Hi Mike
Will you be auditioning emmLabs new XDS1 CD/SACD Reference Player/Converter soon.
I am really looking forward to having one here in the New Year for my reference CD/SACD playback.
Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Cheers Jason.

jasonparmenter December 21, 2009 18:28

hi John,

i have not tried the Olympos on the Garrard/Triplaner; mostly because the Garrard is located above the darTZeel NHB-18NS preamp in my system, and the Triplaner only has a 1 meter phono cable. I have 2 phono stages inside my dart pre; the lower noise one is only set up now for 54db of gain.....which is too low for the .17mv output Olympos (there are 2 versions of the Olympos, the standard .3mv version and the .17mv 'SL' version--which is said to sound better. i've not heard the .3mv version).

i have wondered how the Olympos would sound on the Triplaner. the A90 is only .23mv, but it's mostly excellent on the 54db setting on the dart.....there have been only a few Lps where i would have wanted more SPL's. i need to get one my friends that are talented with a soldering iron and 'up' the gain settings on the dart phono card.

Olympos verses A90? nothing would surprise me about the A90. it could be even better than the Olympos on the Rockport (which would be mind-blowing to consider after last night's session). if there was an A90 out there to purchase right now i would buy a second; but they are all sold out everywhere. and the A90 set-up on the Garrard is so primo i have no intentions of touching it for awhile.

the Olympos may be more delicate, sweet, holographic, and detailed than the A90. or is that the Rockport?

the A90 might boogie better, have more bass slam, be tonally richer, and have a bit more body than the Olympos. or is that the Garrard?

where does the Air Tight Supreme Fit in to this question?

at RMAF i heard the Supreme for the first time and was very impressed; it could be better than everything else. other golden ears like Albert and others rave about it. OTOH it would not surprise me to discover that the A90 is better head to head.

the Supreme is $9k retail, the A90 $4200, the Olympos $11k.
i'd probably need to check out the A90 first if i was considering all these great cartridges. you can always find a Supreme or Olympos at their lofty prices.

mikelavigne December 17, 2009 00:28

Hi Mike I've been reading your comments on the A90 with a lot of interest. I'm running a Lyra Skala on my Triplanar right now (Grand Prix Monaco table).

Have you tried the Lyra Olympos on your Tri? And how might you compare these two (a90 vs olym)? I know there is a price diff, for this question only curious on the sound diff. About the only other thing I am thinking about is a Air Tight Supreme...I've heard this at Albert's and love it.

Thanks in advance!

jfrech December 16, 2009 14:35

tonight i found 'more than a little bit' more from the Rockport. i removed more silicone fluid from the dampning trough. Bam! things snapped in.

holographic, dimentional, scarey detail retrieval, rich ambience mileau, teleporter kinda experience. i'm now hearing what the Rockport and the Lyra Olympos are capable of.

listening to the 45rpm pressing of Cowboy Junkies 'Trinity Sessions'....'Sweet Jane'...and Margo Timmons is right here.

beam me up Scotty! (but not till my bedtime please).

mikelavigne December 16, 2009 07:14

hi Gary,

thanks. it was a pleasure speaking to you on the phone the other day.

i've had my A90 briefly on the Dobbins/Technics SP-10 Mk3 with the Reed arm and it really sang sweetly there. my friend (who has a Garrard) wanted to hear what it could do on the Garrard so he proceeded to dial it in there over two weekends. i may get another A90 for the Reed at some point.

mikelavigne December 16, 2009 04:42

Hi Mike,

Glad your feeling better & taking some time to enjoy the music & system. To bad it was at the expense of a surgery. Never fun.

I have to agree with you that the A90 loves the Evolutions & the darTZell combo too. I found the synergy with all to be very natural & balanced. The noise floor is impressive to say the least. I have never heard a cartridge so quite & track so smooth. The Reed arm with the A90 works perfect as well.

I found the cartridge & cable does need at least 60 hrs to reveal it's self.

Thanks for keeping us informed & educated on your journey.

grr6001 December 14, 2009 23:29

Sam & Sonny,

i'm a road trip guy myself, there is something wonderful about traveling on the open road, just me (the wife) XM, and the Honda navi system. i get on a plane 7 or 8 times a year for business and so any road trip is looked forward to. it's especially good when the destination is unknown.

i've done a few 'blasts' between Seattle and California over the years. a year ago i drove to Ukiah to pick up my A820 from Fred Thal. left Seattle at 2pm, arrived at Ukiah at 7am the next morning, spent 8 hours getting training from Fred, and was back home by 6 am the next morning. it was a wonderful time. all in the service of the music.

as i mentioned above, the surgery is minor and with the music and drugs it's actually kinda fun.

