So it has been 6-7 month wait for you too !At least i don't feel especially mistreated anymore.
I imagine it feels good to be equally mistreated.
Opus1 vs. MSL Platinum
- Thread starter Tango
- Start date
I imagine it feels good to be equally mistreated.
that is the idea. i let my pressing preference dictate choice of tt. i'll get all the tt's spinning with some sessions so they are all ready.
yes; the dart with 2 phono's, the Io Eclipse with 2 inputs, and the CS Port with three; one MC input, and 2 MM inputs which i'm using my EMIA SUT's with. i can have 7 phono channels all adjusted differently except the MC input on the CS Port.
Compared the Opus vs MSL this morning playing Brahms Piano Concerto1, Curzon/Szell, London Symphony, SXL 6023. Brahms Piano 1 and 2 are superb piece. Concerto 1 has the excitement, the serenity, the buildup, a mix of different emotions resembling different conditions of a sea. Not only the piano is great but the interplay with the orchestra really make the musical story flow and make the whole piece not a spotlighting solo. Highly recommended. Anyway, when you play this piece, it is like the whole scene of orchestra is totally separate from speakers. You will experience the whole music scene as if the symphony hall is behind your speakers. You will sense the ambient, the hall dimension and can easily visualize the location of piano and layers of different instrument front to back. On some slower quieter passage you will hear an instrument quietly from the back of the hall. The piano is in front but you wont feel like it is close to you. You will feel like the microphone is positioned somewhere in the audience not above the piano housing as usual. Very neat. Technically I dont know how they do but that is how i sense from listening. The Opus portray all this really well. But when played with MSL it feels like everything is tightened like holding sandwiches. (My writing is way too extreme but just to get my feeling across.) Not as airy. The piano is a little more pronounced to feel more solo. Curzon became a few degree more like Backhaus. It is more toward excitement and a few degree less serenity. I hear more notes from MSL. I get reminded of notes less and music take me to places more with Opus. For people who put a lot of value on hearing different story from different pressing I think the Opus will offer that better than the MSL. Good software is needed to really hear the difference in carts though.
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I give you an Iron Chef award Mike. You know which pan is better cook with which meat. I just use the same pan for every meat and hope the meat stand out on its own and doesnt suck. (Very often the meat sucks
)Dont get me wrong. It is a compliment.
Tang,I give you an Iron Chef award Mike. You know which pan is better cook with which meat. I just use the same pan for every meat and hope the meat stand out on its own and doesnt suck. (Very often the meat sucks
Dont get me wrong. It is a compliment.
i appreciate what you are saying. and i do enjoy my 'different pans'.
i think the belt drive air bearing (low flow, low pressure) linear tracker arm CS Port does offer a more different presentation compared to the Saskia/Tosca (than i expected going in) to provide definite music enhancing choices even with the similar carts and the same phono. both are 'human' sounding. i did not know what to expect 2 years ago going down his road. and it seems i do not ever get the idea that i'm compromising when using either.....even switching the same pressing back and forth. each view is righteous.
my view of your AS-2000 is that it offers what is likely the best of both of my choices in one 'pan', and then you have the 927 when you want to go there. maybe the tt's you have moved on from did not pull you in in a 'human' way sufficiently (compared to the AS-2000). not that they did not have their attributes,
the vinyl experience is so rich and deep that there is a lot of room to move around inside it and explore the musical choices.
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Mike, you rarely talk about your NVS anymore. Could this be the tt that becomes surplus to requirements?
I mean if the CS nails air and imaging for classical, vocals, and the Saskia nails the tone density and drive for jazz, funk, not sure what the USP for that third option is, and what music is significantly best served by it over the other two.
