[gianni60]

I have only vynil in the system,no dac and no cd and i have 3 turntable
Vyger Atlantis IV with his arm and Kondo IOXP
Techdas AF3P with Sat and Xyz Ultimate Diamond,Grahan Elite 12” with VDH Grand Cru and Triplanar VII SE with Air Tight Opus 1
Torqueo T34 Limited with Saec 506

 

[gianni60]

Vyger

 

[gianni60]

And i have 3 phono
CH Precision P1 with external power X1
Clearaudio phono Statement
Audio Note Japan M10

 

[]eep]

Wow, impressive stuff. Hard to pick favorites there.

 

[]eep]

I have bought quite a few 'new' records lately. This one I received today. It took a whole month to get here (rare, they had to reorder somewhere else) but I have been searching for it for 37 years. My most expensive buy so far. But hey, it's been a quest. I heard it first on a tape from a guy from London I met when I was a volonteer in the kibbutz. I instantly liked it and upon asking he only said: "oh, it's just some old Small Faces album". A vague memory of that line is all I had to go on. So when I found out which album it was (Ogdens nut gone flake), somewhere in the 90-ies, I always kept looking for it in stores, fairs etc. Never found it. And now I googled again and found that there is a Remastered '50th anniversary deluxe edition' with 3 lp's in red, white and blue. The original stereo, mono version and an extras lp. For around the same price as most vg+ original round sleeve editions. (ie. €80 incl p&p).

I almost dropped the box when I received it from the mailman. It was far heavier than I expected. It also comes with a 70 page glossy 'booklet' on heavy paper. And a signed cover reproduction.

So, "wham, bam, thank you ma'm" as they said. Now let's get comftibold two-square on your botty and let's go find the other half of the moon with happiness Stan.

I have only played the mono version so far. The pressing and mastering is immaculate. It is so quiet. So dynamic. And the music. Side one is typical 60-ies English mod music. Side 2 is a (one of the first?) concept album with a narrative stringing the songs together. Think of 'Charlie and the Chocolat factory' soundtrack (the newer one with Johnny Depp) and your pretty close. It's a ride. While the mastering is as good as it gets, it's an old recording, but I've never heard it this clear. Somehow though, I still can't understand the whole narrative. I wonder why that is.

 

[The Jester]

Not in the right “frame of mind” ?

 

[]eep]

You mean 'drugged out of my mind'?

I have a lot more reviews coming. Not all the newest albums.
K+D 95
Soon: K&D sessions 5 lp
Lorde - Solar power
Future sound of London - Dead cities
Soon: The Smile
Soon: Coil - Musick to play in the dark² (Boomkat SE)

 

[The Jester]

You know the old saying about the 60’s ?
“If you can remember it you weren’t really there” … Lol

 

[The Jester]

Well into the evening now here, headphones on and sifting through some 60’s stuff on my server,
Lazy Sunday, Itchycoo Park, Tin Soldier (forgot how good the drum work was on that one) ..
Now onto the Zombies …. Nice reminder how good 60’s stuff was …. And still is ..

 

[]eep]

This might be a bit of a psychological, philosophical sidestep. But my parents were from a different, older generation, my father liked classical music. There wasn't much popular music in our house. But strangely, I've always loved music. The earliest thing I remember as a child (4 or 5?) hearing while grocery shopping with my ma was Ike and Tina Turner (Nutbush City Limit) . And I loved it. Really very different from what I knew, but instant click. So I wonder, is love for music innate?

The other strange thing: 'of course', when you ask, everybody says they love music. But here's the thing (my thesis) most of them, not to say everybody, gets stuck in the music period from when they were a teenager! They remember the parties, vacations, you name it, connected to defining moments. Yes, ok. The science is settled on that. But... If you ask any of them about different music or music after that... Chirp chirp chirp. Total silence. The generation gap the size of the grand canyon suddenly opens up before you in a split second. Music taste gets locked into their teenage years. Stuck in their box. It's almost as if they stopped living when life gets serious.

That's also my problem with 'golden oldies' radio stations. For the longest time when I was younger it was 60-ies music constantly. Always the same old same old. I got so fed up with it. No matter how great everyone said it was. Only now, I mean literally since the last couple of years, can I listen to the Beatles or the Stones with an open mind and hear how refreshing it was. And don't forget, they made a lot of rubbish too in that Era (just look in the 25¢ bin's). But fortunately they get to be forgotten.

And then there are a lot less people who experience music as a way of exploring. Experiencing other feelings of other people's lives, other languages, other cultures and beyond. I think music is living. Not just live, alive or life. It's not just filling up with gas to keep your soul from dying. It's a connection with your spirit. Gives you new ideas, new motivation, new connections. Inspiring in the literal sense.

