Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I've enjoyed my MP110 but I'm probably going to stick with the 540ml after I am done. Too much inner groove distortion with the stock tonearm on the at lp120 for my taste.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Audiophile GAF
- Thread starter Maiden Voyage
- Start date
ThatPolishGuy
Member
There are testing LPs for that. And I think on a lot of tests MP-110 was really good... Don't know that tonearm, it may be at fault.
I was thinking about buying that LP. It's like a whole lot of testing sounds for cartridges.
Internets:
My test:
On The Johnson Brothers - Look Out For #1 UK press 1st press. EX condition.
Dual 704 + Nagaoka MP-110 + Kenny KA-3500. No inner groove distortion. Tracks like a tank.
Cartridge set in headshell by Dual calibration tool, no template needed to set the proper tracking angle.
Vertical Tracking Angle set with a VTA level thingie I bought off Ali or smth - both arm and headshell aligned properly with lines on this tool, while I was changing the VTA control setting on my turntable. So I just left it at that.
And here's the result.
BTW. While I had my older Dual turntable, with belt drive and no VTA settings. MP-110 was the only cartridge which had proper VTA setting. This carts body part where you use screws to secure it in headshell is THICC- and I bet it will do just nicely on Mofi Studiodeck or Rekkord Audio M500.
I think the cartridge is designed so it has to be sitting much higher in the headshell. So there's no need to add any washers, spacing pads or anything really, on a lot of arms.
Edit: The only time I think I have inner groove distortion is while I buy a really shitty used LP. You don't really know how well someone had set it's cartridge and how many times it was played its mostly on VG records I had any problems whatsoever.
And the way the used LPs prices has soared up... I'm thinking now about buying new pressings altogether since the differences in pricing just blear altogether. And I have much higher chance to score a nice pressing and I can look up the stats on DISCOGS. And it will be MINT so no sound degradation.
Especially on Polish auction sites I see sellers that has started to grade all the used records as VG-, VG, VG+ rather than EX or Mint. And there are a lot of scams lately because they can sell you a really shitty used LP and claim it was graded properly or you can get a nice sounding record. It's 50/50 at times.
So yeah. Times have changed.
And when I have options and see that the seller grades all of their records as VG and there is no EX record anywhere their offerings I just don't buy from them. Period.
Bought 2 to 3 VG records lately and I see signs of sound degradation, sibilants or distortion. And I think that these record have been just handled poorly and it's not really MP-110 fault at all. Sometimes there's surface noise. I was burned a few times that I might as well just drop used records and only buy new stuff from now on since I have a huge collection of used records.
I think I have one Budge new pressing and it sounds and behaves phenomenal on MP-110.
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Vinyl release of "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com
It was sealed and 1/3 of a price of old pressings.
And I really wanted a Budgie record in my collection. But old pressings were priced too much for me.
New pressing
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
There are testing LPs for that. And I think on a lot of tests MP-110 was really good... Don't know that tonearm, it may be at fault.
I was thinking about buying that LP. It's like a whole lot of testing sounds for cartridges.
Internets:
My test:
On The Johnson Brothers - Look Out For #1 UK press 1st press. EX condition.
Dual 704 + Nagaoka MP-110 + Kenny KA-3500. No inner groove distortion. Tracks like a tank.
Cartridge set in headshell by Dual calibration tool, no template needed to set the proper tracking angle.
Vertical Tracking Angle set with a VTA level thingie I bought off Ali or smth - both arm and headshell aligned properly with lines on this tool, while I was changing the VTA control setting on my turntable. So I just left it at that.
And here's the result.
BTW. While I had my older Dual turntable, with belt drive and no VTA settings. MP-110 was the only cartridge which had proper VTA setting. This carts body part where you use screws to secure it in headshell is THICC- and I bet it will do just nicely on Mofi Studiodeck or Rekkord Audio M500.
I think the cartridge is designed so it has to be sitting much higher in the headshell. So there's no need to add any washers, spacing pads or anything really, on a lot of arms.
Edit: The only time I think I have inner groove distortion is while I buy a really shitty used LP. You don't really know how well someone had set it's cartridge and how many times it was played its mostly on VG records I had any problems whatsoever.
And the way the used LPs prices has soared up... I'm thinking now about buying new pressings altogether since the differences in pricing just blear altogether. And I have much higher chance to score a nice pressing and I can look up the stats on DISCOGS. And it will be MINT so no sound degradation.
Especially on Polish auction sites I see sellers that has started to grade all the used records as VG-, VG, VG+ rather than EX or Mint. And there are a lot of scams lately because they can sell you a really shitty used LP and claim it was graded properly or you can get a nice sounding record. It's 50/50 at times.
So yeah. Times have changed.
And when I have options and see that the seller grades all of their records as VG and there is no EX record anywhere their offerings I just don't buy from them. Period.
