2. analog
  3. 1393447894

Are there other Artisan Fidelity TT owners aorund?

So after being an audio hobbyist since my uncle got me going down this demented path some 17 years ago I finally purchased a TT. I had flirted with the idea for a very long time but honestly I've heard a number of TT's at shows and at buddies homes and none of them moved me. Now obviously many many variables are involved. Lets start with, was their TT setup correctly (superlatively).., I don't know. Was the arm/cartridge combination simpatico.., again, I don't know. Was the phono preamp just so-so or great and if it was great was the cartridge loaded correctly.., you get my drift.

So with my digital down through the years easily besting (to my ears) the analog I'd been privy to, I found no reason to spend the money required to involve myself with analog. My former Bidat easily dispatched a SOTA Cosmos Vacuum TT in a head to head listening session. Ditto for my former Dynavox Dynastation.., same with my AMR DP777...etc.

At Axpona last year I listened to the $170K Clearaudio TT along with about $85K worth of Pass Amplification and perhaps $200K worth of JM Labs speaker and cabling only to be more moved by the sound from the Playback Design MPD-5 in the same room.

Finally I realized the only way I would ever find out for myself would be to purchase my OWN TT and make sure it was expertly setup and dialed-in. I had a rare chance to purchase a latest-revision-pristine example of a Graaf GM70 Phono Preamplifier. I have a soft spot for Graaf as Mr. Mariani simply builds the finest gear I have laid ears on. So now I have this phono pre sitting in the box for a few months when I see a SP 10 MK III come up for sale in Agon. So, I threw caution to the wind and contacted Chris at Artisan Fidelity; after some conversation I hung up having just commissioned the building of a SP10 MKIII Next Gen TT.

I was happy for about a month then the fear started to creep in, "what have I done?". What if this thing SUCKS!!!! and my digital system which is very very very good if I do say so myself stomps it!

During the build I researched and read tons of user reviews (I don't really pay attention to so-called pro reviewers) on arms and cartridges. I finally settled (with a lot of talking to Chris and other friends and a lot of late night web searching) on the Kuzma 4 Point and the Ortofon MC Anna.

So, here we are today and I have had my TT for a little over 3 weeks now and I have about 150 - 160 hours on the rig. Early on it sounded ok, you know.., good but nothing special. I liked it but my digital was fully up to the task and in some cases much better :) (now I'm scared)

Ok, so fast forward to 100 hours.., ok, I think I'm starting to understand all this analog hype :) better and better. now we are at 150 hours.., the word SUBLIME comes to mind. The spaciousness, openness and natural continuity of the analog is addictive. The dynamics seem to go on forever along with a naturalness that is very difficult to put into words. I did purchase the Furutech Demag, the Destat II, a scale..., all the toys to go along with it :) Again, I wanted to know for myself and the only way to do that was to take the plunge.

So how does my digital hold up? Well, my well run-in long time AMR DP777 has NOTHING to be ashamed of. It sounds great and I can easily go from the TT to the DP without too much shock (the AMR guys are big vinyl heads and use vinyl as a reference when designing) BUT... when I have two equally well recorded pieces of music (Best of Eva Cassidy comes to mind or Diana Krall Live in Paris 24/96 vs 180g/45) as good as my digital sounds the SP10MK III simply walks away. Again the digital is not trodden underfoot and indeed 20 seconds of the digital and you will be into it fully, but the analog rig beguiles with its effervescent ease and infinite continuity of musical flow.

Ok, so to end this long synopses.., I am now deeply into analog and have been going to local used record stores and burning up my cc on Music Direct and Acoustic Sounds...etc.

The folks at Artisan Fidelity are the real deal and they built me a museum quality +180 pound Porsche Basalt Black TT/piece of art that sounds AMAZING!!!!

I also ordered a Bassocontinuo Apogeo rack for the table which should arrive in about 2 weeks. I am enjoying my foray into the land of analog!!!

THANKS CHRIS!!!!!!!
audiofun
spiritofmusic
828 posts
 
Hey Audiofun, just found this thread. Until 5 years ago, I always put analog ahead of digital, my Michell Orbe/SME 5/Transfiguration Orpheus beating all comers digital. Then I invested in an Emm Labs CDSA SE cdp, and the shortfalls of my lp rig were laid bare, digital becoming my go-to medium of choice.
Then a year ago I discovered the Trans Fi Audio Salvation direct rim drive tt/Terminator T3Pro air bearing linear tracking arm, and in the last 3 months, the Soundsmith Straingauge SG200 powered by a Red Wine Audio Black Lightning twin battery psu.
Wow! Are the roles truly reversed. I love my Emm cdp esp w/German transport, and X output stage upgrades, and it's been supercharged by a new Entreq Challenger power cord I've installed.
But my new vinyl rig just gets me to a new level of flow/continuity, explosive dynamics, natural tone/texture, and transcendent transparency.
My beloved digital rig really performs, and I can listen to it for hours. But lps now just connect in a way digital can only aspire to.
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Have any Artisan owners (sp10 or idler) experimented with any of the Koetsu mc's if so, would you please share your observations? I am thinking of playing around with a Koetsu on the secondary arm (I'm looking at a Reed or Ikeda:)
sonofjim
557 posts
 
No experience with Koetsu. I can speak for the Reed 3P arm as probably the best arm I've ever had. I use mine with the Benz LP-s which is a great cartridge as well but the 3P is the only arm I have that's kept it under control(very heavy cartridge with a relatively high compliance). The 3P is a beautiful and well designed arm. Mine is cocabolo and palladium. Pictures do it no justice. No experience with Ikeda either although I know they tend to be high mass arms that would work well with a Koetsu also. My suggestion would be to audition a Koetsu somewhere first. They are pricey and don't seem to be everyone's cup of tea. Don't be afraid to try a moderately priced MM cartridge on your second arm. That's why one of my four arms is the EPA 500. I can switch out arm wands in less than a minute and some of the most fun you can have in vinyl is trying out $150-800 MM cartridges. You just may start wondering why you spent so much on a LOMC. Granted, I enjoy both but my eyes have been opened. The Ortofon M20 fl Super is one of the best cartridges I have and cost me $180 NOS and I have two NOS stylus replacements. In no way is expensive always better.
sonofjim
557 posts
 
Sorry, I forgot to mention that the Ortofon m20 fl Super, if you can find one, works quite well on the Reed 3P as well. In fact, Dobbins used to recommend the m20 fl super to buyers with the Reed arm until they could afford something more expensive. My take from this is that the Reed arm may be much more flexible than the Ikeda. My advise is mostly anecdotal so investigate for yourself as seen fit. I just think if you only try expensive LOMC cartridges you may be spending more than you need to. A relatively inexpensive MM can really perform and in a second arm I would certainly want to leave that option open. What do you have to lose? $200 vs $5,000?
audiofun OP
799 posts
 
Sonofjim thank you for the advice, I'm going to take it :) as I'm new to analog I'm open to the advice of those with more experience and it does make sense to at least experiment with MM and gain an understanding of them. You just saved me some money, at least in the short-run :)
More to discover