Zero Distortion: Tango Time

[Mikem53]

@Tango posted a video of applewood road, Sad little tune, that really sounded wonderful ! Made me take notice of how good his system is and how well recorded the LP was. It sounded very vibrant and alive In spite of YouTube‘s compression, etc… I could tell he was playing it fairly loud. My attempts at iPhone recordings have been less than stellar.
I have the CD version of that album, so I bravely am going to attempt a recording of my own in the same thread to compare analog vs CD. I turned the volume up louder than I normally listen for this recording. I also handheld the iphone. Lets see if I can embarrass myself once again on here. I feel Tango set the benchmark too high.. here goes..
Sorry if the digital is not in the appropriate place, it’s related to analog ?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I don't remember if I have posted this album before. This is a country folk. Yes, I do listen to country music too. I find it is very pleasurable playing this album while working. It is very chilled. The recording is great...seems very believable. For some reason I think of MikeL's system when listening to this album. Mike. I think this album will sound great in your room. Dont know if you like folk songs or not. The label is Gearbox Records.

Dear Tang,

got the Applewood Road record today, listening now (Saskia/Etsuro Gold, Aesthetix Io) . it is very direct and honest. a stereo cut, all analog, native mono recording. live to 2 track. very calm, and without any pretension or limit. you hear way into the music. simple but deep. lovely. i don't want it to end.

rough, raw in the best way. perfectly unpolished. banjo a bit muffled. now i'll play it on my Miyajima mono cart (0.7mil stylus) and see which way i prefer. stereo or mono cart?

.......a little better (maybe more than a little) on the EMT948/Miyajima Infinity Mono/CS Port phono. more vivid, vocals slightly more nuanced. more lively and dimensional and holographic. banjo no longer muffled. seems more organized and natural. better flow.

must note that the LFD ic between the CS Port phono and dart is likely way better than the mid range Tara Labs XLR ic between the Aesthetix Io Eclipse and dart. OTOH the Durand phono cable on the EMT/Durand Kairos is lower in performance than the LFD on the Saskia/Durand Tosca. so it's a mixed bag of cables. the challenge of feeding 4 tt's, 5 arms, three phono's.

btw; the little 7" 45rpm record is delightful. way cool sounding. only did it with the Infinity mono. both sides are with an audience. more holographic, lower noise and side 2 is acapella.....sweet......intimate.

glad i got this one, it's unique in a good way. proof of concept with Mono recordings. just do it right.

thank you,

Mike

 

[Tango]

Dear Tang,

got the Applewood Road record today, listening now (Saskia/Etsuro Gold, Aesthetix Io) . it is very direct and honest. a stereo cut, all analog, native mono recording. live to 2 track. very calm, and without any pretension or limit. you hear way into the music. simple but deep. lovely. i don't want it to end.

rough, raw in the best way. perfectly unpolished. banjo a bit muffled. now i'll play it on my Miyajima mono cart (0.7mil stylus) and see which way i prefer. stereo or mono cart?

.......a little better (maybe more than a little) on the EMT948/Miyajima Infinity Mono/CS Port phono. more vivid, vocals slightly more nuanced. more lively and dimensional and holographic. banjo no longer muffled. seems more organized and natural. better flow.

must note that the LFD ic between the CS Port phono and dart is likely way better than the mid range Tara Labs XLR ic between the Aesthetix Io Eclipse and dart. OTOH the Durand phono cable on the EMT/Durand Kairos is lower in performance than the LFD on the Saskia/Durand Tosca. so it's a mixed bag of cables. the challenge of feeding 4 tt's, 5 arms, three phono's.

btw; the little 7" 45rpm record is delightful. way cool sounding. only did it with the Infinity mono. both sides are with an audience. more holographic, lower noise and side 2 is acapella.....sweet......intimate.

glad i got this one, it's unique in a good way. proof of concept with Mono recordings. just do it right.

thank you,

Mike

Hi Mike,

I am happy you enjoy the record. You describe how the record sounds much better than I. It has its own character I would say. With your system it must sound like you are standing in that studio ... very 3d. I didn't know they have 7" 45. Haveto check it out.

Kind regards,
Tang

 

[Tango]

@Tango posted a video of applewood road, Sad little tune, that really sounded wonderful ! Made me take notice of how good his system is and how well recorded the LP was. It sounded very vibrant and alive In spite of YouTube‘s compression, etc… I could tell he was playing it fairly loud. My attempts at iPhone recordings have been less than stellar.
I have the CD version of that album, so I bravely am going to attempt a recording of my own in the same thread to compare analog vs CD. I turned the volume up louder than I normally listen for this recording. I also handheld the iphone. Lets see if I can embarrass myself once again on here. I feel Tango set the benchmark too high.. here goes..
Sorry if the digital is not in the appropriate place, it’s related to analog ?

