Oh and btw, i purchased a Mono cartridge for the 2nd Reed arm on the Technics....the Miyajima Labs Premium BE Mono.

info on the Miyajima Labs Premium BE Mono

i've been on the hunt for a mono cartridge for a few months, a local friend had one so i could hear it, and i liked it. the Mayajima Mono was comapred directly to a stereo Dynavector XV-1s on the same tt and on 6 out of 8 Mono lps i preferred the Mono by a good margin. the XV-1s is a pretty darn good cartridge which i owned myself a few years ago.

the Mono BE should be here later this week. i have 400-500 mono Lps i'm looking forward to hearing as god meant them to be heard.

mikelavigne June 07, 2010 02:46

a few months back i ordered a new tonearm, The Talea, designed and built here in the Seattle area by Joel Durand. this weekend Joel delivered and set up the Talea on the Dobbins Garrard 301. i have Talea #11.

i moved my Reed 2P to the Dobbins Technics SP-10 Mk3 along with the Reed 2A already there.....so there are 2 Reed's on the Technics. i did fnally purchase a Fieckert protractor so i could properly move the arms around and still dial in 'spindle to pivot' distance precisely.

info on the Talea

production version Talea with A90 pic

production Talea on the Dobbins-Garrard pic

updated tt family pic

the Talea is a uni-pivot with an effective length of 10.35 inches. it has a wood arm wand. it has 'on-the-fly' VTA adjustment as well as 'on-the-fly' azimuth adjustment. it's finished like a jewel. Joel had brought over his prototype Talea to my room twice over the last year for me to hear in my system. each time i was very impressed. Joel mounted one of my A90's on the Talea.....the arm is about dead level to my eyes and we ended up at about 1.86 grams VTF after some time. this particular A90 has about 110 hours on it.

i'm very happy with what i hear from the Talea and look forward to really getting to know it.

i still have one spot left for another tonearm, and my plan is if/when i sell a few things i'll buy a vintage arm of some type and mount one of the lower cost cartridges that i have on it. can these less expensive arms and carts compete with the big boys? we'll finally see for ourselves.

and when that happens my goal of 3 tt's and 5 arms will be fini.

mikelavigne June 07, 2010 02:36

Righteous post, Mike...thanks :-)

Vbr,
Sam

c1ferrari May 19, 2010 05:32

hi RR,

i'll do my best to answer your questions.

i'm no expert on RTR decks, so don't take my words as any ultimate truth. the Studer A-820 and Ampex ATR-102 are considered by 'many' in-the-know to be the best RTR transports yet made. both of mine have been refurbished by experts and so they are both in top working condition. the Studer is a bit more user friendly so i listen to it much more than the Ampex at this point. it has the slickest tape handling imaginable and works in a perfectly 'Swiss' way. it has switchable EQ and tape settings so it's easy for even a relative tape newbie like myself to switch back and forth between different tape types and different EQ's. the Ampex is also a tape handling champ but it's controls are not quite as 'Swiss' as the Studer. also, the Ampex requires quite a bit of experience to switch EQ's and tape types. so i just use the Ampex for tapes with NAB EQ since i'm not knowledgable enough to switch EQ's.

as far as performance; the sound of the stock electronics of thr Studer is better than the Ampex so far in my listening. not night and day....but better. i consider the actual mechanicals to be equal.

if you get custom outboard electronics then the sonic performance would likely be equal....and you can do your EQ switching with the custom electronics.

these 2 machines are wonderful; but.....unless you either are very technically savvy, have someone to service and repair this level of machine, or spend the money to have the machine really sorted out......i would find a RTR deck a bit less involved. you might get lucky and find one already in top condition, but these are 25 to 35 year old very complicated machines. the Studer is computer controlled by a number of micro-processors. it has 30 different 'cards'.

both of my machines are totally stock from top to bottom.

yes; i still listen to Tape Project tapes. they are wonderful. yes; a few other 15ips 1/4" tapes have found their way to my room in one way or another. if you get into RTR and associate with other like-minded people you will have opportunities to acquire tapes.

my Lps have never sounded better. recently i have learned a few things about my Rockport tt and it is sounding better than it ever has. some of my Lps sound unbelievably good right now. i have a few instances where an Lp does come up to the level of a tape of the same recording....or at least very close. but the majority of my 15 ips, 1/4" tapes played on the Studer or Ampex still go to another level. and some of those tapes even make my best Lps sound lacking. some of these tapes are 'other-worldly'. when you play them you sit there and wonder if it could ever get any better....a line is crossed into the 'real' zone. you have a whole new reference for what recorded sound can be.

mikelavigne May 19, 2010 00:32

I see that you have the Studer 820 and the ATR Reel to Reel. Could you please comment on the differences between the two from the standpoint of transport and also the electronics, and also mention the mods to these decks? Are you still regularly listening to the Tape Project tapes? Have you had much success in acquiring other 15ips Master Tapes? What are your feelings of your RTR compared to your LP setup?

