The Colibri “Master Signature”

[pcosta]

Tango, I don't t know if you have ever mentioned if your SME 3012R has the metal knife bearing or the standard nylon or plastic.

 

[jeff1225]

Thank you Khun Tang but there is not enough info on the cover. This could be either UK or Germany 77 pressing There is also an ORG repress named gone with the wind but it does not say if it was made from the tape masters, it was pressed at Pallas though... Lucky as they are all cheap enough to try a few different ones, or should we ask the General.

I have a UK pressing that is fantastic. Tang's appears to be UK as well based on the price tag. Black Lion is a fabulous label.

 

[Tango]

I haven't been playing much vocal music. 99% I listen to acoustic instruments classical and jazz. For these musics, the Master Sig is best. But there is a trick for people who has tube electronics in the chain. The Master Sig can sings with such realistic vocal tone and much lesser degree of sibilance with a change of tubes. I have EMT phono with three MC inputs. Each input has its own pair of 12AX7s. Stock tubes are JJ Electronic Slovak. Being a typical curious high roller I have tried the ridiculously expensive socall Holy Grail tubes of Telefunken, Mullard, Siemens and Mazda. I found the Mazda and Mullard are great playing with the Master Sig on vocal. The Mazda silver plate triple mica strikes the best balance with the Master Sig on vocal though. The color of Mullard is too much for me. The ruthlessly revealing and rawness nature of Master Sig will be compromised. But for vocal it is more than enough. People with gentle ears probably would like this sound for all music with the Master Sig even. What I am saying is a cart can sound different in one system to another depending on associated gears. One person might say he has no problem with the rawness of Master Sig while the other could be selling out the cart. What should be looking at is his system. And It is an advantage to have a flexible phono. I have three different tubes in three different inputs. Cart and music type can be toyed to each input for mix and match. A charm of doing vinyl.

 

[howiebrou]

I haven't been playing much vocal music. 99% I listen to acoustic instruments classical and jazz. For these musics, the Master Sig is best. But there is a trick for people who has tube electronics in the chain. The Master Sig can sings with such realistic vocal tone and much lesser degree of sibilance with a change of tubes. I have EMT phono with three MC inputs. Each input has its own pair of 12AX7s. Stock tubes are JJ Electronic Slovak. Being a typical curious high roller I have tried the ridiculously expensive socall Holy Grail tubes of Telefunken, Mullard, Siemens and Mazda. I found the Mazda and Mullard are great playing with the Master Sig on vocal. The Mazda silver plate triple mica strikes the best balance with the Master Sig on vocal though. The color of Mullard is too much for me. The ruthlessly revealing and rawness nature of Master Sig will be compromised. But for vocal it is more than enough. People with gentle ears probably would like this sound for all music with the Master Sig even. What I am saying is a cart can sound different in one system to another depending on associated gears. One person might say he has no problem with the rawness of Master Sig while the other could be selling out the cart. What should be looking at is his system. And It is an advantage to have a flexible phono. I have three different tubes in three different inputs. Cart and music type can be toyed to each input for mix and match. A charm of doing vinyl.

Tube rolling your EMT Tang, wow. I'm still trying to understand my EMT on my own but might need the dealer to assist me soon. Enjoy!

 

[PeterA]

I just wrote a long post with photos to describe a tip I received from Mr. AJ van den Hul about setting up this cart. Perhaps others will find it helpful. Here is a link to that post:

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/sublime-sound.12853/page-51#post-635044

 

[Tango]

@PeterA posted his video of a song in this Holst album. I thought it sounded really nice from his Gran Cru so I bought one (the album not the Gran Cru.) This is the first chorus album I have. It makes me want to buy more interesting choral music. It never occurred to me before that vocals can be orchestrated to sound as if instruments. I played the album with Opus and Master Sig. With Opus it sounded warmer with mid tone pleasantness. But with the Master Sig the tone is not warm but the you are there is spectacular. The MS could really differentiate individual voice within female group and male too even when they sing at the same time same note. I mean you need no careful listening to hear different voices singing. This is the sound aspect that imo makes a system goes further a step up. A facsimile of real is not only about dynamic, flow, and palpability. The contrast is what make music more interesting. So many equipments make two three multi of same instrument sound close to the same when play together at the same time.. the degree of homogeneity. The MS and probably the Gran Cru too have the best instrument or vocal contrast and differentiation than anything I have heard.

