Is this why my analog rig isn't so hot?

Hi Joe,

I have set up the Shelter 501 on the RS-A1. Out of the box, the Shelter does seem a little more extended. So far I have 5 hours into it (I'll be quiet in the next 95 hours!). Set up was a 45-minute job.

I listen to all types of music, although I like British Invasion (not very sophisticated, I'm afraid) because I have mostly music from that era - notably original Black & Yellow Beatles Parlophones. (That's another story.)

The recommended internal impedance (what's that?) of the Phonocube should not be more than 10 ohms. The 501 is at 12. So it's not that far off, right?

I also like classical music, or beginning to like it, especially after 9 PM. My sense of serenity starts at that time!

I'm still tinkering with the VTA, however, since that's where the RS-A1 is standing: on a sunken hole in the Basis table. So getting the right height is a little tricky. One thing I notice, though, is that tracking force sounds fine at 1.6 grams.

Regards,
George

George,

The light tracking weight is great, it seems to get much more out of a cartridge. I try to keep my 103r under 1.8 if I can. My next cartridge will most likely be a Shelter, unless I can find a good deal on an RSP. As far as VTA goes, get it where you like the sound and forget it. Even thought I bought the nifty little VTAF, I rarely "screw" with it now.

Impedence sounds good, should be OK. I hate screwing around with that kinda thing. That's why I bought the Supratek.

As far as classical goes, ask Doug! He is very knowledgable about what pressings sound best. I'd like to hear those Parlaphones! I have a bunch of BI lps that I break out once in a while, just to remember the "old days" when I started buying albums. Some great pressings!

Ah, the things we go through....

Crespo, I'm going to take you to school. Stay tuned...

Sweet!!! Just what I need- more school!

Michael

Crespo, CD’s have *perfect* pitch, ultra low noise floor and excellent dynamic range. Vinyl cannot match digital in those departments. When glare and other artifacts are removed from a digital playback system, the resulting sound is stunning. So stunning that a friend of mine with a CEC TL1 & a couple high performance DACs hasn’t yet set up a new Nottingham Anna Log turntable because he’s truly satisfied with his digital rig ( *seductive* is the term he uses ). One of the 1200 modders has a unit that is beyond the KAB mods and e-mailed me his modded CEC transport/DCS DAC and the TT sound pretty close to each other. People with higher CEC transports and high performance DACs are extremely satisfied. The Black Gate capacitors in my modded belt drive transport finally broke in this week. The improvement has been nothing but breathtaking. Speed, attack, decay, noise floor and soundstage have improved in no small measure. My 20 year old neighbor used the term “the music wraps you” to describe the unexpected change. Perhaps things are different with a 30-50K turntable, but in the real world digital sound can be so good we’re just talking about “different flavors”, as my friend with the Nottingham Anna Log says. I strongly suggest you do your homework. Too bad Danny Boy turned you down. You'd start to see the light...

As for why I listen to records, the answer is because it's a medium. The vast majority of my music is in LP format, something like 900 LPs vs 200 CDs. Such is life. I started working on improving digital because I got tired of seeing exhorbitant prices in eBay of classic Latin LPs that were readily available on CD for $15 or so. My efforts payed off and I learned from the people I've mentioned thtat I'm on the right track (unless I buy a $30-50K TT instead of a house).

Jphii, I listen to all kinds of music except racist and satanic. If I only listened to salsa I would have horn speakers, not my Modwright Swans mini monitors. When I took my 1200 to Kevin for installation of the outboard power supply I took along my favorite salsa record. Kevin has his own DIY horn system with a 7 feet wide bass horn. WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!

The modded 1200 is a neutral sounding deck and will prove more adequate than a lesser belt drive to plow through complex orchestral passages . That’s exactly where stylus drag effects would be most noticeable. A properly designed & built TT should not be able to play one type of music better than another.

With psychic power & primal intensity,

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