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  #131  
Old 02-11-2018, 03:10 PM
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Thursday I received my first paycheck with the new tax cut in it. I was surprised at the amount, and it didn't take long for curiosity to renew itself, as I once again am thinking about Shunyata Delta NRs on my MC501s, replacing the Transparent HPPCs there now. I also took a look at the Pro-Ject Xtension 12 (detachable headshell possibility!) and the MT5 (what happened to the MT2, by the way?). These are items that had more or less been put aside, but resurfaced yesterday, and I'm sure the influx of money has at least something to do with it.

It's not as if I know or think the Delta NR will be better than the HPPC, or even Transparent's Premium PC ($100 less than the Delta NR, and .25m longer); I don't. With the larger paycheck, such items become more feasible, and I start wondering again. Does anyone else have these types of episodes where you just start thinking about stuff, after you thought you'd moved on?

I downloaded a brochure on the Shunyata Delta NR and appear to be looking at it all over again. Maybe it'll go away again, too. To me, $700 is a bit steep for a power cord. But then, so was the $960 Transparent Super IC I bought last year.
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  #132  
Old 07-01-2018, 12:40 PM
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Instead of power cords I've taken the plunge and ordered my first smartphone, an Apple iPhone 8 plus, from Consumer Cellular. I have 2 weeks left on a 45-day trial, but I'll probably keep the phone. It replaces a Doro PhoneEasy 618, also from Consumer Cellular. It was either this or an iPad, as I wanted an alternate internet source to my iMac, to give it a break from quickie things like checking weather and sports scores. Anything beyond that the iMac still gets. And I figure the phone is more versatile (and more portable; an iPad won't fit in my pocket if I'm going to meet a friend and need to get in touch).

I would like to rebuild my checking account a bit before any more audio-related buys; indeed, before major purchases of any kind. I still think about the power cords though, and also wonder about the Sweet Vinyl SoundCube SC-1, sold by Music Direct, which is said to clean out the pops and clicks from LPs. I have older records which are not noise-free and wonder if the SC-1 can indeed clean them up. I don't know if it does anything with scratches; the ad copy mentions "surface noise" and "ticks and pops." I'd be curious to see. Not curious enough, given the current state of my checking account, to make a move. Who knows? My birthday is about 3.5 months off; perhaps the SC-1 or those power cords will be a self-treat then, provided my usual end-of-year trip south to Tennessee and Texas is covered.
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Last edited by prepress; 07-02-2018 at 05:09 AM.
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  #133  
Old 07-09-2018, 05:48 AM
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OK. Having been inspired by another thread, I've begun playing around with the taps on my MC501s. I use the 4-ohms for mids/highs and the 2-ohms for bass normally, but guys were talking about how using the 8-ohm taps for bass gives a 3dB increase to the bass. Since I'd spent so much time, energy and tubes looking to recapture some of the low-frequency punch I enjoyed with my previous preamp, I thought why not try it?

With the bass on the 8-ohm taps, I listened to only one track before aborting the whole thing. The low frequencies on Fanfare for the Common Man were too aggressive to me, even overwhelming the mids/highs some. So this weekend I tried reversing my usual set-up, with the bass on 4-ohm and mids/highs on 2-ohm, and with a variety of material, though still mostly my usual go-to audition tracks; DVD and Blu-ray were included in this. The weight and impact of the lows was quite satisfactory, an improvement even. But the highs on some material seemed to have a veil over them, a bit less open.

My tentative conclusion is that everything needs to be on the 4-ohm tap for the sound to balance out; my speakers are 6-ohm. So I plan to look into having one pair of my Kimber 12TC re-terminated with spades at the amp end so I can do that. It's not preferred (I like bananas), but it's the only way I can see to resolve the issue. The danger here is I'll be in an audio store, with other stuff to look at and be curious about (especially power cords). I'm hoping the state of my checking account will be a deterrent to anything serious happening. I might also re-visit the 8-ohm taps for low frequencies first, to see if things smooth out; at the end of the first session with the bass on 4 ohms I returned to the first track I used and the lows had calmed down a bit. Maybe things settled in after over an hour of listening? But then, Ron Cornelius warned that if the 501s began to get hot with the 8-ohm taps I should drop back to 4 ohms. That first session wasn't long enough to see if such would happen.

