Wait a minute...this shouldn't be sounding this good!
Posted by: Markus on 03 May 2002
So, recently my aged Dynaco ST70 died and I stuck my 1980 vintage Luxman receiver into my system. It was either do that or not have any music. Too bad about the Dynaco. But it's understandable, since it's 35 years old.
So, until I get the amp fixed or replaced, I'm using the Luxman receiver. I put the hicap on the cd 3.5.
Another system change is that I was recently given a Pioneer turntable--model PL 41--complete with functioning, though visibly corroded, Shure m93 cartridge. This accompanies my LP 12. The Pioneer looks, feels and has the heft of something that was "a good one" when it was new--heavy plinth, nice, expensive-looking arm. Belt drive. Much more solid looking and feeling than my Pioneer PL 12.
Grateful to have a second working turntable with 45 rpm capability, I've been playing a fair number of old 45's and lp's that are too dirty to play on the LP 12 until the VPI 16.5 arrives. (I mean, these are *really* dirty records, mostly soul, r'n b, funk and jazz). Some of 'em didn't even have any sleeve at all when I picked them up.
What is absolutely astonishing is how good everything sounds! Especially the Pioneer turntable! I throw on a 50's Prestige deep groove pressing of a Gene Ammons album, dirty, scratched, at the "fair" end of the grading scale, and the system just sounds amazing. I throw on a 70's vintage funk album. Wait a minute! This isn't *supposed* to sound this good! Next comes a slab of the Isley Brothers (Brother, Brother, Brother). Again, wow! You want to talk about Pace, Rhythm and Timing? This things got it in spades. Why? Is it the cartridge? The arm? The heavy plinth? The entire thing as a system? Bass is particularly deep and funky, midrange is good, extreme treble seems to be gone. There is not the transparency and detail I hear on the LP 12, but...what there is is unexpectedly good.
For those who've read my thread about "scratchy sounding interconnects" suffice to say that getting to listen to the cd3.5 is a study in frustration. When my palpitations of the interconnect are successful, the cd3.5/hicap kicks major ass--it just sounds beautiful. Another argument for front end first. If the problem with the interconnect was solved I wouldn't be in a major hurry to replace/repair my dead Dynaco. (the chord DIN to double RCA is on it's way to NANA for repair as I write this.)
Having been a disciple of the LP 12 since my first demo 13 years ago, I've never really cared about other 'tables. This funky Pioneer has really gotten me to imagine what, why and how other folks rave about other, non-suspended sub-chassis design 'tables. If the Garrards, etc. of the world sound like this, I think I get it.
One more lesson learned is that even records that don't have sleeves can have music in the grooves.
OK, enough of a digression for this morning.
Have a great weekend and listen to lots of tunes! Oh, and I, for one, would be interested to read other stories of systems that "shouldn't" work as well as they do.
Markus
So, until I get the amp fixed or replaced, I'm using the Luxman receiver. I put the hicap on the cd 3.5.
Another system change is that I was recently given a Pioneer turntable--model PL 41--complete with functioning, though visibly corroded, Shure m93 cartridge. This accompanies my LP 12. The Pioneer looks, feels and has the heft of something that was "a good one" when it was new--heavy plinth, nice, expensive-looking arm. Belt drive. Much more solid looking and feeling than my Pioneer PL 12.
Grateful to have a second working turntable with 45 rpm capability, I've been playing a fair number of old 45's and lp's that are too dirty to play on the LP 12 until the VPI 16.5 arrives. (I mean, these are *really* dirty records, mostly soul, r'n b, funk and jazz). Some of 'em didn't even have any sleeve at all when I picked them up.
What is absolutely astonishing is how good everything sounds! Especially the Pioneer turntable! I throw on a 50's Prestige deep groove pressing of a Gene Ammons album, dirty, scratched, at the "fair" end of the grading scale, and the system just sounds amazing. I throw on a 70's vintage funk album. Wait a minute! This isn't *supposed* to sound this good! Next comes a slab of the Isley Brothers (Brother, Brother, Brother). Again, wow! You want to talk about Pace, Rhythm and Timing? This things got it in spades. Why? Is it the cartridge? The arm? The heavy plinth? The entire thing as a system? Bass is particularly deep and funky, midrange is good, extreme treble seems to be gone. There is not the transparency and detail I hear on the LP 12, but...what there is is unexpectedly good.
For those who've read my thread about "scratchy sounding interconnects" suffice to say that getting to listen to the cd3.5 is a study in frustration. When my palpitations of the interconnect are successful, the cd3.5/hicap kicks major ass--it just sounds beautiful. Another argument for front end first. If the problem with the interconnect was solved I wouldn't be in a major hurry to replace/repair my dead Dynaco. (the chord DIN to double RCA is on it's way to NANA for repair as I write this.)
Having been a disciple of the LP 12 since my first demo 13 years ago, I've never really cared about other 'tables. This funky Pioneer has really gotten me to imagine what, why and how other folks rave about other, non-suspended sub-chassis design 'tables. If the Garrards, etc. of the world sound like this, I think I get it.
One more lesson learned is that even records that don't have sleeves can have music in the grooves.
OK, enough of a digression for this morning.
Have a great weekend and listen to lots of tunes! Oh, and I, for one, would be interested to read other stories of systems that "shouldn't" work as well as they do.
Markus