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Thread: The Audiophile Thread

  1. #1426
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    Believe it or not, Acoustic Sounds is starting a reel to reel subscription club. The price per tape? Only $450:

    http://store.acousticsounds.com/s/46...campaign=AS_NL

  2. #1427
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    "A fool and his money..."

    Commercial-grade R2Rs are still near state-of-the-art, but home decks? Duped tapes? Hardly.

  3. #1428
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pr33t View Post
    It seems to be directed specifically to audiophiles, since most of the commentary has to do with pressing, mastering, etc.
    The choices are iconoclastic. Obviously heartfelt. Certainly personal.

    Probably not shared by any other person.

    An intriguing, if ultimately disappointing list (because nothing really meets the criteria).

  4. #1429
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

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  6. #1431
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    I think I saw a meltdown on the Hoffman forum about that review.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  7. #1432
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    Well, this subject has been chewed enough and I wished someone would swallow. I have a Teac X1000R and the recorded/played back sound is fabulous. I honestly believe that some recordings sound better than the source vinyl. I don't care about stats, which medium is best and so on. All I know is what my ears tell me. This is my personal experience so take from it what you will.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  8. #1433
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    I think I saw a meltdown on the Hoffman forum about that review.
    I love that the ad, sorry "review" says "Now, an Austrian company is developing a consumer reel-to-reel tape player" as if such a thing has never been thought of before.

  9. #1434
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    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    Well SBB even though your Cubs took out my Giants, don't think for one second that I don't have cd's that don't skip and in some cases, simple lock up the machine. I no longer use these cd's but it does happen.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  10. #1435
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    I love that the ad, sorry "review" says "Now, an Austrian company is developing a consumer reel-to-reel tape player" as if such a thing has never been thought of before.
    Yeah, that was a bit over the top but I love seeing old commercials.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  11. #1436
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    Listening to headphones thru the lightning digital to analog mini adapter that came with my IPhone 7. Sounds good, but better source to come.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  12. #1437
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    Would love to hear any comments on low output MM carts. What's the idea about carts having different outputs?
    The older I get, the better I was.

  13. #1438
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    The Audiophile Thread

    This iPhone 7 doesn't have a headphone jack and the new OS supports wifi calling. I received a call from someone who walked into a bathroom at work. The sound and subtleness of the acoustics of that bathroom were incredible. The headphone jack space in the phone is now used as a horn or acoustic amplifier. The sound played back from my Apple lossless just thru the phone speakers sounds pretty good, obviously lacking bass of course.


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  14. #1439
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    Quote Originally Posted by Staun View Post
    Would love to hear any comments on low output MM carts. What's the idea about carts having different outputs?
    By nature moving magnet cartridges are medium to high output. Mostly high. Moving coil cartridges range from very low to high output.

  15. #1440
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    Quote Originally Posted by LASERCD View Post
    By nature moving magnet cartridges are medium to high output. Mostly high. Moving coil cartridges range from very low to high output.
    Moving coil pickups have less moving mass than moving magnet pickups, and thus are theoretically capable of faster response.

    In practice all MM and MC cartridges have their own characteristic sound -- like speakers -- and you simply need to find one you like. There is, so far as I know, no universal advantage of one over the other.

  16. #1441
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    The only thing I dislike about MC carts is that you can't replace the stylus. You either have to have it rebuilt or throw it away after 1-2000 hrs depending on the cart manufacturer specs.

  17. #1442
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rael View Post
    The only thing I dislike about MC carts is that you can't replace the stylus. You either have to have it rebuilt or throw it away after 1-2000 hrs depending on the cart manufacturer specs.
    Hopefully closer to 2000 hours than 1 hour

  18. #1443
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    Quote Originally Posted by Staun View Post
    Would love to hear any comments on low output MM carts. What's the idea about carts having different outputs?
    With MC cartridges the windings are on the end of the cantilever within the body of the cartridge. They move within the magnetic field. Therefore, fewer windings means that they are lighter and can move easier than heavier windings. therefore low output moving coils will have more detail presented than high out put moving coils, which have more windings.

    For MM cartridges, low output is not common. Generally the size of the magnet at the end of the cantilever is very small to begin with. It moves while the coils/windings stay fixed within the body of the cartridge. However, MM cartridges are not usually as detailed as MC's, though many believe they might sound more musical. That could have been true 20 years ago but technology has changed and today's MC's have none of the peakiness that those in the 70's had.

    My personal preference is a good low output MC, but they can be expensive. There are several very good high output MC's that I would also opt for over a MM cartridge (high or low). The benefit of higher output is that the signal is strong enough for a standard phono stage to handle without having to purchase a separate step-up transformer, which you will likely need for anything low output.

