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  1. Tangram

    Rhapsody.Audio Listening Rooms

    Fantastic recording. One of my favourites and certainly my favourite RLJ.
  2. Tangram

    Degritter Mark II

    I used distilled water when we still had a service that delivered it to our house (my wife used it for cooking and drinking when our kids were little.) These days (because I’m lazy) I just use RO-treated tap water. What deleterious effects is my sloth introducing? I can’t hear any, that’s for...
  3. Tangram

    American Sound, "The Absolute Nothing"

    Ag Agreed. I suspect at least 50% of the potential buyers of this table are WBF members. For such a high-end, esoteric piece of gear, WBF is a valuable marketing vehicle. I’m totally okay with that.
  4. Tangram

    Does Analog EQ belong in State of the Art Systems?

  5. Tangram

    Does Analog EQ belong in State of the Art Systems?

    I optimized my system and room to the best of my abilities and decided, this past weekend, to bring in an acoustics consultant to wring out the last 5-10%. Lots of great testimonials from happy customers. But there was an interesting twist. He is a digital guy who works mostly with other digital...
  6. Tangram

    Any cyclists here?

    When you get old and decrepit, comfort is just as important as speed! I’ve been riding my gravel bike exclusively when the weather enables an outside ride and I’m actually not looking as forward to getting on my road bike as I thought I would be.
  7. Tangram

    Axpona 24’ Mike Lavigne pics

    Mike, thanks very much for the photos. Having the room gear list is particularly thoughtful.
  8. Tangram

    Any cyclists here?

    The best thing about moving to disc brakes is the greater range of tire options. I’m on 28s right now and was disappointed they got a clean bill of health at the end of the season because they’re getting replaced with 32s when the time comes. Riding a Canyon Endurace CF SLX 9 Di2. Don’t be...
  9. Tangram

    How do you shop for audio components?

    The funds I’m willing to allocate to this hobby mean I don’t swim in the deep end of the audiophile pool, so I’m happy to provide some insights as someone with a more modest system. Once I’ve identified what I’d like to change, I start with user experiences as posted on forums, sometimes PM’ing...
  10. Tangram

    "Long-Term Equipment Loans: A Win-Win for Everyone" by Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound

    To me this is a Catch 22. I think we agree that the longer something is in a system, the more familiar we become with it. Long-term loans also enable a degree of “stability” in a reviewer’s system. Nothing frustrates me more than a review of, say, a cartridge, using a pair of speakers that are...
  11. Tangram

    Kuzma Stabi R compared to a Garrard 301/401??

    Really excellent rundown. I have had a very similar experience. Sometimes I feel the human/turntable interface (otherwise known as ease of use) is sacrificed on the alter of chasing the absolute sound, but if I’m interacting with a piece of equipment every 20 minutes, I want it to be a joy to...
  12. Tangram

    Kuzma Stabi R compared to a Garrard 301/401??

    I AM a geologist and I call bs. A quick search shows slate has a density of 2.7-2.8 gm/cc which means there’s a 3.6% difference between the low and high of the range. My science brain screams “marketing ploy.”
  13. Tangram

    Kuzma Stabi R compared to a Garrard 301/401??

    I wonder if the two inches of extra length help the 4Point 11 track better than the 4Point 9. My 4Point 11 cruises over warps that caused an epileptic fit with my previous arm, a Graham 2.2 with 10” wand.
  14. Tangram

    Porsche 911/718 Factory tour in Zuffenhausen & Museum visit

    Don’t go there. Otherwise RUF will need to answer to this! Singer.
  15. Tangram

    Porsche 911/718 Factory tour in Zuffenhausen & Museum visit

    Yes, I’ve owned it 22 years. It’s a ‘95 C2 manual. Original clutch even though I’m at 160,000 km. I’ll own it until I can’t drive it anymore!
  16. Tangram

