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4krow

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Everything posted by 4krow

  1. FWIW, I can tell you at least two different phono preamps that I had issues with. First is the Vincent PHO8. Has a separate power supply and everything. Quiet as a mouse, but not engaging or musical. I kind of had the same experience with one of their preamps too. Then there is the famous Jolida JD9 which has great sound, but the unit that I got used had a slight hum problem. Ok, let's just skip to the end. Don't do it. I lost my ass on this whole deal. Now I don't recommend going expensive like I did (expensive for me anyway). I ended up with a Glass ware Audio product that I built that was more of PITA than anyone can imagine. Again, not to tell the whole story over again, but a bad bad idea for me! To do over again, the Pete Millett phono pre and yes, power it with battery. Oops, there is one catch though. I don't recall the PM phono to have much in the way of adjustment. Dammit. See? I thought that I had you covered, sorry. I will sleep on it. FWIW, if you are a builder, that sort of thing can be accomplished with extra effort. OTD had it right in the first place. There are multiple listings for the Musical Surrounding Nova II phono preamp at eBay. $480 and up.
  2. That is exactly the beauty of such an animal. Some will want to discuss battery noise, but I never had any such issue. Especially in a phono preamp where the gain is high and the AC line current is a cat and mouse thing in some cases. Even the Pete Millett phono pre has a way to be battery operated. Not a new idea but a damned good one.
  3. Battery powered too! My favorite kind of phono set up.
  4. Good point on flexibility. What is your budget?
  5. God, have I ever been through the ninth circle of phono preamp hell. I could be a tour guide. One choice that is not a deal breaker money wise is a Pete Millett design. I tried maybe 4 different preamps, all good names, and that would be my first choice for maybe $500. I built two of them just they are kind of fun. Unlike the other beasts that I had to whip.
  6. Crap, this is just like the good old days when Quad was king.
  7. Welcome and buyer beware is not saying that you should shy away from a good deal, but that you need to be aware of the downside to buying anything used. Anyone who has owned a car gets this. It is great that the unit is fully functional if the seller's description of fully functional is the same as yours. Many of us here buy used noting that it will be rebuilt at least to some degree, making it worthwhile if the price is right. When I buy a C-9 to restore, I don't care if it works or not, but that is different than what you are needing here for condition of product.
  8. I appreciate your writing this. There are some real showstoppers in life if you will just notice them. Trouble is many people just walk by. It was very rare that I heard good audio in an audio shop. It became a chore for them to set up multiple systems in different rooms to try and encourage potential buyers. In fact most stores ended up by just trying to produce more bass. Yah, that led many right to the front. I like that you were simply taking a break and heard something that made you stop. A distraction (usually women) can change your life.
  9. 4krow

    Cut Beefheart

    On a rare Sunday, I will try and listen to something that ranks with the worst. It might be like watching a really bad movie to the end. But even in that attempt, I will find something that I can't really hate because it came out the way that the artist intended. This leads me to wonder who/what possessed them to write the way that they did. It is an opposing view which I may learn from if I give it a chance. In my case it was the Mahavishnu Orchestra's album Apocalypse. Really difficult to hear such tension in music, yet it has a message. Is this akin to Beefheart?
  10. I am also an Alf57 as it were Welcome brother Alf. 57 was a good year, I think. What audio experiences do you remember from your youth?
  11. I wonder just how many people now wince when there hear DSOTM. I never wanted to get to that stage, since, in some ways I consider it to be one of the best albums that I own. I have a different problem though. If I hear an album, it sticks with me. I mean it really stays put, but not in whole. Part of a drum solo here, or a partial set of lyrics, and round and round it goes, sometimes for days. I have to stop listening to music for a while and the lightly tread back in. Here is a bigger nightmare. Some of the musical carousel is crap from ads, or marches that I played in marching band, and lots of meaningless stuff. Very little of it is the whole song, just bits.
  12. Ok, time for pictures. we want pictures.
  13. Yup, you will get your fix here.
  14. Vinyl Engine may be of help as well. And then there are the videos that Wally Tools have can give insight as to what is important and how to do it (with their products anyway). I had a guy in Europe somewhere make a very professional alignment disc for my particular TT. It was NOT expensive and I would do it again. You can choose your alignment, and most importantly, set the cartridge for correct azimuth, overhang, and parallel the cartridge the way that it needs. I am not very good at explaining this stuff, but this is where I would start.
  15. This is just a sort of realization that streaming can be well worth the effort. Just listening to Radio Paradise on my BluSound streaming device greatly surprised me. One track after another performed by artists that I never heard of were just fabulous. I didn't get up for about an hour. That indicates really good listening for an ADD person such as myself. It was in their general mix I think. will try that much more often.
  16. Welcome Woodsman8. I have to ask about your moniker/name. What does it come from? Mine is in honor of a friend's dog (Krow) who was dognapped.
  17. Welcome. I look forward to hearing more about this amp and especially what will get it back to working order. Too bad that someone was only smart enough to bypass a fuse.
  18. And that is what it is all about. Discovering and enjoying the gear that you have found. Welcome to the site.
  19. Sach, Welcome to the site. You may find answers here, at least for Carver equipment. Fortunately, what you are describing is probably a simple case of a balance control that is in need of cleaning with a spray solvent. The top of the unit must be removed to see the backside of the control that is dirty and I can't say yet, but there is a possibility that the bottom should be removed for the spray nozzle to be put into the balance control. Photos as you go along always help.
  20. 4krow

    Don't Fade Away...

    Thanks for that.
  21. Well, not exactly but the same result can be had by using the DTL between your preamp and power amp.
  22. More info about the brand, model, age, and maybe a photo, would help.
  23. The tougher part for me is getting the cartridge alignment correct, and even cleaning the stylus can make a difference. This stuff can go on and on, so I just do the best that I can with the alignment tools that I have. As much as anything, the mounting of the stylus at the factory where it came from can make or break what you hear in the end. Good luck with getting the best from this as you can. I still really like vinyl.
  24. Way back in time, when I was still buying CD players, I had one that I especially liked made by Musical Fidelity. They claimed that the reason for some of great sound was due to the BB chip. What the number was I forget, seems like 1418 , but I really don't remember. I do know that I enjoyed that player until it had problems that I was unwilling to pay for. The music was especially clear, maybe the reason that they called it the 'X-Ray'.
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