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   Home » Analog Playback» The last phonocorrector: “End of Life" Phonostage (311 posts, 15 pages)
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  »  New  Where are our good phonostages?..  Omnigon Tubes...  Analog Playback Forum     61  638418  05-31-2004
  »  New  The Expressive Technologies SU-1..  “too bright” or “resolution” or “details” with SUT prim...  Analog Playback Forum     33  361530  12-30-2004
  »  New  EAR 834P Modification Guide..  The cap will not change volume in the pass band...  Analog Playback Forum     45  615963  02-09-2006
  »  New  My Analog Playback: the fat lady has sung..  My analog setup update....  Analog Playback Forum     9  115162  04-04-2006
  »  New  Phono stages with SU-1..  SU-1...  Analog Playback Forum     4  63752  11-23-2007
  »  New  Chasing utopian better phono interconnect...  Did I miss something?...  Analog Playback Forum     6  106902  06-05-2008
  »  New  Buying a last cartridge...  Lucky you...  Analog Playback Forum     80  779414  09-05-2008
  »  New  EAR 834P mods..  The cap will not change volume in the pass band...  Analog Playback Forum     45  615963  11-04-2008
  »  New  AMR PH-77: just another phonostage or more?..  Oh, yeah... the sound of the Thing Itself......  Analog Playback Forum     11  126925  07-05-2009
  »  New  An interesting Russian pnonocorrector...  Uber-tweeky phono topologies deconstructed...  Analog Playback Forum     9  95073  03-01-2010
  »  New  Expressive Technologies SU-1 and cartridge output and i..  MV and Ohms...  Analog Playback Forum     2  31927  07-07-2011
  »  New  How to run MM-type cartridge into MC phonostage?..  Quite interesting....  Analog Playback Forum     6  64084  11-13-2011
  »  New  The tales of two phonostages: Allnic and 834PT...  The tales of two phonostages: Allnic and 834PT....  Analog Playback Forum     0  22391  12-21-2011
06-06-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
cv
Derby, United Kingdom
Posts 173
Joined on 09-15-2004

Post #: 51
Post ID: 7545
Reply to: 7544
Tunable Y-factor?

Allo gents,
not sure if you've seen this:
http://www.pmillett.com/etf_sod.htm
http://www.pmillett.com/file_downloads/ThesoundofDistortion.pdf

Pete devised a circuit whose distortion order and level could be controlled. It was for educational purposes but might find application in - to quote JC Morrison - a hedonistic preamp.
cheers
cv

06-06-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 52
Post ID: 7547
Reply to: 7545
Harmonically-proper vs. harmonically-flexible
Thanks, Chris, it is interesting but juts for sake of self-education. I think the key is to have a unit that would have humanly-proper among of distortions or the distortions that in regard to the “Beach Effect” would mimic acoustic distortions to which we are have tined. What the signature of those distortions shell predictably be I personally o not know. Some people insist that they do, but I do see no credible and consistent success from nobody. It might be fun to have such a device to be plugged in it a tape loop, in fact I have proposed to one manufacture a few years ago this idea. Then I realized that making a harmonically-right devise is better then to make it harmonically-flexible.


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
06-11-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 53
Post ID: 7564
Reply to: 7543
Some comment on the characteristic of air-cap sound.

Last night electricity was surprisingly OK, despite of the current heat wave and that everyone runs air-conditioning and I found myself listing deep into high. It was mostly LP and I came to a few interesting observations regarding the sound of my air-cap armed phonocorrector. The corrector has now it’s good tubes, closed up and as now it is in the state how it will be permanently.

I looks to me that corrector has own signature but not the signature that simile to any other correctors I have heard. The uniqueness that I would like to comment on this corrector is its ability go up in dynamic range of high frequency without introduction of… anything beside just a higher dynamic range of high frequency. The corrector gains volume in upper mid range with stunning cleanness. In my view it is unknown and not anticipated in audio as rise of HF volume is always associated with rise of some artifacts. The air-cap armed corrector does not do it, does not do it at all. While the air-cap filter has orders of magnitude more sophisticated and unsoiled ability to run across HF ranges it also open up unheard ability for discrimination of upper MF and HF differences. The idiosyncrasies of the “string bite” in each section, each orchestra, each style of playing manner and…. each pressing or each stamp batch became more highlighted, more insistently distincting one from other. Still, it is doe not by differentiating the artifacts patterns and most of audio does but somehow different, I do not know how to describe it at this point  – it shell be heard. You see, the air-cap has no “resolution”. It delivers very distinctive HF but no “resolution”. I always told that “resolution” was invented by Morons who would like to catalog the playback artifacts – the air-cap filter can afford to do “no resolution” type of sound.

