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Tbg's Responses in Analog	Posts
Do you think you need a subwoofer? As full integration of subwoofers is quite difficult and because most subwoofers cannot keep up with many midrange drivers and tweeters, I would seek to avoid them. But because . . .	400
Is Direct Drive Really Better? As a proponent of the "niche market" rim drive group, I would suggest that Eldartford omits probably the most important character of the TT-resonance frequencies. I grant. . .	275
Why will no other turntable beat the EMT 927? Thuchan, I have only once heard an EMT927 and even that was with no comparison to anything else. I love vinyl but find it very inconvenient also. I am soon to get an idler wheel . . .	219
How Many Turntables Have You Owned Fifteen if you count the three different times I had the Linn LP12 and twice I had a Garrard 301 25 years apart	155
Is a vinyl rig only worth it for oldies? Were vinyl not such a pain, I would only play vinyl, especially 45 rpm reissues. And it is not as though I have an inferior digital playback system. I have the Empirical Audio . . .	147
Who will survive? One last table til I die. I finally bought a Garrard 501 after looking at 301s and 401s a long time ago. I have had some very exceptional tables, many mentioned earlier, but think the Garrard especially . . .	137
Schroeder vs. Triplanar VII Sonic Differences This thread, like so many, has gotten off course. I have owned both the Triplanar and the Schroeder arms. The Triplanar was an early version and the Schroeder was a special version. . .	136
Ortofon MC A90 cartridge I now have the Ortofon A90 mounted on my new Bergman Sindre turntable. I have it tracking at 2.3 grams. I am using my H-Cat phono stage with a 100 ohm load. I don't know how much . . .	126
Is extremely accurate "VTA" adjustment necessary? One reason why the Wheaton tonearm was so easy to use was the micro adjustments it allowed. I now have a Schroeder, however, so I now know the benefits of its design. What we . . .	126
Experience with Raul's Essential 3150 Might I ask why this thread is under analog rather than amps and preamps? I had heard of the thread but had to do a search to find it. I would have loved to hear it	123
Halcyonics under my tt. Wow Rhyno, how dearly I wish any of the air spring devices I have tried approached the active Halcyonic device. I do totally agree that too many totally ignore micro-vibrations and . . .	111
Decca cartridge experiences I had many Londons early in my audio career. As you say they are a love/hate relationship. I don't really recall what caused me to move away from them, probably MCs, but I do . . .	101
What is the best phono preamp you have heard? I also like the Aesthetix, the Syrah, the Steelhead, and the Walker, but the H-Cat is superior to all of them by a big margin	100
Has anyone had experience with the Schroeder Arm Frank's arm is the best I have ever heard. On a Loricraft Garrard 501, it replaced my excellent Walker Presidium, which of course has a big pump and long hoses. I continue to use . . .	95
Audio Desk Vinyl Cleaning System Chosenhandle, in the 70s I bought a Keith Monks cleaning machine. It worked quite well but took a long time to do so, which is the cost of a pivoting arm system. I have since been . . .	88
Well Tempered Amadeus Samtse, I read in one of the reviews that the finger lift torques the arm around. True? This may be a "no deal" for me as I have a right hand tremor	88
Walker Audio Prelude LP Cleaning Solution What I really need is another record cleaning liquid, but I am have ordered some Preclude. I presently have DiskDoctor, RRL, AudioTop, and L'art du Son here and found L'art du Son . . .	86
Audio Desk Record Cleaner-Anyone buy one yet Syntax, like Sonofjim, I don't agree with many of your opinions. I got a Vinyl Cleaner about two years ago and directly compared it with my special VPI with a Delgrin tube with the. . .	80
2010 RMAF Analog Reports + Meet and Greet Pcosta, I sought out the Thales, but it was broken and no longer in use. I have heard it before and was very excited by it but not by its price. The good news I heard, however, is . . .	80
How many People own Working Reel to Reel Decks? Look into the Tape Project. I have heard their moded decks and tapes. They are outstanding. There is little question that reel to reel is the best, but what a pain in the ass. I . . .	80
Schroeder Reference Arm How I wish I had not forgotten to attend this comparison. Please someone tell us your impressions	72
ELP laser turntable - any comments? I have heard this table on several occasions and have always loved the immediacy of the sound. The first time I heard it was about 15 years ago. It was in prototype and sounded . . .	72
