I had a Colibri with the channels back to front several years ago...
The Colibri “Master Signature”
- Thread starter Tango
- Start date
i'm traveling now in Washington D.C.; but i will say that my new Koa Wood MS 1.1mv is low profile, meaning that the coils ride close to the vinyl surface. certainly a disconcerting thing to look at......but seems to work fine.
a few of my 9 previous Colibri's had that same low profile. at one point those coils could pick up some dust.....but not yet seen that with this one.
right now it's on the sideline waiting for Win to send me a arm board for the Sapphire Telos; the Tosca has the Anna Diamond mounted. agree with all the comments regarding each example has it's own unique things. Colibri's live on the edge.
a few of my 9 previous Colibri's had that same low profile. at one point those coils could pick up some dust.....but not yet seen that with this one.
right now it's on the sideline waiting for Win to send me a arm board for the Sapphire Telos; the Tosca has the Anna Diamond mounted. agree with all the comments regarding each example has it's own unique things. Colibri's live on the edge.
I believe I'm one of those three you mention. In my case, the problem has been with the cart bottoming out on certain passages, even with perfectly flat records. I thought at first that the suspension on my cart was damaged and sent it back for a checkup. When it was returned, it exhibited the same problem so I sent it back a second time with explicit explanation of the problem. I just received it back from AJ and it is still exhibiting the same problem.
I am at a loss to understand what is happening - I have used different headshell plates with my Schroeder CB1 to vary the effective mass of the tonearm with little effect. I have played around with zenith, azimuth, anti-skate, VTF, and VTA. VTF and VTA can mitigate the problem but not solve it completely.
What's really odd is that for some reason, I can always get through the first track of any record without a hiccup - the issue happens starting with the second or third track so it seems position related. I rotated the tonearm mount thinking maybe my tonearm had an issue but it did not affect this particular condition. Also, at one time I was using my FR64s and it had the same problem - at the time I attributed this to the effective mass of that tonearm being beyond the prescribed 14-16g of the Master Sig.
Also, the way this thing behaves, is it seems to bottom out on dynamic passages - almost like there's some EMF kick-back on the coil that causes the motor to reverse - i.e. like the motor pushes on the cantilever. Hard to describe but here's a video showing what is happening.
If anyone has any thoughts on what might be going on here, I am open ears as I've exhausted my own troubleshooting skills.
In regards to patience - yes, I am being patient because when this cart plays, it's about as good as I've ever heard from my analog setup. I would even keep it just to play the first track of every album side I have if that's all I can get from it ;-)))
The first thing to do is try setting the tracking force so as to square up the generator at rest (ignoring the VdH recommended tracking force), and see how it behaves and how things sound. That generator is misaligned with the tracking force that you're using, and the suspension looks too compliant / under-damped. Also, there could be a tension wire adjustment needed or maybe the elastomer is shot. Gotta wonder why in the world VdH would send it back like this. They must be testing it on an arm system of lower mass.
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This is not related to Mr.Hakim's issue. Ddk and I found the vdh has a really strong magnetism. If the surface of your platter has strong composition of steel, the magnet will pull so much it bottom out from the start. It happened to me before ddk changed the my AS2000's top platter to "secretive" material (just has to say that to make it sounds supremacy 
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This is not related to Mr.Hakim's issue. Ddk and I found the vdh has a really strong magnetism. If the surface of your platter has strong composition of steel, the magnet will pull so much it bottom out from the start. It happened to me before ddk changed the my AS2000's top platter to "secretive" material (just has to say that to make it sounds supremacy
That really could be the issue here too!
This is not related to Mr.Hakim's issue. Ddk and I found the vdh has a really strong magnetism. If the surface of your platter has strong composition of steel, the magnet will pull so much it bottom out from the start. It happened to me before ddk changed the my AS2000's top platter to "secretive" material (just has to say that to make it sounds supremacy
You just made me think of something - my TT has a copper platter held in place with two screws near the mid-point of the platter. Perhaps the magnet is being pulled by the screws as they pass by assuming they are magnetic. That would explain why it only happens on the second or third tracks.
I'm not home right now but I will check this out as soon as I get there tonight - this might be my problem!
Thanks Tango!
Joe, curious to see a picture of the cart at rest on a record right over the screw, vs over another location. Hope this is the issue!
No need - I removed the screws entirely and ran without them. The copper mat is heavy enough that it’s not going anywhere.
The screws were indeed the problem! I played one of the most problematic records and it ran without issue with the mat screws removed.