Still, I feel that air-cap has own coloration. This “no resolution”, vacuum-clean HF dynamic is coloration itself as I do recognize this characteristic across all music that the corrector plays. The sound of the air-corrector has own signature- the “signature of tempted virtue” – this behavior does not exist during my experience of live musical events. I think I need some time to reflect and to think about what I hear from this corrector.

I do not particularly like Asian women. A few of them that I dated annoyed me tremendously with their overly zealous desire to compliment and please me. I am, as any other person, do not mind to be praised but I would like to get as a reimbursement for some kind accomplishes of mine that I personally values. To be admired by those Asian girls just because I was a current man in their live made me very fell boring and I always voluntary escape from the glorifications of the Asian women right into the hands of our Western bitching and demanding females. So far the air-cap filter in my phonocorrector acts in the way like an Asian woman those overly enthusiastic do essentially very positive things. Perhaps I ask too much or perhaps this effect will moderate itself with time but so far it is what it is.

The, the Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
06-11-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,570
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #: 54
Post ID: 7565
Reply to: 7564
The sound of one hand clapping
I was wondering how the record heat would affect your progress.  Lucky you.

Interesting observations about the air cap.  Of course I am curious whether the added clarity additionally rewards/punishes +/- precision with VTA/SRA?

I have zero experience with air caps, but I did report on the big (4.7 uF) Teflon/PVC "composite" parafeed caps in the K&K.  This experience made me think about the idea of "viscosity" as I undestand it, the +/- cloying "drag" or "suction" on the sound as it tries to accelerate.

No matter what I hear about components in the way of buzz, when I actually listen to +/- music they deliver, there has always been issues with bowed strings, especially violions, and particularly massed violins.

Setting aside massed violins for now, one of the things I like best about the $$$ Cardas caps is that I finally clearly hear the bow work on violins, and not just the solos.  I realize that violinists can hear this with a table radio, or over the phone, but for me this really enhances recordings like the Beethoven PVC Trio that I posted about on the Music Forum.

This is NOT to say I now have "unrestrained" dynamics!  And after 45 years I am still waiting for massed strings to open up naturally.  Although I read about this a lot in the audiophile magazines, I suppose I will first need a recording where this actually happens...

Anyway, as far as I am concerned, balanced natural "expression" is a VERY good thing, and "touch" and "timing" at this level are the "Ballgame".

You did not mention it, but I am guessing that pitch distinction is also OK.  Looking back, there may be a certain "over-lap" between the dynamic suction and a slight smearing of pitch/tone.

Best regards,
Paul S
06-12-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 55
Post ID: 7567
Reply to: 7565
The air-caps as an ultimate cap.
Paul,

in my view the air-caps as an ultimate cap, the ultimate by own intrinsic topology. It is particularly the case for the 834P- like application as in there the cap is not biased by high voltage DC and gets constantly re-polarized. You see the problem with capacitor is the electromechanical influence of dielectric. A capacitor might be visualized as a termination of transmission line where a dielectric acts as a brick wall. However, any dielectric has own ability to be polarized (Teflon I think is the best from this perspective) and doing it is acts as a very microscopic cone of loudspeaker, changing it’s proximity to conductor and modifying the transmission line termination. In case of air-caps there is no dielectric at all, so there is no variation or reflection from it with change of the signal. The vacuum caps that I was planning to use initially even advanced from this perspective fun but they have own problems. Is the air-caps that I used are the ultimate cap? Not really. To make it ultimate it would make send to build own fixed air caps. It is very simple to do – just an array of parallel cupper plates. I did not do it but I might try it another day if I have too much itch in my hands.

The caT


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
06-20-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 56
Post ID: 7615
Reply to: 7564
The tempted virtue of the phonostage’s prostitution.

