van den Hul Colibri Grand Cru

[howiebrou]

More decisive could be which foot left or right that Mr.Van den Hul first set on the floor at time of getting out of bed in the morning before he starts crafting his cartridge. That will determine +/- degree vta of the cart made that day.

But still pretty amazing considering he's in his 80's!

 

[infinitely baffled]

Congratulations. What arm are you planning to use it on?

Schroeder LT, Ikeda in the meantime

 

[jeff1225]

Schroeder LT, Ikeda in the meantime

Excellent. Please report back how the Ikeda and the VDH pair, it is of interest to me. I was surprised how well the GrooveMaster II did with the VDH, I didn't expect as much.

And as always....PICTURES please!

 

[infinitely baffled]

You haven't seen my attempts at photography, have you Jeffrey
I'll have another go in daylight tomorrow, i did put some on my azimuth thread, but they don't do it any justice
Plus my 'in progress' collage behind my tt looks like a teenager's bedroom wall
So, with those caveats:

 

[infinitely baffled]

Currently I'm experiencing Passion by Peter Gabriel, via the half speed vinyl remaster.
It's absolutely spellbinding

 

[bazelio]

Great record

 

[PeterA]

Hello everybody ,
I will get my VDH next week. What resistance do you use to close the cartrige? 100 Ohm? Is there any experience with Transformers?

Joseph

I suspect this is very system dependent. With my solid-state phono stage I am currently loading it at 47,000 ohms. Every time I go down the sound starts to close in. I just use my ears. Initially it was a little bit thin sounding at that setting but speaker position and cartridge set up improved the overall sound.

 

[Steve Williams]

Peter

please excuse me if this has been asked and answered. As an owner of the MSS and how much it improves my sound presumably due to the higher output ( which benefits my system) can you explain to me the difference you hear between the two listening to the same record and volume.
or putting it in a way that’s easier to understand. ......if listening to that same record the value of the MSS sound is worth $1.00 what would you place the value of the GC sound

 

[Lagonda]

I suspect this is very system dependent. With my solid-state phono stage I am currently loading it at 47,000 ohms. Every time I go down the sound starts to close in. I just use my ears. Initially it was a little bit thin sounding at that setting but speaker position and cartridge set up improved the overall sound.

What happens to your bass when you go down in loading Peter ? On my LPS 47,000 gives good high frequency resolution but the bass gets too loose, lower setting firms up the lower frequencies, i feel a compromise is best with my SS phono. With my tubed Io i load at 400, higher is just too sloppy for my taste.

 

[infinitely baffled]

I'm experiencing each track as a different tableau, Peter Greenaway style. Rich snd full, every element clear and distinct and beautiful

To begin i was sat on a hilltop before a limitless country scene that fills the view out to the horizon,
with a rising wind bringing thunderclouds rolling in from tens of miles away

then we're in an echoing cathedral for a delicate choral piece, cavernous spaces lit by candle

then climbing a stony mountain, stalked by beasts dark and massive and terrifying




And i only put it on to check the bass

 

[infinitely baffled]

Ahem, forgive me gents. Getting all stream-of-consciousness just as the discussion moved technical.

I blame the time difference.
It's currently 2nd g&t o'clock in scotland

 

[jeff1225]

Currently I'm experiencing Passion by Peter Gabriel, via the half speed vinyl remaster.
It's absolutely spellbinding

I applaud your table, plinth, arm and head shell combination. Do you have the rest of your system posted anywhere?

 

[infinitely baffled]

I'll dust and take some pictures later, Jeffrey

 

[ferrari275]

PeterA

I understand that Mr. vd Hul voices them on an SME arm. There are many here who like the newest Colibris with the SME 3012R, in fact it is a rather popular combination. I use one SME 3012R and one SME V-12 and I have a Grand Cru and a Master Signature Stradivarius.

Quite a few years ago, I tried several vintage SME series, the 3009, 3010 if memory serves and had a 312 (?) at some point. I ended up moving on from all of them as I felt better playback was achieved using different arm combos.

Recently, my sights have been set on the Acoustical Systems Aquilar 12" for the VDH Grand Cru, as I think this might be a good match. I know its light(ish) for a longer arm and effective mass is variable by aux. counterweight configuration.

I'm by no means opposed to trying a SME 3012R at some point, but for some reason its just not an arm that I had considered previously.

 

[ferrari275]

Infinity Baffled

Schroeder LT, Ikeda in the meantime

Does anyone offhand know the effective mass of the Schroeder LT?

 

[ferrari275]

Infinity Baffled

In the meantime I'm considering purchasing a Schroeder CB.
Love your choice in decks, btw

Ditto!

The Schroeder CB-1L is another on my wish list..........I've heard from several who seem to prefer it in several ways over the Reference.

 

[ALF]

FR-66s is another option that may interest you...happy hunting!

vbw,
-a

 

[howiebrou]

Quite a few years ago, I tried several vintage SME series, the 3009, 3010 if memory serves and had a 312 (?) at some point. I ended up moving on from all of them as I felt better playback was achieved using different arm combos.

Recently, my sights have been set on the Acoustical Systems Aquilar 12" for the VDH Grand Cru, as I think this might be a good match. I know its light(ish) for a longer arm and effective mass is variable by aux. counterweight configuration.

I'm by no means opposed to trying a SME 3012R at some point, but for some reason its just not an arm that I had considered previously.

Interestingly enough I have been looking at arms as well and the Aguilar/Axiom are under consideration. Both are said to be excellent arms.

 

[Solypsa]

...Recently, my sights have been set on the Acoustical Systems Aquilar 12" for the VDH Grand Cru, as I think this might be a good match. I know its light(ish) for a longer arm and effective mass is variable by aux. counterweight configuration...

I wasn't under the impression that VdH carts were best in high mass arms. Has the GC been developed for them?

 

[Vienna]

I wasn't under the impression that VdH carts were best in high mass arms. Has the GC been developed for them?

Speaking on the phone with AJ Van Den Hull some time ago, he had told me that the GC was designed for Tonearms with low effective mass, in fact he had named few as a good pair. Referring to one of them he had characterized it as a forgotten gem.
however I know that at least a member here, who had ordered and got a custom made one to match his high mass tonearm.
At my case the original GC was a completely mismatch with my Kuzma 4P.