Spinning on the Turntable now...

[tonyE]

I'm running a Linn LP12... recently I put a Lingo PS, updated the springs, new base, etc, etc... and just for kicks, I put a Grado Statement Master2 -the low output version.

Preamp you say? My trustworthy Conrad Johnson PV9 with all new Teflon caps upgrade. I realize that its 100 ohm termination is not the best for the moving iron Grado, but I like the way it sounds and it has plenty of gain for the 1.0 mv output of the cartridge.

A VPI 16.5 vacuum machine. Maggie 1.7s and DIY knock offs of the Pass Aleph 5s, in submarine black monos.

Everything makes a difference... slowly, it gets to the point where, as my wife noted, "we don't hear the stereo, we hear the music".

Now, go get a better turntable, preamp, amp.... go used, that how I do it.

And, oh, I looked at that Scarlett 2i2 to replace my M-Audio Firewire... but I think I'm going to go with an RME unit....

...Oh, I was playing Cat Stevens Tea For The Tillerman

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Rollin' for the first time in 43 years (hmm pretty wide sounding...)

 

[GOS]

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

What turntable / cartridge you got there Gene?

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

Sitting here imagining what else we might've heard from Dan Hartman down through the years - what an immensely talented guy! Such a tragic loss. Thank you for the good times, Dan.

 

[DuncanS]

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Sitting here imagining what else we might've heard from Dan Hartman down through the years - what an immensely talented guy! Such a tragic loss. Thank you for the good times, Dan.

I don't have any of his solo albums, just the Edgar Winter ones he played on.

 

[tonyE]

Rollin' for the first time in 43 years (hmm pretty wide sounding...)

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That looks like a VERY NICE receiver... QRX-9001.? Did you get it recapped?

In the 80s, my friends were running a quad system with an HK stereo receiver and some kind of a decoder with extra HK amp. .with four ADS L500 speakers. It sounded simply awesome.

It's amazing how those old receivers are up in value... I got a G7500, plus Marantz a 4215 (with QS4 and CD4 remote and a Marantz 2325. And of course a Marantz 4 channel reel to reel. I fell stupid about the things that I have thrown or given away over time.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

That looks like a VERY NICE receiver... QRX-9001.? Did you get it recapped?

In the 80s, my friends were running a quad system with an HK stereo receiver and some kind of a decoder with extra HK amp. .with four ADS L500 speakers. It sounded simply awesome.

It's amazing how those old receivers are up in value... I got a G7500, plus Marantz a 4215 (with QS4 and CD4 remote and a Marantz 2325. And of course a Marantz 4 channel reel to reel. I fell stupid about the things that I have thrown or given away over time.

It is an QRX-8001 fully restored by qrxrestore with the Holy Grail alignment... the thing weighs a ton, and don't even ask about shipping

 

[tonyE]

It is an QRX-8001 fully restored by qrxrestore with the Holy Grail alignment... the thing weighs a ton, and don't even ask about shipping

Nice. I need to find someone to do a complete rebuild of my Sansui, Marantzs and Akai. I also have a big Kenwood receiver.... hmmm..

Heavy? If you have to ask?

I got an Akai AS980 too. I had it cleaned out. 27" wide, it has everything built in. The Post Office mailman almost got a hernia with the box. Had to use a dolly.

Its front panel goes to 11... just as most receivers run out of real state, the 980 keeps going with more and more and more knobs, switches, lights.

I can't vouch much for its sound quality, as my tube preamp/FET class A amps "real" stereo are far better sounding, but it sure is impressive. That big iron from the 70s is truly impressive.

 

[markshan]

Also, along with the new cart I bought an inexpensive Boundless carbon-fiber brush. It must be doing a much better job than the trusty old Discwasher, because surface noise is also greatly reduced.

Nah, carbon fiber brushes don't really clean, they just dust. Think of it like sweeping the kitchen floor vs mopping it.

Your surface noise is reduced because of the diamond shape on your stylus. An elliptical like your new 95 is much quieter than the old conicals were. If I were near you and we could A/B your 95 vs the 740 you would weep. It's that much of a step up again.

 

[markshan]

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Wheee!! I feel like a kid with a new toy!

