2. analog
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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
richardkrebs
353 posts
 
Audiofun and Dover.

Firstly I will leave it to the growing number of industry leaders who are using my upgrade in their MK2 and Mk3 motors, to attest to the efficacy of my work. These audio manufacturers are using my worked motors as their analogue LP reference to evaluate their own equipment.
Further while measurements are of great importance, we cannot listen to them. See my web site for unedited customer reviews.

It is an interesting irony that the use of an excellent plinth like the Artisan Fidelity, actually exposes more, the greyness to which I refer. This because the plinth removes so much of the coloration that lesser plinths introduce. The intrinsic coloration of the motor itself is then laid bare. Once this greyness is heard it cannot be forgotten.


audiofun OP
669 posts
 
I can only speak for my ears, eyes and nostrils. I hear no grey-ness whatsoever with my SP10MK 3 and I have listened to a fully sorted Artisan 301 with the statement bearing and also my excellent AMR DP777 with hi resolution files as well as some truly superb redbook. Also some outstanding Reel to Reel (and to many other world class sources to name) and I can honestly say my SP10 MK3 had none of the grey-ness mentioned. The MK3 I beheld had the mod performed more than a year ago and oil was all over the inner housing and it was not dry except in places where it had hardened like a glue and it certainly smelled bad I would say rancid and this after more than a year.

Matsushita had literally tens of millions of dollars at their disposal when they designed the SP10/MK2/MK3 as this was at the height of the great TT wars of Japan. I would think that if spreading an organic oil on the inner parts of this deck would have been better.., it would have been done.

Again, I am not here to bemoan the point (Dover I do find your views very interesting). I simply wanted the community to beware of what is really happening to your prized SP10 MK3 and I know that should I ever purchase another MK3 (spare) it could NOT have a Krebs Mod. I would not buy a table subjected to that type of modification, but again, that is ok.., that is my choice and others may differ with my opinion; and they have EVERY right to do so.
audiofun OP
669 posts
 
Correction: I meant to write "I simply wanted the community to be aware", NOT "beware".., my bad.
richardkrebs
353 posts
 
Audiofun

"Matsushita had literally tens of millions of dollars at their disposal when they designed the SP10/MK2/MK3..."

I absolutely agree, they did. Why then is the excellent Artisan Fidelity plinth an improvement over the original Matsushita designed plinth?

I mean no malice. We all have our individual opinions and biases, but I know that we share a common love of music. I trust that you will thoroughly enjoy your Mk3 for years to come and that is the great joy of our hobby.

Cheers.
audiofun OP
669 posts
 
Same reason I run later technology tires on my Porsche Turbo, but I nor my engine builder has ever wanted to rub oil in the engine bay or on the engine for that matter :)

Just saying.., there are analogies and then their are classic examples of "straw man arguments".
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