Thanks,

RR

roccoriley May 17, 2010 14:06

As already posted on my own thread, I wish we had more time last Tuesday and wish Steve had joined us.

I need to visit you again and experience all your upgrades. I've been following your posts and need to hear for myself.

My Audio Desk was shipped back last week. I had multiple problems and expect the new one will be 100%. Mine was an early version with the elastic tensioning rather than the steel spring. Mine was purchased months before they were shown at RMAF.

Overall I love the Audio Desk, the ability to clean an LP while listening and have the next LP ready. Time and cost no object, the Odyssey RCM is still superior but the Audio Desk is very close and considering the cost difference and time saved it's the winner.

Off this topic but important. Do you think a restored Ampex ATR is the ultimate performer? I'm trying to decide if I want to get in deeper than my Studer.

albertporter April 25, 2010 04:52

there is a 'pain-in-the-ass' aspect of the Audio Desk Systeme vinyl cleaner, and that is that when you encounter an Lp that has been badly cleaned and has soap residue on it; it will cause the RCM to foam up and you must change the water. it results in me cursing at the 'very dumb' former Lp owner who cleaned the Lps like a neanderthal!!!!!

this record cleaner washes the Lp in a bath of distilled water and has rotating scrubbers. you use small vials of soap which is designed not to foam. added soap not designed for this RCM basically gets the foam everywhere and you should then empty and rinse the machine, unless you want a layer of soap residue on your Lps. it's not hard to empty and rinse the machine.

if you don't buy used Lps it's likely not an issue.

one vial of soap and one gallon of distilled water is supposed to clean 100 Lps. but.....if your 'soap scum' Lp occurs in the first few Lps then you throw the water out and start over. and there is no way to tell which Lp is 'scummed'.

so far i've had about one out of 50 Lps with the soap scum problem.

still; my experience with this RCM has been so wonderful overall i could not recommend it more highly. but there are limitations to it.

mikelavigne April 25, 2010 01:57

over the last couple of weeks i have been having trouble finding time to post or answer e-mails. the reason is all these great Lps from this collection i purchased a month ago.

so far i've cleaned and listened to over 150 Lps (from this 2000 Lp collection) and frankly, it's maybe the most musical fun i've ever had. i'll listen to at least half of one side, or maybe a whole side, and some time both sides.

the one's i've cleaned are about 90% Classical, and they are Mint- to Very Good+++ after cleaning. i have the best intentions of doing other things; but once i start listening and cleaning i can't wait to clean and listen to the next one. 80% to 90% are great sounding and the rest are pretty good. a few are unbelievably good.

'listening to new music' has always been my favorite thing. discovery. when i hear something great that's new there is a delight to listening. getting a better copy of a recording you might already have is fun; but great new music is much, much better!

my Classical music education started back in the mid-90's buying lots of recommended recordings and reading liner notes or jackets. i did pick up a fair amount. but these last few weeks have been very educational.

it is really all about the music.

mikelavigne April 25, 2010 01:38

this last week i had the privlidge of visiting a couple of prominent AudiogoN member's systems, Gallant Diva (last Monday) and Albert Porter (last Tuesday).

i was in Dallas for a few days for business and did have a couple of afternoons free to visit. my visit to each system was brief and i did post some impressions on both their system threads. it was great to be able to forget my meetings and late night business dinners (i particularly hate'm) and relax with music.

i just wanted to acknowledge the hospitality of both members and thank them for openning their homes and rooms to me. both visits were enjoyable and way too short. both have visited me in the past.

their systems are quite different in character and presentation, but both 'get it'......the music that is. there are many different paths to musical bliss.

one real wonderful aspect of this hobby is that sense of community and welcoming which these guys certainly represented.

mikelavigne April 25, 2010 01:11

Mike,

Many thanks for the assessment. I have heard similar comments from another friend of mine. The most recent two times I heard the YG, they were lacking some detail. Overall very difficult to be sure as room setup are differenet.

