[analogsurviver]

 

[]eep]

hey Androb, that looks really sharp. I think the Luxman is visually really striking. clear cut lines, simple and straightforward but with style. Not cheap simple but minimalistic simple, which is as it should be in my opinion.

The AT-OC5 looks great in it too, it really finishes it off. It's a great little cart too (little is my way of looking at it because I used the big brother, an OC9 for years). I bet it sounds awesome in an absolute sense (meaning it simply sounds good on an absolute as well as relative scale).

Talking about thrift store; I went to the next town 10km on and found a new trove. A small but well selected collection of records, all peppery minty. They even had two nice turntables, Pioneer DJ type but they looked very usable, clean and checked and not worn, one €35 and one without headshell/cart for €25.
And again, many nice records; one RCA Red Seal LM mono like from analogsurvivers clip ^, one HMV ALP mono, several DGG tulips and red stereo, Decca SXL and LXT, Turnabout (Vox hidden gems!) and EMI-Electrola cream/gold. One is a special one IMO; it is Columbia EMI Karajan, Philharmonia Orch London, Dennis Brain Mozart hornconcertos, really mint cover and vinyl with the moniker 'Breitklang' on it. Meaning widesound, so it wasn't even called stereo yet, but had a German equivalent. Finding albums like that is like diving headsdown in history, or pure nostalgia. It's really a kick to find such well preserved beauties. And for €1,50/pc.
Found a different copy, just as well preserved.


It still has the original pricetag on it; DM25, that was a lot of money then (early 60's). Calculating for inflation (700%x) and DM>$ that would amount to $100 for 1 album! I understand why my dad didn't have that many records.

 

[Androb]

hey Androb, that looks really sharp. I think the Luxman is visually really striking. clear cut lines, simple and straightforward but with style. Not cheap simple but minimalistic simple, which is as it should be in my opinion.

The AT-OC5 looks great in it too, it really finishes it off. It's a great little cart too (little is my way of looking at it because I used the big brother, an OC9 for years). I bet it sounds awesome in an absolute sense (meaning it simply sounds good on an absolute as well as relative scale).

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Talking about thrift store; I went to the next town 10km on and found a new trove. A small but well selected collection of records, all peppery minty. They even had two nice turntables, Pioneer DJ type but they looked very usable, clean and checked and not worn, one €35 and one without headshell/cart for €25.
And again, many nice records; one RCA Red Seal LM mono like from analogsurvivers clip ^, one HMV ALP mono, several DGG tulips and red stereo, Decca SXL and LXT, Turnabout (Vox hidden gems!) and EMI-Electrola cream/gold. One is a special one IMO; it is Columbia EMI Karajan, Philharmonia Orch London, Dennis Brain Mozart hornconcertos, really mint cover and vinyl with the moniker 'Breitklang' on it. Meaning widesound, so it wasn't even called stereo yet, but had a German equivalent. Finding albums like that is like diving headsdown in history, or pure nostalgia. It's really a kick to find such well preserved beauties. And for €1,50/pc.
Found a different copy, just as well preserved.


It still has the original pricetag on it; DM25, that was a lot of money then (early 60's). Calculating for inflation (700%x) and DM>$ that would amount to $100 for 1 album! I understand why my dad didn't have that many records.

 

Thanks! I totally agree, I got to take over a TT from my dad so I picked this, mainly cause I liked the design but also since I had nice experience from Luxman before.

And my dad actually got the cart for free when he bought a used TT for like absolutely nothing!

Sweet, I bet that cart sounds great I'm stunned with the performance I got atm!

 

[Behemoth27]

 

[]eep]

And another timeless beauty!

BTW, is that a Jolida JD9 I see there in the rack below?

 

[Behemoth27]

And another timeless beauty!

BTW, is that a Jolida JD9 I see there in the rack below?

Yes it is. I've updated a couple things since that picture, but still have the jolida currently. However, thinking about selling that and the schiit uber to upgrade the jolida to something that's actually tube.

 

[]eep]

I suggest you consider modifying it instead of selling it! I have modified it extensively and it only got better and better. There is a lot to improve on it, on the tubestage, on the output, on the input and a lot on the opamp RIAA section. Some things are easy to do, others take soldering skils. The trouble with it is not that it isn't really a tubephono (the tubestage is more of an afterthought and directly taken from their tube-preamplifier) but the biggest 'problem' with it is that it has so much amplification because of the modular build.
I have participated on several fora and I have seem plenty of idiotic things, but I am sort of a veteran on the JD9 and know what pays off and what doesn't. The trick is to trim it in the right places. Some things hardly cost any money. I have taken it where no man has gone before If I would look for improving on it I would have to spend >>2k.

I am sort of an early adopter of Chinese gear and have modified many items. Mostly dacs and tubegear. The French Jolida distributor even stole my photo's of the inside (they probably considered it 'loaning'). My unit even turned up (via this French connection) in the TNT review.

If you want specifics I suggest you don't take it to far off-topic here but PM me.

 

[zowie]

I have two of those.  They're really not up to the peformance level of my 15 yr old Crosley.
(Really.)
 
Quote:

  I did see one of these not long ago and thought it would be cool just to collect.
 

