Description

"1st year anniversary system. I was drawn into the audio world around August 2010 and after a year of reading and listening this is where I ended up. The goal is not, as the title suggests, to have SOTA sound but rather to assemble a decent system for a decent price.

No plans for changes but different more efficient speakers might be on the horizon."

I wrote that in 2011. The goal remains the same in 2014, but since I can no longer be said to be 'getting started' I've moved the page to 'budget minded'(which I certainly am). The move is also precipitated by a shift in emphasis: am looking to capture the full dynamic swings of classical music as well as the rhythmic swings of jazz--my two primary genres. Therefore, the move to a bigger amp (soon) feeding a power hungry speaker.
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Room Details

Dimensions: 23’ × 16’  Large
Ceiling: 12’


Components Toggle details

    • JVC TT 101
    direct drive; double bi-directional servo; electronic pitch control: awesome tt
    • Victor tt 801
    Direct drive turntable, the final iteration of the tt series. Far less complex circuit boards but comes with the same functionality as the spectacularly complex tt 101 plus the option of vacuum suction.
    • Eminent Technology ET-2
    air bearing arm with carbon fiber arm wand; w/custom Discovery Cable wire loom. Mounted on stainless pod.
    • Eminent Technology ET-2.5
    w/ heavy magnesium arm wand and standard pressure manifold designed for Takatsuki pump at 3.6psi
    • Beveridge Audio RM-1/2
    12 tube pre-amp with separate power supply (rm-2). 6dj8 circuit designed by Roger Modjesky. Has neat features such as phase inversion, stereo to mono blending, and a tuoch sensitive mute function.
    • Music Reference RM-9
    with mk2 choke and cap mod. siemens el 34's and RAM kt 88's; gild lion reissue 6922 in v1 position
    • B&W Matrix 801 s3
    the tombstones; aka, the bane of my wife's existence
    • Technics epa 100 mk2 *sold*
    boron arm with very low friction ruby bearings and VTA on the fly. Near universal arm.
    • Denon DA-305
    broadcast arm holding my denon 103 cart.
    • Technics SP-10 mkII *SOLD*
    'Nuded' direct drive sitting on custom machined footers.
    • empire 4000diii
    MM cart
    • azden ym p50vl
    a great cart mounted in an Orsonic headshell
    • Astatic MF 200
    MM. Brilliant with very real, embodied presentation. Oyaide 5n silver leads and technics boron headshell
    • audio technica 20ss
    Hybrid: AT 20ss stylus housed in a AT 15sla cart and mounted in an AT ls12 headshell. Ikeda silver leads.
    • audio technica at155lc
    Hybrid: AT stylus housed in a signet 5ea cartridge and mounted in the original boron headshell for the epa arm.
    • shure n140he
    the snow plow cart. Sounds better with the plow up. Mounted in an Audio Technica headshell.
    • azden ym p20e
    mm cart.
    • Denon 103
    the classic MC cart. my first vinyl cartridge mounted in a LP Gear zupreme headshell.
    • Lightspeed Attenuator LDR volume control
    Passive pre. One input. Incredible sound. If you believe a passive can't be dynamic, audition this one.
    • Music Reference RM-10 *SOLD*
    mk2. Roger Modjeski's masterpiece. Using NOS GE el84 tubes
    • Grover Huffman zx phono cables
    rca-rca for epa arm. Great sounding and deep dark quiet. A bargain.
    • Audio Technica 616 footer
    Great, but expensive and rare, pneumatic footers.
    • Mirko custom tonearm pod
    Custom machined to house technics epa 100 arm. Weighs 16lbs and sits on spikes which screw in/out for leveling. Because of tonearm design, mounting screws are drilled from bottom up.
    • Mint Lp protractor protractor
    Good protractor; easy to use.
    • Audio Technica AT 605 footers
    3 footers supporting Music Reference amp
    • ikeda and kondo headshell leads
    silver leads constructed by the most excellent Audio Origami; very pliable and easy to work with--but delicate.
    • Herbie's Tenderfoots