Bought 2 to 3 VG records lately and I see signs of sound degradation, sibilants or distortion. And I think that these record have been just handled poorly and it's not really MP-110 fault at all. Sometimes there's surface noise. I was burned a few times that I might as well just drop used records and only buy new stuff from now on since I have a huge collection of used records.
I think I have one Budge new pressing and it sounds and behaves phenomenal on MP-110.
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Vinyl release of "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" on Discogs.
It was sealed and 1/3 of a price of old pressings.
And I really wanted a Budgie record in my collection. But old pressings were priced too much for me.
New pressing
You know I wrote this and then went and listened to some records last night and thought, you know, it's got such a nice and warm sound maybe I will keep one on hand.
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Yeah, that cart is golden. And it will only be more expensive from now on.
Maybe read up on fixing inner groove distortion. I saw some vids on youtube- so I suspect this vids may be useful to you.
And maybe If you upgrade down the line to let's say Mofi Studiodeck it will spread its wings.
It's would be such a shame to sell it. And then rebuy it when it's 2x more expensive...
Last edited:
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Tried to achive as many details on Kenny as I can... And I'm blown away by performance of this cart. And sheer warmth of saxophone.
Increased the stylus pressure to 2g.
Also inner groove tracking. Yet again I can prove it *should* track like a tank in there.
Last edited:
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Kenny x Grundig
No loudness. Maximum detail setup.
A bit of loudness
Yesterday's sax track.
OMG.
If there's a resonance on vid it's not from inner groove distortion it's from mids soft dome. It was pushed in so I got it out but the soft dome may still resonate weirdly.
No loudness. Maximum detail setup.
A bit of loudness
Yesterday's sax track.
OMG.
If there's a resonance on vid it's not from inner groove distortion it's from mids soft dome. It was pushed in so I got it out but the soft dome may still resonate weirdly.
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Tempted for the IE 600 since they dropped to 550€. And they have a deal for the IE 900 with custom fitted tips. However the price is hefty.
Last edited:
ThatPolishGuy
Member
When you see a freebie tossed out in the rain you just get it especially since cones, voice coils, spiders and surrounds and stuff are easily available...
French subtitles on characteristic table. So it's version made in 70s to be sold outside of Poland.
20cm bass. Thick veneer, 15kg each. I have already located bass drivers- since the ones in them are not original at all. Quick wipe with some towels and I tossed it in the basement its not heated or anything but its pretty warm and dry in there. I will disassemble them tomorrow morning and see what is what.
New cones for mid drivers https://naprawaglosnikow.pl/membrana-gd-125-1252-1254-p-68.html 11zł so around $2,66 for 1pcs.
Hmm, the surround is damaged on this vid so it will probably play 2x better, if not 3x better.
I think I already have soft domes with voice coils in my "not to be thrown away" labeled box with other tweeter parts... Since it's extra light and somebody may think it's okay to toss it out.
Edit: yup
Two sets for horn type soft domes. "Redish" laminate type of thing like they were originally in there.
French subtitles on characteristic table. So it's version made in 70s to be sold outside of Poland.
20cm bass. Thick veneer, 15kg each. I have already located bass drivers- since the ones in them are not original at all. Quick wipe with some towels and I tossed it in the basement its not heated or anything but its pretty warm and dry in there. I will disassemble them tomorrow morning and see what is what.
New cones for mid drivers https://naprawaglosnikow.pl/membrana-gd-125-1252-1254-p-68.html 11zł so around $2,66 for 1pcs
.Hmm, the surround is damaged on this vid so it will probably play 2x better, if not 3x better.
I think I already have soft domes with voice coils in my "not to be thrown away" labeled box with other tweeter parts... Since it's extra light and somebody may think it's okay to toss it out
.Edit: yup
Two sets for horn type soft domes. "Redish" laminate type of thing like they were originally in there.
Last edited:
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Yeah... So they are already dissembled.
All the alu ringos cleaned, tweeter cleaned - opened it up. Same soft domes I have. All the other speakers disassembled too. Dampening material is out.
Mid driver has a separate plastic chamber and apparently is not... Original too. Same manufacturer similar build, yet a bit different than it should be. The only original driver is tweeter.
Lots of scratches, the base has swollen a bit up but the enclosures look okay from the inside. And nothing else happened I guess.
Speakers have different serial numbers, one has 1979r and another 1981r at the back. A bit different build of enclosures through out the years. But the capacity of enclosure is roughly the same.
1979r speaker has different silicon wafer than 1981r speaker.
Coils on crossover look like they were curled by a machine on 1979 speaker and copper looks more premium similarly to NS-670 crossover.
1981 speaker on the other hand (heh) has better silicon waffer, more premium dampening material, coils look like they were curled by hand and copper looks darker less premium.
There are also a different quantity of foil capacitors in bass driver segment 1979 there are 4 caps, and on 1981 there are 3 caps - was thinking about the desoldering to see if they equal to pretty much the same capacitance. Since all of them are glued together and it's tough to see. All the other caps and resistors are the exact same match between the two crossovers.