Best Live Recording on LP Given my age, I am shocked that everything I would have recommended is already listed above. I heavily use live recordings in evaluating equipment	71
Steam Cleaning - RCM or not? I don't have much use for steam cleaning, but I have found a modified vacuuming tube made of delrin by Walker Audio so greatly improves my VPI 16.5 as to replace even my string . . .	71
Azimuth and the Fozgometer Stltrains, thanks for your post. I am buying one	68
Why Linear Tracking never took off? I have had five different linear trackers. The main problems in my experience are the critical importance of the table being level along the dimension of the linear tracking, the . . .	68
RRL Cleaner, Vinyl Zyme, and Groove Glide Take the Grooveglide and throw in the thrash. It will probably take multiple cleanings to get it off your records, but you will be rewarded by the best LP sound you have heard. I . . .	65
Ortofon MC A90 Cartridge VTF Thanks for the suggested lower tracking force recommendation. I will have to try them	63
Finding ultra-pure water locally... Guys, I have had a home RO filter for 30 years. It get replaced once a year. At the end of the year the water has about 300 non-water parts per million. After it is replaced this . . .	63
Loricraft Record Cleaning Emailists, have you added the clamp on the vacuum hose? I really suspect the 25% increase in suction is an exaggeration, but I will try it. I have had my Loricraft since 2001 and. . .	58
Equipment Set-up Recommendations? You would not have the problem were you on a concrete floor. The walls and the ceiling also vibrate. Putting the tt in another room might help as well, if it is more free of . . .	54
Whats the best record cleaning fluid? For about the last 30 years I have used just about every fluid, brush, and vacuum made. I actually started with the Keith Monks vacuum but sold it as a pain in the ass. I have had . . .	51
Idler wheel drive vs Belt Having had the Dual, the Garrard 301, the Technics SP10, various Linn LP12s, the Forsell, the Walker, the Loricraft/Garrard 501 with the Schroeder, and once again a Garrard 301, I . . .	47
Best bang for the buck turntable? No question, a good Garrard 301	45
Can I clean my records manually? Of course you can clean records manually, but not well. There are many posts both on cleaning fluids and on various record cleaning machines	45
Granite under wood for better isolation? Sand is your answer. Maple deadens the music. Put the granite into a sand box. All ringing will be gone	44
Best rack for non-suspension turntable? Mass, mass, and more mass. Don't try to decouple using soft materials. Max Townsend would tell you the opposite, but he is talking about his Rock tt	40
MoFi enzyme based cleaner and pure rinse Absolutely, there never is. Let me add Walker Audio Prelude. Which of the four steps is vital from the enzyme to the Step IV I don't know but the cleaned records have virtually no . . .	39
Does the Step 4 final rinse for Walker Prelude help? Dougdeacon, I directly asked Lloyd whether it was his Ultra-pure as I had already double rinsed with that. He said that it was based on Ultra-pure but had added ingredients. . . .	38
Reversing absolute phase Just because recording engineers are too lazy to bother with absolute polarity does not mean that having it does not sound better. You are correct that in many multi-miked . . .	38
Best TT for the buck? Well Tempered Amadeus	37
Is there a best cartridge track force gauge? I am tracking my Ortofon SPU presently at 4 grams. None of my gauges goes beyond 3.5. Yes, I do remember 5 and 6 grams as well as tonearm that were quite substantial	36
Fozgometer? Hichory, I think you are right, but the real issue is convenience	35
Well Tempered Amadeus turntable, giant killer? Slipknot1, no I love it, but I have had several reports that the Well Tempered Amadeus is better than much more expensive tts	34
why is a 13" tonearm design really superior? Tracking error is reduced with increasing length, but rigidity is reduced and weight increases. I use a 12" Shindo arm and love it	34
Record Cleaner Yes, the Loricraft noticably better cleans record done with the others, especially if you use AudioTop Vinyl1 cleaner	34
12" Tonearm What Have You Heard & Recommend? Jomoinc, yes back in my Decca days I had the Decca arm. I also had the Keith Monk's arm and the SME 312, I think it was. The Decca was clearly the best with the Deccas, although . . .	33
Best Turntable/arm/cartridge system for $30k Arwp, fly to San Francisco and hear the Shindo Labs vinyl system, including their turntable, arm, and cartridge. You will get away with about a third of your money	33
