Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I've enjoyed my MP110 but I'm probably going to stick with the 540ml after I am done. Too much inner groove distortion with the stock tonearm on the at lp120 for my taste.
There are testing LPs for that. And I think on a lot of tests MP-110 was really good... Don't know that tonearm, it may be at fault.I've enjoyed my MP110 but I'm probably going to stick with the 540ml after I am done. Too much inner groove distortion with the stock tonearm on the at lp120 for my taste.
There are testing LPs for that. And I think on a lot of tests MP-110 was really good... Don't know that tonearm, it may be at fault.
I was thinking about buying that LP. It's like a whole lot of testing sounds for cartridges.
Internets:
My test:
On The Johnson Brothers - Look Out For #1 UK press 1st press. EX condition.
Dual 704 + Nagaoka MP-110 + Kenny KA-3500. No inner groove distortion. Tracks like a tank.
Cartridge set in headshell by Dual calibration tool, no template needed to set the proper tracking angle.
Vertical Tracking Angle set with a VTA level thingie I bought off Ali or smth - both arm and headshell aligned properly with lines on this tool, while I was changing the VTA control setting on my turntable. So I just left it at that.
And here's the result.
BTW. While I had my older Dual turntable, with belt drive and no VTA settings. MP-110 was the only cartridge which had proper VTA setting. This carts body part where you use screws to secure it in headshell is THICC- and I bet it will do just nicely on Mofi Studiodeck or Rekkord Audio M500.
I think the cartridge is designed so it has to be sitting much higher in the headshell. So there's no need to add any washers, spacing pads or anything really, on a lot of arms.
Edit: The only time I think I have inner groove distortion is while I buy a really shitty used LP. You don't really know how well someone had set it's cartridge and how many times it was played its mostly on VG records I had any problems whatsoever.
And the way the used LPs prices has soared up... I'm thinking now about buying new pressings altogether since the differences in pricing just blear altogether. And I have much higher chance to score a nice pressing and I can look up the stats on DISCOGS. And it will be MINT so no sound degradation.
Especially on Polish auction sites I see sellers that has started to grade all the used records as VG-, VG, VG+ rather than EX or Mint. And there are a lot of scams lately because they can sell you a really shitty used LP and claim it was graded properly or you can get a nice sounding record. It's 50/50 at times.
So yeah. Times have changed.
And when I have options and see that the seller grades all of their records as VG and there is no EX record anywhere their offerings I just don't buy from them. Period.
Bought 2 to 3 VG records lately and I see signs of sound degradation, sibilants or distortion. And I think that these record have been just handled poorly and it's not really MP-110 fault at all. Sometimes there's surface noise. I was burned a few times that I might as well just drop used records and only buy new stuff from now on since I have a huge collection of used records.
I think I have one Budge new pressing and it sounds and behaves phenomenal on MP-110.
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 Vinyl release of "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" on Discogs.www.discogs.com
It was sealed and 1/3 of a price of old pressings.
And I really wanted a Budgie record in my collection. But old pressings were priced too much for me.
New pressing
Yeah, that cart is golden. And it will only be more expensive from now on.You know I wrote this and then went and listened to some records last night and thought, you know, it's got such a nice and warm sound maybe I will keep one on hand.
Press:
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Url: https://www.discogs.com/release/16204829-Black-Sabbath-Black-Sabbath
Shared from the Discogs App
We got some seriously good Black Friday deals here in AU. The IE600 are like $550AU. Speaking of, as someone who never heard more expensive IEMs, they are outstanding.Tempted for the IE 600 since they dropped to 550€. And they have a deal for the IE 900 with custom fitted tips. However the price is hefty.
We got some seriously good Black Friday deals here in AU. The IE600 are like $550AU. Speaking of, as someone who never heard more expensive IEMs, they are outstanding.
Check out this posts. About new turntables:Hey everyone- care to weigh in further on this?
