Zero-Distortion: Visit to Mike Lavigne - Saskia vs CS Port vs NVS, DaVa, Etsuro, Primary Control
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It sounds like you had fun with Mike L's turntables, arms, cartridges, phonostage and table topologies.
No one likes criticism and you tend to strike back but, but hear me out. I am sure you are proud of your article, but someone needs to say this: You need to organize your thoughts and words much better and write for your reader. The reader should not have to be inside Bonzo's head to understand what he is trying to communicate. There is information in your article and obviously you had some nice insights but it is very difficult to describe so many different variables in a coherent way, which is why there are very very few reviews like this. You jump around so much and make so many references that this reader gave up keeping track of what you were saying, although I read to the end. Just because you have interesting side references, you don't have to include them - they became distractions from your main messages. I did not find your conclusions following from your write-up because it was too jumbled and did not lead me to them.
I don't want to be wholly negative. One way to tackle this sort of coverage is to look across the subject matter and your notes for common themes. Pick two or three at most. Take us stepwise through the gear inside those themes which can be organizers for your observations. Within each theme, take the same order of discussion. One sentence should lead to the next, not be orthogonal to it. An alternative to themes might be to do a section on tonearms and cartridges, another on tables, another on drive topology. I'm speculating here and it would take a fair amount of time to develop a plan for such a broad article. That does not mean to make it simpler just better organized. I will read it again to see if I change my mind, but that was first impression.
It was interesting to hear about Mike's gear and I liked the quality of the photos.
No one likes criticism and you tend to strike back but, but hear me out. I am sure you are proud of your article, but someone needs to say this: You need to organize your thoughts and words much better and write for your reader. The reader should not have to be inside Bonzo's head to understand what he is trying to communicate. There is information in your article and obviously you had some nice insights but it is very difficult to describe so many different variables in a coherent way, which is why there are very very few reviews like this. You jump around so much and make so many references that this reader gave up keeping track of what you were saying, although I read to the end. Just because you have interesting side references, you don't have to include them - they became distractions from your main messages. I did not find your conclusions following from your write-up because it was too jumbled and did not lead me to them.
I don't want to be wholly negative. One way to tackle this sort of coverage is to look across the subject matter and your notes for common themes. Pick two or three at most. Take us stepwise through the gear inside those themes which can be organizers for your observations. Within each theme, take the same order of discussion. One sentence should lead to the next, not be orthogonal to it. An alternative to themes might be to do a section on tonearms and cartridges, another on tables, another on drive topology. I'm speculating here and it would take a fair amount of time to develop a plan for such a broad article. That does not mean to make it simpler just better organized. I will read it again to see if I change my mind, but that was first impression.
It was interesting to hear about Mike's gear and I liked the quality of the photos.
The summary was in a way to focus on what could be lost in the longer text, to go back to a second read. The longer text is the detail on some record by record compares, some process, including previous exposure.
Mike's photos are mainly Mike's, he does them with a Canon. The other pics are mine.
Great article. One of these days, I hope to be able to experience Mike's system. I agree about the DaVa. I have heard it several times and been impressed each time. I will say that the power supply makes a huge difference. I was at a demo where three different supplies were tried, and I was very surprised at how much of a difference each made. Regretting just a bit that I didn't get a DaVa from Darius before they went viral, but at some point, I will bite that bullet, although my EMIA strain gauge is no slouch.
Just one clarification. does Mike's system have an EMIA phono stage or just the MC Trio step-up box? Both are great, but you seem to be referring to the Trio when discussing phono stage.
Beau
Just one clarification. does Mike's system have an EMIA phono stage or just the MC Trio step-up box? Both are great, but you seem to be referring to the Trio when discussing phono stage.
Beau
he has a phono corrector and the MC trio SUT box. Yes I might have mixed that up as was toying with the trip only will correct later
A simple table with all the combinations tried and what common recordings were played across all combinations would help understanding of your article immensely.
ok but I thought it was simple. NVS and CS with etsuro. Saskia with DaVa.
then, replace Dava on Saskia with etsuro from NVS
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Good article Ked.
I don't like anything fatiguing. I drive that out of my system. Maybe I loose some resolution because of that. It almost sounds like the DaVa is walking very close to the line.
Does this mean the DaVa is almost thin? Does it have good body and richness. Does it flesh out the presentation, or keep it more analytical.
I would actually be interested to hear a compare of the DaVa to an optical. I was going to get a DS Audio 003, but I chickened out.
