ack's system - end of round 1

[ack]

Thank you all, your comments are very humbling, and I bow to you! Mike had some very wise words, as always: these things are never an accident. So my son was 4 years old when we started touring private schools, and we ended up visiting the music room in one of them; we lost the kid for a moment, then turn around and see him play, ever so softly but with rhythm, a lullaby on the piano, that my wife used to sing to him. We were shocked; he had never touched an instrument in his life before. It is so interesting how kids absorb what interests them the most! Fast forward, I had high hopes he'd get into the NEC, considering that he'd picked up the trombone in two weeks, and he likes to put himself to sleep with his guitar, sometimes. Just recently, as we were falling asleep, we hear him play the start of Smoke On The Water on the guitar, and I don't even have this recording! Just fascinating. Next thing you know he'll be asking for my stereo for college I gotta start saving to get him started in high end audio one day...

And Peter, my son is bored to death when you put him in front of a system, so you can't draw any conclusions from his reactions He doesn't have the disease yet!

 

[bonzo75]

Thanks Ron! I hope you get to hear a Spectral SV system one day - it certainly has life.

But the best news is hot off the press... after making the top high school in the state with a very high rank, plus making the school's symphonic orchestra, today, my 14 year old son was accepted at the New England Conservatory Prep School, and THAT is a big deal. He was able to do both with no effort and no pressure from us, and he practices very little. Although this is his big moment, I do take credit for exposing him to good music, at home and at live events. Just a couple of weeks ago, we went to the Blue Note to listen to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and it was so rewarding to see him recognize some of the music I play here at home - imagine a kid high-fiving his dad for the great music at home. The kid is certainly a natural musician, but I know his passion is math and physics. But a musical mind is also a mathematical mind. He's building up a great resume and he'll do well.

The NEC is not only the oldest independent music school in the U.S., but one of the most distinguished in the world, right up there behind the Julliard, Oberlin and Curtis. I intend to donate significant amounts to its endowment.

Congrats nice to hear. Given his musical ear, we might finally have someone in Boston in a few years with set horns

 

[PeterA]

Congrats nice to hear. Given his musical ear, we might finally have someone in Boston in a few years with set horns

Ked, I heard an Altec horn/ Kondo tube system a while back. He also demonstrated his tape v. vinyl for me. I was underwhelmed. I'm sure it is not the only such system around here. You are just not aware of them because not everyone is on WBF.

 

[bonzo75]

Ked, I heard an Altec horn/ Kondo tube system a while back. He also demonstrated his tape v. vinyl for me. I was underwhelmed. I'm sure it is not the only such system around here. You are just not aware of them because not everyone is on WBF.

There are many underwhelming horns

 

[PeterA]

There are many underwhelming horns

My point is that we don't have to wait for Ack's son to get such a "set horns" system. They already exist in Boston. I agree that there are many that are underwhelming. BTW, his vinyl sounded better than his tape. I guess that is not surprising either. He heard my SS/cone system playing his favorite Bach/Starker solo cello and made some pretty interesting comments about natural sound, that is once he decided to talk.

 

[bonzo75]

What were his comments?

Is this the mercury LP? Do you have the original or the reissue?

 

[PeterA]

What were his comments?

Is this the mercury LP? Do you have the original or the reissue?

Ked, I don't want to derail Ack's system thread anymore than I have. You can PM me if really interested.

 

[ack]

Vertical tonearm motion - a bad thing?

While I continue torturing my ears with exceptionally resolving sound from my highly-distorting and ear-piercing panels, I realize that the new ones are not going to arrive until late August, and it makes me depressed... Ugh! But I am dedicated to the music... LOL

So I spend time thinking about things, and it strikes me that we continue to make huge leaps with new arm designs... and a thought crossed my mind: why did my magnetic arm stabilization make such a huge improvement, especially in macro dynamics? I did place the magnets in such a way as to actually push down the armwand a bit, and then it occurred to me: the cutting head is immobile in the vertical plane, so is vertical arm motion a good thing or a bad thing? How can it possibly be a good thing???? At that point I began to appreciate SME arms even more, considering their spring-loaded thingy some of them have - I believe the idea is the same??? Or is it... you guys tell me. But currently, I am not liking vertical arm motion one bit, and I am beginning to suspect the better designs impede that motion. Thoughts?