    Hope this explains it.
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  19. #1444
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobM View Post
    With MC cartridges the windings are on the end of the cantilever within the body of the cartridge. They move within the magnetic field. Therefore, fewer windings means that they are lighter and can move easier than heavier windings. therefore low output moving coils will have more detail presented than high out put moving coils, which have more windings.

    For MM cartridges, low output is not common. Generally the size of the magnet at the end of the cantilever is very small to begin with. It moves while the coils/windings stay fixed within the body of the cartridge. However, MM cartridges are not usually as detailed as MC's, though many believe they might sound more musical. That could have been true 20 years ago but technology has changed and today's MC's have none of the peakiness that those in the 70's had.

    My personal preference is a good low output MC, but they can be expensive. There are several very good high output MC's that I would also opt for over a MM cartridge (high or low). The benefit of higher output is that the signal is strong enough for a standard phono stage to handle without having to purchase a separate step-up transformer, which you will likely need for anything low output.

    Hope this explains it.
    Are you sure that all HO MCs really have that much more weight than LO given that a significant development is the use of rare earth magnets which would have a stronger magnetic field. When you talk about the most expensive versions of these different cartridge technologies, are there really that different.

  20. #1445
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    A couple of weeks ago I put on a record for my wife, one of her James Taylor records. I had just played a handful of albums a few nights before. And goddamn it if it didn't sound a little slow to me. I asked my wife, because she knows her records inside and out. Yup, slow. I spent a significant amount of time getting this thing worked on a couple years ago and I threw up my hands and carted it downstairs, to fester and rot among all the other pieces of electronic gear we have yet to toss out. I was pissed.

    Cut to the Wednesday. I had to get something out of a closet next to the living room and there was a box of stereo related paraphernalia. I saw a plastic bag poking out of it and recognized it as a spare belt I had gotten off eBay some time ago. So I brought it back up and replaced the belt. I put on a record and it still sounded a hair off. I was frustrated because I could no longer trust what I was hearing. I meant to do an A/B with a CD but didn't have the time so I dropped it. Yesterday I made my wife play one of her albums. She said, it's OK. I still had my doubts. Today I put on the David & David album because I had "Welcome to the Boomtown" in my head. Damn, perfect 33 1/3. I swear I could drive my own self nuts.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  21. #1446
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firth View Post
    Are you sure that all HO MCs really have that much more weight than LO given that a significant development is the use of rare earth magnets which would have a stronger magnetic field. When you talk about the most expensive versions of these different cartridge technologies, are there really that different.
    Well, the most expensive HOMC I know of costs about $800. LOMC's can be significantly more expensive, and that's where those rare earth magnets are put to use. These manufacturers make their best products in a LOMC form. To the ear ... LOMC's do indeed have better detail, imaging, spacial characteristics and slam than HOMC's and MM's of any type, though some do come close, like those made by Clearaudio.

    Then there are moving iron cartridges made by Soundsmith, which sound incredible, but they require his specialized phono stage to use, and the $$$ adds up quickly.
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  22. #1447
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    As to stand alone phono stages, which are better, SS or tube? Tubes can be noisy but by rolling or changing tubes, you can get a whole new sound. Also, phono stages that let's you adjust the output for low MC carts. How are they and what are the pros and cons?
    The older I get, the better I was.

  23. #1448
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    Quote Originally Posted by LASERCD View Post
    By nature moving magnet cartridges are medium to high output. Mostly high. Moving coil cartridges range from very low to high output.
    I do have a better understanding of MC and MM carts. MM carts seem to yell and scream at you as opposed to MC carts. I find MC carts to have a more round sound, not jagged. Comfortable to listen to and I sense they are more quiet in the grooves as they track.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  24. #1449
    Quote Originally Posted by LASERCD View Post
    By nature moving magnet cartridges are medium to high output. Mostly high. Moving coil cartridges range from very low to high output.
    Quote Originally Posted by Staun View Post
    I do have a better understanding of MC and MM carts. MM carts seem to yell and scream at you as opposed to MC carts. I find MC carts to have a more round sound, not jagged. Comfortable to listen to and I sense they are more quiet in the grooves as they track.

    MC cartridges, given the decreased mass of their motor, are able to trace the groves and undulations better than MM.

    Therefore, they have better transient response. Attacks and decays of instruments are better reproduced, as well as the retrieval of ambient information.

    I don't find the description of having a "round sound" being accurate. Since they are not rounding off transients. They are more pleasant to listen to, given their lower distortion. Being more quiet in the grooves, I think can be more attributable to stylus geometry, than being a MC. For example, Shibata and line contact styli tend to be quieter (ticks and pops lower in volume) than elliptical styli.
    And if there were a god, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence - Russell

  25. #1450
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    Quote Originally Posted by simon moon View Post
    Shibata and line contact styli tend to be quieter (ticks and pops lower in volume) than elliptical styli.
    Maybe because they ride lower in the groove, and are thus more likely to find cleaner and less damaged vinyl.

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