 Romy the Cat wrote:
Still, I feel that air-cap has own coloration. This “no resolution”, vacuum-clean HF dynamic is coloration itself as I do recognize this characteristic across all music that the corrector plays. The sound of the air-corrector has own signature- the “signature of tempted venture” – this behavior does not exist during my experience of live musical events. I think I need some time to reflect and to think about what I hear from this corrector. 
I was playing music latterly off vinyl and was thinking about the sound nature of my phonocorrector.  Above I said that the air-cap filter has own signature – I said it, I feel it but I have difficulties of get handle on it. I am very much free from a stupid pursue to have an coloration/signature -free phonocorrector, however I would like to have whatever colorations/signatures it might have were understood my me (not in design trims but in sonic trims) and were agreed by me. So, I have difficulties so far to understand (and I am quite good with that) the characteristic signatures of my “End of Life Phonocorrector”. Those signatures are there but they are amazingly elusive. This Phonocorrector has the temperament of a whore – it is very new to me.

Usually any piece of audio with which I dealt had own sonic set signatures. It is not necessarily bad thing. It like an accents in language – in many instances accents modify the meaning of said, however if the subject exposed at crucial level of depth then the presence and the value of accents become irrelevant. The same is with the sonic signatures of audio elements – the all screw up the sounds but if they hold the basic integrity of Sound then those signatures are out of attention. As I said the “End of Life Phonocorrector” has own signatures at “the sounds” level and I might not even convinced that they are so transparent from a perspective of Sound. However here is exceptionally interesting thing - the signatures are not static as in any other audio element I head but they shift from record to record.

Playing some records that I know very well for years and that I played in different settings I might identify the very fine specifics that I feel are not the part of this specific recording/pressing but rather a sonic contribution of my playback, a phonocorrector in given case. However, with another record the characteristic sonic injection from this phonocorrector changes. The phonocorrector truly prostitute itself, subduing own integrity and somehow reacting to the demands of the requestor. It is VERY interesting and in much unexpected behavior. I truly cannot get grip for it as now and I need to think about it more…

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
06-20-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,570
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #: 57
Post ID: 7617
Reply to: 7615
Clarity vs. VTA vs. Character
Romy, you have said you are impatient with VTA, so I wonder if you have wondered enough to try playing with this just a little, to hear for yourself if the added clarity of the corrector includes VTA differences and/or if VTA has anything to do with what you are or are not hearing from your unit.

Have you noticed/compared the degree of the effects with spherical vs. line contact styluses?

I am not talking about "putting the pivot end of the arm downhill", or anything that provincial.  I am talking about the actual record to record angles becoming audible.

Weirdest case would be different sounds when playing the same record with the same cartridge, etc. twice in a row and getting different sounds; but I presume you are not experiencing this?

If sound merely differs record to record, welcome to the club...


Best regards,
Paul S
06-21-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 58
Post ID: 7626
Reply to: 7617
What VTA has to do with phonostage?
Paul,

I am not sure what VTA and anything else has to do with phonostage. The VTA is not a characteristic of Sound but a property of a given cartridge. Sine I it set and the VTF is not changed I do not change VTA. I do not use VTA to change sound, I get best from a cartridge and lest the rest elements to do their duty.

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=45#45

Rgs, Romy the Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
06-21-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,570
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #: 59
Post ID: 7629
Reply to: 7626
Phonostage vs. VTA

No, VTA is not in and of itself a characteristic of Sound; but in my own system the stylus' vertical tracking/rake angle is not something that results inthe same sound no matter where I put it.  In fact, even small changes profoundly affect the character of the sound that the phonostage is expected to "make the most of".  And in my system, record thickness and original cutting angle are both - apparently - factors to be reckoned with in terms of setting VTA, which, in turn, audibly affects the character of the sound, in a "pattern" similar to what you have described earlier.

Sure, it's a nuisance; but this does not make it go away.  And at the same time it is something I am able to dial to very beneficial effect.

Best regards,
Paul S

06-21-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 60
Post ID: 7642
Reply to: 7506
The 834PTF’s cathode follower: tube vs. SS

 Romy the Cat wrote:

OK, here are some follow up thoughts after the completion of the project. I am sure I will burn it for a month or so. I think everything will be fine, I do not expect any issuers technical or sonic. The way how the entrance to the corrector done it is very easy to replace the 4 cable from 4 arms without replacing the cables. As I told I did found a very interesting “second phonostage” (very convent one) that I was planning to use with my other arms but if it is so convent to flip the cable I wonder if I go for the second phonostage. I still have my former 834PT and the 7788-7721 phonostage available, all performing perfectly fine … later on I will decide if I willing to use them.

