Baby”!

Hi Bob!

Edit: Crap. I read it as Led Zep I. Bob, did you edit that or did I mess up?


Hey, Mark. I originally wrote Led Zep II. Their first didn't have any tracking problems. Hi to Joyce and the kids.


Always call the place you live a house. When you're old, everyone else will call it a home.
Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #396651 08/29/13 08:27 PM
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Update

Replaced the optonica direct drive TT with a Micro Seiki belt drive. Much better. Was drooling over some 500 watt monoblocks but reality sets in - the bryston hasn't been as high as one quarter vol yet...I'm already over the $1000 budget for this experiment, no more major purchases this year!

My neighbour has some half speed lps and 180 gram audiophile disks so have to try them, so far i've managed quite well with $1 purchases from the goodwill...the old capitols are very nice as is the columbia's and new records seem very quiet...

Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #396673 08/30/13 04:54 PM
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I was perusing a flyer this morning over my morning coffee & came across a listing of a bunch of LPs. Prices ranged from $17 to $65 - that's more than most SACDs that I've bought lately.

The last time I bought an LP decades ago it was about 3 bucks, ha!

TAM

Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #396770 09/01/13 10:23 PM
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Wow! Just played the LP version of Joan Baez Diamonds and Rust. The song is on her Greatest Hits CD and when you listen you say 'that's nice, good voice' but the LP version blows you away, you can feel the emotion in her voice. Awesome. Also running thru all my Linda Ronstadt lp's from heart like a wheel, mad love, greatest hits and the big band ones with nelson riddle. Perfect voice but not as much raw emotion. Really loving the micro seiki table, such as lush sound with the psb's and bryston's. Swapped in a rotel cd player for the sony..sounds harsh. I think i should get another bryston and bridge them as mono amps. Was temped by some emotiva monoblocks but will lots of watts per channel really make much difference? I like the sound now so no fiddling till the new year. Besides i spent the budget for this project already...

the other question is are expensive 'audiophile' lp records so much better? Played my neighbours audiophile lp of boz sckaggs silk degrees along with my $1 regular copy and we couldn't hear any difference. Of course we had only 1 tt so no a/b comparisions were possible. Would be a good test but then we need matched turntables and carts, not much chance of that...I have a 45rpm lp that says digital on it and it sounds like crap...

Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #397127 09/14/13 09:17 PM
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Spent the last few weeks listening. The bryston 2Blp did very well on psb B25 two way bookshelfs but was having dofficulty with the T6's as their 6 driver array and 4ohm load was a bit much at higher volume. I continue to be impressed with the quality of off the shelf records, so far i have stayed away from the expensive audiophile re-issues.

Just swapped the bryston with an Adcom GFA 5500 which as 350 watts into 4ohms with a lot of headroom. Dynamics are definately improved. Time for more listening before the last change arrives, an emotiva xpa-2.

Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #397227 09/20/13 11:26 PM
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Update

Replaced the Adcom amp with a new Emotia XPA-2. The difference is very noticeable, tons of bass and huge dynamic range and highs, highs, highs. Really makes the PSB T6's come alive. Albums are great but some CDs are painful. The SACD of Dylan's John Wesley Harding was unlistenable, the harmonica was piercing.

The room is very bright with hardwood floors, 4 windows and a large framed glass poster. The rolled off top end of the previous amps were ok, the emotiva was not. Tried some other CD's, not too many were pleasant. Was dissapointed in KD lang's 'constant craving', whoever mixed that was an idiot, the drums and guitar drown out the vocals.

Anyway we either needed to treat the room or give us cd playback. I thought about a tube pre-amp but the prices made me give up that idea. Who knew a 100 year old technology could be so expensive. Then i rememberer my yamaha 1/3 octave equalizer in the basement. whoops, sold it last year when i went to multi-channel...never sell anything!

But then i came across a Technics SH-8020, nice unit that with 12 bands that can be set in _+ 3db so hooked it up and edged down the top 2 bands starting at 16khz and tried old bob again

The results were listen-able, so i tried the Gram Parson live cd recorded during a live FM radio broadcast. Excellent - sounds like they are in the room complete with miscues. Then a 60's capitol pressing of Merle Haggard, very nice.

One final update to get, upgrade the sony cd player to a better universal, wish i had never sold my oppo dv980!

BTW - just came across 60 commercial cassettes in mint condition including led zep II, ELO, YES, Dylan, Hendrix, Rolling stones etc. Time to fire up the cassette deck and give them a whirl...

Re: Journey into Analogue Darkness
gnickers #397228 09/21/13 03:28 AM
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My kids had to ask what a tape was.
Don't think they've even seen a record...
and the VCR, that was an interesting explanation/conversation.



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