Sorry My copy has quite a bit high surface noise.

 

[PeterA]

Nice Tang. There are 4 0r 5 of those Holst choral recordings on Argo. I have them all. My favorites are Savitri and Six Medieval Lyrics/Seven Part Songs. His daughter Imogen Holst conducts. It is a nice series of recordings.

 

[gian60]

My friend took one with 5/6 hours used and put on his Pierre Lurne turntable with Da Vinci Tonearm,Grandezza,
after 5 minutes ,took out and doesnt like,too open for him,and tryed with Yamamura Dionisio and WE system 3 way,so speaker not very very open
I am courious of this

 

[Audiophile Bill]

My friend took one with 5/6 hours used and put on his Pierre Lurne turntable with Da Vinci Tonearm,Grandezza,
after 5 minutes ,took out and doesnt like,too open for him,and tryed with Yamamura Dionisio and WE system 3 way,so speaker not very very open
I am courious of this

Gian - what do you mean “too open” for him?

 

[gian60]

Yes,sound too open,too clear
Too many high
He told bass is very good,but hogh are too much

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Yes,sound too open,too clear
Too many high
He told bass is very good,but hogh are too much

Ah that makes sense now. Thanks.

 

[tima]

Thought to touch base with this thread after receiving my Master Signature back from its 250 hour tuneup with vdH in Holland. It went out with the weak suspension, and slightly misaligned cantilever with which it had arrived to me as new. It came back as, well... hesistant to use this word ... as perfect, having received from Mr. AJ a marking of RRRRR in the right hand corner of its interior lid. I did not know what that meant until David, (@ddk who facilitated - thank you) explained.

Some of my wonderment no doubt comes from not having rhis cartridge in my system for over a month, but even factoring absence this freshened Master Sig offers significantly improved sonics. It is not a new cartridge, it is a better issue of an already great cartridge. I sense a greater coherence, a sense of organization and forward movement with better revelation of rhythm section undercurrents that propel music foward. Cellos, lower brass trombones and tubas, contrabassoons, harps and various keyed percussion make their proportionate contributions known with improved tonal articulation and dynamic. I hear more nuance and sophistication - dare I say a new naturality - from my beloved large orchestral pieces.

Listen to the internal resonance of the powerful bowed double basses at the outset of Bernstein's Mahler 2. Listen to the churning undercurrent of lower strings layered upon layer - waves crashing on rocks - in Maag's performance of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture. I hear vigour and livliness in the lower background string ostinatos - repeating over and over - in the early symphonies of Johann Christian Bach. My refurb'd MS cracks its potential to yield what many of you already know as the genius of this cartridge. After its visit to its home, it retakes the throne in my stable. Thank you Mr. van den Hul for this wonderful cartridge.

 

[kodomo]

Thought to touch base with this thread after receiving my Master Signature back from its 250 hour tuneup with vdH in Holland. It went out with the weak suspension, and slightly misaligned cantilever with which it had arrived to me as new. It came back as, well... hesistant to use this word ... as perfect, having received from Mr. AJ a marking of RRRRR in the right hand corner of its interior lid. I did not know what that meant until David, (@ddk who facilitated - thank you) explained.

Some of my wonderment no doubt comes from not having rhis cartridge in my system for over a month, but even factoring absence this freshened Master Sig offers significantly improved sonics. It is not a new cartridge, it is a better issue of an already great cartridge. I sense a greater coherence, a sense of organization and forward movement with better revelation of rhythm section undercurrents that propel music foward. Cellos, lower brass trombones and tubas, contrabassoons, harps and various keyed percussion make their proportionate contributions known with improved tonal articulation and dynamic. I hear more nuance and sophistication - dare I say a new naturality - from my beloved large orchestral pieces.

