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Record Cleaning Machines - DIY or Purchase - Who uses one?

September 5, 2014, 11:55 am
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Hi All

Done a few searches and have seen some nice DIY record cleaning machines - also have been researching VPI and Nitty Gritty - I have a couple questions:

For those who have constructed a vacuum based DIY RCM - do you still use it as your main RCM? Or did you move to a commercial model?

For those who purchased "factory" models - is there a good place to get one that is likely to produce the best "deal" on one vs. paying absolute top dollar?

I currently use a Spin Clean and microfiber, but I'm looking for the next level of clean if you will - and frankly the SC isn't all that convenient for a larger amount of records, almost all of which need a good clean...

Many thanks for any wisdom and assistance in advance.

Best
Ed
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Upgraded Jumpers

February 16, 2017, 8:57 am
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Just put my 2.3tl’s back in the system after 14 years on the bench, doing some experimenting. Upgraded the factory jumpers with some homemade Analysis Plus Oval 12 for the top to go with my Stereolab Diablo’s on the bottom. The improvement in clarity and imaging is not subtle! Thought it was worthy of a post.

Those of you still using the supplied jumpers - upgrade....run do not walk!
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Marantz SR 5011 & MacBook

February 18, 2017, 1:22 pm
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Best way to connect my Marantz SR 5011 to my MacBook?

Tried using USB 3.0 cable but it won't connect

Does AVR have a DAC? Was able to connect my iPhone & play music
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See you on the flip side

February 15, 2017, 8:25 am
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Polk Ls70 speakers in quad

February 17, 2017, 2:08 pm
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Selling for $399 8/10 condition. Local only
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Cary SLP-03

December 27, 2016, 6:35 pm
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I'm looking to getting into a tubed preamp with a HT bypass. The Cary SLP-03 peaked my interest. Has anyone listened to this piece before?

Thanks.
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Marantz SA8005

February 13, 2017, 4:41 pm
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This show up at my door today. After thinking it was stolen as UPS just left it at the front door. It was actually deliver to the wrong address and the good neighbor deliver it today.

No time to use it today as I have to go out to work out of the country for the rest of the week and once I get back will need to re-organize the rack to find the space for it.
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Cheers
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TEAC AI-2000 Distinction Integrated Amp

February 11, 2017, 9:17 am
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Fellow Polkies,

Offering up my Teach AI-2000 Integrated Amplifier. Can be considered "Esoteric Lite" as Esoteric engineers were "consulted during the design process", whatever that means. The AI-2000 is a dual mono design, 125 WPC at 8ohm and 180WPC at 4 ohm. It is really a remarkable sounding unit at this price point.

I bought as a demo from an authorized dealer (Spiritsound in the NE), I used it a few months before stepping up to the flagship in this line, the AI-3000. The 3000 is better, but not twice as good (as the price might suggest). It is a shame these did not catch on, as they really are great sounding pieces. This one is in great shape save for a few minor scratches on the top plate from its former demo life. Face is pristine. Comes with remote and original packaging and power cord.

Asking 600+ shipping. Local pickup in the Annapolis/Baltimore/DC area is available and encouraged. I was planning on holding onto this as I doubt I'll find the same performance/dollar ratio again but I don't foresee myself building another 2 channel in the near (or distant) future.

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The Turntable Retirement Project

November 11, 2016, 4:44 am
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Introduction

Those who have been reading me for a while know of my love/hate relationship with vinyl and how I have longed for the day when I could digitize my record collection without a sacrifice in quality. That day has arrived!

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Figure 1. Beautiful - yet so high maintenance - I finally figured out how to quit you.

The only reason I have a turntable is because I have 282 albums for which digital versions do not exist. I recently acquired the last "missing piece" in my record collection, a copy of Miles Davis' Classic Records 45rpm 4 LP set of "Kind of Blue", therefore, I have no plans to buy any more phonograph records. Prior to this recent vinyl acquisition, I had not used my turntable since December of 2015. That was the month in which my dCS Debussy DAC was installed. I used to set aside time each week to listen to records, but I basically lost interest in listening to records after the Debussy's installation.

Digital Transferral Method

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Figure 2. PS Audio's NuWave Phono Converter.

A PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter will be used to transfer analog recordings to PCM (FLAC format) and DSD (DSF format) digital files. Vinyl Studio software will be used to edit (title, split albums into separate tracks, add cover art, ect.) and cleanup (remove pops, ticks, etc.) the transferred digital files. I have been encouraged by some reports, by some hardcore vinyl enthusiasts, that the digital versions of their albums sounded better than the records.

