Well, I'm sure what I'm about to write will invalidate my observations for some of you. The answer to Schipo and Clio09 is I don't know the model of the turntable, tonearm, cartridge, stylus, or phono stage. I believe my cousin said he bought the turntable used for about $3500, and I was with him when he bought what I thought was a replacement sylus in a high-end shop in Studio City for a bit less that $1000. He's a Cary tube freek, so if they make a phono stage, that's likely what he has. I know the selection and setup of components was done by an audio specialist. He lives off Mulholland not far from Universal City, so he has access to high-end shops and specialists.
I'm a vinyl skeptic. The last turntable I owned was an AR with a Shure V15-II cartridge, and that was during a period when people tried to track at a gram or less, a practice no longer fashionable. I eagerly adopted the trouble free, low noise floor CDs. I've avoided the lure of vinyl even though I think the accouterments make attractive toys, because it seems one of the blackest holes in audio, filled with mysticism and demanding deep spending. The idea of cutting grooves into vinyl and the mechano-electrical transduction process of reading those grooves seem to me archaic -- yes, there are those who say that well written prose cannot be done on a computer, it must be written on paper in longhand. My cousin and a local friend are trying to convince me of the error of my ways. As I wrote in the earlier post, the imaging and timbre capture of the 45 RPM vinyl was an eye-opener. With all that said, I was trying to be an honest observer. I have been listening to high-end audio since the early 50's. I am open to conversion, but have yet to be. The 45s come close, but I wonder about the selection of music available if the duration is so limited. Also, these were new recordings; wonder what they'll sound like after many playings. I hope to hear a Bach or Corelli trio or quartet on 45s. I would like to justify a turntable and arm, because they are such attractive toys.
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I'm a vinyl skeptic. The last turntable I owned was an AR with a Shure V15-II cartridge, and that was during a period when people tried to track at a gram or less, a practice no longer fashionable. I eagerly adopted the trouble free, low noise floor CDs. I've avoided the lure of vinyl even though I think the accouterments make attractive toys, because it seems one of the blackest holes in audio, filled with mysticism and demanding deep spending. The idea of cutting grooves into vinyl and the mechano-electrical transduction process of reading those grooves seem to me archaic -- yes, there are those who say that well written prose cannot be done on a computer, it must be written on paper in longhand. My cousin and a local friend are trying to convince me of the error of my ways. As I wrote in the earlier post, the imaging and timbre capture of the 45 RPM vinyl was an eye-opener. With all that said, I was trying to be an honest observer. I have been listening to high-end audio since the early 50's. I am open to conversion, but have yet to be. The 45s come close, but I wonder about the selection of music available if the duration is so limited. Also, these were new recordings; wonder what they'll sound like after many playings. I hope to hear a Bach or Corelli trio or quartet on 45s. I would like to justify a turntable and arm, because they are such attractive toys.
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