Is it worth purchasing the VPI 16.5? Because the string is replaced each time you use it and because the arm tracks the gooves, I would strongly recommend the LoriCraft record cleaner imported by Smart. I have owned. . .	33
Anybody own any direct-to-disc LP's? I still remember first hearing "the Missing Link." Later in a dealers (remember those guys), I heard it being used to wow a customer. When the dealer was called to the . . .	32
LP eccentricity, spindle hole center,The fix?????? Has2be, years ago (over 30), I bought a system, which included a rasp for making the spindle hole larger and adhesive rings much like those for sheets in a loose ring notebook. . . .	29
Record Cleaners / RCMs I long ago owned the Keith Monks record cleaner but sold it when I moved into a smaller house. I then tried the first VPI then the Nitty Gritty. I then went back to a series of . . .	29
Audiophile turntables of the 60's and 70's I had most of these turntables at one time. I strongly discourage buying an Empire. Pretty and well made, but terrible sound. Way too massive an arm. I also had a Oracle and found . . .	28
Solid stylus cleaners: Extreme Phono vs. Onzow Zer Splaskin, I too tried mine way in the back of a drawer. I may try it buy the Onzo is so safe and easy to use, that I will probably continue with it	27
More output from Analog set up, MC Transformer? I am presently using the only transformer that is an exception to the above post by Thomasheisig. It is the Auditorium 23 which is distributed by http://www.shindolabs.com/pages/1/. . .	27
Interconnects Roller Coaster Ride Kisawyer, I have never heard a wire or a component, that does go through some breakin. I presently have the High Fidelity CT-1Es cables that are into their second month and still . . .	26
Decca London Gold cartridge nightmare Tubemoose, what you say about the Deccas is right on with my 40 year experience with the Decca. I remember much tone arm interaction with the Keith Monks and Decca International . . .	26
Soundsmith Strain Gage Cartridge system I posted this on the other strain gauge thread. I had strain gauge cartridges long ago, including the Win and the Panasonic. I saw them as quite good, but not reaching the realism . . .	26
12 inch tonearms Frank, do you make a 12" arm? Norm	26
Am I really smart or really stupid? RIAA ain't a big deal??? I think you are smug in assuming you can get something good at a price that precludes better components. As someone has already said, you are certainly not. . .	26
Is RIAA equalisation enough for Phono Stages? EMT had a phono stage at the last CES with many choices on equalization of records. One listen to it suggests that you need more than RIAA. It also works for 78s	25
Nationalism in Audio Products? There is better and worse equipment from Switzerland as from everywhere else. It is likely to be more expensive from Switzerland	25
walker proscenium What you heard is what you heard. Ask Lloyd why, and I think he will tell you that many things contribute to the sound. The turntable is but one of the elements. To have a system . . .	24
I finally bought a record cleaning machine $ Where do you live Cmo? Static at this time of the year is not common. I suggest you rinse your records in distiled water. I would also suggest that you delete the Last treatment . . .	24
turntable recommendations for a vinyl newbie... I think your two criteria-less than $1000 and competitive with your digital are impossible	23
Little red gun next to turntable. I am sure there are instructions that come with the Zerostat, but I have had mine for at least 20 years and have no idea where they might be. I also have seldom used the Zerostat . . .	22
High mass turntable owners -- What Stand? I have used a Mana Reference under my Walker, Loricraft 501, and now Shindo Labs. I found a special Neuance shelf added a lot, but then found the Acapella Silencio far superior. . . .	22
Best ss phono with volume control Murataltuev, are you in Europe	21
ELP Laser Turntable & Trickle Down Several CESs ago, I heard a demonstration of the Elp versus master tapes and another quality tt. They had bought a quality tape and made a record of it and had several copies. We . . .	21
To Loricraft users Actually, the original glass jar was a mayonase jar that they thought was a proper size. I would use glass, but you will have to do some work on the cap, of course. I thought the . . .	21
Most Architectural Turntable/Best Looking? The old Sau Win turntable would get my vote. If you like machine shop looks the Rockport would be hard to beat	21
Wow I just got the KAB strobe Hifimaniac, my Shindo/Garrard 301 needs two different corrections for 33.3 and 45. Initially, I failed to mark them, but I could immediately hear that 33.3 set at the 45 speed . . .	20
