hi Ron,

gosh. Huummmmmm. 10 Cd's or Lps? my 10 favorite?

that's a tough question. here's 10 that pop in my head in no particular order that i like. there's probably a few hundred more i could name.

Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra; 'Beethoven's 6th 'the Pastorale', Columbia Lp.

Johnny Hodges and his Orchestra, Blues A-Plenty, Verve Lp

United States Air Force Band, Colonel Lowell E. Graham, Commander/Conductor. 'Overtures' CD. 'not for sale'.

Led Zepplin, 'Houses of the Holy', 45 rpm Lp, from the Classic Records 45 rpm box set reissue.

Van Morrison, 'Moondance', WB german pressing, Lp.

quatuor mosaiques, 'Haydn--string quartets opus 76, CD, Astree.

Antonio Forcione & Sabina Sciubba, 'Meet Me In London', Lp, Naim.

Ruggiero Ricci, London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierino Gamba, 'Carmen Fantaisie, Etc.', Lp, Decca, Speakers Corner reissue.

Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster, Lp, Verve, MoFi reissue.

The Carpenters, 'The Singles', CD.

a few of my favorites that come to mind tonight. all these are frequent participants in my music experience.

enjoy.

mikelavigne September 30, 2009 05:06

what is your top 10 cd or vinyl album,music.

simplicitymusic September 30, 2009 03:48

Dgad,

a new baby....very cool. it was 32 years ago for me but i loved every minute of it. of course; then i had MacIntosh amp and preamp/tuner, Boze 901's hanging from the ceiling, and a Dual tt.....very 70's. with a new baby the server will come in handy for 'low-stress' listening. you can do your playlists and still be able to change those diapers. i have 3 or 4 of the HRX hirez files on my server and they do sound very very nice. it's a thing worth doing. so far i have no desire to digitize a perfectly good analog recording; but i can see the benefit of ease of listening to it.

the Schroeder fell victim to my budget; to have three tt's, arms, cartridges, and the Allnic H3000 i needed to get a less expensive arm for the Technics, and settled on the Reed.....which has been nothing short of amazing. overall i think i prefer it to what i heard from the Schroeder; although to be fair the Schroeder was never completely optimized in my system.....and the mid-range of the Schroeder was still more magical than the Reed. someday i want another Schroeder in my system.

the Allaerts is still on the short list of cartridges i'd life to try in my system. if they have some of the best parts of the Koetsu then i'm sure i would like them. i do miss my Koetsu RSP for it's butter smooth 'everything'.....although it was too much of a 'guilty pleasure' to live with.....

i'm quite smitten with the Lyra Olympus as an all-around winner of a cartridge......but this Ortofon MC A90 might be one to compete on that level too. i've not found fault in either cartridge yet. both seem to have it all; detail, dynamics, tonal shading and richness, subtlety and nuance, and complete lack of edge. the Olympus seems to have a touch of warmth, and the A90 has this image density and sparkle which is very special.

i'll come back to the Colibri someday when i get an arm with sufficient dampning to control that 'wild' side. i know you like the Phantom for that.

mikelavigne September 30, 2009 03:19

Mike,

No RMAF this year. Got a baby on the way. Due any day. My big thing is PC audio on the horizon. Finishing it soon. Tried the HRX samplers from RR. Something special. I can record & playback at 24/192 and record vinyl bypassing a phono stage. Need to get it going but for that I will need to manufacture custom phono cables to go straight to the ADC.

Did you give up on the Schroder? The Allaerts is something special. Easiest description is all the good of a Koetsu with none of the drawbacks. As you get higher up the line you do lose some of the warmth so that is where I stopped. A touch of warmth with a slight loss in detail. And for that I have the Colibri. Overall my favorite cartridge.

dgad September 30, 2009 02:42

Mike,

Thanks so much for your advice. I'll buzz VPI in the am to see if they'll give me the info I need.

I'll keep you posted!