There is one area that I would like to explore with my “End of Life" Phonostage after it will settle down. The very smart fist stage in there will be stay as is, also I have no interest to experiment with second stage. The last stage is just a cathode follower. In my ultimate buffer experiment I never was able to get a good transparency from tube buffers, so I am intending to put there (as an experiment) a transistor instead the last 12AX7. I am not planning to change anything but juts to take a male 9-pin tube socket, solder in there a transistor that is able to care 300V and juts plug it and play. It is possible that with SS output buffer I might get different result. What kind result I would like to get? Sonically I can’t at this point to identify what I would like to get but measurements –wise I would like to drive the low range to sub 8Hz at 0dB. It is not that my hands are itching but I feel that at line level SS buffer shell do better than a tube…. If someone know any good sounding low power (5-15mA) transistor at 300V-350V then please let me know. So far I was proposed MPSA42, ZTX458 and suitable but too powerful MJE340. As a reader of my site suggested:

“The NPN will reduce the output impedance => will affect the Riaa feedback increasing the gain by ~1db@20Hz and ~0.5db@50Hz(in your setup will be quite noticeable). A quick and dirty remedy is to add a resistor (1k5-1k8) in series with the emitter of the NPN. Although this could be useful to reveal the sonic properties of the NPN it may also defeat the trouble”

I still consider the options how to make the experiment with buffers substation clean and methodologically kosher. Sine I have absolutely no knowledge at SS any recommendation are welcome via the site or direct emails.

I made the experiment drop-in replacing the output stage of my second (none-air) 834PTF phonostage with a SS devise. Remind that it just a pure MM phonostage and it use my “dirty arm”: Grado Platinum, with SME M2-12 arm, VdH D-501 cable, 47K and 150pF load. It is not my best sounding arm but I was interested to observe the delta of everything identical just replacing the 12AX7 in the output cathode follower: to a transistor.

The guys who red my site advised me in selection of a SS devise that would do no changes to sircut of any kind and would be just drop-in replacement. I bought MPSA42:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/PDF/MPSA42.pdf

EAR834PT_19.jpg

 and plugged them in. The result was surprising to me.

I lost all bass, the bass in amplitude (a lot) and in quality - the bass become very shallow and unpleasantly fast.  Also, in a very minor degree the very HF become too… SS-like. Surprise? Anyoe I hate the result and I put the tube back, I will not try it on my “End of Life" Phonostage

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
09-14-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 61
Post ID: 8255
Reply to: 5856
The “End of Life" Phonostage Status….

With my resent battle with Shelter and the off the FM session analog renaissance I am playing a lot of records and there is one observation I would like to make. I feed all my 3 “better” tonearms into the “End of Life" Phonostage and I can’t not to mention how beautifully the Phonostage behave and sounds, in fact it is beyond beautiful, it is truly extraordinary.

I usually is very bitchy about the performance of audio elements, would it mine or others. I know well where my own audio element slips. However, with the “End of Life" Phonostage I have literally no single point where I would have an issues. It just does phenomenal Sound and it turned out to be phenomenally friendly and accommodating in my setup. As far as I concern the “End of Life" Phonostage is truly deserves it’s name…

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
09-14-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
drdna
San Francisco, California
Posts 526
Joined on 10-29-2005

Post #: 62
Post ID: 8256
Reply to: 8255
Specific air cap changes
Romy,

What specific objectives did the air caps address in the circuit? You refer to the tempted virtue sound but I am unsure as to the goals that you were trying to achieve with this circuit alteration?
09-14-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 63
Post ID: 8259
Reply to: 8256
The air capacitors 'allegations'.

 drdna wrote:
What specific objectives did the air caps address in the circuit? You refer to the tempted virtue sound but I am unsure as to the goals that you were trying to achieve with this circuit alteration?
Adrian,

 I what wrote about the air caps in the thread: “Where are our good phonostages?”

The genuineness of this Paravicini circuit is that he use feedback to plate – or to vey high impedance – and in this situation it revilers very small values of capacitance to write the necessary RIAA curve. In fact the curve is written not by the feedback but by the Miller capacitance of the tube. The 12AX7 was designer as audio tube, it is a radio-frequency rube  and therefore is has very high Miller capacitance, the capacitance the otherwise conceded as parasitic but the smart Paravicini put it actually in the beneficial use. So we have a circuit with “hidden RIAA”.