To be continued . . .
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  #134  
Old 07-09-2018, 02:25 PM
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. . . but not for too long, as I've ordered another 4-ft pair of 12TC, with Postmaster 25 spades on the amp end, bananas on the speaker end. This is 5 to 8 business days, I was told. Faster than placing a special order, or bringing one of my current pair to a store to have them shipped off to Kimber for re-termination. I expect to hav fun once they're here.
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  #135  
Old 07-21-2018, 06:15 AM
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New 12TC arrived Wednesday. I need more time to assess than the 40 minutes I got Wednesday, but early indication is that this is a positive move. The frequency balance was better using the 4-ohm taps only, rather than using separate taps for bass and mids/highs. The new cable needs to break in I guess, so I will take things more seriously after another 10 hours or so more.
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Last edited by prepress; 07-21-2018 at 02:02 PM.
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  #136  
Old 07-27-2018, 04:30 PM
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Okay, the new config is a hit. Everything on the 4-ohm taps is the way to go.

Now, the only thing left is to resolve the power cord thing once and for all. I'm still curious to put those Transparent Premiums on the 501s and move the current HPPCs to my LD player and VPI SDS respectively. But it has to wait; the wallets's not ready.

If I can do that, or even decide to stand pat, I'm done system-wise barring something breaking or being otherwise not available and needing replacement (note the emphasis).
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  #137  
Old 07-27-2018, 07:10 PM
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Charles.......I thought the 4 ohm taps would be your final destination. Glad to hear you are satisfied with those results.

Done? I don't thinks so.
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STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
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  #138  
Old 07-28-2018, 05:58 AM
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And just when I thought I was done . . .

Last night, I went on to pull out one of my reference DVDs which I hadn't listened to in a while, the Moody Blues live at the Royal Albert Hall. Yes, the sound was fuller and all that, but I missed some subtle details I've heard before, such as John Lodge's humming into his mic during English Sunset. And other things like the triangles weren't as distinct as I remember in spots (though I could hear them). It must be mentioned that I don't recall if I ever played this DVD with the Black Diamond tubes before, so I can't say definitively that this is an issue due to the tap move. I also pulled out my Marcus Miller DVD for a couple of tracks and on one, Panther, the sound seemed a bit less focused at one point. I have played that one with the BDs, so that one appears to be due to the tap change. Maybe the new config fills in the sound at the expense of some clarity, depending upon the recording?

If I run across more of this kind of thing, it could lead to revisiting tubes. I still have other options, even though I'd pretty much settled on the BDs. The new 501 tap configuration is staying put, since I think it makes the most sense. I may well revisit the tracks mentioned here to see if they sound the same later on, as the new 12TC pair may need more time to settle in for all I know; I haven't been keeping track, but I'd say it has around 4 hours on it now.
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  #139  
Old 08-27-2018, 07:43 PM
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Something is changing . . .

As I continue to enjoy the new setup with the 4-ohm taps of my 501s and the Moody Blues DVD thing seems an outlier, I'm aware of a change in perspective. I have reached a point of relative satisfaction with the setup I have. And though I still think about those Transparent Premium PCs from time to time, or upgrading my Transparent Plus ICs to Supers (a more expensive proposition), I'm restrained not only by my wallet, but by my perspective.

I am approaching my self-imposed, somewhat arbitrary, deadline of five years until possible retirement. With that comes the idea that it's time to begin restricting non-essential purchases and trying to spend less. That's why I haven't gone after either Transparent option noted above by now. I have a different viewpoint, one that doesn't regard audio upgrades as essential or necessarily important. Not to say I'll never go after the Transparent stuff (I did say relative satisfaction), but it's not a driving force. And while money is the most significant restraining factor, practicality counts too. Why put Transparent Super ICs, at $960/2m, on a $2K MSRP (when new) laserdisc player from 1999 that doesn't see much action?

This has been a gradual shift, but I'm inclined to take it seriously and see where it leads me. And Dan may well be right that I'm not done, but I seem to be for the near future, at least.
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  #140  
Old 01-12-2019, 11:20 AM
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So I WASN'T done, clearly. Back in October I replaced the Transparent HPPCs on my 501s with those Premiums I wrote about in the previous post (birthday present to self, I rationalized). They were an improvement. Now, wondering if I want to try for more lightning in a bottle with putting one on my 2300. Or some other cord such as a Kimber PK10 Ascent; less money, same gauge, but different geometry.

It goes away for a while, then something happens to re-stoke it.
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