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Post by ant on Feb 28, 2024 22:06:50 GMT
And so on to my final entry here, the one that hurt me and pissed me off the most. My Roksan Xerxes turntable with SME IV arm and AT OC9 cartridge. Well, what's wrong with that, you may ask? Nothing at all when it was new! The problem was, it suffered from a fatal design flaw. That long cut in the top plate caused it to be too weak to support the platter bearing and pickup arm, with the result that over 3-4 years the top plate sagged causing the whole thing to become impossible to align properly. It had become a very expensive boat anchor. To my utter disgust, Roksan refused to do anything about it such as repair or replace it free of charge. Their solution? They ditched it and released a brand new design leaving us Xerxes owners high and dry. I resolved never to touch anything made by Roksan ever again. I just pinned the cutout on mine. A pair of rods in holes drilled horizontally through the side of the top plate while it was clamped down flat onto a granite chopping board, so the cutout and the rest were aligned correctly. Didnt sound any different. All the cutout does is alter the resonant frequency of the top plate, it doesnt isolate anything. Bridging the cutout in my experience does not alter the resonance significantly. I got hold of a replacement non bent top plate, swapped them, and was mildly purturbed when i couldnt tell any significant difference. There probably is some but i couldnt really tell. The original power supply however is a bloody disaster
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Post by ant on Feb 28, 2024 19:47:23 GMT
This has changed abit for me since i last posted, not much, but some.
Analogue main system :
Oracle delphi mk1, sme 309, vm750sh
Jbe series 3 slate, cx jewel bearing unipivot, dynavector dv20x2l
Jvc ql-y5f, rigb bodied at440mlb with vmn40ml stylus
I use the oracle and the jbe, my wife uses the jvc
Phono stages main system :
Cole lcr (oracle and jbe, converted it to a switchable 2 input setup) and project something for the jvc
Amplification main system :
Nelson pass b1
Nelson pass f5
Digital main system :
Wiim mini streamer
Topping e30 dac
Cyrus cd7
Speakers:
Fane 15-300tc aperiodic loaded cabinets, washing machine sized
Doesnt get used an awful lot to be honest...
Second system upstairs out of the way...
Analogue:
Jvc ql-y3f, vm750sh
Phono stage:
Benedict audio hothead
Amplification:
Myryad z40 headphone amplifier
Digital
Second wiim mini
Jds labs el dac 2+
Headphones:
Hifiman sundara, hifiman deva, b&w p7
Gets used a bit more than the 'main' system does, i put more money into it than i intended, but i enjoy it so who cares.
Both wiim minis are using tidal, standard resolution, no hi rez here, just controlled via my phone.
Nothing fancy, well maybe you could call the oracle fancy i suppose.
I had a change of heart on the oracle, it was underwhelming until i sat it in a 30 kg slate slab. Then it made sense. so i decided to buy it.
I have however lost pretty much all interest at the moment, a change of job, hours and circumstances mean that making time sit in front of it is very difficult. But its not going anywhere for when the interest comes back.
I also have a xerxes with a tabriz, an sl150, a lenco and some other bits and bobs hanging around for when the urge to do something returns. At least some of it is worth a few quid...
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Post by ant on Feb 1, 2024 22:00:43 GMT
Will be odd to see lewis in red from 2025
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Post by ant on Dec 17, 2023 15:23:02 GMT
Believe it or not, the hanpin dd pancake motor is actually pretty good. Its all the cast plastic shite that surrounds it that is a bit crap
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Post by ant on Dec 5, 2023 18:38:27 GMT
All I plan to do in the next few years, not just this coming year is listen to what I have when I get the chance. having changed jobs recently it's not going to be possible to listen as and when I like as it has been for the last decade. We also want to move from this absolute hole of a town soon, so I am not spending on anything I don't need to for the forseeable. An endgame that is worth curtailing my hifi antics for. I have however allowed myself one last swansong purchase before we go into full scrimp mode, an Oracle Delphi mk1. As folks know, I have a fascination for anything that plays the black stuff, have a load of decks, of which I am gradually selling off, and cant resist an odd/rare/wierd deck. Plan is to keep the Oracle and my JBE series 3 (the two prettiest decks ever made in my opinion, others mileage may vary) and the jvc qly5f my wife uses, then sell the other stuff I have. Couldn't resist the oracle, it looks fabulous.