I found a service manual for those loudspeakers with all the caps and coils values on a crossover, so there is that.
I disassembled basically everything there was to disassemble.
Aluminium rings, speakers, separate chambers, dampening, desoldered all the drivers, opened up the tweeters. I even desoldered the pots and there was a really simple mechanism to open them up with single screw and I cleaned them by hand. Anechoic chamber characteristics plates too, I have unscrewed them also, to clean any stuff there might be well growing underneath them. Good thing I did, there was this like a layer of carton like stuff under and it was pretty wet.
Gosh, I love working with Polish vintage it's so simple. Stuff just hold by a single or a few screws, boom it's opened up. This works really well with my principle of "simple is best".
Curious thing 1979 speaker had foam seals under the drivers, separate chamber, potentiometer, terminal. On the other hand 1981 had rubber seals.
Foam turned to basically dust, rubber was still going strong. Well basically doing what it was supposed to do a tight seal. It was stressful to use that much more force on the the other speaker. But luckily there were no accidents.
All the alu ringos cleaned, tweeter cleaned - opened it up. Same soft domes I have. All the other speakers disassembled too. Dampening material is out.
Mid driver has a separate plastic chamber and apparently is not... Original too. Same manufacturer similar build, yet a bit different than it should be. The only original driver is tweeter.
Lots of scratches, the base has swollen a bit up but the enclosures look okay from the inside. And nothing else happened I guess.
Speakers have different serial numbers, one has 1979r and another 1981r at the back. A bit different build of enclosures through out the years. But the capacity of enclosure is roughly the same.
1979r speaker has different silicon wafer than 1981r speaker.
Coils on crossover look like they were curled by a machine on 1979 speaker and copper looks more premium similarly to NS-670 crossover.
1981 speaker on the other hand (heh) has better silicon waffer, more premium dampening material, coils look like they were curled by hand and copper looks darker less premium.
There are also a different quantity of foil capacitors in bass driver segment 1979 there are 4 caps, and on 1981 there are 3 caps - was thinking about the desoldering to see if they equal to pretty much the same capacitance. Since all of them are glued together and it's tough to see. All the other caps and resistors are the exact same match between the two crossovers.
I found a service manual for those loudspeakers with all the caps and coils values on a crossover, so there is that.
I disassembled basically everything there was to disassemble.
Aluminium rings, speakers, separate chambers, dampening, desoldered all the drivers, opened up the tweeters. I even desoldered the pots and there was a really simple mechanism to open them up with single screw and I cleaned them by hand. Anechoic chamber characteristics plates too, I have unscrewed them also, to clean any stuff there might be well growing underneath them. Good thing I did, there was this like a layer of carton like stuff under and it was pretty wet.
Gosh, I love working with Polish vintage it's so simple. Stuff just hold by a single or a few screws, boom it's opened up. This works really well with my principle of "simple is best".
Curious thing 1979 speaker had foam seals under the drivers, separate chamber, potentiometer, terminal. On the other hand 1981 had rubber seals.
Foam turned to basically dust, rubber was still going strong. Well basically doing what it was supposed to do a tight seal. It was stressful to use that much more force on the the other speaker. But luckily there were no accidents.
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Listening to these today. Glad I’m out of the headphone game or I’d be tempted to buy a pair.
ThatPolishGuy
Member
I thought I would test some new presses:
I didn't have Black Sabbath debut album at all in my collection. And old presess where quite expensive. Saw a 2020 release 19% off on black weeks and yeah it's pretty good. Inner groove sounds really good on MP-110 - no issues at all.
I didn't have Black Sabbath debut album at all in my collection. And old presess where quite expensive. Saw a 2020 release 19% off on black weeks and yeah it's pretty good
. Inner groove sounds really good on MP-110 - no issues at all.
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Some deals over at Turntable Lab:
www.turntablelab.com
Gear Sales + Specials
OF THE MOMENT THE WALL GEAR SPECIALS STAPLES CLASSIC + IN-STOCK ↗ NEW ARRIVALS ↗ GIFT GUIDE ↗ ↳ 🔴 BLK FRI Sales are active!
www.turntablelab.com
navii
My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
We got some seriously good Black Friday deals here in AU. The IE600 are like $550AU. Speaking of, as someone who never heard more expensive IEMs, they are outstanding.
Con-Z-epT
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Bought all the drivers I need for my basment project. Ordered parts, cones and whatnot. Hunted down the rareriest woofer there is for the "dumpster" project. One of the first edition of woofers with deep baskets and longer voice coils. Ordering cordless powertools already so I will have something to work with on those boxes. Stuff is happening, I guess.
The boxes are as big as SABA enclosures and woofer is 20cm instead of 25cm like in Saba. I'm curious how it will sound. Volume is something like 30-35L and most loudspeakers with 20cm bass units have 15L enclosures. The deep basket thing may actually sound pretty sick when I look at sheer enclosure volume...
