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  1. M

    Counterfeit Audioquest cables?

    Same - in my history with their service (perhaps 20 times over 15 years), AQ has been exceptional. I've requested lots of re-terminations and even long run splits. And you're right, even the genuine articles can have variances or even mistakes. Which makes amateur guessing at authenticity -...
  2. M

    AT-VM95SH Cartridge Issue - Help

    Anti-Skate won't cause that unless you apply WAY TOO MUCH. Until you get this issue settled, I'd advise setting anti-skate to 0 to take that variable out of the equation (it's fine to run this way). Unfortunately there's a range of potential causes, and your immediate task is narrowing these...
  3. M

    He spent his life building a $1 million stereo. The real cost was unfathomable

    I find this article to be in extremely poor taste, especially being so 1-sided and so soon after the man's demise. It's a family's dirty laundry that didn't need public exposure. Sure, it looks like they had real issues - if the epicenter wasn't the damn stereo, it would have been something...
  4. M

    Koetsu

    As others said, a lot of the SUT choice comes down to personal preference and listening habits. I listen quite loud, and my Koetsu are (mostly) the 0.3mV Platinum variety. SUT with a tube MM is my clear choice here. I like to take advantage of the good overload margins of most tube mm stages...
  5. M

    What Cartridge(s) Is Everyone Using

    Not a VdH thing, as far as I'm aware. I'd read of other audiophiles doing this, though it's been a while since I've seen mention of it. Seemed like a good idea to me. It might not be as effective as real groove runtime, but it certainly does something, and I'm hesitant to just leave it spinning...
  6. M

    What Cartridge(s) Is Everyone Using

    Gorgeous! That combination is easily one of my favorites, aesthetically (haven't heard it yet). Makes it look higher end than its position in the line. I added Van den Huls to my collection late last year - really like them. Have a Colibri just like yours too. For me, it was a NIGHTMARE at...
  7. M

    My ARC Ref 3 Phono SE really, really hates MM cartridges

    Definitely sounds like something's wrong with that unit. Maybe the loading or gain isn't getting switched correctly? When I had mine I didn't run MM carts, but I preferred running MC's with an outboard SUT into the Ref 3SE's Low Gain mode @ 47K load - so it was in fact quite like running MM. It...
  8. M

    Koetsu

    I've built a nice 2nd system at my girlfriend Lisa's home - slightly scaled down from main rig, but still quite nice and 100% vinyl based. She has a gray tabby, "Tubbs", who looks just like that. I love the guy! Fortunately he's a super well-mannered cat who wouldn't jump onto my table or rack...
  9. M

    Koetsu

    Gosh that Gold is so pretty in light! Wajima, Tsugaru and Vermillion seem to soak up all the Urushi attention - I like to see Black, Gold, and Blue getting some love! The Back also reminds me of VAC's gold-fleck finish on their components.
  10. M

    Koetsu

    The damaged rubber you see in that pics is just a coil cover, and does not have any part in making the sound (besides perhaps some slight vibration damping). You could in fact remove it completely. It's just for protecting the coil. Many Japanese manufacturers still use a cover like this. Koetsu...
  11. M

    Counterfeit Audioquest cables?

    That's a big problem in the very small but enthusiastic electrostatic headphone community (Stax). The DIY community has produced some very high-end direct drive (no step-up transformers) amplifier designs which all rely on high voltage transistors. By the time a design had been implemented by...
  12. M

    Koetsu

    I basically have a lifetime supply with careful use. And I am very careful. But I'd like to keep them all in peak shape, so my plan B would be to give "Groove tickler" (ebay retipper) a shot, starting with my Jade. From what I've seen, it appears he will respect the original design intent of...
  13. M

    Hi fi junk vs great art and musical instruments

    Point to point wired tube amps and cone drivers can last a LOT longer. They're maintainable and repairable (to some degree). Look at 1950s McIntosh tube amps and Tannoy dual-concentric drivers (Black, Silver, Gold, Red, HPD) - both still desirable and highly valued today; both appreciated above...
  14. M

    Koetsu

    Super sad about the Koetsu news - I know he was getting up there in years, but thought he had more time left. 82 feels too young for a Japanese master to go :( Thank you for all the joy you've brought to our lives, Fumihiko Sugano. I'm grateful for every one of your cartridges I've been...
  15. M

    Power Amp Tube change, or not?