 
...I couldn't even find a copy of Country Living in the local supermarket
 

 

[dosley01]

Yes it is. I've updated a couple things since that picture, but still have the jolida currently. However, thinking about selling that and the schiit uber to upgrade the jolida to something that's actually tube.

I sold my JD9 as soon as I got my Rogue 99 Magnum with the phono stage.  While the JD9 was good, I really preferred the all tube phono section hands down.  That being said, I've probably spent more since on tubes than I spent on the Jolida originally.  Ironically, I just saw the guy I sold it to, about two years ago, flip it for about $100 more than both he and I paid for it originally.

 

[]eep]

While the JD9 was good, I really preferred the all tube phono section hands down.

Still off-topic, but that is not what I was pointing out. I have had a few different phonostages, including a really good all tube stage that was integrated in an integrated tube-amplifier. I have a second modified all-tube phonostage as well. And the modified Jolida is simply better. Is has lots of potential with rather simple rework. That is probably why the guy was able to sell it for a $100 more. The buyer probably knew this, you did not. That is the real irony.
Plus that the US-distributer has raised the price considerably (and there is a lot of mayhem between the Chinese manufacturer and jolida.us who both claim ownership).

 

[analogsurviver]

21+ years old video about making gramophone records in Croatia Records, ex Jugoton (pronounce Yugoton ) in Zagreb, one of the three facilities for record production in  Yugoslavia prior to disintegration.  In captions below are descriptions in Croat language describing more or less the same as the RCA video post a few posts back. It is interesting to see the differences in approach.
 
The music playing is a ballad from one of the most popular rock band in Jugoslavija, Bijelo Dugme ( transl. White Button ) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCQCSC9_H_s
from the album Bitanga i princeza  ( transl. Rascal and Princess ) http://www.discogs.com/Bijelo-Dugme-Bitanga-I-Princeza/release/926586
 
They chose a most fitting song - it is about separation of lovers and regret, particularly the verse "al' moglo je bolje..." (transl: we could have done it better... ) ; 
 
I remember buying another copy of this album post 1994 - with the sticker Croatia Records overlapping over the printed Jugoton.  Stocks from the past...
Despite everything that happened here in 90s, this group and this album and specially this song is still being treasured in all parts of once common country - 36 years after being first issued.
 

 

[]eep]

Hm, I just bought some old Balkanton records. From Bulgaria. But that's traditional music. It looked pristine so I took the chance. Most Melodia records I have are good quality too, some very good, some are just ok. So, when I was there (Zagreb) in '96 I was too late.

 

[analogsurviver]

Hm, I just bought some old Balkanton records. From Bulgaria. But that's traditional music. It looked pristine so I took the chance. Most Melodia records I have are good quality too, some very good, some are just ok. So, when I was there (Zagreb) in '96 I was too late.

Balkanton is decent - but Jugoton could be great. Unfortunately, the machines in the above video have been sold : 
http://arhiva.nacional.hr/clanak/48069/povratak-vinila-u-digitalnoj-eri
 (use online translation ) - now there is vinyl record production in Czech republic .

 

[Redcarmoose]

Still off-topic, but that is not what I was pointing out. I have had a few different phonostages, including a really good all tube stage that was integrated in an integrated tube-amplifier. I have a second modified all-tube phonostage as well. And the modified Jolida is simply better. Is has lots of potential with rather simple rework. That is probably why the guy was able to sell it for a $100 more. The buyer probably knew this, you did not. That is the real irony.
Plus that the US-distributer has raised the price considerably (and there is a lot of mayhem between the Chinese manufacturer and jolida.us who both claim ownership).

If you have rotated in different phono stages in and out of your system you truly recognize the total influence they have. Anyone here, and I mean everyone, should give 4 or 5 a try. Playing with the settings and listening for hours on end to arrive at the best combo.


Many times a friend who is selling a phono stage will let you try it for a day or two to see if the sound is an improvement in your system. I almost can't describe the change of sound a good phono stage created in my system. At times I think more important than the TT.

Phono stages can be bright, dark, slow and fast. Detailed or warm and any mixture of these characteristics you can dream of. Most of the time a listeners opinion will change over the course of a day. I was waiting and wishing for a big change with my phono stage after a day I realized it was there.

 

[]eep]

That may all be true but I know no-one in my vicinity that has a phono-stage, let alone one worth listening to. I agree that changing the phono-stage can really improve the sound. But so can changing the phono-stage itself. This is usually a lot cheaper. I used to be dependent on my hifi dealer and had to go by his advice (which was always spot on I must say) but that is a real dependency for an addiction. Once I started deciding and soldering for myself my hobby has become a lot cheaper. And the results have gotten astronomically better. You need experience in listening and vision for what you want, but there is no substitute for modifying to taste. Most of the characteristics you picture is caused by caps. If you can find caps that are redundant (believe me there are!) you have a huge improvement at zero cost. There's no business like showbusiness, and there's no business like snowbusiness. Caps can do a really good snowjob. And there's no cap as clear as no cap.

At the moment I can make 6 distinctly different combinations for the phono mixing tranny, opamps and tubes with all flavours. And I can switch between 2 at the turn of a knob, tranny+opams (without) or with the extra tubestage of the JD9. I can tell you that (contrary to my expectation) the tubes are not the secret ingredient of the JD9.