I don't want my vinyl to sound digital. Not that a DS does that. It was just a choice.
Something I have learned about listening to my tape is how music is aborbed by the listener. When I have my tape on, there is a lot more clean and intelligible information that is available to hear. Yet you don't have to "Listen" for it. It just comes to you. All of it. Its all there easy to absorb and be aware of. Now my vinyl is not tuned well yet. I don't have a good stand and my pre and cart are mmuaaaa. What I find with my vinyl is what information is there, I have to listen for it. I have to focus on an instrument to realize all that is there. This causes me to take in other aspect/instruments that are there in a deficient manner. My focus continually shifts in a song. Its work and tiresome.
Was there any setup at Mike's that does this more or less. Makes the presentation very easy to absorb all of it at once.
I don't like anything fatiguing. I drive that out of my system. Maybe I loose some resolution because of that. It almost sounds like the DaVa is walking very close to the line.
Does this mean the DaVa is almost thin? Does it have good body and richness. Does it flesh out the presentation, or keep it more analytical.
I would actually be interested to hear a compare of the DaVa to an optical. I was going to get a DS Audio 003, but I chickened out.
I don't want my vinyl to sound digital. Not that a DS does that. It was just a choice.
Something I have learned about listening to my tape is how music is aborbed by the listener. When I have my tape on, there is a lot more clean and intelligible information that is available to hear. Yet you don't have to "Listen" for it. It just comes to you. All of it. Its all there easy to absorb and be aware of. Now my vinyl is not tuned well yet. I don't have a good stand and my pre and cart are mmuaaaa. What I find with my vinyl is what information is there, I have to listen for it. I have to focus on an instrument to realize all that is there. This causes me to take in other aspect/instruments that are there in a deficient manner. My focus continually shifts in a song. Its work and tiresome.
Was there any setup at Mike's that does this more or less. Makes the presentation very easy to absorb all of it at once.
DaVa is not at all thin, and on none of my records was it fatiguing. it is not at all digital. it was not fatiguing on the TD124 nor is fatiguing at Leif or a couple of others I checked (though did not hear myself). As mentioned, Darius said it does that with silver, not copper SUTs.
No one likes fatiguing, btw
Have you heard the primary control arm with a primary control DD TT?
Also have you heard, with reference level cartridges, the best classic Japanese DDs (no I don’t consider any of the old Technics in the category…they sound crude to me) like Exclusive P3, Kenwood L07, Yamaha GT2000 or Onkyo PX100M?
i have yet to hear an idler that didn’t sound a bit “dirty” to me as there seems to be quite a bit of motor noise breakthrough in them (the ones I have heard are all older ones but rebuilt TD124s, Lencos, Garrards).
Is CS Port made by ex-Micro guys? Looks a lot like one.
2 things to consider; (1) my silver wound MC Trio SUT's had less than 10 hours on them at the start of Ked's visit. they did smooth out and open up during his visit and continue to do so since. so any slight hyped moments with the DaVa are now gone. silver as done by Dave Slagle does not bring any edge.
and (2), when i moved my LFD Raptor from the phono pre <-> dart pre spot to working with the dongle on the Saskia, it forced me to use a new/raw $40 WBC Gotham rca interconnect between the EMIA phono and dart pre. this is what Ked heard (same for all three arms). since then a friend finished a 1.5m 'skunkworks' rca set which i've been listening to which is much better in that spot, and especially full bodied and sexy in direct compare.
i respect that Darius prefers copper to silver for the DaVa, but he has not heard the top level Intact Audio silver SUT's. read the current Stereophile article about them where this issue comes up.
and (2), when i moved my LFD Raptor from the phono pre <-> dart pre spot to working with the dongle on the Saskia, it forced me to use a new/raw $40 WBC Gotham rca interconnect between the EMIA phono and dart pre. this is what Ked heard (same for all three arms). since then a friend finished a 1.5m 'skunkworks' rca set which i've been listening to which is much better in that spot, and especially full bodied and sexy in direct compare.
i respect that Darius prefers copper to silver for the DaVa, but he has not heard the top level Intact Audio silver SUT's. read the current Stereophile article about them where this issue comes up.
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Another fantastic, enthusiastic, informative report, Kedar! Thank you!
Of the combinations of turntable/tonearm/cartridge you heard, which one would you recommend to me to maximize the suspension of disbelief of girl with guitar? So Sarah McLachlan is teletransported to me and playing guitar and singing to me live in my listening room?