Ed

theaudioassociation September 30, 2009 02:06

Ed,

i bet if you e-mailed VPI they would supply you with the spindle to pivot point exact measurement for the 12.6 arm and how it compares to the 12.5 arm. that is all Yip would need.

the A90 does have a very robust stylus guard and the actual cartridge body is maybe the most solidly constructed (of solid stainless steel) that i have seen. it should be fine if you are reasonably careful.

Mike

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 15:29

Mike....

Thanks very much for the Mint LP info. I guess I'm on the right track as I've already traded a few emails with Yip. The only thing Yip and I haven't verified is if my VPI 12.6 arm is the same as a 12.5 which he has a protractor for. He says that no real data has been published by VPI on my particular arm so it sounds like it might be a bit of a gamble. My only concern is that if it isn't correct I'd like to put the setup back to factory settings and I'm not too sure I've got the expertise to pull that off.

I may just bring my rig to my local dealer Brooks Berdan and have him mount it up. Sure would like to be able to develop my cartridge mounting skill though. Just don't know if I want to use the A90 as a practice piece.

BTW, you are more than welcome for the Scotch!

Ed

theaudioassociation September 29, 2009 13:25

Dgad,

i too am curious about how the Ortofon will sound on the other tt's.

someday i'd like to try an Allaerts.

will you be at RMAF? if so i'll see you there.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 06:00

Ed,

sorry i forgot to answer your question about the alignment tools that i use.

since i only owned the Rockport (a linear tracker) for 7 years i had not set up a pivoted arm since my Basis 2500/Graham 2.2 in 2001. and i only owned a Graham arm on the Basis and my VPI TNT Mk2 (with Graham 1.5tc) i owned before that. as the Graham uses a cartridge mounting jig i basically had never really dealt with a pivoted arm set-up even though i'd mounted many cartridges over my 15 years of listening to vinyl.

so my initial feeble attempts to really set up a pivoted arm when i finally got the Garrard and Technics were considerably less than stellar. Steve Dobbins did visit and show me how a real expert can do it; but i needed to get something waaay easier to use than the paper protractors i got with the tt's. i did some research and purchased a Mint Lp set-up protractor from Yip in H.K.

Mint Lp

it's around $110 plus a bit more for the right magnifying glass.

anyway; it's custom made for a specific arm and tt. it comes with very detailed and easy to follow instructions and i highly recommend it. i've now used it three times; and my skills improved each time i did it. at this point i am confident i can do a very good set-up on a cartridge for the Garrard/Triplaner. i know that every time i do one i will get a little better. i need to buy a separate Mint Lp device for my Dobbins Technics with the Reed arm.

there certainly are a few excellent universal set-up protractors out there which i've read about. you could do a search. but i've not used any of those and so cannot really help much with those. i cannot say how the learning curve is with those either. i am confident that the Mint Lp is a fairly fool proof way to learn and do very accurate pivited arm cartridge set-ups.

i do use a Winds Arm Load Meter (accurate to .00 gram) guage (ALM-01) for measuring VTF. i've owned it since 1998. it works great. there are now many of these type of devices that are much cheaper than the Winds.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 05:22

hi Ed,

you have been busy! ;>)

btw, i never thanked you and Teresa for the Scotch....so THANKS.

you will love the A90 without question. i'm not yet sure just where it stands compared to the very best cartridges i've heard, but it's up there someplace.

the MM2's are also a no-brainer......congrats!

see ya in Denver later this week.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 04:49

Hearing good things about the Ortofon. Would love to hear how you like it on a different combination. Currently I am loving my Allaerts MC1B mk2.

dgad September 29, 2009 04:45

i forgot to add that the Lp of 'Respect Yourself' is very good too and i highly recommend it. but as good as the Lp is; the tape is on another level entirely. the tape is how you'd like reproduced music to sound if it was up to you.

and now it can be (in this particular case).

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 04:42

as long as i'm bringing things somewhat up to date, i have to mention a new Tape Project tape i recieved a week ago; TP-012, The Staple Singers; 'Bealtitude; Respect Yourself'. this is the first tape to ship in Series 2 of the Tape Project subscription.