So, no more hifi spending, we have a higher aim in mind.
However.... I will probably invest a little in my headphone system. This comprises of a jvc qly3f, vm750sh, project phono stage, wad hd83 headphone amp, and hifiman deva planars.
I'll probably put a bit into the phono stage, that's probably it. I'm pretty happy with that little setup as it is
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Post by ant on Nov 25, 2023 19:42:25 GMT
Thankyou, its a relief tbh, after a lot of years being self employed and wondering where the next block of work is coming from
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Post by ant on Nov 25, 2023 11:48:57 GMT
2 new toys recently, an oracle delphi mk1 and a pair of hifiman deva planar headphones. I justify these as a little (sic) present to myself for getting a new job....
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Post by ant on Oct 30, 2023 20:02:26 GMT
Let's just say the Funk arm will destroy the Helius, and I'm being polite about it. Take it you don't like helius much lol. But as a turntable should I have bought another arm for systemdek, could I have made it a much better turntable? With a better arm on it would it be better than the funk firm turntable? I'm having doubts now I have had a LOT of turntables over the years, last count was 50 plus, of all drive types, suspended, non suspended, lightweight, flyweight, every permutation you could think of. And made probably at least 20 something. And what i have learned is that until you sit in front of them, you might as well write them all down, put the paper on a dart board and chuck a dart at them to make a choice. There isnt a substitute for standing infront of it with some ears and music. I have one deck that has stayed for a long time, nearly 15 years, out of all of them. my jbe slate dd. Because i like it and it just plays and i always come back to it. The only other one is one that i have had 3 of, the jvc ql-y5f. Because they sound bloody good, and my wife uses it because its full auto and she wont use a manual deck. Ask yourself why you want to throw money at a new one, and what you are actually looking for in doing so. In reality it is a hard thing to do to arrange to listen to these things, but it is worth it. Changing an arm or a cart wont fundamentally alter the character if a deck in my experience, and throwing money at the 'problem' wont either. Identify the 'problem' first. Listen to the systemdek, have a good think about what it is about it that you actually want to change before you put hand in pocket
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Post by ant on Sept 21, 2023 13:54:49 GMT
Wot? Escape? Naaah mate. How would i know that the van i didn't attach myself to for no reason at all would drive off? Who'da thought it would drive away. I woz just doin the laundry an it got caught. Honest guv'nor
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Post by ant on Aug 10, 2023 18:13:49 GMT
1979 jbe series 3 is in use, 1986 roksan xerxes is still in use, 1980 jvc ql-y5f is still in use. 1970s technics sl150 is in use along with an early mission 774 ive just rebuilt. A very early gl75 is also in use. I bought the jbe in 2010 though so thats the thing ive had for the longest
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Post by ant on Jul 24, 2023 16:30:18 GMT
Spa this weekend for the next disappointment
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Post by ant on Jul 4, 2023 14:09:50 GMT
Try listening to worldservice project My wife hates it Makes it funnier to listen to
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Post by ant on Jul 3, 2023 6:37:30 GMT
It was an absolute shitshow in 15 and 16 when the hybrid era started but i dont remember it being this bad, its a waste of time watching lately. Just seems that f1 keeps shooting itself in the foot at least once a race. If its not utter boredom its questionable stewarding, if not that its a dumb sprint race if not that its farcical penalties, if its not that its the print media asking a loaded question to a driver then wails of hypocrisy at the answer. At least ben stokes made the cricket abit more interesting than usual. Should start watching that instead Its abit bad when you have watched a sport since 1987 and its become simply habit to spend sundays with the radio on rather than looking forward to a race, a chore to tune in, and an utter refusal to pay for tv coverage of it on principle. Cant even get the sports official tv coverage, which might actually be nice to have because of sky
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Post by ant on Jul 2, 2023 20:30:32 GMT
Sainz and hamilton penalised further, ocon got 30 seconds added and another 5 drivers done. Ludicrous situation
Their tough luck, should've abided by the track limits
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Post by ant on Jul 2, 2023 16:41:11 GMT
Got quite bored with this race weekend, track limits penalties everywhere in all sessions and both races, foregone conclusion as to who would win. Highlights, not many. Leclerc pole lap attempt was a great effort, sainz defending from perez. Not sure there were any more really Utterly forgettable Again Please let silverstone at least be reasonable
