Ken Kessler.

@tablejockey 

I bet your new Holbo/DS rig sounds exquisite

I've only spent a couple of weeks with it, but I have found it totally involving.

So much so, I have gone to load SACDs and wondered which is the A side 

The clearest illustration of what the rig can do comes from a Telarc recording of the Saint Saens Organ Symphony.  The second half of the second movement contains thunderous organ passages, but I was never really aware that the second half of the first movement contains some really quiet underpinnings from the organ.

The Holbo / DS Audio combination presents these very quiet, very low notes with crystal clarity.

I put this down to the fundamental difference between MM and MC cartridges on the one hand, which measure sideways velocity, and DS Audio optical cartridges which measure the sideways position.of the stylus.  Very quiet, very low organ notes don't produce much sideways velocity, which becomes zero at the peak intensity.  This is exactly where optical produces its peak output. 

The much greater output voltages (70-mV versus 5-mV) probably significantly raise the signal over the MM masking noise floor.

Getting back to the real subject of this discussion, the rig reduces the effects of surface noise but it is still there at the volumes I use for classical music.

@richardbrand,

I borrowed a Telarc CD, once. I was in the Air Force and living in the barracks. I was in a good mood and headed to the club when I thought it would be cool play the T-Rex track on my B & W 802's. When I was younger, more was better and I INCREASED the volume and shut my speaker's down.

I've never played another disc from that company. 

@tabl10s 

Yes, Telarc was renowned for positioning its microphones to maximise the impact of bass drums in classical works.  I have many recordings on records and CDs and have just picked up a German demonstration record from InAkoustik / Clearaudio which contains several Telarc tracks.  Originally digitally recorded at slightly higher sampling rates than Redbook CDs.

I hope you did not damage your 802 speakers?

Protection circuit kicked in(whew!). 

Apologies FIRST- to  OP @tabl10s -sorry for the hijack/sidetracking of the thread

"Doctor persuaded me that I needed a smart watch which amongst other features would let my partner know if I had died, and the GPS coordinates of where to find my body."

@richardbrand 

I’m right with you. We can all be thankful for technology used a RIGHT WAY. I certainly have my own medical drama that encourages me to be mindful/deliberate in my waking hours.

Guess I’m jealous because Kessler probably wears 2 lovely vintage Euro  pieces😂

I wear a non-pedigree, 50-year-old Bulova, gifted by mom. Current value-wait for it......$6.23 on the high side?

My Holbo money was diverted into another obsession-$12K bicycle on sale. Had to dive in while the body can still endure the thrashing! Retired/repurposed the16 year old rig for grocery shopping/about town used LP bin excursions.

There’s always another turntable deal on the horizon.