[TheChairGuy]

Hi Randy  

Long time no hear at AC...nice to see you again.

I love those $1.00 store records...except half are in abysmal condition..and half of those are lousy music (same ratio as CD's on that one, I'm afraid).  So, good playable records are about $2.00 each...still a bargain.

If you look thru this much longer than expected post on my ever eveloving journey back to vinyl, you'll see as part of the $600 outlay I bought a used Nitty Gritty for $150 on ebay.  It works great - really helps already well cared for vinyl quite a bit. The records that have been torn into with conical syli and fumble fingers (like, my wife's   ) are trashed no matter how you clean them.  No amount of Last Preservative restores them either...just live thru the clicks and pops, high distortion and toss them.

Keep in touch, bro - nice to hear from ya' again  

[randytsuch]

Hi Randy  

Long time no hear at AC...nice to see you again.

I love those $1.00 store records...except half are in abysmal condition..and half of those are lousy music (same ratio as CD's on that one, I'm afraid).  So, good playable records are about $2.00 each...still a bargain.

If you look thru this much longer than expected post on my ever eveloving journey back to vinyl, you'll see as part of the $600 outlay I bought a used Nitty Gritty for $150 on ebay.  It works great - really hel ...

Hi
I still come by regularly to see if there are any interesting threads, but I don't post much anymore.  That seems to be true of a lot of the throwbacks to the HD days.
I was hanging out more at head-fi for a while, then more recently at the vinyl asylum.  I guess I am fickle, but I always lurk here.
I missed that you have a nitty gritty.  I tried to buy one at audiogon a while back, but I was too late and missed it, so I make due with my DIY model.  I works fine, just a little more manual work.

Randy

[TheChairGuy]

Well howdy!  Cool blog on your new/old Empire 208, too  

[BobM]

You know how they say ex-smokers are the biggest boosters of anti-smoking campaigns. So now that you have seen the vinyl light, are you going to become a vinyl-junkie and start trying to convert the digital crowd to the "dark side"?  

Enjoy,
Bob

[TheChairGuy]

You know how they say ex-smokers are the biggest boosters of anti-smoking campaigns. So now that you have seen the vinyl light, are you going to become a vinyl-junkie and start trying to convert the digital crowd to the "dark side"?  

Enjoy,
Bob

CD has the convenience angle covered - that alone keeps it in the 'lighter' side of audio-philia.

I have to say, I have NEVER enjoyed music so much as I do now.  I actually sit, when my day is ended and after my daughter has been put to bed, for hours listening to music.  This is something I never do, or did, with CD.  I was always doing something else during playback...now I find I'm drawn to sit, admire and get lost in vinyl.

I think it's a real healthy stress-breaker.

All these years I've tried to cultivate a taste for classical (on CD).  Try as I might I could not fully embrace it.  Now, on vinyl, it is my preferred medium of music   As well, I actually hear things like the elusive imaging, or staging of the players and instruments in the performance.  Honestly, I poo-poo'ed the term 'imaging' as complete nonsense when I was all CD, all the time.  I never heard it, so I assumed it didn't exist or my listening skills were sub-par.  Turns out it was neither - it was the medium that was sub-par.

I think I'm starting to butt up against the law of diminishing returns now....where to get a little better fidelity will cost me a whole lot more than $600.00.  I love the Ortofon X5-MC for $200.00...it makes great music for a reasonable price (but you have to get that Geiger stylus tip's azimuth juuuust right to enjoy it...otherwise you just don't get the gist of it)

All for $600.00 (vs. a once thought of well spent $4500 on a CD front end).  Sheesh, amazing  

[woodsyi]

All these years I've tried to cultivate a taste for classical (on CD). Try as I might I could not fully embrace it. Now, on vinyl, it is my preferred medium of music

Now we need to get you into Opera.  You vinyl journey ain't over until the fat lady sings, you know.     I will be glad to send you a sampler............

[JoshK]

I am actually curious about opera myself, but much like classical, it comes to not knowing where to begin.

[woodsyi]

Josh,

You are already familiar with more Opera then you know from movies and TV.  I will be glad to send you a collection of aria with a note of what the aria is about if you like.  Kobbe's Opera Book is the definitive guide to opera.  Knowing the plot helps you put emotional framework on the singing.  Pretty soon, you will develope likes and dislikes for certain singers and composers and so forth.  Met is the opera company in the country -- you should give it a chance.  Either Carmen or Rigoletto would be a great introduction to Opera.  

