The music gets sweeter as the listening hours go by . . .

[CJSF]

I'm a few hours into the running in period for my 'Jensen Cap' upgrade on the Icon Stereo 40. I doubt it requires to many hours if what I'm hearing is anything to go by; open, wide, high and deep, instruments and voice have taken on a new freedom that one has always believed was the rarefied world of very special and expensive amps? Such freedoms are obvious in BBC plays and programs so humble as the archers, it is like they are standing in the room holding a conversation, no boxiness or coloration, they are just there . . . Peggy has lost Jack after 23 years of married bliss, Helen has rocked the Archer family with an affair, all good stuff . . . :O

I have had a fiddle with the 'rectifier and first stage' valve combinations, I had a dozen or so possibilities? Ended up with the same NOS (new, old stock) early 70's rectifier valve from a B29 bomber that I have been using for 6 months, but a new 6SL7GT Tung-Sol valve has ousted the Russian jobbie I favored as the first stage . As valves take a time to burn in, this is probably also where changes are coming from. Tung-Sols are not expensive, staying with my thinking, that with careful selection and patience, the very expensive valves are not worth bothering with?

A few more hours this evening, into Horlicks hour.

CJSF

 

[JamesMellor]

Loving your happy time posts even if I dont understand anyone who likes the archers <S>

James

 

[chebby]

Such freedoms are obvious in BBC plays and programs so humble as the archers, it is like they are standing in the room holding a conversation, no boxiness or coloration, they are just there . . .

I get that from most of my BBC Radio material (especially the stuff i've ripped from CDs or listen to on FM). Radio - as you know - is my prime source and always has been since I was in my teens. I would expect nothing less of a well recorded BBC drama from a decent tuner (and a good FM roof aerial) or from a BBC CD. (Even iPlayer Radio makes a pretty good fist of it.)

I will often put The Archers on the hi-fi for my wife (especially Sunday mornings for the omnibus edition if she has missed a few during the week) and - although it's not particularly my thing - I am often suprised by the clarity and sheer presence of the character's voices and the totally believable sense of the different 'spaces' they are talking in. (Everything from kitchens to cowsheds.)

They are out of production now, but try to get hold of any of the 'Complete Smiley' full-cast dramatisations on CD. (I bought all of them as soon as they came out at the time.) Your library might even have some. They were impeccably recorded.

 

[JamesMellor]

yeah I think my entire fee is worth it for R4

 

[CJSF]

Coming to the end of tonights Holicks hour, early start in the morning. I was lazy to night, Spotify and CD's, as I have said before these mediums get better as I tweak and upgrade. True to form, the music has taken on that openness noted earlier. True the CDs chosen were known quality recordings, things like Enya 'Water Mark' and Original Master Recording of 'Dark Side of the Moon' dark side was particularly revealing.

I've always thought CD's were good since Rega replaced the lazer (free of charge) in my Apollo R, 12 months ago.

I will sleep easy tonight, looking forward to a days gliding tomorrow . . .

CJSF

 

[jjbomber]

yeah I think my entire fee is worth it for R4

You don't need a licence to listen to the radio, only for live TV broadcasts.

 

[CJSF]

Here we are Monday Night, heading for the Horlicks hour again. Today has been a revelation, I have been listening to vinyl all day, thats a lot of accumulated hours (30+ to this point) the ST40 has had since Thursday evening. Its sounded good from the start as reported, but today I started to notice an 'ethereal' depth and width not before heard, I heard it as potential. My thoughts processes kicked in, go through some valves changes.

There were a couple of valves I liked before but felt they were not quite right, but , may be had potential??? Time to back track, I changed the rectifier valve for a JJ, GZ34, half the physical size of the 'B29 potato masher' in there, more fine detail and air, thats good, then I changed the Tung-Sol 6SL7 for a a Philips valve that Dave Shaw strongly recommended. . . . The Philips had less than 1 hours use, same as the GZ34, they sounded OK together, cup of tea, relax, go back over some of the tracks I had been using during the past few days.

Slowly but very obviously, the sound stage started to open, its the stereo image developed, fine detail became obvious at lower volumes than normal?

Turned my attention once more to speaker position, another couple of mm open, excellent, tried a couple extra, no, went very left and right.

Back on Spotify this evening, sounding good, I'm thinking this warming, running in process is going to go on for a while longer than anticipated. I have been looking for extra sound stage, I've found it, 'with knobs on' . . . and not from where I thought I might get it either.

I doubt I'm going to bother with the LS50's any time soon?

CJSF