Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Apr 10, 2016 19:50:53 GMT
Yes, we await your reaction with interest Martin. The phrase 'unwanted baggage' comes to mind.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 27, 2016 20:52:04 GMT
How are the LSTs meant to be positioned? Are they positioned so the main face is at 45 deg to the listener, with the mids and tweeters firing at each other for one set and the others firing in parallel down the room?
What is the polar pattern like for the LST?
Cheers Barry
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 27, 2016 20:47:28 GMT
I agree about not wanting to mistreat either. The question is is the replay of the 78 acetate by careful means in order to copy it actually mistreating it? Is it better not to know what's on it and await for such a time when a contactless means of playing it is developed, or to play/copy it now and risk the, albeit slight, wear of the sick that would entail?
Also agree with your comments about the re-think on the use of 'white cotton gloves'. The argument is that without gloves there is better bio-feedback when turning a page - the page is turned more gently and less stress is put on it. First time I saw this on TV I was taken aback, but discussing this with someone who works at the National Library of Wales, I was told of the new thinking on handling old and valuable archived documents.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 27, 2016 13:04:17 GMT
The last I heard was the laser was so sensitive the records had to be scrupulously clean, otherwise the laser would read the 'dirt and dust'. I think there were also problems with keeping the laser focused whilst tracking warps.
Whatever, the Finial record player died a death; possibly because it was introduced at the same time as people were ditching their vinyl in favour of CDs.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 27, 2016 2:18:18 GMT
Since it was sent to George Martin as a promotional disc, it has already been played so is no longer mint or unplayed. Despite the fact it is a 78 acetate and therefore fragile, it can still be copied virtually without damage if the necessary care is taken. Record libraries do this all the time.
The comparison with written documents such as the Magna Carta is spurious - they can be read by the human eye and reading them does no damage (provided the ambient light levels are not excessive), so provided no errors are made in the actual transcription, the copy is as good as the original. A record on the other hand can only be read by physical contact with it, and therefore in doing so can wear.
But since these acetates are going to be bought by someone as a speculative investment, they will languish in a bank vault just as they did in the loft. Perhaps of some interest to historians of mid-twentieth century pop music, I can't imagine they would be of much interest to the majority of music lovers. Now if it had been a recording of Robert Johnson's mythical 40th song ....?
As an aside, the longevity and usefulness to archiving of recording tape (and of optical storage) has been called into question. It's quite possible that in 100 years time, all tape will have degraded as well as optical storage, so the only hard copies will be the vinyl in record collectors libraries! Makes you think.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 8, 2016 17:46:45 GMT
I am with you 100%, Clive. The sculptured cast top chassis of the Thorens is just beautiful and furthermore, Barry is a bounder and a cad for owning so many of them, when I don't have one. Guilty - but you do have a rather fine Goldring G99 I found for you! And you have two Zeta arm/Koetsu cartridge combinations, so who's the bounder and cad now? Apropos the 301/401 aesthetics controversy, you are at least being consistent; you prefer the earlier '50s maroon/cream styling of the Leak Troughline II to the black/silver finish of the Troughline III.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 8, 2016 0:43:44 GMT
I like it very much. It is a well recorded, live performance of the Band of Gypsies line up in 1970, when Hendrix was IMO at his height. The title of the disc is misleading: the line up is Hendrix, Mitch Michell and Billy Cox, so The Band of Gypsies and not the Experience.
It has live versions of all my favourite Hendrix tracks: Red House; Hear My Train A Comin'; All Along the Watchtower; Foxey Lady, Purple Haze; Hey Joe; Voodoo Child and Stone Free. So as they say, 'what's not to like?'
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 8, 2016 0:19:54 GMT
To answer the poll, my EMT 930 is definitely idler/rim drive.
As to my Thorens TD124s, well they use a belt to connect between the motor and the speed change pulley and an idler wheel to connect between the stepped pulley and the rim of the platter. So a hybrid - best of both worlds or the worst of both worlds?
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 8, 2016 0:15:38 GMT
If I had to choose between a 301 and 401 on purely aesthetic grounds, I would go for a 301. I have always thought the 401 looks quite horrible. I don't have any views on the styling of any kitchen appliances whatsoever though. I have never understood your dismissal of the 401 on grounds of looks. I think Walter Marshall did a great job in restyling the '40s look of the 301 to the (very) '60s look of the 401. As to which of the two is better soundwise - I'll leave that to owners of the Garrard decks in question to battle it out.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 8, 2016 0:09:44 GMT
The US price is $2350, so as is usual, the UK price is likely to be the same figure in GBS!
