Thanks for the responses. So far everyone says try it. That's what I was afraid of. I was afraid I might like them. $50 an album means lots less albums to buy.
Herman, Kind of Blue would be a good test, as this is one of my favorite recordings as well. I think I'll buy one to try it out.
Cheers,
John |
Well, I just ordered 3. What the h&ll? It's only money.
Jimmy D. Lane:
It's Time
John Coltrane:
Soultrane
Blue Train
$125 + shipping (alright,so I ordered a couple extra items, let's call it $268.92)
They didn't have Miles Davis Kind of Blue or Sonny Rollins Way Out West. For best comparisons I would have liked to get one of these.
With Blue Train I can compare the 45 to the LP and SACD.
I'll let you know my impressions.
Happy New Year,
John |
Alright, I just finished spinning all 3 of the new 45's. Yes, the sound is absolutely amazing. The horns have so much bite they feel like they're right in the room. Blue Train blows away the SACD sonically. Ergonomically, it's a pain in the a$$. Blue train is on 4 one sided LP's!!! Every 8 minutes you have to get up and change the disc, no flipping sides here. The price one pays for realistic sound is not cheap. The 45's are much quieter too. Although I have a feeling that at $50 a pop and getting up every 7-8 minutes (although I could use the exercise), 33 1/3 will still be my first choice.
BTW, you HAVE to check out the Jimmy D. Lane It's Time 45. If you love the blues, it's a MUST have!
Cheers,
John |
Hey Nate,
I've bought a couple more 45's, and I do think the sonic improvement is audible. Slightly richer, more lively and vibrant. However, that being said, I don't think the difference is worth the extra price and effort. Vinyl easily beats digital, IMHO. 45's better 33 1/3's by a much smaller margin. The recent 45 series releases from Acoustic Sounds sound very good, but at $50 a record are kind of hard to justify buying many of them. You also have the getting up to change album every 6-9 minutes too.
So, is it worth paying more than twice the price to change album sides more often? Not IMO. I do listen mostly to LP's, but I do still highly recommend the Jimmy D. Lane It's Time recording, and I do still play and enjoy the sound of my 45's when I'm in an energetic listening mood, and/or demoing the rig.
Cheers,
John |
Nate, that sounds like fun. Was Pat there?
I don't think I'll ever be getting master tape's, so 45's are about as good as it gets. I do wish they weren't so expensive though. Of the four 45's that you ordered, are there any duplicates for direct comparison with LP? I have CD's, SACD's, LP's and 45's, I try not to replicate for the most part. I only haveone 45 that I can directly compare to the LP, and that would be John Coltrane's Blue Train, which I also own on SACD.
The 45 sounds the best, as it should, costing $50 and needing (4) 200 gram vinyl platters to play 5 songs. It edges out the $20 LP sonically. I think the sonic difference is greater between the LP and the SACD than the 45 and the LP though. Of course I don't have enough material to make a sweeping judgement. It could be a case of that particular recording. I have around 600 LP's and around 500 CD's, but only around a couple dozen SACD's and 45's. For the most part, I try not to replicate recordings. I'm not overly interested in that audiophile tradition of direct A/B comparison in a level matched enviornment. I would love to expand my collection, but I need to find more room for storage. I'll have to wait for one of the boys to move out I suppose, as building a $50K addition so that I can expand my collection seems a bit excessive (to my wife at least). :-)
I'll be interested in reading your impressions when you receive your 45's. Keep me posted.
Cheers,
John |
Man that sounds like some party. I'm sorry I missed it.
I have that Jacintha Here's To Ben on 45, the vocals are stunning! Absolutely breath-taking. If I wasn't so inherently lazy, I'd play the 45's more often when I think of how good they sound. The Coltrane's, Jacintha, Jimmy D. Lane's, etc all sound outstanding. I do have many very good sounding LP's too though. My VPI SDS makes the speed change simple, just the push of a button changes from 33 1/3 to 45 and back. That should give you some idea of just how lazy I am. It's all I can do to get up every 20 minutes and clean another record side. I just can't do it every 6-9 minutes.
Not as often as I'd like anyway.
BTW, what is your analog setup? Do you still have the Classe Omega amp?
Regards,
John |
I'll be right over, just a pit stop for a good bottle of bourbon, and I'm there!! Let's see....I go west...right?
I've heard good things of the Sota 'tables, but haven't had an opportunity to check one out yet.
I agree with you about the Glider, I had one a couple years back and never really took a shine to it. My current reference is a Lyra Helikon, I love it. I choose it over a Benz Ruby 2H and a Koetsu Rosewood Signature. I almost went for a Titan, until economic sense got the better of me. I'll only own a Titan in my dreams. The Helikon is great though, you should check one out. |
Well, I guess like all things audio, it's system/taste dependant. My system does tend to lean to the warm side, so the Koetsu and Benz were too much warmth. The Lyra added the right touch of detail, without sounding lean or overly analytical in my system. I have also heard good things about the ZYX cartridges, and the Shelter ones also. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try one of these yet though. I'm in no hurry either, as I'm very happy with the Lyra. After a few years of rolling through the Dynvector/Koetsu/and Benz's (Glider and Ruby), I'm satisfied enough with the Lyra to not be currently hunting for a cartridge.
Especially after just finishing that exhaustive preamp world tour! 8 preamps in less than one year...whew... I'm tired of making changes, I just want to sit and listen for a while. :-)
I figure I should be able to get to your place by about 6 AM tomorrow morning. How's a Western omelette and Irish coffee sound to go with that Simon and Garfunkel 45? |
So Nate.... what do you think of the 45's??? |