Now Paravicini adds the very light touch of capacitance into feedback to make the Miller capacitance to work what it shell work. The values are very small s the capacitance in feedback sort of multiply the tube’s own Miller capacitance. The series capacitors in feedback, regardless of value and types are very bad. In fact a feedback cap is the more auditable them loading, coupling, cathode or any other cap. The coupling cap for instance is charged with DC on both sides and the AC. What cap is? It is the sequence of conductive and non- conductive surfaces where non- conductive dielectric acts as an abrupt termination of AC flow. However, the dielectric is not a perfect dielectric and has some free electrons in itself that can care the signal.  This abrupt termination induces a microscopic force in the dielectric that make the dielectric to move, and by virtue of it creating variable reflections of transmission termination. So, that coupling cap has already charged or pollarded with DC on both sides and the cap’s conductors have already biased or physically oppressed the cap’s dielectrics. In case of cap sitting in feedback there is no DC (in second cap) and the dielectrics are not damped. Furthermore the re-polarization of dielectrics does not happen at non-auditable frequency but at very much auditable frequency – the frequency of the correction. I do not even mention that dielectrics experience different behavior of  electro- mechanic induction at different frequencies…

 So, how to create a better condition on this situation? The concussion is to get rid of dielectric all together. The non-dielectric caps: air or vacuum are very large for a given value but in this Paravicini case the values of the caps are so small (100pf and 300pf) that the air caps could be called for the duty.

I do not say the in the “End of Life Phonostage” the air caps is something that made all sound. The ET SU-2 transformer I think is the very heart of this Phonostage and 80% response for the corrector’s sound. Still, I think the air caps were very contributive as well. I did not listen the “End of Life Phonostage” with mica caps but I did listen and did “evaluate” the vintage mica, the polystyrene and air caps in context of my 7788-7721 phonostage.  (It uses the absolutely the same Paravicini’s ides of feedback only uses7788 pentode in input and has just two stages). The result was very superbly convincing and perfectly proved the theory about the fundamental advantages of air caps.

The caT


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
09-14-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,570
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #: 64
Post ID: 8260
Reply to: 8259
One tube, two channels?
Romy, doesn't Tim de P also use this cool Miller capacitance idea in his never-mentioned "high end" tubed corrector?  Also,  do I remember reading that he runs both channels through the two halves of the same twin-triode 9-pin tube?  Is this something you changed when adapting two units for stereo?  BTW, I have never heard the P88, or whatever he calls it.

Best regards,
Paul S
09-14-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 65
Post ID: 8267
Reply to: 8260
The halves of the twin-triodes

 Paul S wrote:
Romy, doesn't Tim de P also use this cool Miller capacitance idea in his never-mentioned "high end" tubed corrector?  Also,  do I remember reading that he runs both channels through the two halves of the same twin-triode 9-pin tube?  Is this something you changed when adapting two units for stereo?  BTW, I have never heard the P88, or whatever he calls it.

Well, it was a long debate in the past if to keep my “End of Life Phonostage” as it use to be: six tubes, having 3 halves running right and left channels and keeping other halves half “cold”. I eventually decided to go for just 3 tubes running right and left on the opposite halves of the same twin-triode. I very careful considered the cons and pros and consulted with many people. I still do not know if my decision was “correct” but below is my rational. Subjectively I think that I did detect some very negligibly minor advantage of six tubes version but it was so none-conclusive and so non indicative that I discarded it as a margin of the experiment.

For using halves of the same twin-triode:

·  Less costly tubes.
·  Less inner chassis hit.
·  Less filament AC inside the phonostage chassis
·  More compact and elegant layout
·  Inability to reuse the tubes buy flipping them to another side when the current cathode is gone
·  The tubes of the right and left channels come from the “same barrel” (gas contamination, cathode poisoning etc)

Against using halves of the same twin-triode:

·   Alleged crosstalk

I truly do not know any other considerations then crosstalk and here how I thought:

According to the papers the crosstalk in the twin-triode is around 90dB-100dB. It is VERY high number; do not forget that cartridges have 20dB-30dB. The numbers of crosstalk are mystery for me and I was not able to see how extra 10-20dB of improved crosstalk do better for imaging subjectively. I figured that 90dB-100dB if electrical separation in twin-triode is too high do not worry about it. The 100dB of separation even my Macondo can’t handle as my horn pick the pressure from room and have their diaphragms to act as microphones. I have my amps off and might talk at my room in normal voice, having the channel loudness-to-pick- modulation meters on Macondo running a full scale…

So, I think and feel  that in practical application the theoretical crosstalk in twin-triode is way offset by the advantage I enumerated above.

