Fun in Vancouver (Thanks Mike Sae!!!)
Posted by: Andrew Randle on 10 June 2002
Some of you may remember my message in the Padded Cell saying I was travelling to Canada. Well I did and also met up with Mike Sae!
It was a really fun day out, so thanks Mike for such a great time. This included:
* Visiting HiFi Studios - a flat earth shop in Vancouver. These shops actually open on Sundays!!!
* Listening to various bits of gear including Naim, Sonus Faber and Classé.
* Buying music, and listening to some Sim Moon kit demoed in the music shop.
* Listening to Mike's system and replacing some glass shelves with Nuence (sp?) shelves in his Mana rack.
* Having some good food at a beachside bar and admiring the gorgeous Vancouver women.
Heh heh it was a grand day out. Interesting to hear the NEAT Mystiques, which are very fine loudspeakers (sounded even finer when we removed some of the glass from the Mana stand).
Mike, let me know when you want to write about these shelves, 'cos I'll back you up anyday on this one!
Andrew
Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"
It was a really fun day out, so thanks Mike for such a great time. This included:
* Visiting HiFi Studios - a flat earth shop in Vancouver. These shops actually open on Sundays!!!
* Listening to various bits of gear including Naim, Sonus Faber and Classé.
* Buying music, and listening to some Sim Moon kit demoed in the music shop.
* Listening to Mike's system and replacing some glass shelves with Nuence (sp?) shelves in his Mana rack.
* Having some good food at a beachside bar and admiring the gorgeous Vancouver women.
Heh heh it was a grand day out. Interesting to hear the NEAT Mystiques, which are very fine loudspeakers (sounded even finer when we removed some of the glass from the Mana stand).
Mike, let me know when you want to write about these shelves, 'cos I'll back you up anyday on this one!
Andrew
Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"
I'm glad you had fun, Andrew; I also had a top time. How are you posting? Is the Sheraton so luxurious that each room has an internet connection?
I think Andrew wanted to experience Vancouver's charms, not our health care system
Andrew took some pics of the day, but as Murphy would have it, they don't show up when I "publish" them through Frontpage. Odd, as it worked flawlessly until now! Here's the link:
http://members.shaw.ca/mikesae/stuff.htm
Can anyone help?
We got some pics of the Sea Wall but I'm kicking myself for not bringing the camera to action-packed White Rock beach.
It was great to talk with someone who could relate to my anoraky and Andrew's perspective on hi-fi was always interesting.
During the sessions at the shoppe, it became clear that we had different tastes in stereos, yet have the same Flat-Earth objectives. For example, I preferred Rega Aras over Sonus Faber Concertinos; Andrew thought the SF's were the winners. Both grooved- fair enough!
Back home, we did agree on how poor stock Mana sounds. The words clangy, messy, robotic, peaky, pain in the ass and glass cathedral were bandied about and we both agreed 100%; it really gets in the way of the musicans. I mentioned that I've torn the whole thing down and re-set it 3 times and I'm confident that it's set up properly. Mark me down as "dissatisfied Mana user".
I had previously replaced 1 glass shelf with a Neuance board (left over from my old rack) under the CDX to marvelous effect and Andrew was on hand to help put one under the 72. The improvement was fantastic- shocking, really.
Music actually flowed and grooved now. Big phat bass lines (a weakness in my room) hit harder and timed far better. I'd say every parameter improved. Music became less annoying, a lot more involving. I may very well replace all the Mana glass with Neuance shelves.
Andrew's hi-fi vocabulary is better than mine and can probably describe the change better than I...
Don't you love how a sightseeing thread turns into a rack thread?
I really must get Leggo Beast and Peace Orchestra. Could have listened to the albums all the way through, but we were on a schedule!
I usually listen at about 9 o'clock, so Andrew requesting 10 o'clock, then crankin' it to 11 (he must still be on London time) was great. I found a whole new way to listen- really loud.
quote:
Tristram said...and you didn't even take him out to the North Shore for some biking?