Despite that, I do like the look of it, especially with the black finish.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 7, 2016 23:59:23 GMT
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 7, 2016 15:31:19 GMT
The ML-6s were said to be the best preamps Levinson made. But I would pass them up for two reasons: (1) I would find the separate volume controls a pain in the arse, and (2) much of the circuitry consists of modules that plug into a motherboard. These modules are sealed in epoxy resin and so are impossible to repair. That EMT deck is the same as mine, save for the fact it uses an Ortofon RMF arm used by EMT before they developed their own 929 arm. 1.68 million yen translates to ~ £13,500! That's an absurd price - I paid £2,500 for mine, complete with a very heavy plinth. The high price asked might be due to it being an early version with the Ortofon arm. Also the cream paint finish is unusual, very unusual - until I saw the photo I had assumed all EMT930s (and its forerunner the 927) were finished in silver-grey hammertone.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Feb 6, 2016 23:49:17 GMT
Oh what fun searching the shop with 3 million in your pocket! I'm going for an open reel tape player as my main source here. Denon DN-3302RGJPY 118,000 Preamp will be something I've lusted over for a long, long time. Mark Levinson ML-6JPY 718,000 Phwoar! Speakers will be these rare in the UK beauties. Pioneer S-1000TWIN/AJPY 118,000 ...and for power amp duties.... Accuphase A-60JPY 598,000 That leave me with just a smidge over half my budget, so I'm going to have a turntable as a second source - the Levinson pre has one line input and one phono cartridge input, so that will do fine. I'd take the EMT turntable, but it busts my budget by a few quid, so I'll go with.... Nottingham Analogue MentorJPY 558,000 Leaving me with a million yen or so to purchase a cartridge and some juicy tapes to play on the Denon. Those Levinson ML-6s with the silver fascia are extremely rare. Expect they are a custom job fitted with the front panel Camac sockets (for a tape machine?). Also, the double wooden case for the pre-amps is rare. What is the EMT deck they have for sale?
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Jan 31, 2016 20:51:39 GMT
I haven't used a mouse mat for longer than I can remember, so space isn't an issue Me neither! And its not because I use a laptop, I don't - I use a mouse but find no need to use a mouse mat.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Jan 31, 2016 20:08:33 GMT
- so guess what I'll be playing next? Wild guess.... Mance Lipscomb? Interesting suggestion, but although born in 1895, Mance Lipscomb didn't record anything until 1960. What I had in mind was the likes of: Barbecue Bob; Charley Lincoln; Blind Willie McTell; Peg leg Howell; Helen Humes; "Big Mama" Thornton; Ethel Walters; Kokomo Arnold; Water Davis and Bukka White. However your suggestion of Mance Lipscomb was so appealing, I'm now playing Mance Lipsomb - 'Songster'.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Jan 31, 2016 19:07:05 GMT
Haha,
Well when it comes to my choice of listening, I'm either a bit of a grass hopper, or I tend to follow a theme.
Having just redecorated my living/listening room (ugh - never again!), I have returned some 1,000 LPs, 2,000 CDs and 650 books to their shelves. Putting the records back, I discovered some I had forgotten I had!
I have also recently purchased a load of 1920's and 1930's Blues LPs - so guess what I'll be playing next?
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Jan 31, 2016 18:44:37 GMT
A complete jumble of records: ‘The Colorblind James Experience’Van Morisson – ‘Astral Weeks’ (Japanese pressing) Janis Ian – ‘Billie’s Bones’ and ‘Folk is the New Black’ (Double CD) Rickie Lee Jones – ‘The Other Side of Desire’Richard Thompson – ‘ Still’ (Double CD) Howlin’ Wolf – ‘ Howlin Wolf’ and ‘ Moanin’ in the Moonlight’And in memory of Paul Kantner ‘ The Worst of Jefferson Airplane’
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Jan 19, 2016 23:45:48 GMT
What's worse - they're all passing away in their '60s!
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Jan 19, 2016 23:43:39 GMT
For good coffee at work (where the replacement coffee machine is better than its predecessor but still dispenses overspill tarmac from the M3 roadworks), and where I only have a kettle in my office (before Tim starts recommending £800 worth of professional kit), I have found one better than Kenco Millicano. It's Nescafe Azera and it's bloody nice for an instant: I boycot anything by Nestlé, and you should too.
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Barry
Rank: Trio
Posts: 195
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Post by Barry on Nov 17, 2015 21:20:01 GMT
Well I've done little to thin-out the excess gear. I've sold one CD player only to replace it with another! And to make matters worse, I've acquired a few more cartridges!
So, the Sony CDP930 now replaces the Sony CDP720 as surplus, and the following cartridges have to be added to the list:
ADC 25 ADC 10E Mk. IV B&O MMC20S B&O MMC20E B&O MMC20EN Decca Mk. III Ortofon MC200 Ortofon MC25FL.
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