Friday, July 30, 2010

The Sound of Silence, Ticks and Pops

I have always experienced some hum or static noise with my analog playback. Found a phono cable that minimized RF interference.
But some noise remained, I theorized from lack of proper grounding, static crackle when I touched the tonearm, for example. I ignored it and just turned the volume up.

Then I changed amp (to an integrated) and the first thing I noticed was how much quieter my system was. But the static crackle and occasional hum was still there. A quick search led me to some previous discussions regarding grounding. So I whipped up some cable and connected my phono stage and amp to the window metal grill with alligator clips.

Absolute silence.

I think someone wrote somewhere that one could either raise the listening volume or lower the noise floor. I was discovering lower noise floor.

And ticks and pops?

When I played this LP




























it was full of ticks and pops. But when Ella sang
Someday he'll come along
The man I love...
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay


it brings goosebumps. Her voice brings me back to the days when each song is a performance. The ticks and pops makes the time warp just more palpable.

And when she swings
we're making a wreck
of Mack the Knife


it brings goosebumps. Sheer admiration for her talent and music.

What is the point of this post?
Nothing really. My system is not perfect or the best by any means.
Probably just sharing some experience that may be useful to someone, about the importance of grounding perhaps, or that analog takes some effort but can be rewarding. Or just another example of the things we do to get our boat float, even if our system is not perfect.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ping Anser Forged

Hit the demo 7 iron at the range.
Wow, this is one sweet feeling club!
Feels just as soft as my Mizuno MP57.
Only the Ping TFC graphite shaft (by Tour AD) was available and it felt surprisingly stable.
Ping has a winner here.

Photo courtesy of golf.com

Monday, July 26, 2010

Jazz Seen


Jazz Seen. Jazz heard. Jazz felt


Inception

Thought-provoking. The Matrix meets Avatar meets Ocean's Eleven.
Still a good movie.
Fast-paced, though it was slow at the start, picked up when they took on the mission.
Great entertainment!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Ugnayan: Connections of American and Filipino Jazz

Photobucket
Ugnayan is a great jazz CD.

Featuring the best Filipino jazz performers such as saxophonist Tots Tolentino playing inspired compositions by Maestro Angel Pena. Directed and produced by Gerard Salonga, this is a treasure that should be given more exposure.

Great to enjoy with a top-notch audio system.

Interconnects: Ecosse Maestro, Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II, Analysis Plus Oval One

Quick impressions of my system with these interconnects between my CD player and amp.

CD Player: Ah! Njoe Tjoeb with Amperex Bugle Boy 6dj8s
Amp: LSA Standard Integrated with Electro Harmonix 6922s
Speaker: Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkII
Speaker Cable: Van den Hul The Revelation
Stock power cords.

Ecosse Maestro – Very detailed, a bit of emphasis on upper midrange, great timbre, ideal for vocals and acoustic jazz.

When Diana Krall sings

Well, you know,
A girl, she really got to eat,
And a girl, she should eat right


from Frim Fram Sauce, she is whispering these words right in your ear.

It sounds refined but a bit lean on the upper bass. With orchestral music the emphasized upper mids puts the solo instruments forward. Not to say these interconnects aren't good, in fact they are. One can say they are just letting the character of the CD player and tubes through, as they were great when the CD player had the Siemens CCAs in them. With the Bugle Boys, maybe you can have too much sweetness at the expense of other flavors?

Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II – Great detail on the high frequencies yet smooth and refined. Deep solid bass and has the full body that is lacking from the Ecosse Maestro. Excellent for rock and classical music, specially orchestral material. Throws a wide soundstage. Ironically, this wide soundstage and full body seems to overwhelm the midrange in my smallish room. It's a big sound but gives a feeling of dryness with vocal material, specially since some of the sweetness of the Amperex BBs seems to have disappeared.

When Diana Krall sings

And a girl, she should eat right
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight


it's as if you are inside her mouth.

Analysis Plus Oval One – Has the best overall balance in my system. Detailed highs without harshness, full-bodied, solid and tuneful bass. Lets the sweetness in the mids from the Amperex BBs through; perhaps because of this, live rock recordings don’t have the same bite as with the Acoustic Zens, but still fun and toe-tapping. Vocals and jazz sound great as do classical music, pop and classic rock. Great cable that lets the music through.

When Diana Krall sings

I'm never satisfied
I want the Frim Fram Sauce
With the oss and fay
With shifafa on the side

she is there in front of you, seducing you, with tongue firmly in cheek.

I prefer Diana Krall this way, and hence also the Oval One in my system.

The usual caveats, YMMV etc apply. Changing just one component or tube would change the impression appreciably -- it's all about matching.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Amperex Bugle Boys in Ah! Njoe Tjoeb

Put in a pair of Amperex BBs into the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CD player.
(A Stereophile article on this fine CD player.)















What a match! It sounds as close to analog as it can get.


These are magical tubes.



Previous tubes used were Siemens Cca's. Also very good. Goes down really low yet fast and taut bass and extended highs. They just can't beat the midrange magic of the Bugle Boys.

Friday, July 16, 2010

The LSA Standard Integrated Amplifier

This amplifier just found its way into my system, replacing the Musical Fidelity A3cr pre-power combination.

What an upgrade!

On the power side of things, it has so much control over the Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkIIs. It doesn't have to reach 9 oclock on the volume knob.

On the sound side of things, the tubed pre-amp section gives it the full body, fluidity and smoothness.

A review by Stereomojo.com.