Adventures in amplification

[DaveF]

By the way Dave could you list the 'problematic' recordings....

Too many to list here Dermot but the test track that I use is:

Track 4 of Italian Oboe Concertos Vol 2, Naxos 8.554772 (It only says Vol 2 on the back though)

This track in particular has Oboes, Flutes and Clarinets and they can resonate in your ear with the Wadia and the Opus. It wasnt a problem with the Meridian.

Dusty in Memphis on vinyl (4menbeards) is another that sounds terrible with exessive sibilance and brightess but recently I came across several complaints online from many about the same. It would appear that some copies of this pressing has this problem.

[DaveF]

All the above would suggest that it just a case of simply finding the right CD player and that the Kharma/Airtight combo isnt at fault.

If you want to borrow the Lector after Christmas we could arrange something.

Thanks a lot Ivor. I'll be in touch in the new year.

[cybot]

By the way Dave could you list the 'problematic' recordings....

Too many to list here Dermot but the test track that I use is:

Track 4 of Italian Oboe Concertos Vol 2, Naxos 8.554772 (It only says Vol 2 on the back though)

This track in particular has Oboes, Flutes and Clarinets and they can resonate in your ear with the Wadia and the Opus. It wasnt a problem with the Meridian.

Dusty in Memphis on vinyl (4menbeards) is another that sounds terrible with exessive sibilance and brightess but recently I came across several complaints online from many about the same. It would appear that some copies of this pressing has this problem.

Thanks for that Dave. Peculiar about Dusty in Memphis though! Must give my own copy a quick spin later....

Edit: Had a listen and for one who is extremely sensitive to sibilance I was amazed to find that the
Lp played just fine! But I do recall that an earlier copy of Dusty in Memphis (and with an
earlier system) sounded absolutely horrendous!

[Fran]

Dusty: I have that too. Fantastic record but with some peculiarity. I think first of all, it is a very sibilant recording anyway, and then on top of that the 4menwithbeards pressing is cut very "hot" so that while it plays louder, it's also harder for the cart to track it. If the alignment is fractionally out, or any aspect is not ideal, it becomes unlistenable.

But then i hate sibilance.

[cybot]

Dusty: I have that too. Fantastic record but with some peculiarity. I think first of all, it is a very sibilant recording anyway, and then on top of that the 4menwithbeards pressing is cut very "hot" so that while it plays louder, it's also harder for the cart to track it. If the alignment is fractionally out, or any aspect is not ideal, it becomes unlistenable.

But then i hate sibilance.

Seconded :) Which proves what I've been saying all along: if the system is too revealing then it's a pain in the butt to get every recording to sing!

[Claus]

Glad to hear of the progress with your amp problems Si! I was so facinated by those Graffs after reading about them in a reader's system report in a hifi mag years ago. They seemed like the ultimate amp from my perspective back then, and my heart skipped a beat, when I saw them on the Cloney site. Pleased to hear they are living up to my "expectations". ;) Congrats! They really do look amazing!

[james]

Hi Dave,

As I understand it your problem is bad sound from [among others] ..
"Track 4 of Italian Oboe Concertos Vol 2, Naxos 8.554772 (It only says Vol 2 on the back though)"

Maybe it is just a bad recording and your hi-fi is OK so I would suggest ..
a) Visit Cloney and ask him to produce any system that can make the track sound OK -- if he can then you know the CD is OK, if not .. well you can't prove a negative ... so maybe it's an OK recording but Cloney can't get something to play it properly
b) Maybe try some other shops
c) Try some of your friends hi-fi's

Of course a system that plays this well may turn out to play nothing else well .. but you need to know if it's just a bad recording and your system is just telling the truth.

Hope this helps

James

[Fran]

How have the new amps been going Si? Are you cured yet?

[Diapason]

How have the new amps been going Si? Are you cured yet?

Am I cured? Yes and no...

For the last week or so I've been suffering once again from the dreaded thin, flat, gutless sound that has been plaguing me on and off as described in the other thread. Luckily, I'd told Hazel during my week or two of blissful sound that she should expect me to start complaining about this, that I'd probably think I'd imagined the good sound, and that she was to remind me how excited I was when all was working properly. That's helping me to stay sane.

Ivan's first voltage monitor proved to be broken before I even borrowed it, and Christmas got in the way of me borrowing the new one he ordered, so I have no further investigations to report. Maddening, though. The sound has gone from being some of the best I've ever heard anywhere to one that's barely tolerable. Need to solve this now, especially since I know how well things *should* be performing.

Still very happy with my purchases though. One of the amps needs revalving, so I've ordered those and they're hopefully winging they're way from Ukraine. Can't wait to hear them in mono configuration. Just hope I get to hear them on one of the 'good' days.

[Fran]

Ah, a mix so - I was wondering if the new amps suffered from the same problems as the others.....

Baffling problem though!