    My experience with rolling power tubes (VAC 200iq, Rogue Apollo Dark) is it will absolutely change the sound, sometimes more than you think. In fact I often find more impact here than with small tubes. Whether that sound is good comes down to how the amp is configured, how it's been "voiced"...
  16. M

    John DeVore on the Grey Market and OCD Mikey

    Wish comments had been left up. I vaguely remember (don't take this as a quote) Mikey complaining about the 1500 restock fee. Something like: he offered Devore 500 and thought that should have been enough? Then there was a lot of Mikey commenting "then don't buy from me" to everyone who...
  17. M

    Koetsu

    Tsugaru listed as "Neodymium" blows my mind :oops: Wow, that would DEFINITELY change its sound relative to the others. But can we trust it? Seems like a combination of poor/sporadic info supplied from Koetsu Japan, plus "lost in translation" issues going on with the distributors.
  18. M

    Koetsu

    Sadly, it's still hard to trust any details published on Koetsu, beyond very basics. For the longest time, Rosewood & Urushi models specified samarium-cobalt magnets. That makes sense, as being a rare-earth element its strength is much higher than platinum and alnico magnets of similar size, and...
  19. M

    Koetsu

    The Vermillion is SUCH an interesting model because it looks truly unique among modern Koetsu offerings. I've read variants of its "double coil silver & copper" description for ages but never imagined it actually means alternating coils of silver versus copper wire, finely interleaved. Look at...
  20. M

    Koetsu

    A few years ago there was some speculation (on audiogon) that some different Platinum magnet arrangement was selected specifically for the Coralstone and Blue Lace models. I believe these were dubbed "Type II" platinum magnets, to distinguish from those in the other stones. However, I don't feel...
  21. M

    Music is dead

    Absolutely not. Start looking deeper and experimenting more. Music is a very personal journey and we all have a tendency with age to dig into old patterns and the luxury of familiarity. And we've earned that to some degree. But I also believe it's good to periodically push back against that.
  22. M

    Koetsu

    Very interesting! I like the leopard more now with a good closeup pic. Previously we'd only seen tiny pics. That earlier Carnelian, though :cool:
  23. M

    Are measurements important to you?

    Measurements are fun but mostly entertainment value to me. If it's meaningful, you can hear it anyways - so why allow an instrument / procedure to interpret it (and then you pile your own interpretations on top of THAT) instead of your ears. I say "mostly" because it's nice to know up front if...
  24. M

    Audioquest fire vs Nordost tyr 2

    Can't help with the Tyr, but I had Fire RCA and XLR they indeed had a bit more of an aggressive, high adrenaline sound. Yes this could be fatiguing in some systems. The Audioquest silver cables I've had fall into aggressive or warmer category, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Aggressive /...
  25. M

    Mediocre recordings with great gear vs great recordings with mediocre gear?

    There's a plethora music out there that's recorded well enough to enjoy on a high-end system. All genres, even heavy metal, punk rock, hair metal, new wave etc has many surprisingly well recorded albums. There are plenty of duds too, but they should be in the minority and I find more than enough...
  26. M

    Koetsu

    You cannot tell ANYTHING about stylus wear from this level of magnification & resolution, or even a few times more. If the stylus were fractured you could see that, but it's far more likely to go completely missing. If it's filthy, you can see that too (yours is clean - nice!). Without...
  27. M

    Koetsu

    Haha I think we were typing the same sentiment at same time! Took me longer to post.
  28. M

    Koetsu

    Every cart model will have its own personality. At this level you just have to try yourself, in your system, to determine whether the difference is meaningful to you, and how much you like it. The Koetsu stones are all 95% the same personality, with variations presumably due to the stone and/or...
  29. M

    Koetsu

    No, that's interesting to me - thanks! I know Ortofon has an ability to make a huge range of sounds. Sadly their American line doesn't really go in the direction I like, except for Cadenza Bronze (and the Red, to a lesser extent).
  30. M

    Koetsu

    I like this point! I've had to realize I'm probably more biased by aesthetic that I'd previously admit. Koetsu, Shelter, Benz and some (not all!) Ortofon look like little works of art to me in their own right. Some other brands too (Lyra). I'm lukewarm on the looks of others like: Kiseki, Van...

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