[565hunter]

Happy to be here all, I have been reading and lurking for years, but finally decided to join because this seems like a civilized forum, and there is much conversation on Skoll lately. I just received my Skoll a week ago and from what I can see, I am one of the few using it with a balanced turntable and wanted to offer my thoughts. I am super happy with it so far as it seems to have done three things for me that my Tavish Design Adagio did not. 1) It definitely requires less work from my pre and power amp to sound good in terms of volume and dynamics, 2) it really improved the imaging which surprised me, and 3) it makes the music seem a lot more detailed.

This all surprised me as the Skoll was $1,600 cheaper than the Adagio it replaced, which was also well reviewed by Stereophile. I have since sold the Adagio, and am happier listening to the Skoll, AND came out ahead with money in my pocket! Win-win-win situation. I also have a Mani in my second system if anyone is interested in hearing about Skoll versus Mani in the same system, though that one is obviously a single-ended, not balanced set up.

Otherwise, that is my two cents and I am happy to be here and finally join the conversation!

Welcome! What cartridge are you using?

 

[LrrTx]

Welcome! What cartridge are you using?

Hana EL

 

[adias]

Sometimes I think I’m that person which may be my budget talking. I enjoy listening to well recorded music over different speakers but I hate shopping for them. Speaking of well recorded music I just bought all the Mahler symphonies with Leonard Bernstein conducting. The first symphony, the only one I’ve performed, was marvelous, you could even make out the differences in the attack on the pizzicato.

I have the LP version.

 

[tin-ear]

Stephane (who was in some of my previous videos) and I in the depths of Syn today. His cats too.

How many of you caught the clock?

 

[tin-ear]

I met someone once that thought all speakers sounded more alike than different... all of them too far from reality to matter. It was a musician.

I'm not too sure how high-end of a hifi system that person had heard, but they must have heard a lot of different PA systems, some undoubtedly quite good.

But that was one single person. And I've talked sound with something like three or four dozen musicians at this point.

Regarding PA systems...
1. I saw Talking Heads during the Remain in the Light Tour at the Long Beach Basketball Stadium. Yes. Basketball stadium. I also saw Frank Zappa and Mothers of Invention with The LA Philharmonic ("You know your cue to come in, Zubin?") at the UCLA Basket stadium. Frank made a comment on that.
Nowadays a new rock band can hire professionals to do things like set up the amplifiers in a location, and even buy or rent the appropriate amps and speakers and drive them around to the next venue. Not so much in the late 70's. The amplification of The Talking Heads consisted of all the instruments coming out some speakers on stage, and all the vocals coming out the PA system. It was finely tuned, by that I mean you turn everything up to maximum value. Well, it was loud.
If I ever meet David Byrne I will thank him for entertaining me, then thank him for inspiring me (a much much higher level of praise), and then demand a refund for that concert.
2. On the other hand, in the mid-late 1980's and early 1990's, Eno went on a lecture tour, thus skipping the problems of playing his music live. At one venue, also UCLA I think?, they played samples of his music during the presention. The samples are readily available on CD, and I was familiar with them all
Here is simple method to be blown away by music you thought you heard before: get some decent amplification and speakers, and play it (at an appropriate volume, meaning loud enough but not too loud, in a really large room.

 

[riffrafff]

How many of you caught the clock?

Hard to miss. I grew up in the sixties with the cat wall clock with the moving tail and eyes.

 

[LobalWarming]

This guy makes furniture out of cardboard ... seems right up your alley, @bcowen. He may be hiring ...

That's just great. To create even primitive corrugated art, a modern cardboard artist requires a dedicated shop, specialized tools and specialized skills.

I remember simpler times...

Modern needs, modern solutions problems

 

[JamminVMI]

Does this mean I have to wait 63 years for the Canucks to win (2033)?

Nah, i don’t really care about the rangers. No offense to @Ripper2860 or anyone else… You might get lucky next year!

 

[Ripper2860]

Nah, i don’t really care about the rangers...

You couldn't just humor me and pretend to care?

 

[LobalWarming]

You couldn't just humor me and pretend to care?

Spoiler

I can pretend to care.

Yay! Way to go! Shame about the poor ice conditions, but still a great victory.