I've decided that this is supposed to be a learn on it project. Proper usage of powertools, maybe recapping the crossover. Applying new veneer and the experience will translate into the Yamaha project down the line. You gotta start somewhere and it feels like this is it. And I get to learn stuff because it was a freebie.
I started get serious on oldschool methods of applying veneer. Bone glue and all. May give some good results for amateur HiFi projects at home. Without press and whatnot.
The boxes are as big as SABA enclosures and woofer is 20cm instead of 25cm like in Saba. I'm curious how it will sound. Volume is something like 30-35L and most loudspeakers with 20cm bass units have 15L enclosures. The deep basket thing may actually sound pretty sick when I look at sheer enclosure volume...
I've decided that this is supposed to be a learn on it project. Proper usage of powertools, maybe recapping the crossover. Applying new veneer and the experience will translate into the Yamaha project down the line. You gotta start somewhere and it feels like this is it. And I get to learn stuff because it was a freebie.
I started get serious on oldschool methods of applying veneer. Bone glue and all. May give some good results for amateur HiFi projects at home. Without press and whatnot.
Last edited:
deathsaber
Member
Hey everyone- care to weigh in further on this?
Right now I'm in a big dilemma is between purchasing the Fluance RT82 and the Project Debut Carbon Evo as an upgrade to a crappy Angel's Horn turntable I'm currently using (as someone who has only been in the Vinyl game for about a year now) and looking for feedback
With the RT82, it's only a $300 purchase instead of $500+, for the Project, which my bank account appreciates right now, and would still represent a pretty big upgrade in all aspects over my current cheapie Angels Horn Turntable- moving up to a solid elliptical stylus with the OM 10 vs a very basic AT91 conical stylus, top notch speed control (coming from a turntable that is extremely Wow and Fluttery), plus even if the tone arm is "entry level" aluminum on the Fluance, it's still likely much better than what's on the crappy Angels Horn- they say its "alloy" whatever that means, but that thing is so stiff and difficult to even balance, no subtlety with that thing. If I get another $100 or so to blow later on, I can pop an acrylic platter on for that upgrade. If I want another sound upgrade, I finish by popping on something like the Ortofon 2m blue, or maybe an OM20 stylus on the OM10 cartridge which I hear is a very similar to the Blue, and basically have an RT85 at that point and i know that is no slouch of a setup and praised a ton by turntable people all around. Given my speaker situation currently consists of Fluance Ai41 powered bookshelf speakers, which are solid little speakers, for putting nice clean sound in a small room (and can maybe accommodate a Fluance subwoofer down the road for more ooomph if I feel like taking that plunge sometime), but certainly are not earth shattering/audiophile level sound equipment, I'm guessing this is probably more than enough turntable to do all things justice. I honestly think the RT82 would be the smart choice for me right now, given my current speaker situation.
But the Project remains available and at the end of what I can "afford". Ican get for about $500 for a "like new" open box situation, full warranty, etc. It's tempting, because if I got it, it would probably be all the turntable I'll "ever need" for life and would have no further need for any new turntable (at long as it keeps working) and I worry I'll always be looking at it if I don't get it and have that temptation to buy it down the road, which I DON'T really want. At this point whatever I get I want to use for many years... But do I really, truly, need it to go as big for the Project? I'm not sure given my speaker situation is also fairly pedestrian, and I don't really plan to upgrade THAT anytime soon. Maybe I can pay less and get the Fluance, enjoy the upgrade, and end up perfectly happy and don't feel the need for another turntable (beyond maybe an acrylic platter addition and cartridge down the road, when I feel an upgrade is in store in the future. That would be my hope, but I still worry I'll find myself yearning for that Project and be right back where I started in a year or two, lol. Ugh, tough choice...
Right now I'm in a big dilemma is between purchasing the Fluance RT82 and the Project Debut Carbon Evo as an upgrade to a crappy Angel's Horn turntable I'm currently using (as someone who has only been in the Vinyl game for about a year now) and looking for feedback
With the RT82, it's only a $300 purchase instead of $500+, for the Project, which my bank account appreciates right now, and would still represent a pretty big upgrade in all aspects over my current cheapie Angels Horn Turntable- moving up to a solid elliptical stylus with the OM 10 vs a very basic AT91 conical stylus, top notch speed control (coming from a turntable that is extremely Wow and Fluttery), plus even if the tone arm is "entry level" aluminum on the Fluance, it's still likely much better than what's on the crappy Angels Horn- they say its "alloy" whatever that means, but that thing is so stiff and difficult to even balance, no subtlety with that thing. If I get another $100 or so to blow later on, I can pop an acrylic platter on for that upgrade. If I want another sound upgrade, I finish by popping on something like the Ortofon 2m blue, or maybe an OM20 stylus on the OM10 cartridge which I hear is a very similar to the Blue, and basically have an RT85 at that point and i know that is no slouch of a setup and praised a ton by turntable people all around. Given my speaker situation currently consists of Fluance Ai41 powered bookshelf speakers, which are solid little speakers, for putting nice clean sound in a small room (and can maybe accommodate a Fluance subwoofer down the road for more ooomph if I feel like taking that plunge sometime), but certainly are not earth shattering/audiophile level sound equipment, I'm guessing this is probably more than enough turntable to do all things justice. I honestly think the RT82 would be the smart choice for me right now, given my current speaker situation.