Gordon

glai April 10, 2010 21:20

Gary,

thanks, and good recommendation for other dart owners which i echo wholeheartedly.

i'm glad you are enjoying the tapes. sometimes i sorta forget how good they sound since i don't play them that often. then i throw one on and it hits me.

mikelavigne April 10, 2010 18:19

Gordon,

i've heard the YG speakers 6 or 7 times at shows; my first 4 times i would have to say i was very impressed by the neutrality, dynamics, and detail of the YG, but the high frequecies were too hot for me. i could not say whether it was the the speaker, set-up, or accompaning gear, but i did not really care for them.

the last 2 times i've heard them; at RMAF and CES, i thought that the top end was more natural and i did enjoy them. it's certainly a very highly resolving speaker. i would say i'm still not a YG lover as the all metal cabinet seems to miss some of the full bodied aspect of music; but maybe that's my eyes telling my brain. i've not been really rocked by them so far. maybe with the right amplification they are world beaters.

likely their marketing approach does not help to be open-minded toward them.

next time i encounter them i'll try to listen with a fresh perspective. maybe i'm not a good one to get feedback on the YG.

mikelavigne April 10, 2010 15:41

Bob,

with the speaker bass adjustments set to flat after the final room changes, the response was not flat. so the room did not measure flat. this is what i meant when i said the room did not measure flat.

then with the use of an RTA, speaker adjustments (4 different bass adjustments and a tweeter adjustment on the speaker) were made, after that the room/speakers did measure 'very close' to flat....hence my term 'essentially' flat. from there it was fine tuned by ear 'with music'.

no real world room measures flat. period. but with a speaker with adjustable bass one can get it 'pretty damn close'. and my room changes allowed the measured response to get much closer to flat. it solved the significant issues i mentioned.

my perspective, and maybe the source of your frustration with my responses, is that while perfect measurements are a good goal, music is a dynamic media, it's not steady state tones. a room/system can sound correct with music and yet not be prefect in measurements. there is more to music reproduction performance than frequency response.

i am not the one who did the adjustments or measurements so i'm going on what i was told about them. i'm not trying to be vague or evasive.

since the final room adjustments were made i've had 5 or 6 'golden eared' visitors. 100% have been fully satisfied with bass performance, as have i. i know it's not perfect; but i'm perfectly happy with what i hear.

mikelavigne April 10, 2010 15:26

Hi Mike, Thanks for the reply. Now you have me confused. On 4-7 you said "I am sure it does not measure flat nor would I want that". Then on 4-9 you said it does measure flat and you do want it flat.

What happened in two days?

I guess my question is, if you can,t measure it how do you know what the response is? And why would you on one day not want it flat and two day later you do.

But regardless of that, my question is what do we really want for an in room response? You have alot of experience with this. Is a flat 20 to 20k response + or - 3db the goal? Or does it not matter that much?

Bob
PHP143

acoustat6 April 10, 2010 13:00

Mike,

Allow me to pick your brains again. What did you think of the YG speakers comparing to the Evolutions?

Gordon

glai April 10, 2010 08:03

Hi Mike,

Your explanation of the new Evolution BNC cables is spot on.

I could not put it into words the way you have but I would like to add one thing...
Anyone who has the darTZell system needs to hear what these cables do for the overall magic of the system. They owe it to themselves to try them.

BTW, My venture back into tape has been very much to my liking. It amazes me the sources I gave up years ago come back stronger than ever. Long live analog.......

Gary

grr6001 April 10, 2010 00:44

Microstrip,

you read me correctly; i will expand on my comment and be more specific.

i've lived with Herve's 'zeel' cables (2 sets; Playback->dart pre->dart amp) for three years, along with the stereo dart amp. then i had my stereo amp upgraded with the new circuit. it is this combination that my comments pertain to. i am referring to replacing both BNC 'zeel' cables with the Evolution Acoustics BNC's.....or....replacing the upgraded stereo dart amp to the monoblocks.

the problem is that the upgraded stereo dart amp is really a great amp. yes; the monoblocks are better. in some specific ways quite a bit better; unlimited dynamics, sense of ease, absolute immediacy of any dynamic aspect of the music, expansiveness. the monoblocks are the finest amplifiers i have ever heard. but the stereo 108 is close enough that what the cables add to the performance of the whole package is more significant to the whole system performance; at least with a 93db, 6 ohm speaker load like the Evolutions. maybe with a more difficult speaker to drive the monoblocks would be a more significant addition.

i had been really impressed with my time with the demo set of these Evolution BNC cables in my system prior to CES. then i heard the Evolution/dart system at T.H.E. SHOW and it was easy to recognize what those cables were contributing to the magic i heard. then i had the monoblocks in my system, and now i have both sets of cables.