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Post by ant on Jun 30, 2023 7:23:19 GMT
Not directly, i read stuff loosely sci fi connected but more 'sci fi horror'if you could call it that. 2 books in particular that had sci fi connotations, a hp lovecraft compendium (the colour out of space and at the mountains of madness are still favourites, i re read that lovecraft book fairly regularly) and a basil copper book called the great white space. Scared the crap out of 10 year old me. Then early james herbert, the rats the fog and the dark (that one really scared the crap out of me) was told repeatedly not to read them but read them on the sly. Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy, dune, philip k dick stuff but not for a long time
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Post by ant on Jun 19, 2023 18:14:36 GMT
Albon knows how to play to that williams strengths, great albon special drive from him. That williams is an absolute missile in a straight line, but cant go round corners. If they can get it to turn left and right it could sneak up on mclaren by the years end. Apparently mclaren have a set of big upgrades coming over 3 races that will make it a competitive car but ill believe that when i see it. There was actually a heck of a lot going on in that race, ferrari didnt balls up their strategy for once, perez did not really turn up for some reason. short low speed corners are the only place that other cars come close to the rb19s, the astons probably match the rb in that one area which is probably why verstappen didnt bugger off completely. I was very impressed with verstappen alonso and hamilton, none of them put a foot wrong while their teammates floundered. Without lifting and coasting i think alonso could have given verstappen a bit of pause for thought, but there is performance in hand for verstappen so he would still have won. Just might have had to concentrate for a bit. russell was abit unlucky to bend the w14b, hit the inside kerb at a funny angle attempting to get back on terms with alonso. Showed how much he was pushing to try to keep the top 3 in sight. Merc definitely have the best driver pairing on the grid More merc upgrades apparently scheduled for silverstone. It would be great to see hamilton (or russell) giving verstappen something to worry about there. Heres hoping. the merc might be crap in austria in 2 weeks time, if its good there we might be able to say the b spec car works
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Post by ant on Jun 5, 2023 12:02:17 GMT
Whats this? A half decent race at catalunya? Well i never. Remove the rubbish final chicaine and its not as crap as it has been for a long time. Verstappen buggered off as always, but behind him there was some actual honest to god decent racing. The new w14b actually looked like a good car, hamilton and russell actually being able to race and overtake, the upgraded ferrari being a rolling contradiction, the aston martin was abit disappointing, the alpine looking reasonably handy too. What happened to leclerc im not sure, landos quali heroics went right down the pan. Tsunoda and zhou had a good race long scrap. Will merc see some form start to appear now the car has some sidepods and a floor that matches them or will it just be a case of one good race and canada back to square one? Will the ferrari ever actually work? Will pirelli ever make tyres that are not made of chocolate?
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Post by ant on Jun 5, 2023 6:53:08 GMT
Is the dac overrated.. No. Are noise reduction techniques, component isolation and support techniques, grounding techniques, power supplies, ect ect ect, the bits you are mentioning underrated? Yes. Simple fact is, you can spend a lot of money in a system and have it not do what you want, then spend a few quid on some feet and a couple of chopping boards under said components and get a jump in sound quality. You can piss money away very very easily for not much return by simply box swapping without knowing what you are not happy with in the first place. This is not specifically dacs but in general. I couldnt really care less how my digital sounds, i havent invested in it and have no intention of doing so. I have a cyrus cd player, a topping e30 dac and a streamer that i cant even remember the name of. The only tweak to the standard setup is a linear power supply for the dac. But, years and years spent on the rest of the system means that i can make a change and immediately know whether i am going to stick with something. I have found over the course of many years and i am sure many people have, that money spent is not a denominator of sound quality. A higher priced dac or a 'better' dac may have a higher performance ceiling, but if the rest of your setup cant access it, then its irrelevant.
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Post by ant on May 28, 2023 10:31:04 GMT
You need special fia dispensation to be allowed, they issued a new sporting regulation a few years ago when somene overtook without a pitstop and it took the fia by surprise.
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