The odd thing is the screws are austenitic stainless steel so mostly non-magnetic but just enough to cause the issue with the Master Sig. I tested the screws with a very strong permanent magnet and they are very lightly attracted to the magnet. At first I just tested the screws with the magnet and thought it couldn’t be the screws as they are so weakly magnetic. But I decided to try a record without them and the problem disappeared. Apparently AJ must use one heck of a strong magnet in this cart because there’s no doubt the screws are the problem
At this point I had to convince myself, so I re-installed the screws and sure enough the problem started up again.
I will have to find some titanium screws but right now I am in audio nirvana
And this cart has monster bass - best I’ve ever heard.And I have to thank you for the Emia silver SUT recommendation - it’s a great match to the Master Sig - sublime really.
Btw - I am having no sibilance issues though I haven’t tried any problematic tracks yet.
Bazelio - if you’d like to come by this weekend and listen to this setup, email me and we can arrange something.
Tango - if you’re ever in the northern California Bay Area, you have to stop by as I owe you a very fine bottle of wine
Faith restored! This weekend is a possibility. I'll let you know. Glad there is no sibilance and the Emia silver is working out. Maybe the key is indeed a perfectly matched SUT for anyone not using a current mode phono with the Master Sig.
PS the bass on the African Blackwood version sounds like it's living up to the hype. Fantastic!
PS the bass on the African Blackwood version sounds like it's living up to the hype. Fantastic!
I am glad I could help you. Appreciate your invitation.No need - I removed the screws entirely and ran without them. The copper mat is heavy enough that it’s not going anywhere.
The screws were indeed the problem! I played one of the most problematic records and it ran without issue with the mat screws removed.
The odd thing is the screws are austenitic stainless steel so mostly non-magnetic but just enough to cause the issue with the Master Sig. I tested the screws with a very strong permanent magnet and they are very lightly attracted to the magnet. At first I just tested the screws with the magnet and thought it couldn’t be the screws as they are so weakly magnetic. But I decided to try a record without them and the problem disappeared. Apparently AJ must use one heck of a strong magnet in this cart because there’s no doubt the screws are the problem
At this point I had to convince myself, so I re-installed the screws and sure enough the problem started up again.
I will have to find some titanium screws but right now I am in audio nirvana
And I have to thank you for the Emia silver SUT recommendation - it’s a great match to the Master Sig - sublime really.
Btw - I am having no sibilance issues though I haven’t tried any problematic tracks yet.
Bazelio - if you’d like to come by this weekend and listen to this setup, email me and we can arrange something.
Tango - if you’re ever in the northern California Bay Area, you have to stop by as I owe you a very fine bottle of wine
Tang
Are you pleased with the Emia? The concept to me is great. I too was looking at the phono.
I love my Emia phono with silver SUT. And, yes, designed to be used with the Emia AVC pre. I suggest the silver version there too. For anyone in the US, Jeffrey Jackson and Dave allow in home demos. Maybe overseas if you ask nicely. They're not in constant production but I do know that a new batch is just getting assembled and ready to go.... Pro tip: ask for them to supply the D3a and E280f tubes with the unit so you can choose between them. I like the D3a, but both have their place.
I moved the 1.1mv back to SME/AS2000 and 0.5mv to Axiom/927 last Thursday. Now both sound stunning as they should. I expected that from the 1.1mv/SME/AS2000 because it was my go to combo on chamber and classical before. What was skeptical was the reconditioned 0.5mv /Axiom/927. But it turns out to sound even better than three days ago when the 1.1 mv was on it somehow. Mr. Vanden Hul has his magic for us to make it to good use. We just need to find how.
To Mr.VDH, cheers.
Tang
To Mr.VDH, cheers.
Tang
Stunning detective work. You should open a company called CSI Audio!No need - I removed the screws entirely and ran without them. The copper mat is heavy enough that it’s not going anywhere.
The screws were indeed the problem! I played one of the most problematic records and it ran without issue with the mat screws removed.
The odd thing is the screws are austenitic stainless steel so mostly non-magnetic but just enough to cause the issue with the Master Sig. I tested the screws with a very strong permanent magnet and they are very lightly attracted to the magnet. At first I just tested the screws with the magnet and thought it couldn’t be the screws as they are so weakly magnetic. But I decided to try a record without them and the problem disappeared. Apparently AJ must use one heck of a strong magnet in this cart because there’s no doubt the screws are the problem
At this point I had to convince myself, so I re-installed the screws and sure enough the problem started up again.
I will have to find some titanium screws but right now I am in audio nirvana
And I have to thank you for the Emia silver SUT recommendation - it’s a great match to the Master Sig - sublime really.
Btw - I am having no sibilance issues though I haven’t tried any problematic tracks yet.
Bazelio - if you’d like to come by this weekend and listen to this setup, email me and we can arrange something.
Tango - if you’re ever in the northern California Bay Area, you have to stop by as I owe you a very fine bottle of wine
But the break through hint to solve this case came from the CSI Bangkok bureau
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