kvetcha
Well-Known Member
I’ve heard both a higher end MIMC cart (the Hyperion) and SoundSmith’s Strain Gauge system and came away very very impressed, so I’m champing at the bit for this one to arrive.
Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice
- Thread starter Joe Mac
- Start date
I’ve heard both a higher end MIMC cart (the Hyperion) and SoundSmith’s Strain Gauge system and came away very very impressed, so I’m champing at the bit for this one to arrive.
HuddieLedbetter
Well-Known Member
Oh my goodness
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
So a little PSA for tube amp owners specifically using and or thinking about using ZU speakers. My PL has an 8 and 4 ohm tap for speakers, I recently picked up a set of Omen DW's from ZU's deal page, these particular DW's had an upgrade to the Druid Mk.IV Drivers. Knowing that the ZU's in general take a little time to run in properly and positioning is a bit of a trial and error to get them just right, I didn't panic (too much) that the sound was good, but not great at first.
Through all that, I could get the sound "better" but not completely to my liking, I had some sibilance issues as well as the sound being a little harsh/bright at times, but again, my mind set was to let everything just simmer in a while. I did reach out to the ZU Crew to get their take on the matter and they did explain that some tube amps are a bit finicky with the ZU's and prefer to work closer to the amps speaker ratings. The Druid drivers put my speakers at 16 ohms (DWs usually at 12), which in general, shouldn't be an issue with most amps according to ZU, but ZU does offer a solution.
ZU offers Load Resistors in a few "sizes" to basically plug and play your speakers down to a different ohm value. They recommended using a set of these resistors to bring the Druid drivers closer to 8 ohms (ends up at 7.7). Got them in the mail, installed them in literally 2 minutes and let the amp warm up for a little. You can find the resistor conversion chart at the bottom of this page if your interested.
These resistors were like Viagra for my system, cleaned up all the sibilance, harshness and even dug deeper into the low end. Very relieved it was a simple fix and kudos to the ZU Crew for getting back to me and taking my specific set up into consideration when offering a solution. I gotta admit I was starting to panic a little, you put so much into a system and then hear it going the wrong direction when adding quality upgrades can get nerve racking.
So all is well in the world, I can now really hear what the ZU's have to offer, we're probably going to join the Gold V3 group in the near future, I think the Gold's sound characteristics will round off the sound on my system nicely.
So again, just a PSA in case anyone happens into this dilemma
Through all that, I could get the sound "better" but not completely to my liking, I had some sibilance issues as well as the sound being a little harsh/bright at times, but again, my mind set was to let everything just simmer in a while. I did reach out to the ZU Crew to get their take on the matter and they did explain that some tube amps are a bit finicky with the ZU's and prefer to work closer to the amps speaker ratings. The Druid drivers put my speakers at 16 ohms (DWs usually at 12), which in general, shouldn't be an issue with most amps according to ZU, but ZU does offer a solution.
ZU offers Load Resistors in a few "sizes" to basically plug and play your speakers down to a different ohm value. They recommended using a set of these resistors to bring the Druid drivers closer to 8 ohms (ends up at 7.7). Got them in the mail, installed them in literally 2 minutes and let the amp warm up for a little. You can find the resistor conversion chart at the bottom of this page if your interested.
These resistors were like Viagra for my system, cleaned up all the sibilance, harshness and even dug deeper into the low end. Very relieved it was a simple fix and kudos to the ZU Crew for getting back to me and taking my specific set up into consideration when offering a solution. I gotta admit I was starting to panic a little, you put so much into a system and then hear it going the wrong direction when adding quality upgrades can get nerve racking.
So all is well in the world, I can now really hear what the ZU's have to offer, we're probably going to join the Gold V3 group in the near future, I think the Gold's sound characteristics will round off the sound on my system nicely.
So again, just a PSA in case anyone happens into this dilemma
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Splunders
Well-Known Member
That's great to hear! Thanks for sharing. I actually have a pair of those sitting around. I tried them on my last amp with the Zus, in the hopes of wringing more out of my amp, rather than my Zus having any shortcomings. It wasnt a good fit - things sounded held back more - and haven't considered it yet on my PL amp.So a little PSA for tube amp owners specifically using and or thinking about using ZU speakers. My PL has an 8 and 4 ohm tap for speakers, I recently picked up a set of Omen DW's from ZU's deal page, these particular DW's had an upgrade to the Druid Mk.IV Drivers. Knowing that the ZU's in general take a little time to run in properly and positioning is a bit of a trial and error to get them just right, I didn't panic (too much) that the sound was good, but not great at first.