Listen to the internal resonance of the powerful bowed double basses at the outset of Bernstein's Mahler 2. Listen to the churning undercurrent of lower strings layered upon layer - waves crashing on rocks - in Maag's performance of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture. I hear vigour and livliness in the lower background string ostinatos - repeating over and over - in the early symphonies of Johann Christian Bach. My refurb'd MS cracks its potential to yield what many of you already know as the genius of this cartridge. After its visit to its home, it retakes the throne in my stable. Thank you Mr. van den Hul for this wonderful cartridge.

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Great to hear that your cartridge is working for you. Could you please make some measurements? Did you do one before you have sent the cartridge to see what has been changed?

 

[Tango]

Thought to touch base with this thread after receiving my Master Signature back from its 250 hour tuneup with vdH in Holland. It went out with the weak suspension, and slightly misaligned cantilever with which it had arrived to me as new. It came back as, well... hesistant to use this word ... as perfect, having received from Mr. AJ a marking of RRRRR in the right hand corner of its interior lid. I did not know what that meant until David, (@ddk who facilitated - thank you) explained.

Some of my wonderment no doubt comes from not having rhis cartridge in my system for over a month, but even factoring absence this freshened Master Sig offers significantly improved sonics. It is not a new cartridge, it is a better issue of an already great cartridge. I sense a greater coherence, a sense of organization and forward movement with better revelation of rhythm section undercurrents that propel music foward. Cellos, lower brass trombones and tubas, contrabassoons, harps and various keyed percussion make their proportionate contributions known with improved tonal articulation and dynamic. I hear more nuance and sophistication - dare I say a new naturality - from my beloved large orchestral pieces.

Listen to the internal resonance of the powerful bowed double basses at the outset of Bernstein's Mahler 2. Listen to the churning undercurrent of lower strings layered upon layer - waves crashing on rocks - in Maag's performance of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture. I hear vigour and livliness in the lower background string ostinatos - repeating over and over - in the early symphonies of Johann Christian Bach. My refurb'd MS cracks its potential to yield what many of you already know as the genius of this cartridge. After its visit to its home, it retakes the throne in my stable. Thank you Mr. van den Hul for this wonderful cartridge.

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Play Mahler 3 too please. I was just listening Mehta/ LA Philharmonic. The sound is incredible.

 

[bonzo75]

Play Mahler 3 too please. I was just listening Mehta/ LA Philharmonic. The sound is incredible.

Don't believe you. Video? Full first movement, please.

 

[tima]

Play Mahler 3 too please. I was just listening Mehta/ LA Philharmonic. The sound is incredible.

Oh yes - Mahler's 3rd is fantastic. Some critics say it is his best. Kubelik, Mehta, Solti, both Bernsteins, here's another:

Jascha Horenstein with the LSO

Nonesuch HB 73023

There is another from him: Unicorn RHS 302-303 that may be is easier to find. I don't have them in front of me and canna remember if they are the same performance - highly likely but not certain.

 

[tima]

Great to hear that your cartridge is working for you. Could you please make some measurements? Did you do one before you have sent the cartridge to see what has been changed?

I'll look to see what I have. I do remember some of azimuth done with Feickert that were basically terrible. My IBM Thinkpad is out on loan. When I get it back - if I remember, ha! - I will try that. But no measurement is needed to appreciate the changes/improvements made to the cartridge.

 

[kodomo]

I'll look to see what I have. I do remember some of azimuth done with Feickert that were basically terrible. My IBM Thinkpad is out on loan. When I get it back - if I remember, ha! - I will try that. But no measurement is needed to appreciate the changes/improvements made to the cartridge.

Yes, you know what you hear and I am truly happy that you are enjoying it even more. It is not that you need these measurements, I am just trying to get some information for my own understanding. I would be happy if you can take a frequency response measurement.

 

[PeterA]

Congratulations Tim. IMO, these cartridges are all about what ddk refers to as “natural resolution”. Have you made any changes to your system during the time the cartridge was away? I would think as a reviewer, you would find this cartridge invaluable. These cartridges look like accidents but sound magical.

 

[Tango]

Don't believe you. Video? Full first movement, please.

You should include this Mahlerwhen you audition a system It will tell if a system can do grand can do depth can do hall ambient can cover full range with no sameness.

Btw I was saying the piece by Mehta is good not bragging my system.