these two cables bring a level of clarity i've never heard to a package already posessing singular clarity. they bring a level of articulation and microdynamics in the bass, and high frequency extension which is unique. we all know how certain vocals of our reference discs sound; well....with these cables you will discover that you have never heard how those vocals really sound.

i continue to be floored by what i am hearing.

i warn that considerable break-in is essential to hear what these cables can do. i used a short cut; my Nordost CBID1. but as i listened at spots thru that process the cables changed dramaitically a few times.

do i still covet the monoblocks? hell yes! i dream about them. they are not only the best amps i've ever heard but works of art. if i can ever figure out a way to buy them and stay married to my sweet wife i'll have them.

mikelavigne April 10, 2010 00:00

Bob,

yes, the goal was a flat response. and after speaker adjustments we are essentially there.

mikelavigne April 09, 2010 23:21

Mike, may be I misunderstood you - do you think that the new Evolution Acoustics BNC cables between pre and power was more effective in your system than changing to the monoblocks?

microstrip April 09, 2010 00:17

Mike said "i guess we all might want a room with ruler flat response and one that sounds perfect."

Hi Mike, I am not so sure I want a ruler flat response. Was that your goal a ruler flat response? (Though I am sure we all want one that sounds "perfect".)

You said, "as we progressed thru the 'room fixing' steps the room was flatter and flatter at the 'flat' settings....so less speaker adjustments were needed."

So I assume your goal was a flat response, correct?

Bob

acoustat6 April 08, 2010 18:21

Mike, thanks for the kind words and understanding. i hope to see you (and your family) maybe this wknd.

cheers,

mikelavigne April 08, 2010 16:24

Bob,

in the 'buzz' of the moment i probably went a bit too far with the comment

i'm sure it does not measure perfectly, nor do i necassarily want that.

i guess we all might want a room with ruler flat response and one that sounds perfect. i don't exactly know how my system measures at the moment. i don't have a response graph for my room.

if you have read many of the posts here on this thread from Dec 09' thru Feb 10' you will know that i made some large changes to front of the room, removed some huge bass traps, installed Quietrock 545THX, added 3/4" maple plywood over it, added Auralex T-Fusor diffusion. all these steps were done to solve (1) a bass response inbalance side to side, (2)too much bass dampning, and (3) cloth covering of those bass traps which knocked down the high frequecies.

my Evolution Acoustics MM3 speakers have 4 15" powered woofer/subwoofers and have lots of adjustments to allow for room optimization. at each step of the above process 'we' measured with all the speaker settings at 'flat' and then adjusted for best response with an RTA. the final tweaking was done by ear. as we progressed thru the 'room fixing' steps the room was flatter and flatter at the 'flat' settings....so less speaker adjustments were needed.

geting back to my comment; i know the room does not measure ruler flat; although it does sound 'right'. and it's tuned by ear to sound quick, natural, full bodied, and extended on top. it's actual measurements were certainly an issue but not the goal.

no room measures flat. they all have issues in the bass.

mikelavigne April 08, 2010 16:04

Mike said, "i'm sure it does not measure perfectly, nor do i necassarily want that. i'm sure it will not float everyone's boat, no system will. but it's exactly what i like, and i'm very satisfied...no, i'm more than satisfied, i'm at peace and full of joy about it."

Hi Mike, the last half of this quote is absolutly correct.

I am curious about the first sentance "i'm sure it does not measure perfectly, nor do i necassarily want that."

If I am reading between the lines this means that your system does not measure well. Thats cool. Though I am curious why you said you do not "necessarily want that"

I suspect that you treated your room for a reason, what was that reason? Was it for a better in room response?

Can you post an in room response graph of your system?

Bob
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acoustat6 April 08, 2010 14:04

Hey Mike
Hard work, effort, and your relentless pursuit to improve has given you positive results. Deservedly so.
Great to read that you are happy Mike, congrats, now kick back relax and enjoy your music.
With 2000 new LPs that should keep you busy for a while.
Take care,

rugyboogie April 08, 2010 13:08

thanks Sam.

after hitting submit i realized it's really more of a message to myself than something anyone else should comment on. but i suppose people reading this on my system page likely understand the efforts i have gone thru and will hopefully indulge me to mark my perspective at this moment.

i beg some level of tolerance of my likely percieved self congradulations. that was not the intent of my post but reading it no doubt it sounds like that.

mikelavigne April 08, 2010 03:00