pingvin
Responses from pingvin
| VPI Classic vs Clear Audio Wood Hi MPI owned a Classic 1 with Zephyr Mk 1. I would describe the sound as very clean, quite dynamic, with good pitch. I would not describe it as big on tone color. Quite a different set of sonic priorities than the Leben — not that one is “wrong” a... | |
| Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD Prof, that’s pretty much my story — I now have vinyl playback that provides tone and clarity.More importantly, your comments are consistently measured and constructive — kudos. I just wish you would plunk for the Devores, that’s all ;) | |
| Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD Chadsort, sorry to hear of your disappointment. Many good suggestions here: first, live with it a while (an option that costs you nothing); listen to some original, all-analog records (no need for audiophile recordings); re-inspect set-up (includi... | |
| What separate tube phono stage do you use ? New Audio Frontiers Stradivari phono stage from Italy, via High Water Sound. Good enough for Jeffrey Catalano, certainly good enough for me. | |
| The nightmare of the cartridge buyer... One thing I find curious about this thread is that at no stage has the table and arm been mentioned. We know that synergy is important; nowhere more so than in vinyl replay. There will typically be a few carts that are known to play well with a gi... | |
| Advice, changing system from Sugden & Harbeth to Leben & Devore ? I’m familiar with the Harbeth, Devore, and Leben. IMHO, you would go from a darker, somewhat reserved sound from your current pairing to a quicker, lighter and, to some ears, more expressive sound with the Leben/Devore combo. But let’s wind things... | |
| LOOKING TO MAKE A TURNTABLE CHANGE, HOPEFULLY AN IMPROVEMENT No doubt lots of people will have lots of firmly-held opinions... but maybe we should start with what you found deficient, and what you’re looking for. Also, have you listened to other decks — have you heard a TT-based system that really does it f... | |
| DeVote Fidelity O/96 versus Wilson Audio Sabrina/Yvette As the other poster says, we know it’s tough to get a fix on what is what. In this case, you were listening to very different systems, so I would caution drawing inferences about the speakers. In in my experience — and I should note that I haven’t... | |
| Turntable recommendations around $2500 Not out to flame, but my experience is the opposite to trelja’s. I owned a VPI Classic 1/JMW 10.5 with Soundsmith Zephyr. I guess you could describe the sound as “clean” and “dynamic”. For contrast, in that price bracket, I’d point to the Well Te... | |
| Contemplating DEVORE SPEAKERS (and others)....LONG audition report of many speakers Prof, no harm in setting some boundaries in this crazy hobby of ours. FWIW, I believe the O/93s are better for me than the O/96s — the O/96s are more impressive, but I find the smaller speakers are more coherent and “flow” better for some reason. | |
| Contemplating DEVORE SPEAKERS (and others)....LONG audition report of many speakers Yep. Plus ease, nuance, flow ... trying to get closer to those qualities that live music has (like the way a single note from a French horn just comes to you in an instant in the concert hall).Plus I know that that the Hornings are very synergisti... | |
| Contemplating DEVORE SPEAKERS (and others)....LONG audition report of many speakers Sorry about that (it’s been a long post!). Happy hunting, and I’ll look forward to reading the next installment. FWIW, I might replace the O/93s with Horning Aristotles, but that’s not to say that I’m unhappy with them. | |
| Contemplating DEVORE SPEAKERS (and others)....LONG audition report of many speakers Prof,Nice write-ups. I happen to very much agree with your conclusions vis a vis Magic, Vandersteen, Harbeth, Joseph, and Devore. I own the O/93s. If you are looking for something with the “soul” of the Devores but disappear a bit more, maybe the ... | |
| Why are the vocals on some records hidden behind the music on my system? One additional variable to consider: have you played with capacitance in the phono preamp? Like Fremer, I have found the high-output Soundsmith moving iron cartridges benefit from extra capacitive loading — the effect is to generally sound “fuller... | |
| Replace 2M Black or new phono? Man, I'd suggest you either upgrade your phono stage or move sideways to a cart with a different flavor. Spending more on a cart at this stage I suspect would be a waste of money. I'm running a 2M black myself. I had previously thought of it as br... |