 

[PeterA]

Ack, my thoughts are that this is a fascinating topic and it deserved to be in its own dedicated thread. I have long preferred the dynamic VTF on my SME V-12 arm over the static VTF. Every few years when someone suggests experimenting or I get a new cartridge, I compare the two and always return to the dynamic balance. In theory it is supposed to be better for tracking warps. I think that the damped bias spring controls the vertical movement of the arm applying a dynamic load allowing the VTF to be more constant when there is vertical arm motion. In practice, I think it even sounds better on my flat records. I happen to also appreciate the numbers on the dial allowing me to simply adjust the VTF very slightly and repeatedly without moving the counterweight. It is a good design. I am not aware of other arms having such a feature, but I am sure some do.

DDK may have additional thoughts on this topic as he is quite familiar with SME arms as well as many others.

 

[ack]

After 4.5 months of waiting, I received new ML panels, which were tough to fit (the attaching side rails are set too close to the stators' edges, so I had to pull them further apart), not sure how ML will address this, but I am not expecting much. Nonetheless, they sound FABULOUS, and clearly the old ones were on their way out. The increase in sharpness and attack is arresting. I also I think I am still hearing a bit of narrow-band distortion from one of them, and it could be the step-up transformer, though it seems to be evident only with some music (like guitar), strange.

I wrote numerous times before in this thread about my impressions of the Magico M3, driven by my amps and preamp, at the dealer's. One of the comments I made was that they and the MPros are as high in resolution as electrostatics, and this is now confirmed. I correctly called out that the M3s were higher in resolution than my previous panels, as I now hear all the detail I am hearing from the M3s. Having said all that, I still feel the M3s as driven and set up at the dealer's sound broken. Overall, I feel Magicos have been all over the place: the V2 sounded like schiit, the V3 was lacking bass, the Q were wonderful, and this M3 is a major mystery as to why it sounds like that in there, despite its extremely high resolution - totally uninvolving.

More thoughts as I break the new panels in... but so far, this is a major component upgrade.

 

[MadFloyd]

FINALLY! Congrats! I look forward to hearing your system again someday!

 

[ack]

Thanks Ian. If I can't fix the distortion, I am thinking of getting a pair of CLX Arts in here and modifying those as well. The wife will kill me, but I am on my way out anyway The increase in drama and liveliness from the new panels is intoxicating, and digital sounds incredible (haven't gotten to analog yet)

 

[bonzo75]

So far I prefer the hybrids. The CLX sound too thin at the bottom, would be interesting to see if the mods can fix that. Happy to see you continue to like MLs

 

[PeterA]

Congratulations, Tasos. You can now truly hear what your new Spectral amps are capable of sounding like. Sorry for the long wait, but it sounds as if it was all worth it.

 

[ack]

Thanks bonzo; yes, the CLX do sound thin in the bass, and that's a major impediment. The mods won't fix that, but perhaps I can keep my existing woofer cabinets, though the system will then look like schiit. Not sure yet... I really hate spending so much money on this hobby.

 

[bonzo75]

Don't then. Upgrade your records

 

[Al M.]

Thanks Ian. If I can't fix the distortion, I am thinking of getting a pair of CLX Arts in here and modifying those as well. The wife will kill me, but I am on my way out anyway The increase in drama and liveliness from the new panels is intoxicating, and digital sounds incredible (haven't gotten to analog yet)

Conratulations, Tasos, finally! I am glad that after all the wait you got a substantial increase in performance. Yes, drama and liveliness is what it's all about, also for me, and I am glad that attack increased -- lately I had thought there was a bit room for improvement

I can't wait to hear your system again!

 

[ack]

Thanks Al. The alleged remaining distortion is indeed there, and evident with all types of music, when you know what to listen for. I think it is fixable.

 

[stevebythebay]

Tasos, why not wait till you have a chance to listen to the speakers Keith’s been working on? If he’s capable of recording such amazing music for Reference, you’d think he’d deliver a speaker that’s a marriage made in heaven for the 500’s to drive.

 

[ack]

Yeah that's a great thought Steve! The only problem is release date - think "phono". I will be 6 feet under by the time we see those speakers?!?!?