The Colibri “Master Signature”
- Thread starter Tango
- Start date
It would be 3 Emia's in total for Bazelio. Emia preamp, Emia phono pre and Emia SUT... SE preamp (silver) is 5.4k usd and balanced preamp (silver) is 7.5k usd. The list price for the phono is 12.5k usd. I do not know the price for the sut...
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).
stainless is not magnetic..."A basic stainless steel has a 'ferritic' structure and is magnetic. ... However, the most common stainless steels are 'austenitic' - these have a higher chromium content and nickel is also added. It is the nickel which modifies the physical structure of the steel and makes it non-magnetic. "
and what is this secret platter ? I know nothing of this other than the changed shaped of the stainless platter on V2.0. Want to chime in David ???
Emia SUT info here: http://myemia.com/_LP.html As you'll see, he offers copper and silver at different price levels, and when you buy one, he winds it so as to be a match for your cart.
And Tango is detective Colombo
Yes, it was Tang’s comment that got me going in the right direction.
Loved that show as a kid and beyond. Every episode the same and every episode had that famous one more question scene."Sir, sir, only one more question"
Wonderful
Same hereLoved that show as a kid and beyond. Every episode the same and every episode had that famous one more question scene.
I see Columbo right now in front of my inner eye, reaching his hand high up while saying: "Sir, sir, only one more question"
Ooh Get over it citizen of Liechtenstein. You old white hair like to flash back to good old days.Same here
I see Columbo right now in front of my inner eye, reaching his hand high up while saying: "Sir, sir, only one more question"
Fond memories are what they are: fond memories.Ooh Get over it citizen of Liechtenstein. You old white hair like to flash back to good old days.
Nothing more and certainly nothing less
Btw: I'm ash blond, not graveyard blond
Tang, when you switched the cartridges, did you adjust the arm heights at all? I wonder if there is a slight variation in the distance from top of cartridge to stylus tip, or of the VTA. I recently watched a video of AJ vdHul make a cartridge and he seems to apply adhesive to the parts to keep everything in place. I wonder if this accounts for some variations in dimensions. I suspect each individual sample needs to be set up precisely and independently in each arm.
Congratulations Mike. Have you been listening to this MSS? How many hours, how does it sound, and how does it compare to the AnnaD? Beautiful photos, BTW. Also, what loading are you using and is the arm level, tail up or tail down?
not been listening to the vdH Master Signature.
the MSS has been idle along with the Saskia and my Telos Sapphire tone arm these last three to four weeks waiting for Win to complete the Telos arm board for the Saskia. not long after i wrote those first impressions i installed the Anna D on the Tosca and switched it to the NVS.
so really nothing more to add at this point. i am anxious to listen to the Saskia--Telos Sapphire--MSS when i can. i had not got far enough into my listening with the MSS to determine optimal loading. i was running with the rear very slightly above level but, like i said, it was early.
my info is that the MSS is one cartridge that needs hours to get going. looking forward to getting back on that. in the meantime slumming it with the Anna D.
I don't own the Master Signature Stradivarius, but I do have an older Colibri XPP which was just repaired with a new cantilever/stylus and damper after an unfortunate accident (shirt snagging). I have been experimenting lately with adjusting effective mass and inertia with all of my cartridges. Last night, I replaced heavier mounting screws (0.57g each) with much lighter ones (0.18g each) from SME allowing me to move the counterweight sled closer to the pivot thus reducing both inertia and effective mass. Taking 1.0g off of the weight at the headshell and adjusting the weight position have improved the overall sound.
The effective mass of my SME V-12 arm is 12 grams and between 10-11 grams for the SME V arm. I've read reports that Mr. vd Hull uses the SME V in his system, so I wanted to reduce the effective mass of my cartridge/arm system to see how the sound would change.
I can report that in my system, the sound is smoother, more relaxed, has better flow, and seems to have more resolution. Dynamics seem the same. There is less HF distortion. It basically sounds more natural. It "seems to have less sibilance". Say that out loud. Hear the "SSSs"? Sure. That is natural. When those SSSs sound shrill, fatiguing, that is either in the recording or an indication of HF distortion. I listened to a bunch of choral music last night as well as Holst's Planets. I clearly heard the SSS sound from the voices, both massed and individual, but it was not excessive. It sounded like what I hear live, when I pay attention to how someone speaks or sings. In fact, it added a sense of realism to hear this. If it is too tamed, or muted, it loses its sense of life for me. I heard the same with the trumpets. They remained piercing but with less distortion. Cleaner.
Reading the various reports in this thread about the sibilance with the MSS, I have to wonder if it is really just recording dependent, a result of the way the cartridge/arm have been set up, some attribute of the rest of the system, or an inherent characteristic of the cartridge. My experience with the Colibri suggests to me that it is not the latter, unless there is significant sample to sample variation. The Colibri certainly has more HF energy than my ATir Tight Supreme or MSL Gold, but it is not excessively sibilant, at least as currently set up.
Here are two photos of the cartridge showing the mounting screws which have a weight difference of 0.5 grams each:
The effective mass of my SME V-12 arm is 12 grams and between 10-11 grams for the SME V arm. I've read reports that Mr. vd Hull uses the SME V in his system, so I wanted to reduce the effective mass of my cartridge/arm system to see how the sound would change.
I can report that in my system, the sound is smoother, more relaxed, has better flow, and seems to have more resolution. Dynamics seem the same. There is less HF distortion. It basically sounds more natural. It "seems to have less sibilance". Say that out loud. Hear the "SSSs"? Sure. That is natural. When those SSSs sound shrill, fatiguing, that is either in the recording or an indication of HF distortion. I listened to a bunch of choral music last night as well as Holst's Planets. I clearly heard the SSS sound from the voices, both massed and individual, but it was not excessive. It sounded like what I hear live, when I pay attention to how someone speaks or sings. In fact, it added a sense of realism to hear this. If it is too tamed, or muted, it loses its sense of life for me. I heard the same with the trumpets. They remained piercing but with less distortion. Cleaner.
Reading the various reports in this thread about the sibilance with the MSS, I have to wonder if it is really just recording dependent, a result of the way the cartridge/arm have been set up, some attribute of the rest of the system, or an inherent characteristic of the cartridge. My experience with the Colibri suggests to me that it is not the latter, unless there is significant sample to sample variation. The Colibri certainly has more HF energy than my ATir Tight Supreme or MSL Gold, but it is not excessively sibilant, at least as currently set up.
Here are two photos of the cartridge showing the mounting screws which have a weight difference of 0.5 grams each:
That is great, Peter!
I am always impressed with your zero cost efforts to improve the sound of your analog playback system!
I am always impressed with your zero cost efforts to improve the sound of your analog playback system!
Ron, I am both cheap and patient. I am also curious about this stuff and willing to learn and admit I know very little. Just a lot of trial and error in an attempt to improve sound and my enjoyment of my records.
I'm also stubborn, and despite Bonzo's best efforts to wake me up and convince me to sell my gear and go tube/horn and away from SME, I soldier on, fighting the good fight.
DDK has also set me straight on tweaks.
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Peter, my suggestions won't be zero cost, they will put money back in your pocket
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Peter, my suggestions won't be zero cost, they will put money back on your pocket
Making money is great, Ked, but more important to me is having my own actual system which I can enjoy in the comfort of my living room with my audio buddies over on occasion. When I travel, it is into town to hear the BSO. I sometimes drive ten minutes to hear Al M.'s wonderful system, but I can always return to my beloved Sublime Sound.
Peter,
Are you using the black polymer screws that SME used to supply with the Series 3 tonearm?
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