Through all that, I could get the sound "better" but not completely to my liking, I had some sibilance issues as well as the sound being a little harsh/bright at times, but again, my mind set was to let everything just simmer in a while. I did reach out to the ZU Crew to get their take on the matter and they did explain that some tube amps are a bit finicky with the ZU's and prefer to work closer to the amps speaker ratings. The Druid drivers put my speakers at 16 ohms (DWs usually at 12), which in general, shouldn't be an issue with most amps according to ZU, but ZU does offer a solution.
ZU offers Load Resistors in a few "sizes" to basically plug and play your speakers down to a different ohm value. They recommended using a set of these resistors to bring the Druid drivers closer to 8 ohms (ends up at 7.7). Got them in the mail, installed them in literally 2 minutes and let the amp warm up for a little. You can find the resistor conversion chart at the bottom of this page if your interested.
View attachment 35540
These resistors were like Viagra for my system, cleaned up all the sibilance, harshness and even dug deeper into the low end. Very relieved it was a simple fix and kudos to the ZU Crew for getting back to me and taking my specific set up into consideration when offering a solution. I gotta admit I was starting to panic a little, you put so much into a system and then hear it going the wrong direction when adding quality upgrades can get nerve racking.
So all is well in the world, I can now really hear what the ZU's have to offer, we're probably going to join the Gold V3 group in the near future, I think the Gold's sound characteristics will round off the sound on my system nicely.
So again, just a PSA in case anyone happens into this dilemma
Everything sounds really great with the Zu/PL amp as is, but I suppose the difference being my 11ohm Zus are already much closer to 8 ohms to begin with. That said, I know what I'm going to be testing this weekend! I'll share anything differences I hear as well.
Splunders
Well-Known Member
That's super exciting! I recently found a used Carmen for 40% off and had to walk away from my laptop. Please share your thoughts as you get a handle on it. What's the rest of your system comprised of, anyways?
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
HiFiHeaven had (actually, still seems to have) a listing for the previous Zephyr MIMC Star for $1149. I figured the value proposition at that price + $350 rebuilds would pay for itself over time, so I ordered it.
They then emailed asking if I’d like to pay 10% more for the current ES model. So it was $1307 shipped.
They are an authorized Soundsmith dealer. Not sure what was going on behind the scenes.
Currently:
MoFi UltraDeck > MoFi MasterTracker > Sutherland 20/20 > JoLida 801arc > SVS PC12-Plus > Klipsch Forte II
I have to say- that’s a nice system.
Splunders
Well-Known Member
Oh my. Your upcoming vinyl chain in particular is drool inducing.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Thank you! I’ve been very happy with it, and I feel like I’ll be quite content with the Soundsmith as a long-term pickup. I like the MasterTracker quite a bit, but am not fond of the replacement cost, and thought it might be fun to experiment with a low-output cart.
Pretty much all of it is second-hand or B-stock!
Splunders
Well-Known Member
Pretty much all of it is second-hand or B-stock!
[/QUOTE]
That's my goal as well. With enough patience and luck, there's almost no reason to ever pay full price for anything. Starting with my PL amp I recently got for a few hundred under retail, my goal is to buy used/discounted gear at prices I believe are not much higher than what I think I could sell them for in a couple years. That way I can try as many different pieces with relatively low out of pocket expense. Thats the hope at least.
[/QUOTE]
That's my goal as well. With enough patience and luck, there's almost no reason to ever pay full price for anything. Starting with my PL amp I recently got for a few hundred under retail, my goal is to buy used/discounted gear at prices I believe are not much higher than what I think I could sell them for in a couple years. That way I can try as many different pieces with relatively low out of pocket expense. Thats the hope at least.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
I mean, it still cost me a pretty penny, but I don’t know that this system would have been doable for me otherwise. Thank God for the audiophile ecosystem producing a ton of pre-loved hardware.
There’s your trickle-down economics.