But the Project remains available and at the end of what I can "afford". Ican get for about $500 for a "like new" open box situation, full warranty, etc. It's tempting, because if I got it, it would probably be all the turntable I'll "ever need" for life and would have no further need for any new turntable (at long as it keeps working) and I worry I'll always be looking at it if I don't get it and have that temptation to buy it down the road, which I DON'T really want. At this point whatever I get I want to use for many years... But do I really, truly, need it to go as big for the Project? I'm not sure given my speaker situation is also fairly pedestrian, and I don't really plan to upgrade THAT anytime soon. Maybe I can pay less and get the Fluance, enjoy the upgrade, and end up perfectly happy and don't feel the need for another turntable (beyond maybe an acrylic platter addition and cartridge down the road, when I feel an upgrade is in store in the future. That would be my hope, but I still worry I'll find myself yearning for that Project and be right back where I started in a year or two, lol. Ugh, tough choice...
Last edited:
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Check out this posts. About new turntables:
Post in thread 'Audiophile GAF' https://www.neogaf.com/threads/audiophile-gaf.1517395/post-268600652
The thing is any new tt in the price range of either Fluence or Carbon is a so-so turntable.
Even most basic cheapo vintage used Dual turntable with standard 1/2" cartridge mount and medium arm will absolutely obliterate both of these tts in terms of wow and flutter...
Dunno how bad is Angel horn.
Although my friend has Project tt and it isn't audiable as much I guess. But when you compare specs 1:1 new vs vintage tt, you will be blown away by what you get for what you pay with vintage table.
The only downside is that the are fragile and you will have to drive for it by yourself. And secure some stuff and well that there is no warranty. But those things are tanks- when you know what to secure and its in your room, then it just works. They are only fragile during transport.
Because there is a subchassis on springs and you have to secure it with transportation screws and the counterweight has a fragile anti-resonance mechanicsm. So both these things need to be blocked from any movement.
I had Dual 1246 - still works and is at my brothers. (Fully automatic turntable, belt drive)
And now I'm on Dual 704 (semi automatic, direct drive)
Dual 510 may be up to consideration. (Full manual, belt drive)
All of these have 1/2" mount and you can check the speed diviations with built in strobe lights and adjust them to basically 0.01% with potentiometer.
Solid platters. No acrylic stuff.
Dual 1229 is a pretty fun unit too. No anti-resonance mechanicsm in counterweight so less thing to worry about. Tad different drive mind you, it's an idler wheel drive unit- it's basically diesel of turntable drives. Lots of torque. Strobe light is hidden in a little window with mirrors inside to see the scale on platter - cute stuff. I always thought it was so cool.
You may have to check the prices of new idler wheels. Belts are cheaper. Pros and cons basically.
Edit:
I was eyeballing 1229 as my first tt in 2016 or so.
But bought 1246 since it cost me like 114-115 USD then... And also that 0.01% speed variation plus wow and flutter lower than Carbon- at 0.10%.
Since I didn't saw any idler wheels available at all with low prices and new wheels from Germany were priced like 650 euros (around 715 USD) then so I said f it and got a belt drive instead (13 USD replacment belts btw).
But later down the line when I already had mine 1246 new idler wheels has started to appear on ebay from Canada priced from 40 to 50 USD...
So in pretty low pricing considering it probably has significantly longer life than any belt. Given its a thick rubber wheel. Similar to capstan pinch rollers on reel-to-reels.
If I had to buy a tt right about now and I was just starting my vinyl journey and I saw 1229 priced at like 200 usd + 50 usd for a new wheel, I would probably buy it if arm was compatible with a lot of cartridges - might wanna read up on that. Since now you can actually consider buying this thing. Just to be safe and not shoot yourself in the foot- I personally didn't research that one up, so I am at least pointing this one up.
You need to read the post I linked about new tts, give some thought to used vintage units. And I guess it's time to decide if you want a new tt with warranty, or used stuff which may have crazy like specs but no warranty.
BTW. Nagaoka MP-110 works for sure on: Dual 510, 1246 and 704.
I didn't have 510 but I saw vids on YouTube a while back and the dude had MP-110 in headshell and was doing captures with it through sound card and it actually sounded beyond awesome it was in 2017 or so. Vids are long gone. So I'm leaving this info up here too.