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/season/

I have seen Denyce Graves as Carmen and she is good.  Ruth Ann Swenson also has a perfect voice for Micaela.  Giordani is supposed to be good but I havn't heard him in person.  And it's a Zeffirelli production; therefore, should be quite an eye candy.

If you don't have time for the Met, this DVD is a good introduction.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0783227477/002-1869032-5189643?v=glance&n=130

[TheChairGuy]

Good idea, Woodsyi!

I have to say my Pavarotti and Carerras (sp?) CD's are mostly unloved...but perhaps vinyl is the ticket to enjoying them.

Albums don't travel well (to CA from No. VA, at least), but thanks for the offer.  Sending them to Josh, only 200 miles north, seems a safer option for you.

I think I'll look for some Opera on vinyl.  There';s a vinyl only shop in Mill Valley, CA, about 6 miles from me, that I've never been in.  

Perhaps this is my reason to now  

[randytsuch]

I think I'll look for some Opera on vinyl.  There';s a vinyl only shop in Mill Valley, CA, about 6 miles from me, that I've never been in.  

Perhaps this is my reason to now  

Watch you wallet when you go to the shop.  Easy to spend money at a vinyl store.

Randy

[audiochef]

Chair Guy, you must be so proud that your combo of tweaks is turnig your tt into an actual cometitive source. I'm fortunate enough that it's all working for me as well.

Without the analog in the system , it really is only half a system. The vinyl Ido have are mostly different genre altogether . etc etc

Iv'e been listenig my totally retuned tweaked to hell and heavilly modded ess amt 1dsthey are awsome and extremely revealingI I'll keep these and my 40s of course and I'm quite sure I'll never crave any other speaker.

Josh, what me get into opera are the Classic reisues of living stereos . Just a tip

Peace,Stan

Ps.I still stand behind theGruve Glide

[randytsuch]

One thing I noticed when I had a digital only system, I was always trying to tweak it to sound better.  Now, that I have analog, and I think my cartridge is setup and pretty much dialed in, I just want to listen to music.  I actually should check my anti skating with the hifi news records, but I have not got around to it.

Randy

[TheChairGuy]

My vinyl experiments continued the past few days...with startlingly good results.

Damping troughs...most of the best arms made have them. I know of none for 'S' shaped arms...except those custom manufactured by KABUSA for the Technics SL-1200.  For a short period of time I owned a Townshend Audio Rock....with a damping trough at the headshell (the optimal place I'd think).  It had the best performance of any table I've had...and some of the best I've heard, period.

I made my 'universal' damping trought (located more convenient at the pivot) from aluminum foil, light damping 10,000 cst silicone (bought from TurntableBasics.com) and a 3/4" length of paper clip (as my paddle).  Total cost....umm about $10.06.  The silicone was $10.00...the materials about, errr, $0.06  

The result: superb.  Everything got quieter...from surface noise (bearing and arm now damped, I suppose) and improvements across the board.   And one thing completely unexpected...near total imperviousness to airborne feedback.  A solid whack on the side, any side/anywhere, of the JVC barely enters into the musical stream.  Only, and I mean ONLY, at high volumes...higher volumes than I ever listen to. Further, it takes a substantial hit to make the needle skip...improved tracking is surely one of the many major betterments from it.

It is only a player a Daddy could love, but it is far and away better than anything I could have imagined for an investment of $610.06 (including $150.00 for used Nitty Gritty cleaner).

Sorry the pics are a bit blurry...light streaming in this time of day does that to the 5 years old Kodak digi camera I'm using.  I need a new digi, I think (or a new user of it   )

For those tinkerers out there with $10.06 burning a hole in your pocket and some time to tweek (it takes time to trim the right length of paper clip and form the trough from the aluminum foil - really - it took a couple hours in total to do it).  I think the results will be very pleasing...and it is, conceivably, an upgrade for any arm, straight, low or high mass.  It is a good thing - with no noticed down side - except for your time used up making it.  But, if you are looking for a high bang for the buck upgrade...look no further than this $10.06 damping trough:

[meby]

Chairguy I sure hope that table sounds good because it is butt ugly

[TheChairGuy]

To me, it's not as bad as pics indicate.