The Tape Project Catalog

Respect Yourself is Soul and Gospel, with a touch of funk and reggae thrown in; and it's fantastic. 2 cuts, 'Respect Yourself' and 'I'll Take You There' are all-time pop/soul hits which you've heard thousands of times......BUT NEVER LIKE THIS! this tape is alive with dynamics, big bloomy bass, and great soulful vocals. the music is tight, tuneful, and room filling.

if you get a chance to hear this tape at RMAF, or a friend's home, or anywhere.....you gotta do it. and make sure it's played LOUD. it will make your day.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 04:35

Sorry, forgot to tell you that I've got a pair of MM2's on their ways as well!
Lots to look forward to!

Ed

theaudioassociation September 29, 2009 04:25

Hey Mike!

Got an A90 coming my way as well. Will try and mount it myself on my HRx. I'm hoping I don't screw it up. What sort of gadgets do you have that help you get these cartridges right on all of your setups?

See you in a couple of days!

Ed

theaudioassociation September 29, 2009 04:24

i forgot to add that since the three tt's are different; my listening to the Ortofon and darTZeel phono must be considered thru the prism of the different tt's when comparing. i have played maybe 7 or 8 cuts on all three tt's one after the other. i've not yet heard anything that does not sound wonderful on any of them.

i could live forever with any of these combos.

at some point i'll move the Ortofon around and see how it matches up with the other tt's.

now i need to add another arm and quality mono cartridge and i'll be where i wanted to be when i went down this path.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 04:09

Microstrip,

sorry for a 2 month delay in my response. i've been distracted from my audio stuff mostly this past summer but i'm getting my music lovin juices flowing the last few weeks again and it feels good.

this past week i did get a new cartridge and i've been listening to it thru the darTZeel phono stage. and it sounds heavenly. the cartridge is the Ortofon MC A90. it is at least very very good, and maybe super super (as in maybe as good as i've heard). i've got about 15-20 hours on it so far and it has not missed a step. i would say that the dart phono stage holds it's own with the Allnic H3000; on the same general level of performance but certainly different in character. i can say that the Ortofon loves the dart phono stage.....it's a match made in heaven.

right now i have a Lyra Olympus on the Rockport, an Allnic Verity 'Z' on the Reed/'Dobbins' Technics SP-10 Mk3.....both of those playing thru the Allnic H3000. then i have the Ortofon MC A90 mounted on my Triplaner Ultimate on the 'Dobbins' Garrard 301.....playing thru the dart phono.

the Garrard has a different sound than the Rockport or 'Dobbins' Technics. it does not separate the instruments as well, and has a rounder more bloomy sound. the bass is a bit more prominent on the Garrard, if not quite as explosive and articulate as the Technics. also it does not have the ultra-black backgrounds of the other 2 tt's. the Rockport is ultra-refined, the 'Dobbins' Technics with the Reed arm is super dynamic and explosive, yet still quite refined.

anyway; the Ortofon sounds absolutely superb thru the darTZeel; musically on par with the other 2 thru the Allnic H3000. if you get out your audiophile checklist; you can rank them in various areas but really they all are uber-musical.

finally; i have all three tt's sounding great and yet with three different sounds.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 03:55

Elberoth,

no; i've not done the SCNP upgrade, but i do plan to do it soon (when i can afford it). i did briefly have the dart 500 watt mono prototypes (not anywhere near the final version but mind-blowing none-the-less) in my room a few months back. i gotta have that new circut without question. my dart stereo has 'enough' juice for my room and system (although the big darts are now my 'dream' amps for sure) but that new circut is a clear upgrade to the performance.

mikelavigne September 29, 2009 03:21

Mike,

Did you have your amp upgraded with darTZeel SCNP network ?

