I have cracked it!!!!

CJSF

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My post have often mentioned my 1980's system and the memories I have of the Valve based sound. At the front end, a Rock with matching tone arm and highly DIY'ed PSU cartridge. EAR MC head amp and our own design Valve Pre-amp, delivering a signal to a pair of EAR 509 mono power amps. This was all complimented by a pair of LS35a's on Foundation Designer stands.

The whole produced some remarkable musical performances that one could get lost in. I had two recordings that stood out head and shoulder above the rest, a pipe organ recording on label Proprius, Faglaena Och Kallorna, Bengt Berg, the second is on Classic's for Pleasure, Allegri Miserere, perfprmed in the Chapel, Merton Colloge, Oxford. Both recordings convayed all the sound atmosphere of the suroundings, harmonics and echo. The inage was dramaticaly real with the Merton College Chapel balcony, building hight and width ladout like a plan drawing. Both had a musical presance that I have never heard on any other system. The highs were totaly there on the organ with each pipe clearly in its position in the loft and yet all amalgimated as the whole in a way that puts shivers down my spine. The Tallis Singers are world wide performers with a reputation second to non, They use the accoustics of the Morton Chapel to the best advantage giving the building life like I have never since heard, the saprano top 'C' from the balcony has got to be heard to be believed.

OK, so thats what I remember, from the two referance recordings I used all the time in my system then. The system has long been split up, why did I do it . . . medical and personal issues that, to this day I still battle with.

The musical memories are dear to me, as are those two viynal recordings . . . fortunatly I still have them, indeed three copies of the Allegri Miserere, one of which, the original is totaly worn out by love.

To try to help me to recover from my medical isses, my Hazel sugested I rekindle my hifi interest, that was about 5 or 6 years ago? Again beccause of my instabuility I had dumped!!! . . . more than 3000 records back in the late 90's. Hoever 3-400 still remainded, it seemed resonable with that base to see what could be done. No way was the original system to be re built, a pair of new 509's were £18,000 at the time.

Slowly I built as you probable remember my post over the years. Finishing up with an Icon 45 valve amp, Rega P5TT Sumico MC cartrige, Carver MC coil step up and an Icon Valve Pre Amp. This all plays into my much loved LB1 transmision line monitors mounted on my original Foundation Designer stands.

As you all know, I have progresivly rebuilt the TT to its present state, very little of the original P5 is left with just the modified plinth, and glass platter left and I'm am still using the same original single belt drive motor, no external power supply, one found as mush gain could be had by uprgading the belt, £21 compared to £200, no contest.

A week ago, circumstances dictated I was house bound . . . what to do? I'm a great twiddler and tweaker, I have not realy don anything significant to the TT for a year or so. Check out time, see if we could get anything more out of it?

I found bolts needed tightening a tad, so go the whole hog and dismantle it and re build. The most critical factor was the cartrige alighnment, it was off by less than one degree . . . but it was off! This alone cured a very high frequancy sibiliance issue that I had always put down to the room. The plater is made in 6 layers, the glass forming the centeral structure, jugled a couple of these around which helped to smooth the intigration of sound out. And finaly, the tracking weight, alwas has been 1.9grs, it now runns at 1.712grs.

So I did all this, using Famouse 'Blue Rain Coat', sounding better and better, finaly I settled down late one evening, relaxed, put on the two 'special' records. Wow, that is my eight's sound. I cant leve it alone, pulling out verious much loved favourits, often playing the same side twice. I might even say the high frequancy is even better than that original system . . . probabl due to the stylus shape which was a simple elipticl form. Base is better, more tune full as one would expect with the Transmission Line speakers compared to 35a's and again the stylus profile. If you read between the lines, it is obvious there is still some tiny etras to be had from the record and presentation but they are so tiny, is it worth the effort . . . 'red rag to a bull'?

Still fighting my demons, keeping on top 'most of the time' ? ? ?

CJS

PS, I foud the link for the 'Bengt Berg Organ album' on Spotify, enjoy:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4Szj86dTzFFj86O1bzCNNp
 
Happy to second Cno! Good to hear from you!

Apropos very little, one of my old classmates went to the Tonemeister course at Surrey Uni after school. He recorded that original Tallis Scholars release, which was initially an LP on Classics for Pleasure, and ever since on their own Gimell label. He is still working, and we are now both in our sixties.

Happy Christmas!
 

CJSF

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nopiano said:
Happy to second Cno! Good to hear from you!

Apropos very little, one of my old classmates went to the Tonemeister course at Surrey Uni after school. He recorded that original Tallis Scholars release, which was initially an LP on Classics for Pleasure, and ever since on their own Gimell label. He is still working, and we are now both in our sixties.

Happy Christmas!

Hi Nopiano, thanks for your reply, interesting the link between your friend and the Tallis Scholars. I have three vinyle copies of the album two are on the original CfP label, not sure about the third, plus, I also have a Grimell CD.

The work I did befor Christmas has paid divedens on the digital side too . . . I listen a lot to spotify when working on my computer, the speakers are only 3ft each side of me. A slight change in the toe-in angle on the left speaker has made a significant improvement all round, which is especialy appreciated when sitting in this close coupled situation.

You can thank your friend for such a superb recording, it was a record my dear partner and I loved, nearly always played at the end of our late night listtening sessions, Horliks in hand and the lights turned off , , , the right music can be haunting, late and in the dark.

Hazel passed away June last year, I chose it as the 'walk in' music at the 'private' funeral, just me, Hazel and the minister who had supported us in the last few weeks. Such a vivid memory, the music, cofin, a single rose and a posy of sweet peas that I had been growing by the back door specialy for Hazel when she sat out in the sun. Sadly she did not get to see or smell the blooms, those were the first and last picked in 2016. Not such a sad momorie now, bitter sweet perhaps?

Curently listening to 'Jim Hall, Jazz Guitar'. Still fighting my demons at present not with much success.

CJS
 

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