Right now I'm in a big dilemma is between purchasing the Fluance RT82 and the Project Debut Carbon Evo as an upgrade to a crappy Angel's Horn turntable I'm currently using (as someone who has only been in the Vinyl game for about a year now) and looking for feedback
With the RT82, it's only a $300 purchase instead of $500+, for the Project, which my bank account appreciates right now, and would still represent a pretty big upgrade in all aspects over my current cheapie Angels Horn Turntable- moving up to a solid elliptical stylus with the OM 10 vs a very basic AT91 conical stylus, top notch speed control (coming from a turntable that is extremely Wow and Fluttery), plus even if the tone arm is "entry level" aluminum on the Fluance, it's still likely much better than what's on the crappy Angels Horn- they say its "alloy" whatever that means, but that thing is so stiff and difficult to even balance, no subtlety with that thing. If I get another $100 or so to blow later on, I can pop an acrylic platter on for that upgrade. If I want another sound upgrade, I finish by popping on something like the Ortofon 2m blue, or maybe an OM20 stylus on the OM10 cartridge which I hear is a very similar to the Blue, and basically have an RT85 at that point and i know that is no slouch of a setup and praised a ton by turntable people all around. Given my speaker situation currently consists of Fluance Ai41 powered bookshelf speakers, which are solid little speakers, for putting nice clean sound in a small room (and can maybe accommodate a Fluance subwoofer down the road for more ooomph if I feel like taking that plunge sometime), but certainly are not earth shattering/audiophile level sound equipment, I'm guessing this is probably more than enough turntable to do all things justice. I honestly think the RT82 would be the smart choice for me right now, given my current speaker situation.
But the Project remains available and at the end of what I can "afford". Ican get for about $500 for a "like new" open box situation, full warranty, etc. It's tempting, because if I got it, it would probably be all the turntable I'll "ever need" for life and would have no further need for any new turntable (at long as it keeps working) and I worry I'll always be looking at it if I don't get it and have that temptation to buy it down the road, which I DON'T really want. At this point whatever I get I want to use for many years... But do I really, truly, need it to go as big for the Project? I'm not sure given my speaker situation is also fairly pedestrian, and I don't really plan to upgrade THAT anytime soon. Maybe I can pay less and get the Fluance, enjoy the upgrade, and end up perfectly happy and don't feel the need for another turntable (beyond maybe an acrylic platter addition and cartridge down the road, when I feel an upgrade is in store in the future. That would be my hope, but I still worry I'll find myself yearning for that Project and be right back where I started in a year or two, lol. Ugh, tough choice...
I‘d go for the fluance and buy records with the leftover moneyHey everyone- care to weigh in further on this?
Right now I'm in a big dilemma is between purchasing the Fluance RT82 and the Project Debut Carbon Evo as an upgrade to a crappy Angel's Horn turntable I'm currently using (as someone who has only been in the Vinyl game for about a year now) and looking for feedback
With the RT82, it's only a $300 purchase instead of $500+, for the Project, which my bank account appreciates right now, and would still represent a pretty big upgrade in all aspects over my current cheapie Angels Horn Turntable- moving up to a solid elliptical stylus with the OM 10 vs a very basic AT91 conical stylus, top notch speed control (coming from a turntable that is extremely Wow and Fluttery), plus even if the tone arm is "entry level" aluminum on the Fluance, it's still likely much better than what's on the crappy Angels Horn- they say its "alloy" whatever that means, but that thing is so stiff and difficult to even balance, no subtlety with that thing. If I get another $100 or so to blow later on, I can pop an acrylic platter on for that upgrade. If I want another sound upgrade, I finish by popping on something like the Ortofon 2m blue, or maybe an OM20 stylus on the OM10 cartridge which I hear is a very similar to the Blue, and basically have an RT85 at that point and i know that is no slouch of a setup and praised a ton by turntable people all around. Given my speaker situation currently consists of Fluance Ai41 powered bookshelf speakers, which are solid little speakers, for putting nice clean sound in a small room (and can maybe accommodate a Fluance subwoofer down the road for more ooomph if I feel like taking that plunge sometime), but certainly are not earth shattering/audiophile level sound equipment, I'm guessing this is probably more than enough turntable to do all things justice. I honestly think the RT82 would be the smart choice for me right now, given my current speaker situation.