Here's a vid with Ortofon Blue instead.
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I‘d go for the fluance and buy records with the leftover money
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Yeah, I dont think that Project will be much better anyways- but from what I see you may be limited with one cartridge only OM10- people like those so it probably isn't bad but there may not be an upgrade path later down the line if you upgrade or speakers or amp. It's worth to keep that info in mind. But spec wise. Fluance looks much better than Project.. hmm.I‘d go for the fluance and buy records with the leftover money
Or as I have mentioned go vintage, if he is not afraid. And it doesn't have to be "new".
Some quartz locked 80s tt would be a good good tt too- it doesn't have to be Dual but I have the most expirence with those.
My friend is recommending Nordmende for example. And I saw some Kenwood tts a while back and they looked pretty solid.
Edit: I just read that he doesn't plan to upgrade any time soon. So it's either Fluance or some vintage model. Check out Dual 510 on craighslist or whatever is there abroad- before you push buy button. Since I think it would be a perfect fit with all the info I have, full manual (no automatic so it won't break down), arm has pretty good compliance, belts probably cost like 10usd, looks like it will be less hassle than 1229 or 1246. Although I still dig the look of 1229. But so far I didn't saw any info about the arm and it worries me to fully recommend it- so I will change my opinion a bit about this table.
Dual DMS cartrige. It's either rebranded Audio Technica or Shure- I would place my bet on Shure since Dual and Shure worked really closely.
I think I have the same cart in my drawer, I might wanna dust it up...And arm it with new stylus.
Edit:
when you look closely it's a looker. That lever looks solid as f.
Edit2: this Phono Direct guy has pretty good vids of vintage tables: https://www.youtube.com/@PhonoDirect/videos nice gold mine for comparisons.
Edit3: we briefly talked about Sony vintage tables here.
Huh.
It goes up to 290usd here in Poland this PS-3300. It's direct drive like my 704. Arm looks pretty heavy. Direct drive means no belts or wheels to replace
. Fluance looks like a toy compared to this.
Last edited:
navii
My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
I wanted this baby for over a decade. I was finally able to find it second hand locally at a reasonable price that I couldn't refuse. Only wish is that it had a headphone out.
Here is a song to set the mood.
Last edited:
Chittagong
Gold Member
The markets are back, just placed an order for DCS Lina system for our new house.
Pondering between Hifiman Susvara and HE1000 v2. I have the og HE1000s and love them to bits.
I have also Sennheiser HD820s, which while impressive are too neutral to me. Audeze LCD-3 sound for me is too close, I love my big sound stage.
From what I have read Susvara is more neutral and has a smaller soundstage than HE-1000 v2.
Pondering between Hifiman Susvara and HE1000 v2. I have the og HE1000s and love them to bits.
I have also Sennheiser HD820s, which while impressive are too neutral to me. Audeze LCD-3 sound for me is too close, I love my big sound stage.
From what I have read Susvara is more neutral and has a smaller soundstage than HE-1000 v2.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I wanted this baby for over a decade. I was finally able to find it second hand locally at a reasonable price that I couldn't refuse. Only wish is that it had a headphone out.
Here is a song to set the mood.
Gorgeous.
ThatPolishGuy
Member
DOL701HB pressing. New, unsealed copy $19,58 sale on christmas. Couldn't resist. Sounds superb.
As I wrote earlier if new pressing has good ratings on discogs. This was mainly 5/5... I will buy it if the price is good since most of older records are graded wrong or unfairly in my country lately and I'm quite fed up with that lately.
This is a good buy.
Edit: maybe I will check other DOL pressings too seems like they are top notch quality releases. And the pricing is really nice, I would be kind of pissed if I payed 2x more for an older pressing and it would be graded poorly and that's a possibility lately... Unfortunately with the prices jump and misgrading or grading everything as vg and not ex or nm- like a lot of sellers has started to do in Poland. This pushed me more towards newer pressings lately. I still check them before pushing the buy it now button on discogs for reviews and rating/stats. And so far so good. Haven't have had a bad buy at all, and I feel pleased with every pressing I bought this way so far. Fingers crossed.
Last edited:
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
Chittagong
Gold Member
Here is a story that will probably be relevant for two or three people here, at most.
Remember Tyll Hertsens of Inner Fidelity? One of the OG youtubers for headphones. His review of Hifiman HE-1000s made me choose them for our London home, and to date, they have not been surpassed. Every single word he said about them was spot on. Incredible headphones.
So how is this relevant today? Well, I am trying to decide which headphones to get to our Polynesian home, to go with my new DCS Lina system.
After having Sennheiser HD800s and HD820s in our Finnish home (too harsh and cold) and having tried top Audeze headphones (too close soundstage), I figured it needs to be either HE-1000s or Susvaras (which I have never tried).
So I started wondering, what did Tyll make of Susvaras, compared to the HE-1000s?
