Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

May 6, 2025 at 3:18 PM Post #191,566 of 194,605
How utterly and completely insane is it that we have recordings of one of the most legendary pianists to have ever existed playing some of the most legendary piano music ever written.

Listen through the tape (wax cylinder hiss -- thank you @rkw!) -- this is 1930 after all (!!!) -- and hear a true maestro at his craft. Sublime hardly begins to describe it. This is Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2, the one with the famous funeral March.

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May 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM Post #191,568 of 194,605
I think there were already a couple of responses, so let me add a bit as well.

What's your integrated amp, and does it have a Pre-Out / Main-in set of sockets on the back? Frequently if it exists it will have a connector between the two sockets like this:
1746530558909.png 1746530575955.png

This is the link between the preamp of the integrated and the power amp side of the integrated.
If they exist, run the pre-out into the inputs on V3 and then the output of the V3 to the main-in/power-in.

In this case you will have two volume controls. I would set the V3 to max, and just use the integrated's volume as you do now. (I don't think that's an issue for the tubes, but @bcowen or ACP could maybe suggest if that's an issue). If it is a concern for the tubes, reverse the idea, or even some combination of the two controls. I doubt you'd hear any signal degradation either way.

If you don't have the pre-out/main-in option, then without another external switch box, you could only run the V3 on one of your sources. So perhaps the DAC feeding the integrated. Run the output of the DAC into the V3 and V3 output into the input you currently use for the DAC. You will again have the two volume controls to contend with, but now the V3 is only playing with (in this example) the DAC as the source. This one does have the advantage that if your main source comes via the DAC, then you get DAC --> V3 --> Headphones, with no need to turn the integrated on.

You might need to match the gain on the V3 to the integrated, so always start with the low gain and adjust as needed.
And, in either case, no output to speakers with headphones as the V3 mutes the pre-out when headphones are connected.
Thank you.
 
May 6, 2025 at 6:06 PM Post #191,569 of 194,605
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May 6, 2025 at 6:43 PM Post #191,571 of 194,605
Stjarna question: nothing is in its final place yet, but.... have some speaker hum that goes away in mono mode. Any ideas what is going on there?
Is the hum on both speakers? A good thing to try is removing the turntable ground then reattaching it and listen for change.
 
May 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM Post #191,573 of 194,605
Stjarna question: nothing is in its final place yet, but.... have some speaker hum that goes away in mono mode. Any ideas what is going on there?
Rca cable connecting TT to stjarna may have telescopic cable shield (connected on one end only)— try reversing ends of the rca cable connecting TT to stjarna.

(Edit)
Or flip the ac inlet if its two-prong /non-polarized

And/or check routing to avoid paralleling / bundling the AC & signal cables (cross at right angles if necessary)

If that fails, box it up & send it to me— i’ll let you know how it sounds at my house :ksc75smile:
 
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May 6, 2025 at 7:47 PM Post #191,575 of 194,605
Is the hum on both speakers? A good thing to try is removing the turntable ground then reattaching it and listen for change.
I had some annoying hum in one speaker only with the Mani 2, and tried everything I could think of without results.

Until I unplugged and disconnected everything and moved it closer to my (also internally grounded) turntable and with the shortest possible shielded interconnects (not spendy) and with the reposition it went away…

Vinyl is voodoo.
 
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May 6, 2025 at 7:57 PM Post #191,577 of 194,605
I had some annoying hum in one speaker only with the Mani 2, and tried everything I could think of without results.

Until I unplugged and disconnected everything and moved it closer to my (also internally grounded) turntable and with the shortest possible shielded interconnects (not spendy) and the reposition it went away…

Vinyl is voodoo.
+1 to shortest (0.3m -1.0m) cable from TT to Stjarna / Skoll / Mani
 
May 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM Post #191,578 of 194,605
Fwiw, just tested and when I turn my Freya to passive it goes away. I have the LISST in he Freya so could be a culprit. Still, the mono thing is odd.
Do you have other gear plugged into the Freya? Especially if that gear isn't turned on?

Edit. Sorry, was thinking of this point in the Kara manual:
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May 6, 2025 at 8:09 PM Post #191,580 of 194,605
How utterly and completely insane is it that we have recordings of one of the most legendary pianists to have ever existed playing some of the most legendary piano music ever written.

Listen through the tape hiss -- this is 1930 after all (!!!)
Actually 1930 predates magnetic tape recording, which didn't come into commercial use until after WWII. Rachmaninoff's performance would have been cut directly on wax master discs, from which stampers would be made to produce shellac records for sale. "Direct To Disc" is not a modern audiophile LP concept! Back in the day, it was the only way to make recordings.
History of sound recording (Wikipedia)
 
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