But the Project remains available and at the end of what I can "afford". Ican get for about $500 for a "like new" open box situation, full warranty, etc. It's tempting, because if I got it, it would probably be all the turntable I'll "ever need" for life and would have no further need for any new turntable (at long as it keeps working) and I worry I'll always be looking at it if I don't get it and have that temptation to buy it down the road, which I DON'T really want. At this point whatever I get I want to use for many years... But do I really, truly, need it to go as big for the Project? I'm not sure given my speaker situation is also fairly pedestrian, and I don't really plan to upgrade THAT anytime soon. Maybe I can pay less and get the Fluance, enjoy the upgrade, and end up perfectly happy and don't feel the need for another turntable (beyond maybe an acrylic platter addition and cartridge down the road, when I feel an upgrade is in store in the future. That would be my hope, but I still worry I'll find myself yearning for that Project and be right back where I started in a year or two, lol. Ugh, tough choice...
Yeah, I dont think that Project will be much better anyways- but from what I see you may be limited with one cartridge only OM10- people like those so it probably isn't bad but there may not be an upgrade path later down the line if you upgrade or speakers or amp. It's worth to keep that info in mind. But spec wise. Fluance looks much better than Project.. hmm.I‘d go for the fluance and buy records with the leftover money
I wanted this baby for over a decade. I was finally able to find it second hand locally at a reasonable price that I couldn't refuse. Only wish is that it had a headphone out.
Here is a song to set the mood.
Keep Living the Dream!Not sure if this counts as an "audiophile setup" or not but...
Top: Victrola VSC-550BT for vinyl records
Middle: Sony PlayStation SCPH-5501 for CDs and vidya
Bottom: Panasonic RQ-2104 slimline cassette recorder for (you guessed it) cassettes
Might look into an 8-track player at some point but I'm not sure if it'd be a worthwhile endeavor.
My Moondrop Sparks are refusing to sync up by Bluetooth. Or at least one of them is. I had this problem once before and I was successfully able to reset them but now it seems permanent. The Sparks have been fabulous for the past few years that I've used them outside and I've never felt the need to get anything else but this is properly doing my head in and I'm running out of patience.
I tried going outside with wired IEMs again but it's so annoying when I'm going to for long winded walks. I feel like I have to spend a lot to get something that sounds better because these punch well above it's weight class. It's not even a question of price to be honest, it's the sound signature and bass that I really like.
Well, fuck. I suppose I just walk around with one ear piece for now.
I don't sweat because its not summer time here. It does however rain a lot here and im out waking even then so that could be the root of the problem. Time to get something else I guess.Since you’re walking I presume it’s not sweat causing the malfunction? I’ve lost a few pairs of in ear headphones over the years to my sweaty head.
If you've already got a pair, you could just swap out for aa straight cable. Lost cost example:Any recommendation for some wired IEMs with downward pointing cables? Budget would be sub 250 but I could push a bit higher if necessary. Looking for some new work headphones.
If you've already got a pair, you could just swap out for aa straight cable. Lost cost example:
TRN T2 Pro 16-Core Silver-Plated Copper Audio Cable
16-Core Silver-Plated Copper Cable For materials, we strictly selected some of the high-end materials in this market. TRN T2 pro is equipped with 16-Core premium high-purity silver-plated material that is committed to bringing the ultimate music experience to music lovers. Each Core Consists Of...www.linsoul.com
Crincle is my go to for anything IEM as he seems to have the most cataloged ratings of IEMs out there.
crinacle's IEM Ranking List – In-Ear Fidelity
If it's not on the list, it doesn't exist.crinacle.com
That said he hasn't reviewed these, but they're budget friendly at $50 and come from Moondrop, who I believe are generally well regarded in the Audiophile community.
