dtorc
Responses from dtorc
| Do you trust published gear reviews? Actually, I do enjoy them, and if I am looking for the type of item they are writing about, I pay attention. I allow them a great margin as they look for analogies and metaphors to describe what they are hearing. Some folks are naturally good at i... | |
| CD/SACD player Under $4000 For Christmas, my wife "accidentally" gave me two volumes of the Blue Note reissue series on SACD. On our Christmas lists, I had requested them on vinyl, and didn't have the heart to point out the error. But it had the effect of making me want to ... | |
| Oscar Peterson vs. Art Tatum I have a number of Art Tatum albums, and I'm always struck by the same thing - Tatum never leaves any space, anywhere. Because he could play everything, he did. I am in awe that so many ideas, with so many variations and ornamentations could flow ... | |
| Are we training our ears right? I am a photographer by training and practice (a BFA and a MFA in photography). When I was very young, I tried to know everything about photography (and thought I did). I understood the chemistry, the optics, how camera bodies worked, and all the r... | |
| Changing audio beliefs Well, I was raised a "Linnie" back in the 80's. I was taught, and believed, a number of quasi-religious lessons: Direct Drive and Idler turntables were the Devil's tool. CDs were worse sounding than cassettes, and way, way worse sounding than viny... | |
| Additional Preamp Tubes I owned the BHK pre when it first came out. At the time, the actual BHK - Bascom King - seemed to believe that the very best tubes for his creation were Tungsran PCC88's. I remember that Upscale Audio had a bunch they were selling to BHK owners. ... | |
| Additional Preamp Tubes Recently, I worked with a tube vendor who had a good sense of which tube manufacturer (and which era for each company) had a certain kind of sound. Emphasis on detail (Telefunken, for example), or a sense of warmth (Mullards). When I described wha... | |
| Is headphone listening a primary or backup for you when listening to music? I rarely use headphones at all. I used to use them for two months each summer, as I would move to a college campus to run a educational program. I’d bring a turntable, a phono section, a headphone amp, and a decent pair of headphones (like the Aud... | |
| Thorens clutch system Yes - @zavato the Woodsong bearing is what I used, too. It runs beautifully since I installed it. Only this little clutch thing makes it less than perfect. David | |
| Thorens clutch system Recently, I had the bearing in my TD-124 changed over. It lifted the platter just a smidge, but it was enough to render the clutch inoperable. It is not hard to readjust it (three nylon screws under the platter), but I haven't gotten to it yet. In... | |
| Question for the older folks- did you ditch vinyl when cd arrived? I doubled down on vinyl - though I did buy CDs when a favorite artist didn't come out in vinyl. So, for awhile (late 80's into the 2000's), we were in a vinyl desert, and to hear beloved artists new work, I had to get the CD. I do have over a tho... | |
| Are you a keeper or a flipper? Like oddiofyl, I have to use the value of what I currently own to own something new. I tend to keep many things a long time - I had my Linn LP12 for over 30 years before trying something new. I am now at the stage where I'm running out of time to ... | |
| “Civilian” reaction to your gear? The responses have been mixed. Some sort of shrug and say "That's nice." Others have said they've never heard music sound so good. The phantom center channel gets remarked on - I'm surprised at how many folks have never experienced that phenomenon... | |
| Looking for good interconnects for narrowly spaced jacks I had a pair of RCA's made for me by Pine Tree Audio. They were for my 1970's reel-to-reel tape deck. He did some measurements, and found a set of Switchcraft RCAs that would fit. he made up the interconnect, and it has been perfect. Fits my Scott... | |
| Phono Pre-amp for non-vinyl guy. A really good inexpensive model that works for both MM and MC is the Andover Spinstage. I bought one as a substitute while my regular phono reamp was getting upgraded. With certain cartridges, it sounded very good indeed. Under $300. David |