i'm really looking forward to your visit, talk to you soon.

mikelavigne December 14, 2009 16:54

hi Ed,

thank you for the kind wishes. it's called an Umbilical Hernia and it's not serious other than they do open you up. however; it does give me an excuse to basically listen to music for 4 straight days without interuption.....WAHOO!

the timing of having both the Garrard and Rockport sound beautious and having all this time is an audiophile dream.

the A90 does 'like' the Evolutions. it has such a balanced sound which is also how the MM2's sound that they synergize perfectly. i can tell you that the A90 just gets better and better. enjoy the ride.

likewise i hope you and Teresa have a Happy Holidays!

mikelavigne December 14, 2009 16:43

Hi, Mike,

Didn't know about your surgery...sounds (pun intentional) like you're feeling well :-) Dealing with allergies and the flu, myself, at the moment. Sonny and I are contemplating a road trip to Seattle, rather than flying...I'll e-mail or call you within the next couple of days to touch base.

Take care,
Sam & Sonny

c1ferrari December 13, 2009 20:00

Mike, hope you're feeling better today! Glad to hear that you made the best of it and locked yourself in your sanctum to convalesce. My A90 has only about 20 hours on it but I have to say, I'm hearing so much more than ever before. I'm sure the MM2's have a lot to do with it as well.

Take care and hope you're back in one piece soon. Enjoy the holidays!

Ed and Teresa

theaudioassociation December 13, 2009 18:44

had some minor surgery on Friday morning; all is well.....but dammit that means i cannot go to work for a few days while i'm drugged up a bit......so i get to listen to music, there is not even a 'honey-do' list. this is the "chiznit" for sure.

the Garrard has been singing so sweetly, i had been ignoring the Rockport/Lyra Olympos/Allnic H3000. so Friday, once the heavy drugs wore off, i contemplated the Rockport. something has been amiss there. once again, it turns out i'm dumb as a post. when i had the vdH Colibri's on the Rockport, i was always working on controlling the edgyness of them.....and so i used a considerable amount of silicone fluid in the dampning trough below the air tube for the arm wand. a little paddle sticks below the arm pivot housing and rides in the trough of fluid. you adjust the degree of dampning by varying the level of fluid.

i had way too much fluid in the trough for the Lyra Olympos.....and it had been causing sluggishness and lack of energy. what upsets me is it's been 7 or 8 months of wondering why it was not sounding better. it explains alot.

i know how Homer Simpson must feel. Duhhhh!

i also lowered the VTF a bit now that the Olympos has over 100 hours.

the Rockport is happy once more. i listened to it from 7am to 11:30pm last night. maybe as good a listening day as i've ever had.....or maybe it's the drugs? i listened to a little bit of everything.....but last evening i started listening to large orchestral Lps.....for 6 hours.....it was heavenly. Bbeethoven's 5th, 6th and 9th. Mahler's 5th. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Rimsky-Korsakov's Scherazade.

even with all that powerful music i was not feeling worn down or fatigued. so natural, so easy to listen to. i did not want to stop. but i was back listening this morning early to a Mozart Mass. wonderful.

mikelavigne December 13, 2009 17:56

ok, maybe Las Vegas has redeeming qualities.

i just got back to my room from a performance of 'Jersey Boys' at the Palazzo. perfect seats, 3rd row, dead center. nice story, great music and singing, perfect harmonies, did i say great music? very solid production (but i'm no expert on 'Broadway Musicals'). highly recommended.

really enjoyed it.

can't wait to get home to listen to the Four Seasons on vinyl.

mikelavigne December 08, 2009 06:37

last weekend i had some help (i got the hell out of the way) dialing in the Dobbins Garrard/Triplaner/A90 and it achieved a level of set-up i honestly never expected it to. all this week i've been marveling at how it sounds.

well, my friend came back over yesterday and it's actually a lot better. he did a few things.

first, even though he measured spindle to pivot distance 5 times last week upon measuring it turns out it was still 1mm out. done.

it was better.

then we checked geometry with the Triplaner protractor. messed with it a little; not completely satisfied but better. we pulled out the Mint Lp protractor i purchased and checked the alignment. woaaaa, not close. one of them was wrong. after trying the Mint position it was much much better. it's also a much more precise tool.

next VTF. we had been running at 2.12 grams. we tried 2.07....too lightweight. then we went to 2.27; too heavy. tried 2.17 better, then 2.20; just right.

to my ears i had been satisfied about 10 steps back. but my friend kept going. now he removed any anti-skate. it got better; and there was no change as the arm tracked all accross the Lp. finally VTF adjustment. some small adjustments. it's too the point now where i'll be adjusting it for thickness when i'm in the mood. you can easily hear it.