If so, what are your impressions ?

elberoth2 September 28, 2009 22:11

Thanks Mike for your update. You are dead on with the room comment. Interesting about your base issue. In my room, although 500 sqft the base does not go as low as my previous room which was 700 sqft with a back wall at about 30-35 from the woofers. I miss that clean sub <25Hz base ... am I bound by the laws of physics or can my room measure down to that level despite its size?

mtkhl567 July 24, 2009 09:56

Nice to see you have added an Allnic H3000 to your system. How does it compare with the Dartzeel phono?

microstrip July 23, 2009 00:34

Mike,

Welcome to the Dark Side :-)

I've taken such a liking to it that I sold my AA Cap II SE 6 months ago and am server based for my digital music reproduction. Macbook with Wavelength Cosecant Async USB v3. It took several months to burn the disks to the server but I have no regrets. So easy to surf the library with the Apple Itouch remote. Almost too easy. you'll love it!

The room is coming slowly. I'll Email you some more pics.

Jim

joneill July 22, 2009 20:54

my only fear is my fat butt will get fatter if i don't need to get up to change a disc

Don't worry- It will stay thin tweaking that computer!

srwooten July 21, 2009 07:28

Mike,
As always, very intersting comments on your room setup and now the Music Server. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on how well the server performs.

I am hoping you are open to a visitor. I'll be in Bend, Oregon first week of August and would like to come by to finally hear & see your setup in person.

gshelley July 20, 2009 15:13

hi Henry,

great to hear from you....and thanks for the thoughts on relative performance of our gear verses some other top level gear.

lately i've been mostly 'off the grid' as life has reared it's not always ugly head with work demands, family issues, vacation, and other stuff. not posted here for 2 months.

i agree that it does not really get much better than a Evolutions/darTZeel/Playback system. properly implemented it will take you where you want to go. i've come to realize that changing gear is much like chasing one's tail......optimizing what you have will mostly get the job done. at the level of gear we have, on the systems you listened to......it's the system synergy and attention to detail that counts most.

over the last year or so i've made lots of progress on speaker set-up; my next system performance move will likely be a room adjustment thing.

i'm going to change the 'Q' of my large side front bass traps. a few months ago a local friend did a waterfall plot on my system and confirmed a perception of a problem in my mid to low bass performance. i don't seem to get the 'decay' in the bass that i get at other frequencies. the low notes get 'chopped' off. the room is over damped. the solution will be to stretch swimming pool liner tightly over the bass trap openning; greatly reducing the level of bass dampning. this will be relatively cheap, relatively easy to do (the contractor who built the room will do it), and it's easily reversable or i can come back and only cover part of it. it will be a way to 'tune' the room.

on a completely different subject; this weekend i finally added a music server to my system. my (network engineer) son built a dedicated PC for my server. it has a low profile case, a 2 terrabyte HD, an Intel 8500 processor, and 8 megs of RAM. i am using the Lynx AES16-xlr sound card feeding into the AES-EBU XLR input on the Playback Design MPS-5. i will be adding another 2 terrabyte HD as i need it. i am using a 10m XLR digital cable between the MPS-5 and the PC. i will have the PC upstairs in my loft, with the cable running in the conduit for my air compressor for the Rockport tt.

i am using 'viewer' software on my laptop to run the server from my listening position; it's very easy even for me to do it.

last night i loaded 8 hirez files (176k and 192k files) and overnight i transferred approx 1500 of my redbook CD's my son had previously burned to a PC (about 350 gigs). today i have been playing around with the server and i am very impressed with the performance. i've not yet done any comparisons to any other format so i have nothing to say about on that subject.....yet. the server into the MPS-5 sounds really wonderful.

currently i'm using some very basic file management software, easy to use but not very flexible.

anyway.....i've decended into the dark side......and it's really quite nice. my only fear is my fat butt will get fatter if i don't need to get up to change a disc.

i'm not sure yet how close to optimal server performance i have; but i am looking forward to being able to compare the SOTA for a digital music server to SACD, vinyl and RTR.

mikelavigne July 20, 2009 02:11