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
09-15-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,570
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #: 66
Post ID: 8279
Reply to: 8267
"Crosstalk"
As it happens, the K&K uses a similar-but-different version of this, with the gain halves divided to sandwich the Loesch-style network.

If I am not mistaken, a couple of the "classic" microphones also "split" twin triodes for stereo.  In any case, I have not noticed any crosstalk, at all.  To the contrary, I have to reposition my speakers to get center fill on even marginally hard-panned recordings.

At this point, it certainly appears that simplicity/shorter traces, etc. trump "greater separation", and T d P and KC know what they are doing, despite "conventional wisdom".

Best regards,
Paul S
10-26-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 67
Post ID: 8630
Reply to: 5856
I just love sound of this phonocorrector.
fiogf49gjkf0d
I needed to make a very minor grounding correction in my “End of Life" Phonostage that make me to take it off the system and open it up. I realized that I never made a picture of it when it was done. As I said before - after 6 month of service I am hugely in love with the sound of this thing. I am kind of so accustomed that all my audio have a “second layer”, the layer where I am not completely satisfied that “End of Life Phonostage” turned out to be a very pleasant exception. It was vertically painless; it had no “mysteries” with bad sound, it had no unpredictable things that needed to be researched and evaluated. The sound of the corrector just perfect and even the ergonomic of the thing is perfect. The only thing that I feel it a “weak” is that the “End of Life Phonostage” can’t be shacked as it has air caps that might run away with value under a violent tremble. I do not see it possible as my Phonostage is sitting in my 1.5 ton rock. Anyhow, here is the picture of the thing, and I love it with ANY cartridge. That IS the End of Life Phonostage.

End_of_Life_Phonostage.jpg


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
11-16-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 68
Post ID: 8871
Reply to: 8630
To close the book on the correctors subject ...
fiogf49gjkf0d

To close the book on the correctors subject I put some comments in a dedicated page in “My playback” section.

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/EndOfLifePhonostage.aspx

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
01-16-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 69
Post ID: 12711
Reply to: 5856
"End of Life Phonostage" in Thai
fiogf49gjkf0d

Here is a Thai guy looks like built my “End of Life Phonostage”

http://www.kaponk.com/node/715

I do not see nether input choke or air capacitors in correction chain. The most important I have no idea what step-up transformer he used and what kind sound he is after. I am sure he can read schematic and to solder but it not so important skills. I do not read Thai but from I understood he did not talk about sound of this thing in his article.

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
03-29-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 70
Post ID: 13237
Reply to: 5856
Sucks!
fiogf49gjkf0d

It is always there is something that poisons everything. It is last night in my Boston apartment, a night before the final big move and I was in the middle if heavy packing. Suddenly as lighting stroke me: I was moving my moved audio equipment from one bedroom to another bedroom, letting the carper guy to do his job, as suddenly I realized that I did not move my End of Life Phonostage. All my equipment was sitting in one bedroom and all of it has one way or another some kind of handles. The End of Life Phonostage has no handles of any kind and I do remember that whatever I moved I used handles. I dropped everything and rushed to my new place and for sure I did not see my phonostage.  I do distinctly remember that I move it, right on the seat of my car, driving very gently in order do not fuck up the air capacitors, and now it look like it gone. If it so then it is VERY sad!!!

I heard that during the move the things walk. Over the last 2 week I have contractors working in my new place. I do feel very confident and comfortable about them, still where the hell my phonostage? I am sure no one need it beside me, particularly without power supply, still the bedroom is the only room where all equipment sits and the phonostage is not there.  If it were lost then phonostage itself is not a big deal but it had the Expressive Technologies SU2 transformer in it and this is non-replaceable. This feeling of lost phonostage really poisons my entire getting new house ceremony and I am very upset…

Is it God punished me for the overly ambitions name of the phonostage – “The End of Life Phonostage” or is it some kind of sarcastic message of him for my arrogant treatment of the phonostage as the last statement of pnonocorrector?  I do not know.  I was driving back to Boston to continue packing and was thinking that I would need a new phonostage – I so do not want to deal with phonostages anymore…