I mean if the CS nails air and imaging for classical, vocals, and the Saskia nails the tone density and drive for jazz, funk, not sure what the USP for that third option is, and what music is significantly best served by it over the other two.
the Io Eclipse is intended to compliment the NVS, with high energy rock and large scale classical. for now you are right that it's a bit on the margins in listening time; but that is also due to the fact my 2 'super-duper' LFD cables are on the other tables. and my other two Etsuro Gold's are 'more equal'. so the peripheral gear is not equal. there are things that the NVS can do with the active isolation not otherwise achieved. and it separates things in the soundstage more clearly. were i to move cables and cartridges around the hierarchy might change. and the other two tt's are the 'new guys' so have my attention. and the CS Port phono with the EMIA SUT's is also the 'new guy' compared to my wonderful dart phono's.
the answer for the NVS is not yet complete. will i own three or four tt's a year (or two) from now? no idea.
It is everything I expected and more! More body, bass is phenomenal, magical midrange, especially vocals. Thank you all for steering me in the right direction. Any tips for loading?
! More body, bass is phenomenal, magical midrange, especially vocals. Thank you all for steering me in the right direction. Any tips for loading?
Congratulations, abiedrov!
Do you still have the ZYX? If so, can you please give us your impressions of the similarities and differences between the ZYX and the Opus 1?
Do you still have the ZYX? If so, can you please give us your impressions of the similarities and differences between the ZYX and the Opus 1?
I am glad you are happy with the sound. The Opus1 is a cart I found easy to sound great regardless associated gears. I dont find it sensitive to loading. Loading available from most phono will do the job.It is everything I expected and more
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Thank you, Ron!
As I said in the previous post, ZYX is much brighter (less body) compared to Opus. This is the biggest difference in my setup, which you hear from the very first record. Then you hear the bass, it is so much better, deeper and more defined. As a result of all the above, the overall presentation is very pleasant, I would say it is mellow, but in a good way, not at the expense of resolution.
As for similarities, well, they are both MC cartridges
and are quite resolving.I’ll be able to form a more informed opinion after the break in process is complete, but I doubt it will change much.
Congrats! It looks like you have the cart on the same arm as me. It's a combo I've been very pleased with for a while now. You asked about loading, and I did find the cart (particularly in the bass) to be moderately sensitive to it. I settled on a lower load value than I expected to after experimenting by ear. I suggest trying out different settings after a while. The cart does continue to give you more of everything until around 50 or maybe 100 hours.
Thank you, Ron!
As I said in the previous post, ZYX is much brighter (less body) compared to Opus. This is the biggest difference in my setup, which you hear from the very first record. Then you hear the bass, it is so much better, deeper and more defined. As a result of all the above, the overall presentation is very pleasant, I would say it is mellow, but in a good way, not at the expense of resolution.
As for similarities, well, they are both MC cartridges
I’ll be able to form a more informed opinion after the break in process is complete, but I doubt it will change much.
Thank you! Did you have any noise issue using the low output ZYX with the Io?
No, I did not have any noise issues with ZYX and Io, especially since I moved from Coincident line stage to CH L1. To my surprise, there was absolutely no difference in output volume between ZYX and Opus. I had IO configured at its highest gain setting for ZYX, and, when I installed Opus, I changed the gain setting from 80dB to 74dB (my Io does not have a volume control option). The output was too low, so I changed it back to 80dB. ZYX is a 0.24mV cartridge and output of Opus is a much higher 0.45mV. Is it the Opus internal impedance that makes it a low output cart?
Congrats, the Universe is a amazing cart.Thank you, Ron!
As I said in the previous post, ZYX is much brighter (less body) compared to Opus. This is the biggest difference in my setup, which you hear from the very first record. Then you hear the bass, it is so much better, deeper and more defined. As a result of all the above, the overall presentation is very pleasant, I would say it is mellow, but in a good way, not at the expense of resolution.
As for similarities, well, they are both MC cartridges
I’ll be able to form a more informed opinion after the break in process is complete, but I doubt it will change much.
A little tip from me after break in period VTF 1.96-1.97gr. little antiskating 0.3gr
I allways use SUT 1:20 ,whether transistor or tube MM amplification 40-46dB fits perfectly low-resistance MC carts just try it out and be amazed
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