So I noticed when playing slowthai on my new 58x headphones that the grado and sennheiser combo had a bit too much bass, So I did a bunch of tests to see if this combo works or should just move to an Audio-Technica or the dreaded Ortofon
Billie eilish - bad guy: An amazing bass test (expected it to be overwhelming but it's pretty controlled)
Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows: heavy rock needs a lot of mid and guitar energy (the guitars did feel much more muddy than I remember, but that could be more because of SFTDs infamous original master.. but I remember the guitars being much more crisp and at a slightly frequency)
Young Thug - Wyclef Jean: a good mumble song to have fun to and see if it works. I like the reggae vibe (vocals weren't as clear as I remember but definitely not a problem because i still had fun.. still another moment of a lack of clarity. Though when I moved to the next song it definitely felt a lot better)
Mitski - I Bet On Losing Dogs: useful for how a wall of sound can work on this cartridge and headphone combination (basically no change in sound.. very much liked it)
Snoop Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name): all this needs is funk fun so bass is useful but mids matter just as much for the synths (ooooooooooo this was so much fun.. snoops vocals were still pretty bassy not I didn't mind, the synths sounded amazing and the vibe was super fun)
Jon Hopkins - Emerald Rush: a test of clarity and energy (wow..... Just wow.. I love this track too much)
So it was overall mixed but mostly positive. I won't replace my cartridge right away. I'm going to change my amplifier from the powered speakers I never use for their intended meaning for a schiit Magni heresy.
Billie eilish - bad guy: An amazing bass test (expected it to be overwhelming but it's pretty controlled)
Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows: heavy rock needs a lot of mid and guitar energy (the guitars did feel much more muddy than I remember, but that could be more because of SFTDs infamous original master.. but I remember the guitars being much more crisp and at a slightly frequency)
Young Thug - Wyclef Jean: a good mumble song to have fun to and see if it works. I like the reggae vibe (vocals weren't as clear as I remember but definitely not a problem because i still had fun.. still another moment of a lack of clarity. Though when I moved to the next song it definitely felt a lot better)
Mitski - I Bet On Losing Dogs: useful for how a wall of sound can work on this cartridge and headphone combination (basically no change in sound.. very much liked it)
Snoop Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name): all this needs is funk fun so bass is useful but mids matter just as much for the synths (ooooooooooo this was so much fun.. snoops vocals were still pretty bassy not I didn't mind, the synths sounded amazing and the vibe was super fun)
Jon Hopkins - Emerald Rush: a test of clarity and energy (wow..... Just wow.. I love this track too much)
So it was overall mixed but mostly positive. I won't replace my cartridge right away. I'm going to change my amplifier from the powered speakers I never use for their intended meaning for a schiit Magni heresy.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
Just for future reference, Upscale Audio has the Mastertracker at $560 with a cart trade-in, cheapest I've seen.
tfw you cant notice the difference between MP3 and flac
i can tell the difference between 128 and 320 but not 320 and a lossless
debianlinux
Well-Known Member
I can distinguish 320 and lossless on the right system with the right source data. Those cases probably represent roughly <1% of my total digital listening, though. Even if the right system variable became static maybe 3-5% of songs specifically selected to showcase the deficiencies would I be able to tell. Some very specific tracks though can make the difference fairly palpable.
Ortofon 2M Blue Versus Audio Technica AT-VM95ML
More than a few emails have arrived over the last few weeks touting the sonic excellence of Audio-Technica's $169 AT-VM95ML dual moving magnet cartridge. The $236 Ortofon 2M Blue equipped Fluance RT85 was here for review so why not procure a VM95ML and do a direct comparison?
www.analogplanet.com
i am unable to hear the full 96Khz/24bit because of DAC but from what i heard at 16/48 downsampleOrtofon 2M Blue Versus Audio Technica AT-VM95ML
More than a few emails have arrived over the last few weeks touting the sonic excellence of Audio-Technica's $169 AT-VM95ML dual moving magnet cartridge. The $236 Ortofon 2M Blue equipped Fluance RT85 was here for review so why not procure a VM95ML and do a direct comparison?
both of them dont really sound that great.. but that is more because of the vinyl than the cartridge.. the classical arrangement is mastered with almost no very high end and everything level, which sucks because there is no impact to some instruments compared to others (one thing i do know from even simple school bands is that dynamics are VERY much there and some instruments have more power than others). this is so sanitized and bare that it doesn't show either cartridge much a strength.. one i heard the low end a little more but one i felt i heard more of the instruments with.... maybe its because these double blind tests aren't really that great (see the schiit post from headfi where giving these examples aren't really the best for these reviews since you might not be able to really hear a difference), or maybe i just dont really have an interest in either cartridge.
zombie.modernist
Well-Known Member
This is key for any form of compression IMO, visual or auditory. Crap in crap out essentially. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) most popular music is crap, so it's hard to discern compressed vs lossless for those playing those types of files.
Chucktshoes
Well-Known Member
This reminds me of the stories my buddy Brad has told me about sending mixes to clients (he’s a sound engineer) and they will complain that it sounds terrible. When he asks them what they are listening to it on, “the laptop speaker.”
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
..........stopped in at Music Direct cause I was in the area and listened to a Mastertracker, I should have just kept driving. 