 

[The Jester]

I wasn’t a “partying” teenager till the early 70’s but late 60’s, 70’s and 80’s music was the soundtrack that can be used to relive all those special moments, And as you say gives a connection to the artist who does more than “go through the motions” of making music which can sometimes be heard in the recording, but can be lost with excessive mixing and too many microphones, given all that I still listen to emerging artists of different genres who are interesting enough to follow and see where they go …

 

[]eep]

I made a quick choice today about what my next investment would be. I was torn between 3 choices;
- get an amplifier that is beyond reproach (soundwise, power and in- and outputs)
- get into streaming with the gorgeous Hifi Rose RS250 or
- finally get a really good, adjustable phono-amplifier.

I was really interested in the Kinki EX-M1+. But it's a bit over my budget. I also saw the NuPrime AMG (pre and Power class-A +D) with a nice demo discount in a shop that also carries Hifi Rose. So I was thinking of a listening session to make up my mind. I also took up the 1 month free Qobuz subscription to see how I feel about it.

I installed it on my phone and found out I can only use it via the chromecast in my TV, so all is resampled to 48kHz. So... I got almost lost like entering a huge supermarket on vacation looking for sunscreen. Just too much to choose from. And other things that I looked for are absent (or payed d/l only). That is of course just a matter of getting used to the gui etc. But the sound was... Just like in the nineties when cd's squeezed the life out from my audio hobby. It all sounds big, flat and not dragging me in to the music. Now I know the resampling - could-- be the main culprit. But I am rather weary that this could be an expensive turkey. And a streamer, how ever good it is, is not a secure investment.

Then last night I opened my browser on the page where I was looking for the Gold Note Ph10 (30m drive). What? €200 price increase! And the PSU also +€200. So I thought; well, that's the end of that road. But then I got an idea; this is not the only shop, and there's inflation raging, so be quick and buy online for the old price. I found a shop that only had the PH10. So I gave them a ring.
- "Yes, you want black? You are in luck, the distributor is coming tomorrow, I can ask him to bring a black PSU. You know, the prices are going up, but I'll charge you the old price. Do you want a new one... We have a demo model here, display still has the plastic foil on, for say... 10% discount?" Well , YEAH!

So, problem solved. I just bought the PH10 with the PSU.


Btw, I also bought some cheap but good phono cables on Aliexpress. Both silver plated 6N copper ('fake' Odin) with really high quality plugs. The arm-cable with the SME arm plug is awesome. The other one, RCA-to-RCA-cable with ground wire (only €24!), is giving me hum problems. Sounds really good otw. That's life, YMMV, caveat emptor etc. I don't care, it's better than the cable I got with the Acoustic Signature TA-2000 arm. Maybe I don't need the RCA-to-RCA-cable with the PH10 direct to MC in.

 

[FYFL]

Anyone interested in MoFi controversy (cutting One-Step from digital files and lack of transparency.)

 

[FYFL]

New from Rhino Records

 

[]eep]

Good to see that Johnny Depp is playing again instead of being played



I haven't watched anything about the 'one-steps' yet. Michael Fremer is always fun and educational to watch and I'm watching it now (over 1h though, and he left analog planet, about to set up a new channel: the tracking angle). But I'm not really interested in MoFi.
Simply because I rather buy 3 normal albums instead of overpriced 'audiophile' stuff. Not because I don't like good sound quality but because in my mind I can't justify the price premium.

What I did watch is the criticism of 45 RPM Audiophile on the quality of the jackets by Mofi. The album in question was 'APP - Eye in the sky'. I have 2 original copies of that and both sound stunning. And with an embossed gold leaf eye of Horus and proper jade green background (io the stale moss green of the mofi). A nice jacket is also part of the experience. What stuck is the remark:"they act like; we'll sell them anyway'".

I do have some true 'audiophile' lp's I obtained over the years, none of them impress me.

In the 80-ies I noticed that many lp's had a hype sticker 'digitally remastered', especially classical, they all sounded dull and flat. But nowadays 99.99% is recorded digitally and it sounds really good (provided it is recorded and mastered with care).

And then there's digital and digital. Redbook, or PCM and DSD in different samplerates. Watch 'ask Paul ' ie Paul McGowan from PS-Audio what he says about recording. He has just finished his own new studio so he knows the difference. He says that an lp from a dsd master sounds not the same as the recording, or the master, but sounds very good and is preferred by many. He says he can't tell the dsd master from listening during the recording session.

I used to avoid 'digital remaster' or 'digitally recorded' but 'digital' has improved drastically over the last 10-15 years.