33 vs 45 speed quality Csmithbarc, despite all the somewhat off topic discussion, I would have to say that I have not done one comparison of 33.3 and 45 rpm recording where the 45 was not clearly . . .	20
Record cleaning machine advise, want to buy,"HELP" I know your budget, but the best cost more. I have had the VPI and Nitty Gitty machines. None compare with the Loricraft string machine	20
Getting granite tomorrow. It is only recently that I have experienced good isolation from vibration. I have spent at least 25 years exploring isolation devices, using bladders, spikes, mass, wood, cork, . . .	19
New to Turntable - what're involved in playing LP? If you are willing to clean records, often clean styluses, carefully isolate your turntable, and get up often to change records, you still will get more thrilling real music . . .	19
Best tonearm for London Reference Cartridge I have no experience with the Decca Reference cartridge, but I long ago had the Fidelity Research FR-64S tone arm and the Decca London cartridge of that day. The Fidelity Research . . .	19
Harry Weisfeld Was Right All Along Quincy, I think your problem may be azimuth not anti-skating. I am not sure whether you can change this in the SME	19
Turntable isolation If your walls don't vibrate much, a wall shelf is the only thing recommended here that will work. Batters, like pole magnets, and springs all are the same and like hard and soft . . .	18
Walker Valid Points or Mapleshade Footers for preamp? Glory, I don't know what you mean by "having to deal with the lead" It is coated. The Walkers with their pucks are far superior to the Mapleshades, but I would agree . . .	18
Record Cleaning Machine I have had 3 VPIs since they were first introduced. Initially, I bought a Nitty Gritty to compare with the first VPI with the wand in the lid. I sold the Nitty Gritty to a friend . . .	18
A new phono stage The H-Cat P300 phono has proven clearly superior to two of the three phonos you mention. It costs $2995. I am tempted by no others	18
What stand does you Turntable sit on? I use a Mana Reference stand under my Walker Audio tt. Lots of weight on plate glass, but it works	18
Turntable hum problem after demagnetizing Have you played a record and seen if you have both channels? Check all connections from the cartridge to the phono cables. Did you use the demagnetizer exactly as prescribed	17
Moving coil transfprmer? I have had many transformers for low output moving coils: Cotter, Denon, Techniques, Auditorium, AudioNote, and Neumann. I have always hoped that I would find a phono stage with . . .	17
Decca London Cartridge? I fondly remember my many London Decca and even spending hours in a Chicago dealers backroom picking out which I wanted. Never have I had such transparent sound. I do not even know. . .	17
Suspension vs. non-suspension turntables??? After years of both types, my conclusion is that the best solution is a tt without suspension mounted on a platform that weighs at least a ton. This is impractical for me at this . . .	17
The Quietest LP Cleaning Machines I have a PRC 3 Loricraft and have had it since 2001. I heard it while stuck in London after 911. It is much less noisy than other record cleaners I have owned including the Keith . . .	16
Anyone Tried Audiotop Stylus Cleaner? Yes, I have tried it. It is excellent giving greater transparency. Is it worth it? I cannot say as it depends on you. It is better than anything else I have used. I have not tried . . .	16
phono amp +/- €1500 Mordante, of those you list I would have to say that the BMC MCCI is clearly the best. The only preamp that I think might beat it is the Ypsilon at three times the price. I have . . .	15
45RPM reissues: really better one-side pressing? An interesting thread. In my experience all 45s are outstanding but a great pain. Thanks for the information, guys	15
Lonely piece of marble: where should it go? Mr_stain, make some art out of the marble. Forty years ago, may put marble on racket balls with slits in them. I still have the piece of marble on which we make bread. It was . . .	15
How to tell if lp is recorded with phase reversed? Islandmandan, I envy you the capability to invert easily, but I do not know how thee PS Audio does this. If it adds another stage, this sorely disadvantages the inverted sound. . . .	15
Can almost anyone learn to set up a Cartridge? Only you young guys have the luxury of not having to set up a cartridge. Years ago if you wanted to listen to music of your choice, you had to set up a cartridge. Since the . . .	15
Vibraplane vs. Minus k for Turntables I considered the Minus K unit as well as the Halcyonics. The Minus K is basically a well designed spring system. At it root the Vibraplane is also a spring system, in this case a . . .	14
