|
General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
|
|
|
General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
|
In Reply to: Crappy recordings; good music... posted by *Michael Z* on May 6, 2008 at 06:13:24:
*Micheal Z*,
I've always used the performance as my first criteria in choosing recordings and this provides a regular conflict with evolving the audio system. I am very fond of certain pianists like Cortot, Lipatti, Kapell,and Schnabel and for quartets the Budapest, whose best recordings were on 78 mono. However, quite a bit of this music I have is on terrible reissues- Searaphim and Vanguard and some on early digital remastered LP's that tend to be fatiguing listening.
It's taken awhile to try and solve the performance to recording dilemna. Switching the 1985 Audio Research SP8 for an SP10 went both backwards and forwards. The positive apsect was that the SP10 has two phono inputs and front panel cartridge loading knob. With those features, I was able to switch between the Oracle III/ SME V for stereo and a Dual 1019 with a Grado 78 cartridge for the 78's. This was very convenient except the SP10 is so revealing, it seemed to bring forth the worst of the terrible reissues to the fore and these became very annoying.
My solution for awhile was to run the Dual 1019 into the SP8> McIntosh MC240. The SP8 is a much more "forgiving" preamp and the MC240 is what I would call "sleepy" so for the task in hand, this was not a bad arrangement, but it was a solution in some degree of introducing covering sloppiness and not a good use for the SP8 or MC240. I also had bought a Scott 330D mono tube tuner and after it was redone by Bob Hovland I thought I'd found FM nirvana- mono FM is just fantastic! It's interesting to me that there is so much imaging in mono- it is very centralised, but there seems to be as much or more front to back soundstage as stereo, and the sensation of directness and is impressive. There is something too that mono can seem so transprent it actually makes the vinyl artifacts fall into a kind of separateness of sound and I find it easier to "listen through" and disregard noises in mono than in stereo.
This conflict of high quality reprodution of poor recordings has prompted me to think of a separate mono system for 78's and mono FM. It sounds odd juxtaposed to the SP10, but my thinking is to revive my EICO HF-12A- an almost toy-like 12W EL84-based integrated, and use the Scott and Dual. I'll need an efficient speaker for the 12W and am looking into getting a vintage AR or similar to sit between the Vandersteens. I saw a huge Wharfedale at a thrift shop recently for $50. I'm using Infinity Primus 360's in my office at the moment and possibly that at 93dB would work.
Not an especially good solution to the great performance but bad recording problem, but I'll give it a try.
Cheers,
Bambi B
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- A serious dilemna - Bambi B 05/6/0811:57:26 05/6/08 (1)
- RE: A serious dilemna - *Michael Z* 12:19:15 05/6/08 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