i'm not sure i've ever heard any tt so precisely dialed in. later last night and this morning i've listened to 15 or 20 different Lps, many of which had spots where i had recalled a bit of distortion; not any more. every Lp sounded fresh. lots of new things poped out, voices and instruments are more real, and the full glory of the amazing energy of the Garrard just leaps from the grooves.

the only negative thing is that i have to get on a plane in a few hours for a few days in Las Vegas (my most despised place) for a business trip....damnit!

right now i'm just enjoying my last precious moments listening before i must go pack; how good is this gear, how much of it is set-up? who cares right now; i just want to listen.

mikelavigne December 06, 2009 15:43

Dev,

your comment on the Tron reminds me of the room with the Ypsilon at RMAF. hard to tell what is happening but you try to listen thru stuff. it is fun to have both the dart and the Allnic and a few months along with three tt's. you can actually get multiple views and true context to form legit perspectives.

i've read about those phono stages (Rossner & Sohn Canofer-S and Audio Flight) but i don't think i've heard them. love to get some feedback on them. the Verdier is always good as is the TW Raven. messing with tt's is hard work but someone's got to do it.

a friend who tweaked my Garrard last weekend to the point where it's 'taken flight' is coming over tomorrow afternoon to try and wring a bit more from it. not sure what laws of physics will be broken if it gets any better.

i'm just gonna watch and learn.....and listen.

mikelavigne December 05, 2009 03:58

Dev,

the dart is one hell of a full featured preamp and hard to beat as the total package. i don't think you can go wrong with the dart or Allnic.

on the subject of the single input of the Ypsilon; i see your point but have a different perspective. switching is a nice feature but cannot help the performance and may exact a sonic cost. and with need for a step up transformer you would likely have multiple step-ups unless all your cartridges had exactly the same output. i'm more concerned for the need for an additional short but expensive interconnect from the step up to the VPS-100. and....i would expect that there is a performance advantage of being able to have a short phono cable between the arm and step up and then any reasonable length cable between the step up and the VPS-100. i can typically hear the advantage of a short phono cable easier than any other cable issue. you can also have the step ups located essentially 'wherever' you need.

what i don't like is plugging and unplugging cables as disturbing them does not help the sound (sometimes it's audible and sometimes not). i just don't like it.

i think if one can get by the $30k 'problem' one can make the Ypsilon work.

mikelavigne December 05, 2009 03:45

Mike Thx for the detailed reply, I'm going to have to hear obviously but from reading your info. it appears the Dart would be more to my liking.

I was looking at the Ypsilon and was kinda shocked that it only offers one input at the asking price, seems odd. I would think anyone dropping this kind of cash would have at least two arms, the flexibility does not seem to be in line with so many others phono's available at a substantial lower cost.

The other day I heard a members system which included a TW Raven AC table with a couple of different arms & carts using a Tron Seven phono, nice system but unfortunately it was really hard to gauge the over all sound characteristics due to not being a full range set-up. This weekend I'm getting to hear a Verdier and TW Raven AC table in the same system with lots of carts including two different phono's being used "Rossner & Sohn Canofer-S and Audio Flight, full range set-up so this should be great. I have heard this set-up prior and already know it's a great sounding system so this will assist greatly.

dev December 05, 2009 00:18

hi Dev,

i really do like the Allnic H3000. i have not personally heard the L4000.

the Allnic H3000 is really about a perfect phono stage. it has 4 inputs, 2 MM and 2 MC, it's easy to switch among them. adjusting gain and loading is a snap, and it's beautifully built. i like that the separate power supply can be moved away from the signal path.

the sound is very neutral, with just a touch of warmth and a smidge of extra bloom. there is no layer of grey mist or grain on the sound. the H3000 is very dynamic and has a big and articulate bottom end, but not a huge bottom end. very balanced sound. the top end is open and extended, and smooth. very well behaved. it's not the very last word in transparency, although it's very good in that area. and it throws a nice soundstage, but not the very largest. so about as overall balanced and listenable as it gets.....and is a bit forgiving. the mids are pure and sexy, but it is neutral where others might be golden.

in contrast; the darTZeel sitting next to it 'IS' as transparent as it gets.....and is more demanding of perfection from setup and cartridge. it's even more articulate in the bass and equally as dynamic and energetic. the mids of the darTZeel are as delicate as can be; again, anything askew will be communicated. the highs of the darTZeel extend forever and are sweet and smooth.

if i had to choose one of these it would be hard; but the dart maybe grabs me just a bit more when all is just right......like right now with the Garrard/Triplaner/Ortofon A90. i'm simply mezmorized. the A90 was wonderful on the Allnic H3000. the A90 is a force of nature on the darTZeel. holy shit!

