stuff of dreams....3000 classical records inbound.

[Mike Lavigne]

“If I never bought another classical record I’m good.” You are so funny.

ok. but before i buy more classical i will be looking at my stash to find the equivalent and listening. no reason to buy more classical unless it's compelling. and i have a lifetime of listening choices. i did give my KLaudio RCM a workout yesterday and it was singing along.

before the family arrived for dinner i did load all the shelves (had to sort a bit the mix ups with the order)......my body went into shut down. then food coma. recovery will be slow. but i'm done. ahhhhhh.

 

[melomane99]

Less is more Michael - imho. I have a 6000+ vinyl collection of which 80% are classical. As a collector of 50 years I haven't listening to a lot of them - just collected them along the way as I read their reviews in Gramophone magazine to listen as and when. I am intrigued who the Gramophone reviewer whose collection you bought Michael? Any clues you can reveal - like their initials?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Less is more Michael - imho. I have a 6000+ vinyl collection of which 80% are classical. As a collector of 50 years I haven't listening to a lot of them - just collected them along the way as I read their reviews in Gramophone magazine to listen as and when. I am intrigued who the Gramophone reviewer whose collection you bought Michael? Any clues you can reveal - like their initials?

i never asked......meant to, but thanks for the push and i think will. been busy. good idea.

so far i've cleaned and listened to about 100 pressings and box sets. they are dusty, but the pressings are pretty much perfect (as most classical collections tend to be). happy with the mix, lots of "new to me" music. the 100 i've cleaned are sitting on my sofa and i keep dipping into them to spend more time with them.

the last week or so taken a break with other system distractions and Holiday life intrusions....

it's nice knowing all that fresh ground is waiting for me when i get around to it. and i will.

 

[SeagoatLeo]

Mike, looks/sounds like a fine classical collection. Your listening room and equipment deserve the best, more records. I have 28,500 LPs, 7,000 78s and 7,000 CDs and am nearly 66. I've sold or donated 18,000 78s and LPs in the past 30 years. I do not consider myself a collector but primarily a listener. I made a rule for myself, if I don't desire to play a recording 3 times a year, out it goes. I still have about 3,000 too many opera recordings (duplicates donated to me by my high school teacher and a synagogue member when they passed on). My recordings are about 25% classical vocal/opera, 45% classical, 20% pop/jazz from 1920s to 1970s and 10% ethnic music. No complete operas on 78s any longer-too much trouble/weight/time lost. Enjoy!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

-----a year later........

tonight played that Elliot Carter String Quartet........again, Nonesuch, R. Ludwig mastered. referenced last year in post #37 above.

double wow!!!! on the NVS/FCL/Etsuro Gold/EMIA/LFD phono cable. last year used the Tosca and dart phono. this was a few levels beyond. i was riveted to my chair for an hour. the FCL takes things much further.....and the EMIA too. the DS Audio Ion anti-static adds degrees of vividness and micro dynamics.

if you like this music, this will push out all the bad vibes and take you to a good place. turn off your phone and close the door. turn down the lights. stages like a champ, wonderful tone and very sonorous.

and it's cheap, cheap and if you are open to dissonance in String Quartets (not everyone's cup of tea) this is a must have. buy it.

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=371405&ev=mb

 

[SeagoatLeo]

-----a year later........

tonight played that Elliot Carter String Quartet........again, Nonesuch, R. Ludwig mastered. referenced last year in post #37 above.

double wow!!!! on the NVS/FCL/Etsuro Gold/EMIA/LFD phono cable. last year used the Tosca and dart phono. this was a few levels beyond. i was riveted to my chair for an hour. the FCL takes things much further.....and the EMIA too. if you like this music, this will push out all the bad vibes and take you to a good place. turn off your phone and close the door. turn down the lights. stages like a champ, wonderful tone and very sonorous.

and it's cheap, cheap and if you are open to dissonance in String Quartets (not everyone's cup of tea) this is a must have. buy it.

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=371405&ev=mb

I have the Julliard Quartet version on RCA which is excellent in performance and sound. I should hear the Nonesuch version as Bob Ludwig mastered. Thanks.