View attachment 84536

Thank you for your kind words. My system and room have flaws for me to do homework. 1) Sibilance on vocal. My Kuro cables give me everything I want. They are super cable for me but they give me higher degree of sibilance than other cables I had in my system. The Kuro speaker cable I have is a prototype. 2) I changed the acoustic of my room a while ago. Took three big absorber panels out and replaced with wood diffuser instead. The result is a much more open lively sound. And I feel like I have no front and side walls. But it comes with a small expense that is my second homework to find tune the surface of my room. My sound is a tad too straight forward and hard. On vocal I like my old acoustic better. It was sounding "more tuned" to the ears. MikeL took 10 years to get his room right. I am in no rush. But sure will get it right way shorter than him. (Just teasing MikeL)

 

[Chop]

No I haven't been since lockdown started. London just opened up a couple of months ago and due to travel for work it will not be possible till March for me.

Ked, FWIW, thought you might like to know that chamber concerts have started up again in Malvern.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Thank you for your kind words. My system and room have flaws for me to do homework. 1) Sibilance on vocal. My Kuro cables give me everything I want. They are super cable for me but they give me higher degree of sibilance than other cables I had in my system. The Kuro speaker cable I have is a prototype. 2) I changed the acoustic of my room a while ago. Took three big absorber panels out and replaced with wood diffuser instead. The result is a much more open lively sound. And I feel like I have no front and side walls. But it comes with a small expense that is my second homework to find tune the surface of my room. My sound is a tad too straight forward and hard. On vocal I like my old acoustic better. It was sounding "more tuned" to the ears. MikeL took 10 years to get his room right. I am in no rush. But sure will get it right way shorter than him. (Just teasing MikeL)

Tang,

i think you are right, it won't take 10 years (i was not ready to do it before i heard my same gear in another room and i understood what it could be). but the first step is the open sound where you have all the musical energy, which is what you have done. then next is to tame it just enough with minimal treatments to the surfaces to control unwanted reflections, while not losing anything. it's a grind to do it with vinyl, as the idea of constant repeating tracks to facilitate working thru the process is daunting. (you might consider some digital tracks for the grunt work with vinyl as the proof). so the mountain seems too high. but one day you will have an idea of where you should start, and like Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel you will jump into the crazy task.

obviously i have dynamic cones and twin towers, and you have horns. honestly i cannot say how that makes it different, but likely it does in some ways. but the trial and error part i'm sure is the same.

i remember the moment i gave in to the urge and began. the first small effort was a win, so i continued, a few false moves and backwards steps but the lights slowing came on for my path. then i was consumed with it. and maybe you will get a little into it and tear it all out and realize it's not the way for you. who knows?

you are different since you have your wonderful children around to set your priorities differently. no hurry on room tuning. it's not going anywhere.

 

[bonzo75]

Please, which do you prefer, A or B, or both?

 

[ddk]

Please, which do you prefer, A or B, or both?

I like both! Just a different interpretation.

david

 

[the sound of Tao]

I like both! Just a different interpretation.

david

+1 I’d enjoy listening to both, though the Arpeggione A is pretty nice.

 

[zerostargeneral]

C.

 

[Scott Naylor]

i prefer the cellist in A's intonation, as well as the overall recording balance the engineer created. Both A and B are gorgeous, world-class music making.

Pretty nice hifi as well

 

[Argonaut]

Or one might go hard core with the instrument itself, This recording was made between 2000 and 2001 using a copy by Henning Aschauer of a 19th-century arpeggione built either by J. G. Staufer or by Anton Mitteis (part of the collection of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and the 1824 Conrad Graf pianoforte from the Beethoven House in Bonn.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Please, which do you prefer, A or B, or both?

Morning Ked. Both sound super but A for me.

 

[tima]

Hard to choose. Both A & B sound really fine on Tang's system.

 

[kodomo]

It sounds like B is Shafran, his instrument sound is unique, both are well performed. I would enjoy both. Ked is A Rostropovich?

 

[bonzo75]

Yes A is Rosty Decca. No one mentioned piano, but Britten's piano in A is much better than B.

On cello both are good but I do prefer the A, though can be biased as I heard the Decca in person on the general's system where the dynamic range of that LP in a crossoverless speaker was very high with great nuance and subtlety. I heard the Shafran Tang posted earlier and thought as far as recording goes the Decca should sound better so requested him to record.

For the first minute I much prefer the Rosty, but the second part Shafran shows a good energy while playing that makes both enjoyable.

 

[morricab]

Morning Ked. Both sound super but A for me.

piano sounds nice and realistic with recording A...cello sounds more open at the top of its range as well.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

piano sounds nice and realistic with recording A...cello sounds more open at the top of its range as well.

I prefer the interpretation of A - sounds like I want to hear Schubert. I am a big Rostropovich fan though.

 

[howiebrou]

Yes A is Rosty Decca. No one mentioned piano, but Britten's piano in A is much better than B.

On cello both are good but I do prefer the A, though can be biased as I heard the Decca in person on the general's system where the dynamic range of that LP in a crossoverless speaker was very high with great nuance and subtlety. I heard the Shafran Tang posted earlier and thought as far as recording goes the Decca should sound better so requested him to record.

For the first minute I much prefer the Rosty, but the second part Shafran shows a good energy while playing that makes both enjoyable.

All this talk of Rosty makes me want to eat potatoes.

 

[christoph]

All this talk of Rosty makes me want to eat potatoes.