The output of my Pass Labs XP-25 phono preamp will be fed into the NuWave Phono Converter, and will be converted into either 16 bit/44.1 kHz PCM, 24 bit/96 kHz PCM or single rate DSD. Which file format is used will depend on the sound quality of the album. I expect 16/44.1 will be used most often because there are not a lot of sonic "gems" among the 282 albums to be transferred. The digital output from the NuWave will be fed via USB connection into a laptop running Windows 7 and Vinyl Studio digital editing software.

I can't wait to have my record collection at my fingertips just like my CD and SACD collection!

But What Of Beauty?

I'm keeping my turntable and accessories, as well as my records (just as I'm keeping my CDs and SACDs)...because you just never know. However, I don't foresee a time when I would want to go back to flipping sides every 22 minutes, spending hours wet cleaning records, and just the basic physical annoyance and inconvenience of handling records...compared to having a high quality digital transfer on a high-speed, low-noise music server that is accessible from every room of my house at the press of a button.



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What direction is mid to high end audio heading? Without cables? With Cables?

February 14, 2017, 11:13 am
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As I sit here chatting with @DSkip about yes..... another cable thing...... to maybe change my speaker cables, I thought to myself why? Now don't get me wrong, I am a cables matter person and can hear the difference on my rig usually quickly when I swap things in and out but, with all the powered / "wireless" or almost wireless stuff out there, why am I considering spending on cables instead of a powered system?

Why spend another $$$$$$$$$$$ on speaker cables or even amplifiers anymore? In my eyes, some of the home audio is basically doing what Pro audio has done for a while and that is powered speakers. Some of the more known players like Dynaudio and Kef are making some darn good sounding mid to high end speakers that are powered and have built in Dac or a way to connect an external USB dac right to the speaker. A usb cable and whatever is connecting the 2 speakers ( so far it looks like cat 6) and power is basically whatever is left . Some even have built in wifi. If you cannot live without tubes, hook your tube preamp up to it.

I heard the "wireless" Kef wireless ls50 and it sounded great especially at its price point. I can Imagine the Dyn's Focus XD or excite would sound good also. I have a friend that bought a set of Studio Monitor JBL 308 and again for the $ I was quite surprised. Is powered going to be where mid / high end is leading?


I am going to take my situation as an example. Pricing will be all used market pricing also.
A room that has been hard to work with, an amp I can sell for 3800-4k, a pre that I can sell for 2800, speaker cables, sell the cd player and the vi dac, buy some powered Dyn's or Kef or even studio monitors like genelec or Adam, use my Lumin to stream to the speakers and pocket the rest?

Even in a bigger room, more and more powered floor standing speakers are showing up on the market.

I know everyone's situation is different and there will not be a wrong or right answer on any of this but I am always open to everyone's opinion. What do you think 5 years down is going to bring? 10 years down?
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Chicks and paint.

February 18, 2017, 3:25 pm
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Picked up a Mythos 5 set up this morning from a yard sale for $150 and someone has painted over the aluminum finish .... wth?
I'm going to Google it but any advice from fourm members on removing the paint without dulling the aluminum finish would be appreciated I have no clue on the type of paint used and I hope they did not rough up the surface before applying that crap.


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Anyone know where to donate used applianced?

February 18, 2017, 5:32 pm
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Have a well treated dishwasher... about 10 years old, but still works well. Just upgraded and and installed a replacement today.

Then I took the old one to Habitat For Humanity ReStore and they declined to take dishwashers. Same thing at Goodwill.

Hate to throw it out since it works just fine. Any ideas?
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Latest Netflix find

November 17, 2016, 6:29 am
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I'd like this thread to be dedicated strictly to Netflix. Perhaps it will help others find shows.

My latest find is for the kids:
Called Beat Bugs:
"an animated series featuring renditions of the Fab Four’s songs"
http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-beatles-beat-bugs-original-1201702121/

It's cute, not violent geared towards 4-7 years old I'd say.

I'm looking for show ideas for the kids and for my wife and I

What have you recently discovered?

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Official SVS owners thread!

May 16, 2015, 11:12 pm
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Thought I would start a thread on SVS subs. There is enough talk around here about them. Heck this forum is why I bought mine. Could be fun! What do you have? Size of room? What do you run your gain at? Eq maybe? Anything goes... These are examples of course. Let's talk some serious subs!
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Please tell me if this is not normal!

February 18, 2017, 1:53 pm
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Second pairing RD0 tweeters and same issue again. I'll include a link to a YouTube video, when you listen to the RD0 you can hear a faint buzzing at the end of the piano chords. It is hard to hear I'm the video but I can still point it out.

let me know if this is what you have experienced or not.

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Nice Cambridge Audio Azur 840a V2 Integrated Amplifier w remote and manual.

