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[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by A/V Solutions

Try 380 ohms also try a lower gain setting 57 or 58db......to me 60 is a smidge too much for the talisman although YMMV!.....make sure the feet are snug

What do you find is different at 380? I just changed to it and with some non-critical listening, it seems maybe a tad more laid back, but slightly warmer.

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I find a number of phono stages to work well at 300-500 ohms with the Talisman......The Talisman has an internal impedance of 30 ohms......the rule is to multiply the internal impedance by ten, some use as high as twenty (known as the 10-20 rule) this is just a guide and starting point.......I like using ten as the multipler. Again this is just a starting point and my preference.

Lower = less high freq., warmer, more weighty on the bottom, laid back, etc.....
Higher = less bottom end energy, crisper up top, brighter, etc....

The thing to do is find the upper extreme and lower extreme and narrow to your liking.

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

What do you find is different at 380? I just changed to it and with some non-critical listening, it seems maybe a tad more laid back, but slightly warmer.

I am at 57.5 db gain, but I went back to 475 ohm loading. It's more dynamic, has more PRaT and gives a better soundstage.

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by A/V Solutions

I find a number of phono stages to work well at 300-500 ohms with the Talisman......The Talisman has an internal impedance of 30 ohms......the rule is to multiply the internal impedance by ten, some use as high as twenty (known as the 10-20 rule) this is just a guide and starting point.......I like using ten as the multipler. Again this is just a starting point and my preference.

Lower = less high freq., warmer, more weighty on the bottom, laid back, etc.....
Higher = less bottom end energy, crisper up top, brighter, etc....

The thing to do is find the upper extreme and lower extreme and narrow to your liking.

Thanks for the summary. I'll play around some more with it. Both 380 and 475 sound good. The other factor is the cartridge and phono stage are both not quite burned in yet. I can tell the top end needs to smooth out some more. It is a bit strident, similar to what my Dynavector 20s2 sounded at first. By the time I have my Performance and Talisman the Nova should have plenty of hours on it.

How long do you think it takes to burn in the Talisman v2? I doubt this one has more than 50 hours on it, if that.

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Originally Posted by RaceTripper

Thanks for the summary. I'll play around some more with it. Both 380 and 475 sound good. The other factor is the cartridge and phono stage are both not quite burned in yet. I can tell the top end needs to smooth out some more. It is a bit strident, similar to what my Dynavector 20s2 sounded at first. By the time I have my Performance and Talisman the Nova should have plenty of hours on it.

How long do you think it takes to burn in the Talisman v2? I doubt this one has more than 50 hours on it, if that.

if you think there is a bit more energy than you like at the top lower the loading.....try the 280 ohm setting also......another thing to check is make sure the capacitive loading swith is set to the off position, you don't need capacitance with MC cartridges......A good 100 plus hours and the Talisman should be singing although the phono cable will take several hundred more since the signal is so small. Did you lower the Gain? 56, 57 or 58 is ideal for that cartridge depending on your preference, 60 is at the top range I would run that cartridge, you may be slightly over driving the cartridge at 60db.....

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One other thing is check the rake angle.....if you have a 10x magnifier better yet a 20x you should see its angle pretty well.

I see that you did change to 57 db of gain.....that's a good place to be.

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by A/V Solutions

One other thing is check the rake angle.....if you have a 10x magnifier better yet a 20x you should see its angle pretty well.

I see that you did change to 57 db of gain.....that's a good place to be.

I adjusted the VTA to be slightly tail down. That seemed to help a little. Thanks for the tips.

[Josquin des Prez]

Is anyone using the VTA Lifter 2 on their Clearaudio. It's pricey but I'm thinking about getting it with my Performance DC.

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The VTA lifter will fit the verify arm but that's with the arm board for the innovation, Solution and a few other series of CA turntables.....I'm not sure it will fit the arm board on the Performance and Ovation tables......they never did on the the earlier models. If you look at all the pictures it only shows the VTA lifter on the universal arm boards for thier big tables......I will be at the US distributor on Monday so I will ask, I like to know myself.

[Josquin des Prez]

Originally Posted by A/V Solutions

The VTA lifter will fit the verify arm but that's with the arm board for the innovation, Solution and a few other series of CA turntables.....I'm not sure it will fit the arm board on the Performance and Ovation tables......they never did on the the earlier models. If you look at all the pictures it only shows the VTA lifter on the universal arm boards for thier big tables......I will be at the US distributor on Monday so I will ask, I like to know myself.

Thank you for offering Jeff. I already know that it will work. Joe Wessling told me (we've been discussing it). The arm-board has to be changed out. I've already gotten pricing and details.

I've been adjusting VTA on the Ovation and it can make quite a difference. In fact, after adjusting I realized I could go back to the 475 ohm loading on the cartridge and it sounds great now (it was a tad harsh before). I decided I might like the lifter, as I have such a variety of record weights, and it would be easier to get things dialed in. I was just curious if others have used it and what they thought.