Anyhow, I got home and I am not in the mood the pack. A few thousands LPs left to be packed but I have no feel to touch the vinyl.  Fuck it, I will ask the movers to pack it tomorrow, I am in the moaning for my “The End of Life Phonostage”…

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
03-30-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
oxric
Posts 194
Joined on 02-12-2010

Post #: 71
Post ID: 13238
Reply to: 13237
Is God's phonostage better than Romy's? It is now!
fiogf49gjkf0d
 Romy the Cat wrote:

...This feeling of lost phonostage really poisons my entire getting new house ceremony and I am very upset…

Is it God punished me for the overly ambitions name of the phonostage – “The End of Life Phonostage” or is it some kind of sarcastic message of him for my arrogant treatment of the phonostage as the last statement of pnonocorrector? 

The Cat


Romy,

Your post made me feel so sorry for you. For a moment or two... then I laughed.

I have imaginings of our elderly creator sitting down with his immensely comprehensive LP collection and looking at the latest addition to his collection of ultimate objects of desire, Romy's  ET SU-2 based phonostage. Maybe the provenance is somewhat less christian than he would have wished, but I have no doubt that he will  derive endless hours of pleasure spinning his LPs from now on. Maybe he will feel in such happier spirits that a few less children will die of starvation in the god-forsaken places of the world (which do not include Boston or its suburbs I hasten to add). If that is any consolation...

I have a battery-powered phonostage if you are interested...

All the best
Rakesh



03-30-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Reggie
Posts 13
Joined on 05-08-2008

Post #: 72
Post ID: 13239
Reply to: 13238
Um, what?
fiogf49gjkf0d
Hi, Reggie here.

Sorry Rakesh, but I have to say; what a smug tosser's answer. What the heck does God and Starving children have to do with his phonostage? Is he supposed to feel guilty for being upset about it being gone and why would you laugh about it?? Really Sorry Romy.. Hope you find it. Really I do...
03-30-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
gormee
Posts 9
Joined on 05-28-2009

Post #: 73
Post ID: 13240
Reply to: 13237
Alternative Transformer
fiogf49gjkf0d

Dear Romy,


I truly am sorry to hear about your loss. You certainly do not deserve this. If it is any consolation you might like to check out

the following website for an insight into the Bent transformers in relation to Expressive. Not sure how much credence you give to the 

info but you have  to start somewhere.


http://www.high-endaudio.com/RC-Step-ups.html


regards,


Gordon 

03-30-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
oxric
Posts 194
Joined on 02-12-2010

Post #: 74
Post ID: 13241
Reply to: 13239
Sorry to have upset your sensitive self, Reggie.
fiogf49gjkf0d
 Reggie wrote:
Hi, Reggie here.

Sorry Rakesh, but I have to say; what a smug tosser's answer. What the heck does God and Starving children have to do with his phonostage? Is he supposed to feel guilty for being upset about it being gone and why would you laugh about it?? Really Sorry Romy.. Hope you find it. Really I do...


Hi Reggie:

Like most people out there, I happen to have to face all sorts of unnecessary stresses in my life on a routine basis, and must say that humour or a sense of perspective do more wonders for me than 'Really Sorry Romy...Really I do', with the effusive ellipsis.

Let me give you an example or two. You are having a nap on a hot summer's day and wake up to find your house on fire, manage to escape but with all your worldly possessions, gone. How about waking up in the morning and finding that your house has been burgled during your sleep, a lot of your equipment stolen, including all  the thousands of photographs of your little ones, including the camera, laptop and back-up hard drives where they were stored?

Regards
Rakesh



03-30-2010 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree
Romy the Cat


Boston, MA
Posts 10,049
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #: 75
Post ID: 13242
Reply to: 13241
A stimulation by Gog's fiction?
fiogf49gjkf0d
Rakesh, yes, this is what upsets me – the fact that I do see a lot of God’s irony in the event and in a way I find it … stimulating.  Hey, I do not even believe in “God” but I find it stimulating.

Thanks, Gordon. I do (did) have the Bent transformer – it was not even remotely close to Expressive. You need to be careful with Arthur’s writing. 10-12 years ago Arthur’s writing had some rational, was it right or wrong, agree one with him or not but it was more or less lucid and cogent. Then Arthur shot himself in the foot and begun to develop a “brand” around his view and it become boring. I generally have tendency to read what people write for themselves not for others. Otherwise prefer to read function and I know much more interesting fiction writers then Arthur Salvatore….

The Cat


"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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