    Porsche 911/718 Factory tour in Zuffenhausen & Museum visit

    Silver? Nah. Iris Blue Metallic.
  17. Tangram

    Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires

    Hey Mr. Big. Good to see you over on WBF. Three years of M3 Sapphire ownership and they are the only part of my system that hasn’t changed in that time. I honestly don’t know what would sound better in my room.
  18. Tangram

    David Karmeli’s Bionor/Lamm/AS-2000 Audio System

    I joined WBF in the post-DDK era but I’ve definitely enjoyed reading about him and his approach to audio. Why does a hobby - which is supposed to be fun, first and foremost - create such divisiveness? It strikes me as being incredibly petty.
  19. Tangram

    Degritter Mark II

    On the one hand I’m glad you are able to get great results. On the other hand, a $3K machine that’s supposed to be fully automated appears to be anything but that to get those great results.
  20. Tangram

    Ordering a Bokrand Tonearm

    In business this is known as a Ponzi scheme. Ponzi schemes are illegal.
  21. Tangram

    Brinkmann Balance vs. J. Sikora Reference- Battle of the $50K Belt Drives

    Great question and well-introduced. Hopefully commenters stay on-topic! I have zero first-hand knowledge of either turntable but I’ll follow with interest.
  22. Tangram

    Belt Drive vs Direct Drive and which one?

    This is a great path forward. It’s fun to buy shiny new things but at the high level you are already at with your analog front end, any change could potentially be a step back. Thus, an incremental approach is not just the most cost-effective way to go, it’s the correct way to go.
  23. Tangram

    Does Analog EQ belong in State of the Art Systems?

    FWIW, at times I have had a Lokius in and out of my system for a couple of years. It’s a six-band with no remote. I will say three things: 1) In bypass mode, it seems completely transparent to my ears. 2) The knobs need to move quite a bit before an obvious sound difference is heard, meaning...
  24. Tangram

    Belt Drive vs Direct Drive and which one?

    It *almost* feels like you’ve come full circle, given you already own a really nice Brinkmann table, including the Ront power supply. Maybe think about keeping the table but changing the arm (and maybe cartridge) as an intermediate step.
  25. Tangram

    How to write a great review

    Thanks. I would never have found that if you hadn’t pointed it out.
  26. Tangram

    How to write a great review

    Agreed, great review. I own a Mammoth Gold but haven’t mounted it yet, since I’m chewing on getting a second tonearm. As a fellow 4Point owner I was pleased as punch to see Tim’s writeup. Two nice-to-haves though. First, a full equipment list, especially phono pre and SUT (if used). Second, I...
  27. Tangram

    Belt Drive vs Direct Drive and which one?

    I’m no expert (understatement) but my turntable guru, Don Corby at Corby’s Audio near Toronto is, and while he’s primarily a belt drive guy, he maintains that above a certain price/quality, the actual table is less a factor than the arm and cartridge. Now, what that price/quality level is I...
  28. Tangram

    Belt Drive vs Direct Drive and which one?

    Wow, that’s a lot of words. Reminds me of the Poison Scene from The Princess Bride (starting at 2:00): I think a more compelling explanation would use less words and more figures - charts and diagrams - that measure what all those words describe. I’ve seen Moncrieff’s name before and assume...
  29. Tangram

    Kuzma Stabi R compared to a Garrard 301/401??

    Fortunately SUTs are small and passive, which means as equipment goes, borrowing one - even if an audio buddy has to ship it to you - isn’t that big a deal. Even if you do the calcs and determine a SUT should work for you, you need to try it and see if the difference in sound is something you...
  30. Tangram

    Belt Drive vs Direct Drive and which one?

    On your list I’ve owned a predecessor to the Raven LS, the Raven One, and I own a Stabi R. It is a bit tough to compare the two because I was using a Graham Phantom 2.2 arm on the Raven One, and I have a 4Point 11 on the Stabi R. That said, I had the same cartridge, an Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue...

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