 

[r2muchstuff]

Regarding PA systems...
1. I saw Talking Heads during the Remain in the Light Tour at the Long Beach Basketball Stadium. Yes. Basketball stadium. I also saw Frank Zappa and Mothers of Invention with The LA Philharmonic ("You know your cue to come in, Zubin?") at the UCLA Basket stadium. Frank made a comment on that.
Nowadays a new rock band can hire professionals to do things like set up the amplifiers in a location, and even buy or rent the appropriate amps and speakers and drive them around to the next venue. Not so much in the late 70's. The amplification of The Talking Heads consisted of all the instruments coming out some speakers on stage, and all the vocals coming out the PA system. It was finely tuned, by that I mean you turn everything up to maximum value. Well, it was loud.
If I ever meet David Byrne I will thank him for entertaining me, then thank him for inspiring me (a much much higher level of praise), and then demand a refund for that concert.
2. On the other hand, in the mid-late 1980's and early 1990's, Eno went on a lecture tour, thus skipping the problems of playing his music live. At one venue, also UCLA I think?, they played samples of his music during the presention. The samples are readily available on CD, and I was familiar with them all
Here is simple method to be blown away by music you thought you heard before: get some decent amplification and speakers, and play it (at an appropriate volume, meaning loud enough but not too loud, in a really large room.

Since high school (long ago, I was the stage tech) I have always enjoyed "some decent amplification and speakers, and play it (at an appropriate volume, meaning loud enough but not too loud, in a really large room".

The high school auditorium always sounded great.

I have kept various PA kits for sundry reasons; the set up/take down of the events were special. Always had some tunes with me.

Confession: After one High School Christmas band concert I was to shut down the room. My R to R was hooked up and somehow CSN&Y began playing loudly
It was too soon after the concert, many had not exited. Band Director was not happy and I wound up in a bit of trouble. Did I care? I should have.

 

[Ripper2860]

Spoiler

I can pretend to care.

Yay! Way to go! Shame about the poor ice conditions, but still a great victory.

Not those Rangers, but I do appreciate the effort at feigning excitement.

 

[JamminVMI]

Klipsch has a fairly rabid following too. Which is weird because most of their speakers are not well designed.

Hey, some people like horns! (But they’re usually fog, ship captains, aggressive drivers, and clowns). Think I’d better leave now, even though this was all in jest…

 

[stevodotorg]

Piety arrived today. Sounds great but so far after ridiculously swapping cables around back and forth between it and the Vali+ (stock Russian tube), the Vali just sounds more full, a slightly thicker more desirable sound. I also noticed that the Vali+ doesn't sound as distorted at higher volumes in comparison to the Piety, which is pretty incredible.

Also own a Magni 3+ and obviously it sounds the most different of the 3, with brighter characteristics.

I need to do proper a/b testing, with the Vali 2+, the Piety, and the Magni 3+ ...I've ordered some cables and a 4 way switcher in hopes I can take down more notes of decrement of the 3. I'll do a video assuming everything works out.

Side note, did I once read that Jason still uses a simple Vali stack quite often? If so, I can understand why. Such a simple setup perfectly wets the appetite.

 

[r2muchstuff]

Piety arrived today. Sounds great but so far after ridiculously swapping cables around back and forth between it and the Vali+ (stock Russian tube), the Vali just sounds more full, a slightly thicker more desirable sound. I also noticed that the Vali+ doesn't sound as distorted at higher volumes in comparison to the Piety, which is pretty incredible.

Also own a Magni 3+ and obviously it sounds the most different of the 3, with brighter characteristics.

I need to do proper a/b testing, with the Vali 2+, the Piety, and the Magni 3+ ...I've ordered some cables and a 4 way switcher in hopes I can take down more notes of decrement of the 3. I'll do a video assuming everything works out.

Side note, did I once read that Jason still uses a simple Vali stack quite often? If so, I can understand why. Such a simple setup perfectly wets the appetite.

Vali 2+ (6SN7 tube), Magni 3+ and Piety are a great stack. Each is different and pair with certain headphones. I mentioned a while back that a set of AKG 702 were unloved and mostly ignored. The Piety has, at least for now, changed that. The Vali 2+ excells with a set of Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohn. The Magni 3+ plays nice with several, HiFiMan Edition X for one (they also like the Vali 2+). And so forth. Modi MB2 > Loki+ > Amps. Loki set to bypass when making above comments. YMMV