So… what is the goal of the …“live mike.” That there is some sense of it happening right now in real time. Reminds of the old Memorex commercial…is it live or is it Memorex?
It’s funny, I find the same thing, though ironically good speakers can sound incredible if you sit in exactly the right place and actually do pay attention. In practice, the only time of day where I could do something like this is when the rest of my family is going to bed, hence headphones are more practical.
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Since I have re-started her on Headphone community,i have listening to headphones more than ever before. There are time when I want to “blast” music through my speakers and time when I want to really concentrate on the music by listening through headphones. I am finding two ways to listen depending upon my ulterior purpose.
My JBL monitors give me that with the nearfield… such a cool experience in audio…also surprisingly when I use my new Mobius it does/gives the same feeling/experience it is rather trippy, I have to constantly check to make sure my speakers aren’t on when wearing the Mobius ( I’m using USB and full surround option with the Mobius)
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I think most musician who earn a living playing an instrument/singing tend to hear things a bit different form most normal folks and even if I’m a former musician I’m not making a living and I don’t always hear the subtle differences noted by those that make a living playing or singing. I grew up with a dad that was always performing at family get togethers, I played the trumpet, guitar, and ukulele from elementary school, played in a concert band from middle school until high school and played in a rock band all through high school and college. My first wife was a trained opera singer, mother-in-law was a piano teacher and my second wife was a singer in band that played in night clubs in her younger days.
I hope that you do get the chance to learn to play an instrument and think you might appreciate differences in the various headphones a bit more.
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So this is what I upgraded, TODAY
Can’t find a better place for this, and I try to avoid proliferating topics.
My Mjolnir Audio modified Stax SRM-T1S came today. Haven’t had a chance to do much with it yet, but I did hook it to the Mac mini via Jitterbug and Dragonfly Black. Played an hour or so of tunes, Zappa, Flim & the BB’s, Lee Ritenour, Tabla Beat Science, Steeleye Span, and Steve Smith & Vital Information.
The headphones are my 1982 vintage SR5-NS. This amp makes them sound better than ever. And makes me want to try something newer. I love the electrostatic sound. It has something even my Hifiman HE-560s lack, but the Hifiman headphones are fully as good. Maybe even a bit better. They’re new - they have more bass punch, not surprising with larger diaphragms. The Stax phones are lighter (both physically and sonically) I don’t really know how to say it. The sound is just there, effortless.
I’m not sure what’s up with the bass, however. Maybe the phones are just old. Maybe at higher volumes it’s possible to overdrive them with low bass. (Tabla Beat Science, and a few others). It seemed rather dependent on the recordings, but I did seem to get a bit of breakup. And maybe I was playing them louder than I realized.
I’ll have to give it some time and tweaking. The idea was to put the Stax amp where I could drive it with analog from my turntable. I haven’t done that, it’ll probably be a few weeks before I tackle the re-arrangement of components in the entertainment center before I do that. And I can’t help feeling that something in the Lambda series or one of the newest models would have more bass punch due greater area in the electrostatic driver.
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Now there’s a group out of my past. I think 36 years ago I bought their respective 1st cd. In fact they were one of the very first cds ever made. Back in '82
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Still good music.
Well … I just pulled the trigger on an upgrade to my speaker-rig turntable …
I’ll post pictures this weekend when it is here, setup and running. But I opted for a Michell GyroDec table with an SME Series IV arm … and will either transplant my existing cartridge or figure out a new one between now and then.
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That is one sexy TT. I can’t even say I’m surprised though, you have exquisite taste.
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The immediate alternative was an Oracle Delphi Mk VI with the same arm on it. In the end I decided I’d try the Michell first and if I then still wanted the Oracle, I’d move the Michell to my office (and sell the table I have there) and put the Oracle in the speaker system.
We’ll see how it goes.
New table might actually show up early … which would be nice.
The SME arms have always been very nice. I never had one, but several friends did. It’s hard to find better performing arms in the price range. What cartridges do you plan on trying?
The Michell seems to be in a lower price category than the Oracle. Was that a consideration? Have you ever been tempted by the Thorens tables in their midrange?
The first couple will be a Dynavector 10x5 and an AT ART9 … mostly because I have them already. We’ll see how things go from there and how well they sit on that setup. If they fit well, they can stay until they need to be replaced, then (or otherwise) it’ll probably be something from Koetsu.
It is.
Not really.
I’ve just always had “a thing” for the Michell and wanted to go there first.
To start with it’s going to replace the Pro-Ject RPM 9.2 Evo in my speaker rig. The Pro-Ject will replace the latest-spec (and heavily upgraded) Rega Planar 3 I use at my “day job”. If I decide I’m still interested in the Oracle once I’ve had the Michell for a bit, then I’ll just move the Michell to the “day job” and install the Delphi Mk VI in the speaker rig.
It is “upgrade season” after all …
Can’t say I have.
They’re fine sounding tables … but if I was going to buy a turntable that looked like, well, a “traditional” table, I’d almost certainly go with a fully-loaded Linn LP12 again - which is what I ran before I moved to the US. As it is, my current aesthetic desires preclude such things (no matter how good they might sound).
So, it arrived, I have it setup (with the AT ART9 for now) … and I’ve had it playing music. It is definitely a significant upgrade from the table it is replacing (which I always enjoyed). In addition to being somewhat mesmerizing to watch.
Quick-and-dirty picture until the light gets better:
Now if I could just persuade the chaps across the street, that are driving giant pilings into the ground for the pier rebuild to STOP, I could spend some more time listening! As it is, that work is literally making the building shake …
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That is a beautiful piece of kit! Really love the look of it!
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Aesthetically it’s more Art than Machinery. Such a beautiful piece of technology. You know vinyl will sound fantastic just by looking at it.
-Paul-
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It does …
Sound fantastic that is.
So much so that, while I am supposed to be listening to/writing up reviews for, a big stack of DACs (etc.) that are sitting here. Instead, I am stealing time to listen to sides of albums between the intermittent pile-driving going on outside.
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Time for an analog v digital piece.(analog wins)
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Absolutely " Stunning " If it were me, I would lots of time to savor its artistic value. Then I would enjoy the the beautiful sound it is sure to give. Then I would spend more time savoring its artistic value, while listening to its beautiful sound. Ad infinitum
Enjoy! 
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