I think Andrew wanted to experience Vancouver's charms, not our health care system
Andrew took some pics of the day, but as Murphy would have it, they don't show up when I "publish" them through Frontpage. Odd, as it worked flawlessly until now! Here's the link:
http://members.shaw.ca/mikesae/stuff.htm
Can anyone help?
We got some pics of the Sea Wall but I'm kicking myself for not bringing the camera to action-packed White Rock beach.
It was great to talk with someone who could relate to my anoraky and Andrew's perspective on hi-fi was always interesting.
During the sessions at the shoppe, it became clear that we had different tastes in stereos, yet have the same Flat-Earth objectives. For example, I preferred Rega Aras over Sonus Faber Concertinos; Andrew thought the SF's were the winners. Both grooved- fair enough!
Back home, we did agree on how poor stock Mana sounds. The words clangy, messy, robotic, peaky, pain in the ass and glass cathedral were bandied about and we both agreed 100%; it really gets in the way of the musicans. I mentioned that I've torn the whole thing down and re-set it 3 times and I'm confident that it's set up properly. Mark me down as "dissatisfied Mana user".
I had previously replaced 1 glass shelf with a Neuance board (left over from my old rack) under the CDX to marvelous effect and Andrew was on hand to help put one under the 72. The improvement was fantastic- shocking, really.
Music actually flowed and grooved now. Big phat bass lines (a weakness in my room) hit harder and timed far better. I'd say every parameter improved. Music became less annoying, a lot more involving. I may very well replace all the Mana glass with Neuance shelves.
Andrew's hi-fi vocabulary is better than mine and can probably describe the change better than I...
Don't you love how a sightseeing thread turns into a rack thread?
I really must get Leggo Beast and Peace Orchestra. Could have listened to the albums all the way through, but we were on a schedule!
I usually listen at about 9 o'clock, so Andrew requesting 10 o'clock, then crankin' it to 11 (he must still be on London time) was great. I found a whole new way to listen- really loud.
quote:
Is the Sheraton so luxurious that each room has an internet connection?
It sure is! High-speed as well!!Regarding those shelves, I agree with everything Mike said. On top of that, the effect of adding the shelf to the 72 gave musicians more body...they don't sound so cardboard-cutout. Bass bounces more and has more extension. Timing is better.... more effortless and fluid. Treble more controlled. In all, the system sounds less uptight with the Neuance shelves and improves hi-fi and musical aspects.
Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"
quote:
Mike H sez: It muffled the highs, and it made the bass sound rather undefined and lumpy. The mids were very natural, though.
Just fer the record, I definately don't hear any of that.
Andrew,
After you left, I got into a tinkering mood, so
I got rid of the 7-up table and the couch is now in triangular formation with the Mystiques. Wish you could hear it; the music bumps along even better, now
If I had to generalize, I would say that the Neuance board smoothed everything out, to the point where the details, definition, punch, etc. were somewhat mushed together. This seemed to help the midrange, as voices were smoother (which is often an improvement for CD reproduction). However, it sullied everything else.
Also, the boogie factor seemed a bit muted. Overall it was much more relaxed and blurry, almost as if my stereo had had a bit too much to drink.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Also, the boogie factor seemed a bit muted. Overall it was much more relaxed and blurry, almost as if my stereo had had a bit too much to drink.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Just so we don't have to go 'round n' round on this, I shall forgive your heresy
What I need to do is listen to someone else's Mana setup. I'm 99.9% sure mine's set up properly, but there's always that .1 percent, damnit.
As it is now, I lurve Neuanced Mana and can accept that you don't.
Cheerst,
mike (s)
What I need to do is listen to someone else's Mana setup. I'm 99.9% sure mine's set up properly, but there's always that .1 percent, damnit.
As it is now, I lurve Neuanced Mana and can accept that you don't.
Cheerst,
mike (s)