re: Audiophile/Vinyl Thread - Post Pics, Advice, Questions, Setups, etc.

“Are You Experienced” UHQR, Analogue Productions 2022

quote:

---

Every now and then I browse the real estate market to keep an eye on home values. Last night I was looking at a neighborhood across the street with homes that are twice the price as mine and look at what I found. Figured some folks in this thread would appreciate it but I have no idea what kind of speakers I’m looking at here.

---

Impressive, and unique - wow. I had to do a quick google images search but it's a German Physiks Emperor Mk II. Omnidirectional speakers with a huge woofer array behind that forward array. Looks like they go for around $300K.

LINK

Rant mode on...

I decided a few years ago to get back into vinyl with the goal being to digitize some of the irreplaceable LPs I have plus check out some of the newer high quality reissues of various jazz records and so on. I had an old Denon DP-45F and a friend texted me the day before Christmas 2018 that he was looking desperately for a turntable for his teenage son, so it was the perfect opportunity to justify an upgrade.

Ended up with a great deal from my local audio shop on an open box VPI Classic, then decided to spurge on another upgrade for the cartridge to a SoundSmith Aida Mk II. The original Aida got rave reviews and especially in some areas I wanted, namely tracking and channel separation. I was still putting together some other stuff so didn't get around to installing the SS for a while. When I finally got to it, something looked off, and the VPI was having an issue so off to the shop I went. VPI motor issue was fixed, but they took one look at the Aida and said, do NOT install this, the cantilever is bent. Back to SS for a repair!

So I started that process in early Sept. "Expected" time for this is 8-14 weeks. It's now been nearly 8 months, and nothing. NADA. I have politely emailed a couple of times and get a reply that they are behind and can't say when they will get to it.

This is seriously shaking my belief that 1) service from dedicated audio brands is typically better than the mega brands; 2) analog is even worth it. From a rational perspective, it 100% is not. I am starting to mull dumping the whole thing due to this and selling off the lovely gear.

Ok. This is probably the best sounding record I’ve ever heard. And I know my pedestrian system probably isn’t doing it justice.

Herbie Hancock- Directstep- 1979

Ahhh, yeah. That’s unfortunate.

Yeah I think I watched a walk through tour of the shop on YouTube with art dudley or michael fremer interviewing Ledermann. Enjoyed it. Hopefully they can finally get you fixed up before you decide to chuck in the towel on the hobby. That would be a shame.

Late night spin…this 1987 time capsule eluded me for a while but I found one. The RCA dog always seems to make a record sound better.

Quicksand “Distant Populations”, 2021

This is a breath of fresh air if you’re like me and struggle to find new “rock” music…

Bought a new cartridge today.

Now to start the rest of the system rebuild over the next 8 months or so.

The new house will be finished being designed in about 4 weeks. The audio room will be about 20’ x 35’ as it stands now.

Figured this would be a good spot to ask for CD player recommendations. Just moved to a new condo and unpacked a box of CDs, some of which that I’ve lugged around since high school.

I’m not building an audiophile-level setup, but am looking to build a system with some quality gear. These days, is it even worth it to buy an independent CD player? Or are most Blu-ray players sufficient for a casual listener?


Also, Marco, good to see the update. Glad y’all are on your way to rebuilding.

I was just wondering the other day where you were at in rebuilding everything. Good to know it’s headed in the right direction. Can’t wait to see all of the pics as it progresses.