However, you may remember the trick answer your friends gave you when they were setting you up on a blind date with someone and you were curious what she looked like......

"Don't worry, you'll like her, she has a great personality"

 

[skrivis]

My vinyl experiments continued the past few days...with startlingly good results.

Damping troughs...most of the best arms made have them. I know of none for 'S' shaped arms...except those custom manufactured by KABUSA for the Technics SL-1200.  For a short period of time I owned a Townshend Audio Rock....with a damping trough at the headshell (the optimal place I'd think).  It had the best performance of any table I've had...and some of the best I've heard, period.

I made my 'universal' damping trou ...

You could also try a piece of brass sheet or something that might present a larger surface to the silicone. That brass u-channel for the Longhorn mod might work well if you can figure out how to attach it to the tonearm.

[mcrespo71]

To me, it's not as bad as pics indicate.

However, you may remember the trick answer your friends gave you when they were setting you up on a blind date with someone and you were curious what she looked like......

"Don't worry, you'll like her, she has a great personality"

 

Good for you!!!  I'm sure she has a FABULOUS personality because she's tough to look at!

 

[randytsuch]

Hi Chairguy,
I am not completely clear how to make to add a damping trough, never saw one.

I figure you fill the aluminum with the damping liquid.
Then, you wrap the paperclip around the arm, so part of the clip is in the liquid?

A diagram might help  

On my next break, I will see if I can find a better pic of one on the net.

Randy

[TheChairGuy]

Hi Chairguy,
I am not completely clear how to make to add a damping trough, never saw one.

I figure you fill the aluminum with the damping liquid.
Then, you wrap the paperclip around the arm, so part of the clip is in the liquid?

A diagram might help  

On my next break, I will see if I can find a better pic of one on the net.

Randy

Randy,

KAB's version for the SL-1200 was my inspiration for mine - here's a bit on it and a good pic of it.  If you 'click da' pic'   you'll get another view of it.

http://kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/index.htm

I only use a 1/2" (or so) snip of the paper clip as my paddle - not the whole paper clip.  A little dab of blu-tak, rope caulk, plast-i-clay on the bottom of your arm, then put the snip of paper clip in it and let in dangle down into the silicone trough.

The KAB's is prettier, but this way works, too. I used 10,000 cst silicone...30,000 is available but you want to avoid overdamping.  It'll rob the setup of (bass - in particular) dynamics if overdamped.  I bought the silicone from Tim at TurnTableBasics.com for $10 ($4 flat shipping)

He also carries 100,000 cst silicone for damping cueing levers. I'm not sure if any of these 10, 30 or 100,000 cst silicones can be used in doing the whole hog van Alstine Longhorn modification for your Grado or other cartridge. Frank indicates using a 'few drops of 1000 centistroke liquid silicon into the coils. Then the cartridge stylus gets one drop of the liquid silicon into the opening where the stylus comes out of the "hole" (metal ring) in the plastic stylus carrier'.  Not sure if any of these weighted products can be used alternatively for that purpose.

The chemical name for it is polydimethylsiloxane (or PDMS)

You can even pump up your breast implants with it if you have extra afterwards.....

Many people are indirectly familiar with PDMS because it is the primary component in Silly Putty, to which PDMS imparts its characteristic viscoelastic properties. The rubbery, vinegary-smelling silicone caulks, adhesives, and aquarium sealants are also well-known. PDMS is also used as a component in silicone grease and other silicone based lubricants, as well as in defoaming agents, damping fluids, heat transfer fluids, cosmetics and other applications. PDMS has also been used as a filler fluid in breast implants, although this practice has decreased somewhat, due to safety concerns. It continues to be used in knuckle replacement implants, with good results.

I used a paper clip as it was readily available and free....but you may have other paddles you can think of using. Solid core magnet wire seems like it would work, too.

[TheChairGuy]

Just realized cst = centistoke after some checking on the net.

Soooo, unless Frank van Alstine left of a zero on his recipe, 10,000 cst would seem to be too viscous (that is, flow more like molasses than water) for the Longhorn purpose. Perhps the coils would be overdamped using 10,000 cst.

Caveat emptor  

But, it's great for damping trough purposes