Ortofon 2M Black on the way

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Dan, is there anyone out there that rebuilds the m505? I am sure it used precision bearing back in the day but you mentioned it is now 30 years old. I personally would not want to part with a classic like that but would be curious if someone out there competent enough could take it apart and either give all the bearing a good lube or rebuild it.

Serge.......I am not sure that I would trust anyone other than perhaps the Micro Seiki factory to disassemble, and reassemble this arm. As old as the arm is, it floats like a butterfly, literally. When at static balance without any tracking force applied, the slightest breath on the tonearm will cause the arm to rise and fall, rocking until it settles back to the static balance point. The same is true for the arc swing. I feel comfortable that the arm is performing well, even considering it's age. In its entire life the turntable and arm have always been in a climate controlled, non-smoking, pet free environment, with a dust cover in place when not being used.

[Removed]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jeff.......Wow, you found it. I have been searching so long, and never came across that arm data. 7 grams effective mass it is. Terrific! Thank you so much.

Your welcome.......

Jeff

[jetblack]

Originally Posted by cmalak

rf = 159 / sqrt ((eff. mass + cart weight+fastener weight) * (compliance)).

Any ideas out there on where the number 159 is derived?

[Removed]

The number 159 in the equation is a constant

rf = 159 / sqrt ((eff. mass + cart weight + fastener weight) * (compliance))

A constant is a number you would use when converting from one kind of measuring unit to another
For example, quarts to gallons, there are always 4 quarts to a gallon, it's "constant"
So for how ever many quarts you divide be 4 to get the number of gallons
?# of quarts/4 = # of gallons (6 quarts/4 = 1 1/2 gallons)

In other words you need the constant of 4 to make the equation work

Hope this helps........

Jeff

[jdandy]

My new Ortofon 2M Black has about 16 hours on it now, and sounding impressively musical across the entire audio spectrum. I am very impressed by the dynamics of the cartridge, as well. The more I listen to the 2M Black the more I think this may be a best buy moving magnet phono cartridge, and a bona fide sleeper in its price range.

[cmalak]

So Dan...here's the question now (you knew somebody was going to ask so it might as well be me ). Now that your interest in vinyl has been re-energized by the Ortofon cart in combination with the C1000T's phono and your excellent Micro Seiki table, if you had to take a step back and dispassionately compare the sonics coming out of your vinyl rig now in the 2-ch tube system with the MCD500 in the same system, how would you describe the pros and cons of each? And ultimately, notwithstanding the imbalance in source material (i.e., you have a lot more digital than vinyl right now), which do you think you prefer listening to? Again I know the excitement is on the side of the vinyl rig right now because you are re-engaging with that format but if you had to guess what source material 1-3 months from now is going to dominate your listening time, what do you think it's going to be from a listening preference perspective (and not convenience etc...)?

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by cmalak

So Dan...here's the question now (you knew somebody was going to ask so it might as well be me ). Now that your interest in vinyl has been re-energized by the Ortofon cart in combination with the C1000T's phono and your excellent Micro Seiki table, if you had to take a step back and dispassionately compare the sonics coming out of your vinyl rig now in the 2-ch tube system with the MCD500 in the same system, how would you describe the pros and cons of each? And ultimately, notwithstanding the imbalance in source material (i.e., you have a lot more digital than vinyl right now), which do you think you prefer listening to? Again I know the excitement is on the side of the vinyl rig right now because you are re-engaging with that format but if you had to guess what source material 1-3 months from now is going to dominate your listening time, what do you think it's going to be from a listening preference perspective (and not convenience etc...)?

Cyril.......I knew this question was coming. I am surprised it took this long to arrive.

I still prefer my MCD500 CD/SACD players to the Micro Seiki and Ortofon 2M Black cartridge. Please don't misunderstand my new found enthusiasm for vinyl. It is most enjoyable, and is now sounding better to me than I can ever remember hearing vinyl sound before. Despite this wonderful discovery, I am still a serious digital enthusist. The newest digital recordings on CD are sounding better and better. The total absence of background noise, or noise floor as is the case with vinyl, still pleases me more than vinyl. It is still my impression that the overall dynamic range of digital recordings remains superior to analog. CD's that have been recorded after about 2002 through the current time have continually benefited from knowledge gained about digital to analog conversions, jitter, improved sampling rates, etc. Prior to about 2002, and particularly music recorded digitally from the late 1980's to late 1990's, suffered from all the anomalies about digital that had yet to be discovered and solved. This doesn't mean there isn't room for continued advances in DACs, and digital recording, but the process has advanced tremendously in the past five to eight years, and is clearly audible to me on the more recent CD recordings I have purchased.

Vinyl is now something I will spend more time listening to, and is quite thrilling to hear how good it sounds with a high quality cartridge, arm, turntable, and premium phono stage and preamplifier. Every link in the analog playback chain makes a difference in the final playback results, as is also true with digital playback. I am enjoying vinyl once again, and will continue to do so, but digital will remain king of the house, and will garner the most playback hours.

[cmalak]

Thx Dan. That does not surprise me. I grew up with tape in the 70s and Cd from the 80s onwards and the black background of digital is what I have always known. I am very interested in how I will react to vinyl and all its maintenance and endemic surface level noise and so on. Now if my dealer can only get his VPI Classic in the shop so I can hear the damn thing before I pull the trigger or if I decide it's not to my liking continue shopping.

[jdandy]

Cyril.......I feel confident that you will discover analog vinyl playback to be very satisfying. It is definately different than digital, and presents a unique listening experience. An enormous quantity of glorious adjectives have been spread thick across countless numbers of pages extolling the supremacy of analog versus digital sound. There are advocates and adversaries in both camps who feel equally strong in support of their choice, some bordering on fanaticism, but it always boils down to an individual's personal tastes and listening experiences. Sound is, and will remain a subjective topic. No two people hear exactly alike.

Personally, I enjoy both formats, analog and digital. In fact, in the analog domain I actually like tape better than vinyl when listening to music that was recorded directly to the tape, rather than using tape to copy a vinyl recording. Live to tape is awesome, with excellent signal to noise ratio, broad dynamics, and a very analog and lifelike sound when played back. I get amazing results with my half track Revox B77 Mk2 reel to reel recorder when recording live in the studio.

Getting back to turntables, I know you have your sights set on the VPI Classic, as you stated. What cartridge are you planning to use? How much vinyl do you have in your collection?

[cmalak]

Dan...As for carts, I am thinking either the Benz Micro Glider S (low or medium output) or the Lyra Dorian cart, with Dynavector 20X as the entry-level option. Nagra BPS solid state phono although I am intrigued by the new Fosgate tube phono pre but don't know where i can audition it locally. I have bought maybe 10-12 new LPs and 130 used LPs, so have around 140 LPs. I have a good supply of used and new LPs in the Boston area with some excellent local record stores. I figure if I don't get the vinyl bug in a serious way, I have limited the investment and the Classic will be easily resellable, as will the Nagra BPS phono stage. Will take a hit on the cart and on the LPs but when I think of all the money I have spent on cables (which your exercise recently showcased for me) this is a minimal investment. I suspect I will like vinyl and like you will have a place for both in my listening regimen. How much I like it will determine how much more I spend to get its performance up to par with my current digital playback down the road.