Well, nothing. Turns out he retired in 2018, and has been living in a Fedex van with a JBL boombox ever since. Looking bad ass too.
Remember Tyll Hertsens of Inner Fidelity? One of the OG youtubers for headphones. His review of Hifiman HE-1000s made me choose them for our London home, and to date, they have not been surpassed. Every single word he said about them was spot on. Incredible headphones.
So how is this relevant today? Well, I am trying to decide which headphones to get to our Polynesian home, to go with my new DCS Lina system.
After having Sennheiser HD800s and HD820s in our Finnish home (too harsh and cold) and having tried top Audeze headphones (too close soundstage), I figured it needs to be either HE-1000s or Susvaras (which I have never tried).
So I started wondering, what did Tyll make of Susvaras, compared to the HE-1000s?
Well, nothing. Turns out he retired in 2018, and has been living in a Fedex van with a JBL boombox ever since. Looking bad ass too.
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I hooked up my old Klipsch subwoofer in my office. God damnit I love bass.
I might up a new sub because the Klipsch is a bit too muddy for my taste.
I might up a new sub because the Klipsch is a bit too muddy for my taste.
TronNerd82
Member
Not sure if this counts as an "audiophile setup" or not but...
Top: Victrola VSC-550BT for vinyl records
Middle: Sony PlayStation SCPH-5501 for CDs and vidya
Bottom: Panasonic RQ-2104 slimline cassette recorder for (you guessed it) cassettes
Might look into an 8-track player at some point but I'm not sure if it'd be a worthwhile endeavor.
Top: Victrola VSC-550BT for vinyl records
Middle: Sony PlayStation SCPH-5501 for CDs and vidya
Bottom: Panasonic RQ-2104 slimline cassette recorder for (you guessed it) cassettes
Might look into an 8-track player at some point but I'm not sure if it'd be a worthwhile endeavor.
DetectiveBananas
Member
Keep Living the Dream!Not sure if this counts as an "audiophile setup" or not but...
Top: Victrola VSC-550BT for vinyl records
Middle: Sony PlayStation SCPH-5501 for CDs and vidya
Bottom: Panasonic RQ-2104 slimline cassette recorder for (you guessed it) cassettes
Might look into an 8-track player at some point but I'm not sure if it'd be a worthwhile endeavor.
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
My Moondrop Sparks are refusing to sync up by Bluetooth. Or at least one of them is. I had this problem once before and I was successfully able to reset them but now it seems permanent. The Sparks have been fabulous for the past few years that I've used them outside and I've never felt the need to get anything else but this is properly doing my head in and I'm running out of patience.
I tried going outside with wired IEMs again but it's so annoying when I'm going to for long winded walks. I feel like I have to spend a lot to get something that sounds better because these punch well above it's weight class. It's not even a question of price to be honest, it's the sound signature and bass that I really like.
Well, fuck. I suppose I just walk around with one ear piece for now.
I tried going outside with wired IEMs again but it's so annoying when I'm going to for long winded walks. I feel like I have to spend a lot to get something that sounds better because these punch well above it's weight class. It's not even a question of price to be honest, it's the sound signature and bass that I really like.
Well, fuck. I suppose I just walk around with one ear piece for now.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Since you’re walking I presume it’s not sweat causing the malfunction? I’ve lost a few pairs of in ear headphones over the years to my sweaty head.
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
I don't sweat because its not summer time here. It does however rain a lot here and im out waking even then so that could be the root of the problem. Time to get something else I guess.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
If you've already got a pair, you could just swap out for aa straight cable. Lost cost example:
TRN T2 Pro 16-Core Silver-Plated Copper Audio Cable
16-Core Silver-Plated Copper Cable For materials, we strictly selected some of the high-end materials in this market. TRN T2 pro is equipped with 16-Core premium high-purity silver-plated material that is committed to bringing the ultimate music experience to music lovers. Each Core Consists Of...
www.linsoul.com
Crincle is my go to for anything IEM as he seems to have the most cataloged ratings of IEMs out there.
crinacle's IEM Ranking List – In-Ear Fidelity
If it's not on the list, it doesn't exist.
crinacle.com
That said he hasn't reviewed these, but they're budget friendly at $50 and come from Moondrop, who I believe are generally well regarded in the Audiophile community.
Moondrop Droplet USB-C Balanced Armature Driver Earphones
High-Performance Single Balanced Armature Driver Moondrop has designed the Droplet with a customized full-frequency nozzle-less balanced armature driver configuration, which can greatly reduce external noise and obtain an immersive audio-visual experience. Optimised Digital Signal Processing...
www.linsoul.com
If you've already got a pair, you could just swap out for aa straight cable. Lost cost example:
TRN T2 Pro 16-Core Silver-Plated Copper Audio Cable
16-Core Silver-Plated Copper Cable For materials, we strictly selected some of the high-end materials in this market. TRN T2 pro is equipped with 16-Core premium high-purity silver-plated material that is committed to bringing the ultimate music experience to music lovers. Each Core Consists Of...