i think some tube lovers would choose the Allnic over the darTZeel. 2-3 months ago, when my system and tt's were not quite as dialed in, i preferred the Allnic by a touch.

the darTZeel is $25k (for a full featured preamp with single phone, mine has 2 phonos). the Allnic is around $12k.

the only phono stage which i have heard which might be above these two (there are others in the same general area) is the $30k stand alone Ypsilon VPS-100 with step up transformer. i listened to it twice at RMAF in an unfamiliar system. i heard slices of magic thru the other gear.

mikelavigne December 04, 2009 06:30

Hi Mike,
I'm currently looking at a phono for my set-up and in your pics see the Allnic H3000 but seem to have missed any detailed comments relating to it's sonics. Seems like recently there is a following (you Albert etc.) for this along with the line stage L4000, what's your take on either one of these pces sonic wise? If there is a thread where you have already discussed kindly direct me to it. THX

dev December 03, 2009 23:45

hi Sam,

i did experiment with (as of now unnamed) custom output electronics on the A-820 2 weeks ago but i've not yet actually purchased any.

a friend wired the A820 head with a switch which allowed us to quickly listen to either the stock circuit or the custom circuit. the custom circuit was better, lower noise floor, more refined, more detail, more natural. the stock circuit had a layer of grunge easily evidant with a quick A/B. the stock circuit was more dynamic because the custom circuit was not perfectly matched to the Studer heads eq.

i was not surprised; the 20+ year old Studer stock output electronics was mostly designed to be stable under any condition and has all sorts of nasty bits in the signal path. but it was good to finally have a chance to hear what might be possible.

no doubt if one never heard what a custom circuit could do one would never be wanting for better than the performance of a properly set up A820......but it can be better.

it's not EAR; they only have their circuit used integrated into a deck and not as a stand alone, and it includes Tim deParavincini's tape path mods.

mikelavigne December 03, 2009 11:56

Hi, Mike,

I didn't realize you had custom output electronics on your A820...EAR stuff?

Regards,
Sam

c1ferrari December 03, 2009 07:49

Mike, I have found my "Mono Turntable" to be a great pleasure. I can enjoy the Jazz records that I purchased when new,(and played many times since) with less ticks and pops, and a solid non-wandering image. The fact that I don't worry as much about destroying a high dollar cartridge lets me relax a little when the evening wears on. Replacing a $100 stylus is far better than a $1000 one! Remember sometimes we play records for the music not just the thrill.............

idos December 01, 2009 13:54

Idos,

very interesting comment about the 'primrose path'. a couple or three years ago i did slow down as far as 'system' changes in terms of speakers, amps, preamp, cables.....the character of the system. i did recently do a circuit upgrade to the amp but that is it since then.

2 and 1/2 years ago i added RTR tape decks and then 6 months later 2 more tt's. for 2 years i've been messing with these new sources and finally now i'm enjoying the fruits of my labor as i've finally been able to experiment with custom output electronics for the Studer and the Garrard is now sounding amazingly good.

i feel like i've avoided the merry-go-round (primrose path) of change for change sake and found my groove....so to speak. the music is speaking to me like it never has. the room is fulfilling my original hopes.

your mono comment, regarding trying a very inexpensive mono cartridge, might be something i could do now. i'm going to check it out. thanks for the 'gentle nudge'.

mikelavigne December 01, 2009 05:49

I'm glad to see you are taking your time making any changes to your beautiful room. It can be very easy to wander down "the primrose path" and loose all sense of direction when making too many changes to quickly (I know it's fun). Try to understand what your system is doing before satisfying the urge to spend money.
You mention a Mono cartridge, try a Grado (eliptical). I installed one over a year ago and am so pleased with the sound of my old Jazz LP's I have no thought of "up-grading" it. I don't remember the exact price but you're talking under $200! (I have no financial interest in Grado).

idos November 30, 2009 19:46

thanks Jazdoc,

no doubt there was magic about Saturday night (and a bit into Sunday morning too :)). the Mulligan-Webster was hit out of the park by the Garrard-Triplaner-Ortofon A90-darTZeel. all day Sunday i was enjoying the fruits of Saturday night's efforts. it did not matter what i thru on the Garrard, it effortlessly rendered the music before me.

i wish i could articulate what i'm hearing better.

mikelavigne November 30, 2009 14:09

I had the pleasure of spending another long evening in 'Vinyl Disneyland' aka Mike's listening room last night. Mike is way too humble when he describes the Garrard/Triplanar/A90. We listened to a few tracks last night after a mutual friend optimized the set up and you could close your eyes and forget you were listening to a stereo...Ben Webster was there in flesh and blood. Simply amazing!

jazdoc November 29, 2009 22:23