    good for light duty, although its effects are rather subtle depending on context
    • custom footers
    Four 4" stainless steel footers underneath sp10, courtesy a'gon member Ct0517.
    • EAR ISODAMP SD sd125
    Self-adhesive semi-rigid damping sheets used to dampen the metal motor cover of tt. Cut into strips and applied wherever there isn't venting holes.
    • Jasmine LP2.5DU MM/MC Phono
    solid state, unique in that it can take two mm arms or two mc arms or one of each; gain for mm is high
    • Surgex sx 1115
    8 outlet no MOV surge protector; makes no difference in sound that I can detect
    • Oyaide hsr-ag 5n silver headshell leads
    surprising how much of a difference these make; stiff and a bit hard to work with
    • Victor x-1/ii mm cartridge
    TOTL Victor MM cartridge: aluminum cantilever, shibata tip(Jico). On a victor/jvc ph-8 headshell w/kondo silver tags. I owned the original stylus (beryllium cantilver) but stupidly broke it.
    • oyaide tunami
    power cord. the connector barely fits on the rm10. benefits: perhaps a lower sound floor but nothing startling. first tried on phono stage and noted no difference.
    • analysis plus solo crystal and silver oval-in
    between baf and preamp, and preamp and amp.
    • Teradak U9VA Linear Low noise Power Supply
    to power the Lightspeed Attenuator. sitting on ebony cones courtesy of A&B Systems HK
    • JVC ph-8 headshell
    10g hs
    • Signet sk305
    electronic stylus cleaner
    • 47 Laboratory Deerskin Platter Mat
    very thin and incredibly supple
    • audio technica at 636
    pneumatic insulators: 6-36kg load; useful and relatively easy to acquire, unlike its brother, the 616.
    • Discovery tonearm wire
    custom made by Discovery Cable, 45
    • victor pigskin platter mat
    NOS. Was an optional accessory for the tt101. Two sided: pic is of the sueded side; the other side is completely smooth, almost like rubber. Never seen anything like it.
    • victor pigskin platter mat
    smooth side
    • astatic mf 2501 w/ mf300 stylus
    NOS moving flux, titanium bonded elliptical stylus;
    • Maughan Box Listen Up
    Bass alignment filter for B&W 801's: flat to 20hz; cuts off somewhere? below that to prevent woofer pumping due to record warps. Definitely works to do the latter.
    • fabreeka iso 24A
    pneumatic isolation platform
    • timeter pcs 414
    w/ wob-l motor; for the et2 arm
    • makeshift aligment jig
    for et2 arm, inscribed on the back of a mint lp protractor
    • parker 14e mini filter/regulator
    for et2 arm; marshall 0-15psi gauge
    • victor/jvc dt x1ii stylus
    'natural diamond'; beryllium cantilever and tension wire
    • acutex M420str
    tri-radial diamond, MM
    • victor/jvc z1s
    z1s with rare shibata z1s stylus designed to 4 channel systems
    • neotech nei 3001
    custom made by the guys at sonic craft using furutech fp 120 rca's, used to connect stage with baf.
    • TTM Oil damped Stabilizer
    record weight, 770g.
    • tt 101 bearing grooves victor
    grooves caused by friction at contact point?
    • Sony TA-E88
    w.phonostage, equipped with very flexible MM loading options: 10k-100kohm (in 10k increments_ and 100-500 pF (in 100pF increments)
    • JVC /Victor tt 101 bearing well
    w/new /SiNi bearing ball
    • zyx silver wire loom custom
    tonearm wire loom, 1877 rhodium clips, zyx silver wire and xhadow rca's. wire is incredibly flexible, perfect imo for use with the et2 tonearm.
    • TTM Mat 2
    3kg and 6mm high stainless steel mat with 'tuning' holes; designed to be paired with TTM's oil damped weight
    • Timeter aridyne 2000
    provides 50psi of dry air through each of 3 on demand outlets. Used to run et 2 arm and fabreeka pneumatic platform
    • JVC Victor Laboratory eq 7070
    phono pre that can accommodate 3 arms; variable loading for MM carts
    • Victor GTT 3000B
    glass platter mat to be used in conjunction with victor pigskin sheet

Comments 135

Showing all comments by halcro.

