Thoughts and Non Thoughts

  The ifi Zen Phono is a phono stage described as "detailed and clean," not to mention "high-end" at a relatively modest price. I paired it with the Denon DL-103 cartridge, a classic conical moving-coil (MC) with a design dating back to the 1960's. The DL-103 is described as warmish, with a rich midrange, dynamic but perhaps lacking extension at the frequency extremes. The ifi Zen Phono and the DL-103 complement each other.  The VPI Scout, a belt-driven turntable with the unipivot JMW-9 arm, lives up to the task of bringing out the dynamics and control from the above combination. The output from the Zen Phono goes to a Cambridge CXA60, which is used as a pre-amp. A Conrad Johnson MV55 power amplifier injects the right amount of tube warmth to the playback.  A pair of LSA2 floorstanders rounds up the system for a full range toe-tapping experience. I also tried the ifi Phono with a MM cart, but it shines best with low output MCs like the DL-103. The other descript...

    Quick answers: 1. The SL1200 and the DV20xl make a good match (compliance, arm weight). 2. Ortofon SH-4 headshell perfect for it. VTF at 2 grams and same anti-skate, arm level. 3. The Jolida JD9 phono stage with gold pin Tungsol 12ax7 gives it that warm analog sound. Impedance at 100 ohms. The DV20xl on the SL1200 is refined, no sibilance, not in-your-face treble but warmish midrange, solid bass, good treble. In other words on the warmer side of neutral. This is perfect for well recorded and good condition vinyl, particularly jazz, light classical, classic rock. For banged-up records, maybe I'll swap it with one of my MM carts.

I recently upgraded the WiFi adapter on my PC to a Realtek 8812BU. Setting it up was a breeze, it's plug and play (Windows 10). However I experienced intermittent speed.  I use a TP-Link Deco-5 mesh WiFi and was getting quite strong WiFi on my other devices.  I finally noticed (via Settings/WiFi/Hardware Properties) that the adapter sometimes shifts to a 2.4 GHz band and that's when it slows down. The simple fix: manually set it to 802.11ac on Device Manager. Then it stays on the 5 GHz band. Now I'm getting the speed I want!

 Long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... I posted a DIY method for cleaning my Canon DSLR sensor .  It's been a while and the universe has moved on. Today I use a better, and I believe safer, method. The wipes are specific for a particular sensor (I can't believe how small the APS-C sensor is). There's a small bottle for the liquid (only one drop per cleaning).  The wipes are single use, but a pack of 10 costs less than eight dollars online. Happy with the results on my Canon EOS M6!

  Conventional wisdom says that the Denon DL-103 "wants a heavy tonearm," not the likes of the JMW9 on the VPI Scout, which is a low/medium mass arm. Took me a while to do it but glad I did. It sounds fantastic. No distortion or resonance. Just the sweet full sound of the Denon. I believe the rest of the system is important too, primarily, I think, a high-gain phono stage is a must. In audio one always has to try out and see if "conventional wisdom" holds. Another such "wisdom" is that conicals lack detail. I believe the Denon in this set-up disproves it. The cart before this was a Dynavector DV20XL. For now I will enjoy the Denon on the VPI Scout. Settings: VTF 2.5 grams, neutral/minimal anti-skate Phono stage: Jolida JD9 at 100 ohms, 47pf, gain setting 2, hi output, Sovtek Mullard reissue 12ax7s Cambridge CXA60 used as pre-amp, Conrad Johnson MV55 power amplifier LSA Tower 2 speakers Cables: VPI phono, Ecosse Maestro, Audioquest Red River, Rega Duet