Moondrop Droplet USB-C Balanced Armature Driver Earphones
High-Performance Single Balanced Armature Driver Moondrop has designed the Droplet with a customized full-frequency nozzle-less balanced armature driver configuration, which can greatly reduce external noise and obtain an immersive audio-visual experience. Optimised Digital Signal Processing...www.linsoul.com
Bullet style refers to the body shape of the IEM. Yeah, I scoured the net quickly to see what I could find and there's not a good way to search as far as I can tell. The cable route might be the best bet?Unfortunatley that catalog doesnt filter by downward pointing ones. What are they called, bullet style?
Moondrop looks cool but I need a 3.5mm end as I already run a USB C Dac/headphone amp out of my work laptop (iBassso DC04 Pro).
Bullet style refers to the body shape of the IEM. Yeah, I scoured the net quickly to see what I could find and there's not a good way to search as far as I can tell. The cable route might be the best bet?
These point downward and have bluetooth. Tin HiFi was a company I heard a lot about back in the day. Not sure how they stack up now.
TinHiFi T2000
UAL DYNAMIC DRIVER&CROSSOVER TECHNOLOGY. The T2000 utilizes dual dynamic driver and crossover technology to combine the power and detail of a 9mm and 8mm Nitinol Dynamic Diaphragm which is a custom innovation that combines nickel and titanium to create the ultra-fast membrane response necessary...www.linsoul.com
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:Thanks I see these recommended but Im not sure.
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.www.head-fi.org
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.www.head-fi.org
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.
...come April 10th, the CD-quality Hifi tier and hi-res-smattered Hifi Plus tier will be no more. They are to be replaced by a single tier that will offer everything previously available on the Hifi Plus tier – CD-quality audio, hi-res audio and Sony 360 Reality Audio – for €/US$10.99/month.
This price restructuring will bring Tidal into line with Apple Music – whose single €/US$10.99/month offering gives us CD-quality audio, hi-res audio (again, on less than 10% of titles) and Spatial Audio content.
Ye the BT is a known issue. The space travel has better functionality and sounds better too. For $26 just buy thoseMy Moondrop Sparks are refusing to sync up by Bluetooth. Or at least one of them is. I had this problem once before and I was successfully able to reset them but now it seems permanent. The Sparks have been fabulous for the past few years that I've used them outside and I've never felt the need to get anything else but this is properly doing my head in and I'm running out of patience.
I tried going outside with wired IEMs again but it's so annoying when I'm going to for long winded walks. I feel like I have to spend a lot to get something that sounds better because these punch well above it's weight class. It's not even a question of price to be honest, it's the sound signature and bass that I really like.
Well, fuck. I suppose I just walk around with one ear piece for now.
It’s mind boggling how Spotify seems entirely unable to launch their hifi tier. They have been on it for years. Good thing Tidal is stepping up because you only have native Tidal and Spotify connect in streamers, Apple is only AirPlayLooks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.darko.audio
Looks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.darko.audio
Might give this a try, as my LMS server has a tidal connect pluggin.Looks like a better value is coming to Tidal for its paying members. Good to see. Hopefully Spotify will follow the lead.
From April 10th, Tidal won’t charge extra for hi-res audio | Darko.Audio
Two hi-fi tiers become one.darko.audio
Because they know it's a waste of money (bandwidth) to them as there's no audible difference over their existing premium tier.It’s mind boggling how Spotify seems entirely unable to launch their hifi tier. They have been on it for years. Good thing Tidal is stepping up because you only have native Tidal and Spotify connect in streamers, Apple is only AirPlay
Interesting, I've not heard of Final before. Some reviews from HeadFi seem mostly positive:
final E5000
Top of the E series line-up. Dynamic Driver in Stainless steel housing with MMCX connectors.www.head-fi.org
They've got other price points with down facing connectors too
If you get them, let me know your impressions.