Given the nature of your travels and high-speed audio explorations I very much like the style of your writing for these kinds of reports. I am grateful that you don't write in a turgid, slow, boring, laborious style. The whole point, in my view, of your writing style is that it is flowing with enthusiasm and insight and passion — like a fast running river. Like you are taking us alongside your shoulder on an Indiana Jones of audio movie!*
Your audio journeys are not the compare-two-components-in-your-living-room-for-six-months type of audio reviewing. It makes sense to me that the writing style for what you are doing is different than the writing style for the latter.
Can you imagine how this report would read if it were written by Jacob Heilbrunn?
* I appreciate that one reason I enjoy this writing style so much is because I know you and your preferences so well. If someone doesn’t know you and is reading a report like this for the first time, I can understand it might make his/her head spin.
Of the combinations of turntable/tonearm/cartridge you heard, which one would you recommend to me to maximize the suspension of disbelief of girl with guitar? So Sarah McLachlan is teletransported to me and playing guitar and singing to me live in my listening room?
Given the nature of your travels and high-speed audio explorations I very much like the style of your writing for these kinds of reports. I am grateful that you don't write in a turgid, slow, boring, laborious style. The whole point, in my view, of your writing style is that it is flowing with enthusiasm and insight and passion — like a fast running river. Like you are taking us alongside your shoulder on an Indiana Jones of audio movie!*
Your audio journeys are not the compare-two-components-in-your-living-room-for-six-months type of audio reviewing. It makes sense to me that the writing style for what you are doing is different than the writing style for the latter.
Can you imagine how this report would read if it were written by Jacob Heilbrunn?
* I appreciate that one reason I enjoy this writing style so much is because I know you and your preferences so well. If someone doesn’t know you and is reading a report like this for the first time, I can understand it might make his/her head spin.
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There are different primary control arms, this is the reference level + field coil and is 24k USD. No I have not heard that on the PC table. I have also had a listen but not a compare of the PC table.
I have heard Technics SP 10 mk2. I like the STST Motus II which is a suspended DD but by these standards slightly low fi though as far as I am concerned very high value for money and quite sufficient for most.
I haven't heard the Japanese TTs outside Christoph's Kenwood with his acoustats.
No CS is not made by ex micro guys as far as I know.
Is this relative to Mike's or in general? The CS Port will give you both of Mike's presentations by adding a pivot. I think the DaVa will add amazing energy and pluck to the guitar and great PRAT to her stringing and singing. More texture in vocals. I am recommending DaVa blanketedly to all cones and planars. For horns my shortlist is now any table with DaVa and Vyger with Red Sparrow. Bill is on the same line of thinking. With DaVa cart plays a lot more role than the table imo. It makes lesser resolution tables higher resolution. Persve's EMT 927 + DaVa on paper sounds like a dream combo.
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CS Port's designer is a Micro Seiki fan, just by observation, but his background is as the chief designer and then CEO of a large industrial power supply company. so he is an engineer, and likely knows more about power supplies than anyone in the high end.
never spoke to him about the inspiration for the LFT1 turntable. i'm guessing about his viewpoint on Micro Seiki.
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i had the Rockport Sirius III direct drive, for 8 years, then sitting next to the NVS for another year. so the NVS had a reasonable
dd tt to directly compare it to. and i did sell the Rockport and kept the NVS. at that time, 12 years ago now, i did also have the Dobbins 'The Beat' dd, and a Dobbins SP-10 Mk2 and Dobbins SP-10 Mk3. and while 'The Beat' was the best of those others, i preferred the NVS.at that time my cartridges of choice were the Lyra Olympos SL and the vDH Colibri. i also had a Koetsu RSP i would try from time to time.
think of the Saskia is an idler built to sound like a high level belt drive. it uses a Pabst motor, weights 220 pounds, with built in resonance control and a decoupled motor. it's dead quiet in an 'alive' way.
most idlers are built to price points, and at the end of the day you hear that. not so the Saskia.
i did own a Dobbins Garrard 301 with a Loricraft PSU 10 years back. it had more of that 'raw' idler bass bump, and while reasonably quiet was not ideal for all types of music. a bit 'wooly'. the Saskia does the most subtle music right. anything really. solid and quiet. what i love about it is it's tonal density, image focus and forward lean. but never any coloration or artifacts, just musically complimentary attributes.
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