 

[melomane99]

Is there somewhere that says which equipment you use to playback your 60s/70s classical vinyl Mike please?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Is there somewhere that says which equipment you use to playback your 60s/70s classical vinyl Mike please?

this thread describes what i've changed this year with my vinyl playback. i ordered some upgrades early in the year (including the DaVa) and they started arriving months later. the last few pages of the thread explain about how i liked the upgrades.

at the bottom of my posts is a link to my system page on Audiogon, which does show my whole system and room, but the pictures and gear list has not been updated in the last 18 months or so. for instance it does not show my turntable upgrades or my much loved Wadax digital.....yet. i keep meaning to get around to doing that. i do have a major system change pending, 2 actually, so i'm kinda waiting for those to happen to mess with picture and gear list changes.

i now play my classical equally on all three turntables; prior to my vinyl upgrades i mostly played my classical only on my CS Port turntable. that was one of my important goals of my upgrades, to bring more firepower to my classical. and i've absolutely hit it out of the park on that goal. i'm thrilled with how my classical sounds on all three set-ups (and love classical on my Wadax much more too, than on my previous digital, for that matter).

 

[melomane99]

Thanks Mike. Just trying to get a feel for your playback preferences and whether you were into older gear for older records a la Art Dudley? But obviously not as you seem to have all bases covered using modern playback equipment.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Thanks Mike. Just trying to get a feel for your playback preferences and whether you were into older gear for older records a la Art Dudley? But obviously not as you seem to have all bases covered using modern playback equipment.

to me current build gear can produce all the musical goodness one could ask for.....tonal density, timbral rightness, full bottom end with smooth and extended highs. a sense of realism. enveloping, grain less and flowing sound.

my idler Saskia could be viewed as having a bit of vintage flavor, but i don't see it quite in that light. my EMIA phono w/SUT would be 'Art Dudley' approved i think, but he might have preferred copper wound transformers.

maybe you are referring to a Garrard 301 + Ortofon SPU cartridge. i had a Steve Dobbins Garrard 301 back in the day, as well as a Koetsu RSP cartridge which might be more like the SPU. personally i prefer my DaVa (Art would approve i suspect) and my Etsuro Gold. and the Saskia is a whole different level of performance from my much loved Garrard.

 

[wil]

-----a year later........

tonight played that Elliot Carter String Quartet........again, Nonesuch, R. Ludwig mastered. referenced last year in post #37 above.

double wow!!!! on the NVS/FCL/Etsuro Gold/EMIA/LFD phono cable. last year used the Tosca and dart phono. this was a few levels beyond. i was riveted to my chair for an hour. the FCL takes things much further.....and the EMIA too. the DS Audio Ion anti-static adds degrees of vividness and micro dynamics.

if you like this music, this will push out all the bad vibes and take you to a good place. turn off your phone and close the door. turn down the lights. stages like a champ, wonderful tone and very sonorous.

and it's cheap, cheap and if you are open to dissonance in String Quartets (not everyone's cup of tea) this is a must have. buy it.

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=371405&ev=mb

That’s a really great recording that I’ve listened to quite a bit. Only via streaming. I wish there were more a few hundred more Bob Ludwigs out there…

 

[oldvinyl]

-----a year later........

tonight played that Elliot Carter String Quartet........again, Nonesuch, R. Ludwig mastered. referenced last year in post #37 above.

double wow!!!! on the NVS/FCL/Etsuro Gold/EMIA/LFD phono cable. last year used the Tosca and dart phono. this was a few levels beyond. i was riveted to my chair for an hour. the FCL takes things much further.....and the EMIA too. the DS Audio Ion anti-static adds degrees of vividness and micro dynamics.

if you like this music, this will push out all the bad vibes and take you to a good place. turn off your phone and close the door. turn down the lights. stages like a champ, wonderful tone and very sonorous.

and it's cheap, cheap and if you are open to dissonance in String Quartets (not everyone's cup of tea) this is a must have. buy it.

https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=371405&ev=mb

Turns out I have 2 copies of the Nonesuch The Composers Quartet and also have a copy of the Columbia Julliard Quartet.

If you like this kind of music, then I highly recommend the Schoenberg, Berg and Webern quartets with the LaSalle Quartet.