Record Cleaning Machine- Keith Monks or Loricraft? I had one of the original Keith Mooks record cleaners, previously owned by a radio station. Much later I was in England and was to fly home on 9/12/01. Being stranded in England I . . .	13
Cartridge alignment channel balance measurements? James1969, as Shure once had a record and meter that allowed you to adjust the channel outputs by changing Azimuth, so Denon once had a meter that allowed you to minimize . . .	13
Empire Turntables New in Box-Worth Anything? Eldartford, I would have to agree with you about spring loading. I bet you never thought you would hear that. After abandoning a Garrard 301 in the '70s, I am back with one again. . . .	13
Dartzeel Phono Preamp? Moi assi	12
Ortofon tonearms ,Static and Dynamic - Difference? I had a Shindo Labs turntable with a dynamic arm based on an early Ortofon tonearm. I think its outstanding performance was partially attributable to the dynamic arm. Once I tried . . .	11
VTA and 180 gram vinyl There is no question that thicker LPs sound wrong with the VTA from normal records. I do not have an easy time changing the VTA, but I have installed a simple cardboard ruler . . .	11
Noisier Outer Edges? Toufu, I have noticed this on a few of my records. I use a Loricraft string record cleaner and often think it does a poorer job of vacuuming on the extreme outer grooves. I have . . .	10
Allaerts MC2 Finish I have had one for several years. I must admit that its very low output has caused me many headaches. I have been using it with the Loricraft phono which presently is not imported . . .	10
Stillpoints LP Isolator Record Weight Jyoungpark, I have heard the StillPoint clamp audition on and off a large range of turntables at various shows one time while touring with Paul Wakeen. I have yet to hear a . . .	9
Need proper sequence for cleaning records I hate to say this, but I wouldn't use any of these. I have found the Walker Prelude 4 step cleaning system best. The Zerostat is used just before you play the record	9
RCM Fluid Applicator: Loricraft I have had a Loricraft 3 for nearly five years now. I once had the Keith Monks and will tell you that the Loricraft is much more dependable. I spritz the L'art du Son vinyl . . .	9
Denver TT Shootout? I heard the comparison of the Teres weighted acrylic and weighted wood platters at the last CES. Everyone demanded that he put back the wood platter. It was not just lushness or . . .	8
Sheffield LP,,my first one The Sheffield is a direct to disk recording. The Missing Link was once the demostration record used everywhere. There were many direct to disk recording done in the late 1970s. . . .	8
Any one using Dampening fluid on there Schroeder? Larryi, is right. Dampening on the Schroeders is done with the gap between the magnets and is quite sensitive	7
Denon DL304 They were only imported into Canada to my knowledge. I have one that I have not used in years although I thought it was better than the Denon 103	7
phono pre-amp question The reason to NOT use a preamp's phono input if it is a full preamp and not just a line stage, is that the circuit will have great gain and RIAA correction, which you already have . . .	7
In this corner Groove Glide... There was a time when I put Last on most of my records. There was a time when Lloyd Walker convinced me to use Gruv Glide. I used it on only about 10 records always after a . . .	7
Anybody heard the new EAR turntable? Alectiong, yours is my question also, especially as HP refers to a more expensive turntable from Germany. I also heard the Australian turntable at CES and you could clearly hear . . .	6
Keith Monks record cleaning machine I use DiskDoctor solutions with my Loricraft copy of your cleaner, but I about to try the RRLs given all of the buzz	6
BMC MCCI vs Roksan Reference DXP SE The BMC MCCI requires no loading, but does require balanced inputs. It is exceptional. I should say, however, that I have never heard the Roksan	3
Sao Win SDT-10 Strain Guage Cartridge. I used to be a close personal friend of Sao. Perhaps 15 years ago my telephone numbers failed to reach him and once I failed to find him in the telephone book. I would suspect that. . .	3
Neuance shelfs - are they still build? I think the process of heating and pressing the styrofoam emits gases which were getting to him. It is too bad as these shelves had no resonant frequency being of mixed compressing. . .	3
Original 1981 Dynavector Karat Ruby Cartridge Theduder, I also have one somewhere, but mine is well used and of no value. I would expect that the suspension would be brittle by now. Some try to keep it in good shape by . . .	3
Mistracking-what instrument or type of sound... Keep reducing the tracking force on the cartridge and you will hear it. Once you do, you will know it forever	3