@lalitk ”If You Go” from that Shirley Horn album is one of the reference tracks I use to evaluate my setup. I’ll check the other albums you recommended thanks!
Lab12 Melto 2 - tube rolling
Just acquired a well cared for Melto 2. Wanted to give a tube phono stage a try in my system.
The unit comes with stock 2 Electro Harmonics 6922 and 2 OTK1 Russian military 6n23p EB tubes.
I’d like to hear from the Melto 2 owners, or owners of phono stages that utilize 6922 tubes, about your experience with replacing EH 6922 with better tubes.
Sound characteristics - what changed, what was the improvement?
Considering current production Gold Lions as I remember liking them in the Rogue line stage…but those were 12AU7 and not 6922.
Table/cart - VPI Prime X/Hana Umami Blue
Cables - kimber carbon phono from table to Melto2, kimber carbon XLR from phono stage to integrated
Any thoughts?
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@lewm no I didn’t mess up the Shirley Horn song name. I think you may be thinking of a different song. |
“If You Go” and “Beautiful Love” are indeed reference tracks. They’re the kind of recordings that quietly reveal everything….tone, texture, timing, and emotional intent. When a system is dialed in, “If You Go” exposes midrange purity and vocal intimacy, while “Beautiful Love” becomes a masterclass in harmonic richness, spatial layering, and decay. |
I just looked up "If you go" on Youtube, and you guys are right. It is not the same song as "If you go away". The latter was a worldwide hit as sung by many besides Shirley and originally I think by Charles Aznavour, in French. The recording on Youtube is taken from her Verve LP, but I have it on one of her Steeplechase LPs. Wonderful as those are, I would not say it was very challenging to record Shirley with her laid back singing and her own piano accompaniment plus bass and sometimes drums. The main thing Steeplechase got right is very silent backgrounds and the conveyance of the ambience of the environment in which she was playing. |
- 59 posts total