Crincle is my go to for anything IEM as he seems to have the most cataloged ratings of IEMs out there.
crinacle's IEM Ranking List – In-Ear Fidelity
If it's not on the list, it doesn't exist.
That said he hasn't reviewed these, but they're budget friendly at $50 and come from Moondrop, who I believe are generally well regarded in the Audiophile community.
Moondrop Droplet USB-C Balanced Armature Driver Earphones
High-Performance Single Balanced Armature Driver Moondrop has designed the Droplet with a customized full-frequency nozzle-less balanced armature driver configuration, which can greatly reduce external noise and obtain an immersive audio-visual experience. Optimised Digital Signal Processing...
Unfortunatley that catalog doesnt filter by downward pointing ones. What are they called, bullet style?
Moondrop looks cool but I need a 3.5mm end as I already run a USB C Dac/headphone amp out of my work laptop (iBassso DC04 Pro).
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Bullet style refers to the body shape of the IEM. Yeah, I scoured the net quickly to see what I could find and there's not a good way to search as far as I can tell. The cable route might be the best bet?
These point downward and have bluetooth. Tin HiFi was a company I heard a lot about back in the day. Not sure how they stack up now.
TINHIFI T2000
UAL DYNAMIC DRIVER&CROSSOVER TECHNOLOGY. The T2000 utilizes dual dynamic driver and crossover technology to combine the power and detail of a 9mm and 8mm Nitinol Dynamic Diaphragm which is a custom innovation that combines nickel and titanium to create the ultra-fast membrane response necessary...
www.linsoul.com
Bullet style refers to the body shape of the IEM. Yeah, I scoured the net quickly to see what I could find and there's not a good way to search as far as I can tell. The cable route might be the best bet?
These point downward and have bluetooth. Tin HiFi was a company I heard a lot about back in the day. Not sure how they stack up now.
TINHIFI T2000
UAL DYNAMIC DRIVER&CROSSOVER TECHNOLOGY. The T2000 utilizes dual dynamic driver and crossover technology to combine the power and detail of a 9mm and 8mm Nitinol Dynamic Diaphragm which is a custom innovation that combines nickel and titanium to create the ultra-fast membrane response necessary...
Thanks I see these recommended but Im not sure.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.
www.head-fi.org
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.
Yes I might go for it and choose between the E3000s, E4000s and the 5000s. Ill keep you upated.
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.
Just ordered the 4000s...
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Looks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
darko.audio
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.
darko.audio
Ribi
Member
Ye the BT is a known issue. The space travel has better functionality and sounds better too. For $26 just buy those
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
Thanks for the suggestion bruv. Will check it out once I'm done with setting up my dinner.
Chittagong
Gold Member
It’s mind boggling how Spotify seems entirely unable to launch their hifi tier. They have been on it for years. Good thing Tidal is stepping up because you only have native Tidal and Spotify connect in streamers, Apple is only AirPlayLooks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.
Looks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.
Not sure it is just me but they added a voice search to thier android auto app as well recently.
I have the PlexPass + TidalHD joint subscription. Perfect for me.
TheHighFlyingBirds
Member
Might give this a try, as my LMS server has a tidal connect pluggin.Looks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.
How is tidals back catalogue for dance music such as hard house and dnb etc?
ForAcademicPurposes
Gold Member
There's something about Bowers and Wilkins bookshelf and floorstanding that sounds right to my ears when its hooked up and playing in a random store. It doesn't sound like bollocks.
Reallink
Member
Because they know it's a waste of money (bandwidth) to them as there's no audible difference over their existing premium tier.
Last edited:
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.
Update, I've got the Final E4000s on now. I first swapped out the ear tips for the biggest included size after some trial and error. I'm not sure why but I always seem to use the biggest size. I don't have a particularly large head or ears but I like the nice fit with a bigger size without pushing them so far in my ears.
As a reminder I am running these from my work laptop (Lenovo) USB-C to an iBasso DC04 Pro DAC/headphone Amp.
I opened Tidal and started with some hip-hop, now working through Miles Davis - Bitches Brew. Bitches Brew is usually my go to album for testing.
I'm not great at describing soundstage and warmth and all those complex Audiophile descriptors but I am liking how these sound so far!
I was also browsing their website and they have these Evangelion collab wireless earbuds with AptX support and Japanese and English voice commands. I'm not a huge fan of Bluetooth in general but I might have to grab a pair of these!
EVA2020 x final Truly wireless earphones
snext-final.com
ThatPolishGuy
Member
Polish tapes from 1980s. Agfa-Gevaert formula, 35 microns thick
. Warm sounding, really good stuff soundwise - notorious for shed and stickiness though if not stored properly.7 1/2 IPS (19.05cm/s) speed.
Last edited: