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System Notes

My serious listening is done over a horn-based, SET amplified system that is vinyl-only. It is by no means a ‘budget’ system but because my aim on this site is to focus on the music, and not on the gear, it is worth mentioning only to the extent it reveals my listening biases along with the particular strengths and weaknesses of what I am using as a “reference.” To that end, the midrange is always the key for me, and must be grainless, open and non-mechanical sounding. I was a devotee of the original Quad electrostat (aka the ’57) for decades (and still have two pairs, the original 57 and a pair of Crosby-modded 63’s). Despite its severe bandwidth and dynamic limitations, the original Quad speaker has an uncanny ability to deliver human voice and small scale instrumental groups with a verisimilitude that remains unmatched. In that regard, I can live with the sins of omission (and long did so).

The current horn-SET system has been in place, with some associated gear changes, since around 2006. It is able to convey a ‘un-reproduced’ quality similar to a good electrostat in the midrange, but adds an ‘in the room’ dimension that makes many of the audiophile attributes, like ‘imaging’ or ‘ ‘soundstage,’ pretty unimportant. At its best, I hear music in the room, conveyed with emotion, tone, richness, and the illusion of immediacy that breaks down the barriers between the source material, the reproducing system and the listening room. The illusion is by no means seamless, and is stronger and more complete on some recordings than others.  The system also has some fundamental limitations, mainly in reproducing deep bass with the same conviction as the midrange and relatedly, in achieving cohesion between the midrange horn- which has no crossover- and the self-powered woofers. These issues are related because at the extreme, I am forced to choose between a somewhat deep-bass shy presentation that is coherent top to bottom or one which has more dramatic bass but sounds somewhat discontinuous between the low frequencies and the midrange. I have tuned the system in my room for a little less bass and more integration among the drivers.  What follows is a thumbnail sketch from the front end to the back:

Kuzma XL/Airline/Airtight Supreme:  

DSCF0235

 

Allnic H3000 phono stage: 

image

 

 

Veloce (Lithio) Line Stage:

DSCF0236

 

 DSCF0237Lamm ML2 SET amplifiers and Avantgarde Duo Loudspeaker:

 

 

Ancillary Components:

 Kubala-Sosna cabling; Grand Prix Monaco stands and Apex footers; HRS turntable platform, Stillpoints LP-1 Record Weight and Ultra SS footers.

 

 

 

 

In Brief:

Incoming! (More Interesting Records)

Incoming! (More Interesting Records)  An "interesting record" to me offers something unexpected, whether it is a fresh take on a recognized genre, or something that opens a new way of experiencing instruments in combination. It does not have to be "strange" or challenging to listen to; in fact, I'm a sucker for a good melodic hook and enjoy technical prowess as much as anybody, but there has got to be something "more"-- an intangible that differentiates the record from the millions of others to which we all have access.   As mentioned in a recent editorial, a lot of records come in and not all get written up. It’s not an editorial decision or any reflection of the music or sonics; I only have so much time, and I tend not to write short blurbs, but longer (some may say ‘too long’) reviews. My “incoming” piles continue to grow as I publish. This series of short capsules is meant to … [Read More...]

More on Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum

More on Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum Courtesy of Bill Pierce, the former Chair of Woodwinds at Berklee. Pierce worked with Milt Ward in the late ‘60s, including a stint as part of the horn section for Stevie Wonder. Pierce figures prominently on the album, Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum; I have added his recollections to the feature article.   (Scroll down to the bottom of the article). My thanks to Bill Pierce, whose band, the Ralph Peterson Messenger Legacy, is currently active and touring.     … [Read More...]

A Phono Bargain or Three

A Phono Bargain or Three The ever-resourceful Steve Leung (VAS) built me a Franken-Denon 103, repotted in a wooden body with a micro-ridge stylus. In my estimation, it's a phono bargain, given its performance. Wonderful tone and an advanced stylus shape. I have zero experience with stock Denon 103 cartridges, a perennial favorite among budgeteers and tweakers. This Franken-cartridge took advantage of various tweaks that have been performed by DIY'ers and retipping shops over the years-- rebodying the cartridge, using elastomers to 'pot' the cartridge motor assembly into a new body and retipping the old school conical stylus with a more modern profile. Steve did it all in one swoop for me. I didn't even have to supply the stock Denon- he sourced it and did his thing. Set up on a Kuzma 4 Point 9, which is  currently mounted on my vintage Technics SP-10, I’ve now got the vintage Quad ESL … [Read More...]

A Running Experiment on Stylus Wear

A Running Experiment on Stylus Wear The Finish Line article by Mike Bodell has generated a fair amount of attention on various audio chat boards, including the Hoffman forum where I posted the article.  One outgrowth of that thread was Ray Parkhurst’s decision to do a bit of informal testing, using a fresh stylus and examining wear at different time intervals.  (Ray, as you may remember, helped Mike with the macrophotography in his piece). Here’s where that part of the discussion and Ray’s reports begin: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-finish-line-for-your-phono-cartridge-stylus-wear-by-mike-bodell.842572/page-17#post-21738520   For the purposes of Ray’s experiment, he’s using the following set up: Empire 480LT Cartridge 0.2mil x 0.7mil Elliptical Stylus Tracking force 1.25g Technics SL-10 Turntable   Obviously, there are a number of factors at play. Tracking force is pretty … [Read More...]

Change is Good- From Proto-Metal to Spiritual Jazz

Change is Good- From Proto-Metal to Spiritual Jazz Spiritual jazz is something I started to focus on in just the last couple years. More recently, I’ve been writing pieces about obscure private or small label offbeat jazz- the material fits under various genre headings, including soul jazz, free jazz and other categories that aren't always fully descriptive of the music.  This isn’t as much an editorial choice as it is a reflection of my recent listening interests: the level of musicianship is high, and the production quality is often good, in part because the performances depend on non-electrified instruments and more straightforward recording techniques. This is also about the process of discovery—I had largely abandoned listening to jazz records until a few years ago when Ken Golden prompted me to start exploring ‘spiritual jazz’- a journey that took me from the Strata-East catalog … [Read More...]

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