For those unfamiliar, Wendy Waldman is a singer-songwriter who has done some pretty cool stuff down through the years. I've always enjoyed her solo LPs, especially this one. Which Way to Main Street was kind of a departure from her usual folk-rock style, with more of an early-80s edge. Some of the tunes haven't aged as well, but others are still great - the opening track for example, her original version of "Heart Beat" (with guest guitar solo by Peter Frampton), will make you forget all about that silly Don Johnson cover if you haven't already.

Unfortunately, although I love the music, this LP has always sounded kind of buzzy and weird on every turntable I've played it on. As I began collecting CDs to replace my favorite titles, I watched & waited for a cleaner copy of this one to be issued on a shiny little disc, but it never happened. A couple of her others came out & sounded very nice, but this title didn't get the same reviews back in the day, so it languished.

Then one day (maybe 10 or 15 years ago?) I saw an announcement on Wendy's site that she would be making copies of this album available on CD directly from her! I ordered one immediately, and received it quickly, with a nice handwritten thank-you note even! But alas, the CD-R was just a vinyl rip! And not a good one, either - it sounded even worse than my copy! I'm guessing this was one of those deals where Wendy owned the rights to her music but not her master tapes? At any rate, I gave up on ever hearing a clean copy of this music.

UNTIL TODAY! Once again I can't believe this sound was on this record the whole time! Her great voice, that big jangly grand piano (gotta be a Baldwin), loud drums & cymbals - they ain't perfect, but they're so SO much better than I ever thought I'd hear them!!

Yipeee!!

If you want, send it to me and I'll ultrasonic clean it for you and see if we can't kick it up another notch or two. PM me if interested.

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

Nah, carbon fiber brushes don't really clean, they just dust. Think of it like sweeping the kitchen floor vs mopping it.

What I've observed is that I can start with the Discwasher, which removes the usual impressive-looking bunch of crud. I can then go back over with the carbon brush, which gets out a whole 'nother load of crap. I've since retired the Discwasher because after cleaning with the carbon fiber, with the exception of actual scratches my surface noise is almost non-existent. Even static pops are almost entirely eliminated. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Your surface noise is reduced because of the diamond shape on your stylus. An elliptical like your new 95 is much quieter than the old conicals were.

My 95 is the ML (microlinear) version, similar geometry to your 740. (I haven't used a conical stylus since the early '70s.) I have had hyper-elliptical stylii in the past, and they were quieter, but not this quiet.

I'm sure the noise reduction is a combination of the two - improved cleaning and better stylus. My return-to-vinyl experiment has been suprisingly successful so far, so I will probably look into more robust cleaning solutions; but for now I'm really pleased with my $15 floor duster.

If I were near you and we could A/B your 95 vs the 740 you would weep. It's that much of a step up again.

Well yeah, I hope it sounds better - it costs twice as much! I didn't have that kind of money to spend, especially on what started out for me as kind of a gamble. Also, the 740 looks to be too compliant for my tonearm - even with the 95 I had to go to a lighter headshell to get arm resonance in the ballpark.

 

[markshan]

My 95 is the ML (microlinear) version, similar geometry to your 740.

I stand corrected. In the last lineup the 95 was an elliptical. I assumed the same was true now, but as you point out it's not. Perhaps AT just gave up on the simpler geometries all together given how much better the newer ones sound. (And my comparison comment was with the old 95 in mind. The new one may not be as drastically different.)

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

Tea for the Tillerman it ain't!

But there are still some good tunes on this record. The single as I recall was "(Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard," featuring Cat playing some fat brass chords on the brand-new Polymoog synthesizer - exciting for all us synth nerds at the time. Also good are "Life" and "Killin' Time," a proper rocker. This LP was not his usual style, but a fun listen (sound quality is excellent too).

 

[GOS]

What turntable / cartridge you got there Gene?

TT is Pioneer PLX-1000, cartridge is Ortofon 2M Blue.

 

[Jim the Oldbie]

Noice!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

------- - Strikes
*This one's from '79 - I'll be going deep into my stacks of LPs today

 

[tonyE]

Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers.

Bought the record, new, at a concert in Boulder, back in Spring of '82.

BTW, you can also listen to it on Tidal HiFi... it just sound different, of course.

 

[GOS]

------- - Strikes
*This one's from '79 - I'll be going deep into my stacks of LPs today

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Nice, great choice!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

While Jackson was just a wee lad ('72), there was Bo's journey from the Shire
Sagan Om Ringen