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I find that 7070 phono stage interesting as well...
Can you describe the loading options possible and how they're achieved❓

halcro

Hi Banquo,
I share your passion for Victor products...
I have their TT-81, TT-101 turntables...the X-1/II and Z-1/SAS cartridges (with another Z-1 on the way)....and the genuine Victor pigskin mat 😃
None of their products has disappointed leading me to conclude that the Victor engineers really 'knew their onions'...👍
That 1000 amp I had never seen before and it looks like a serious device...
Will await your impressions on the pigskin mat...
What happened to your amp?
Regards

halcro

Now Halcro ..are you not concerned about aesthetics AT ALL. I mean come on. You're an architect man. Does the contorted positioning of your cartridge and its affects not bother you at all ?
Ha ha.....
I must admit Chris...that this shot you picked does look a bit odd...👀😁
Blame Continuum.....although in most other views of the Copperhead arm, the off-set cartridge looks quite nifty..👍
That flimsy Empire cartridge is now replaced with the Signet TK-7LCa which looks more substantial.
Symmetry, by the way.....was ditched by the modern movement of architecture in the early 1920s....🏤

halcro

BEAUTY
Now Banquo....are you not concerned about aesthetics AT ALL....😱
I mean....have you no sensitivity whatsoever...❓😖😳
I'm sitting in my hotel room in Agra looking at the Taj Mahal......and THIS is what you look at.....❓👀
Regards....

halcro

Hi Banquo,
I too have just bought a JVC/Victor Z1 with original beryllium cantilever which has ALSO collapsed...😱
It actually works until it warms up and then....on the inner grooves...the clear plastic extended front 'nose' rides on the record causing noise and mistracking...😁
I suspect that the lack of a stylus guard has led (over the years) to the cartridge being stored while resting on its tip...❓👀😖
I have a Jico SAS replacement stylus on its way...like you...so we will both be able to verify the 'greatness' of this proclaimed cartridge.
From what I've already heard....I am optimistic...😎

halcro

Hi Banquo,
I'm loving seeing all the developments in your 'Systems Page'....😎
One thing I beg you to try....your Shure ML-140HE cartridge where you state that you prefer the sound with the damping brush 'UP'......😢
Please try it again with the brush DOWN and the VTF @ 1.5 Gm as per Shure's recommendation....👍
In my system, it was a revelation......😘

Regards

halcro

Hi Chris,
I think the choice of platter mat...or not....is dependent on the turntable?
For instance....with the Raven AC-2....the bare copper platter is better than the addition of ANY mat...including the Victor pigskin.
So Mr Verdier may indeed be correct with his preference :-)
The TT-101 however...has a slight lip around the platter which prevents the record from sitting directly on the aluminium surface.
With that arrangement....it becomes purely a CHOICE of mats....
Regards

halcro

Mine is black Banquo....but from what I can see on the photos.....those mats look like the real deal?

Isn't there a Tracking No. that the USPS can use to at least see where the package went missing?

halcro

Hi Chris,
The Victor pigskin mat is not like chamois in any way.......
One side is lightly tanned (do not use this side facing up) whilst the other appears to be 'shaved'...with the texture of velvet (use this side).
The mat is dimensionally stable and does not absorb water...nor does it buckle, crease or deform under various temperature and humidity conditions.
It is really hard to imagine as I have handled nothing quite like it?
Regards

halcro

US customs has been holding a package of mine for over a month. I don't expect to ever see it.
Is that the one with the Victor pigskin platter mat in it Banquo?
Who wants desiccated pigskin being imported into the US of A...? :-)
I have a feeling it'll eventually be released...?
Good luck.

halcro

Bummer Banquo,
I'm surprised the SAS stylus doesn't sound well....?
It doesn't need much run-in time.....and it's improved the two cartridges I've transplanted it into.

halcro

Congratulations Banquo,
The set-up looks gorgeous...and the Victor appears in nice nick?
After you have some fun time listening........I do hope you will post some further impressions?
Meanwhile.....enjoy :-)

halcro

Well this might be audiophilia 'on the cheap'......but I have a hunch it sounds better than all but a few systems designed around 'cost-no-object'?
A truly fine collection of products and DIY.
Congratulations

halcro