February 13, 2017, 9:05 pm
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Selling my Cambridge Audio Azur 840a V2 Integrated Amplifier in black. This is a highly reviewed and awarded amp that uses the V2 version of the XD amplifier technology. It puts out 120 w/ch in to 8 ohms and 200 into 4 ohms. it can drive 2 sets of speakers and headphones. It has 8 audio inputs including a set of balanced inputs and a tape loop. It also has defeatable bass and treble controls. The unit is built like a tank and very heavy at 33lbs. Feels like a brick as it is not very large. It is in excellent shape and works as it should. includes, power cord, CA system remote control, paperwork and manual. Asking $545 Thanks
Pictures to follow but it looks like any other 840A v2 in black.
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setting up PB13 ultra and lsim705

July 23, 2016, 4:27 pm
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I most likely going to bite the bullet and get a PB13-Ultra. We all know how tiny a speaker it is 22.5”(H) 20.5”(W) 28”(D)30"with grill on. I was looking at some placement options on the front stage. I was looking at either in the right corner of the room or maybe if I move the right speaker to the right about a foot and the left speaker left by around a foot, I could put the sub in between the entertainment unit and one of the speakers. Alternatively, I could put the sub to the left of the left speaker if I leave speaker in current position. Currently there is 22.5" front the rear of the right speaker to the right wall, 62.5" in between the two speakers and 35.5" between the left speaker and the day bed on the left. Excuse the mess...daddy hasn't cleaned up and some boxes thrown on day bed. FYI I will be putting up panels at first reflection point on the right wall and left wall and one behind centre channel. That day bed is in the opening that opens up to the rest of the basement. How close to the side wall can the LSIM 705 be? Any other suggestions? Oh yes, the tv is on a swivel mount so that I can move it into the corner and have more daylight. Also, the table on the right wall isn't always there.
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Power Conditioner - Who's using one? Which one? Did it help your sound?

October 30, 2016, 6:04 pm
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So my rig hasn't changed in 3-4 years (see my sig). I was thinking of changing my amp. It's an Aragon 8008 Mk II. So I googled reviews of it which reminded me that it's a pretty good amp, so maybe I should keep it. Had been perusing Mac, Pass, and Bryston. Solid state.

Anyways, during my research I stumbled across some dude saying that a power conditioner made a big improvement in his system. Naturally I take such claims with a grain of salt, but the rationale seems logical (dirty power, peak current, etc). Currently I'm just using a Belkin plug strip. All components plug into it. I can't plug my amp into the wall by itself and I'm not going to put in a dedicated 20 amp line or anything. For power conditioner I've been looking at the Furman Elite-15 PFi. At $700 it's a lot cheaper than an amp. I know you can go a lot higher, and a little lower. But I like the features for the price.

So my question for you guys is whether you're using a power conditioner and if so, which one? Did it help your sound? Etc.

Thanks,
Jet
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Magico S5v2 in the house

February 17, 2017, 9:47 am
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Going to be a busy day today. Hope the power stays on during this current storm.

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Telefunken 5080-0406/G73R/12AU7 tube

February 16, 2017, 7:50 pm
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For sale is a single Telefunken 5080-0406/G73R/12AU7 tube made for HP this is a very rare tube far more so then the 802S is. 5080-0406 is the part number HP used for the G73R tube it was made for only two companys Agilent Technology and Hewlett-Packard the Agilent Technology ones had G73R on them instead of 5080-0406 From what I understand Amperex also made this 12AU7 variant but this is a Telefunken tube with the Diamond in the bottom it has a small spot where the coating has came off. It tests in the NOS range at 3900/3900 where 1560 is minimum good on my tester NOS 12AU7's start at around 3500.

Here is what Brent Jesse has to say about it on his site.

As rare as the famous ECC802S, these are the elusive black shield coated avionics/aircraft grade SELECTED TUBE made only for Agilent Technology and Hewlett-Packard. The G73R part number and RFI/EMI black coat shielding indicated the very highest grading. This indicates exhaustive after-market testing for low noise, uniform output, freedom from microphonics or physical defects, long heater life, and even, uniform cathode emission. Hickok tested, and then ear tested in a preamp! The finest Telefunken diamond mark smoothplates, NOS, is what these rare tubes are based upon. These have the G73R printed or hand lettered on the outside black shield coating, and were only available as spare parts for Agilent or H-P equipment. Critical use in hospital or aerospace test equipment demanded tubes with super low noise, and tightly controlled output, and these beauties deliver! The ultimate tube for tube mics and mic preamps! Very fine, very rare tubes, in great demand, especially this smoothplate version. All are the real deal, with the diamond mark in the bottom glass. These are rare matched pairs, with transconductance tightly controlled internally and from tube to tube. Incredibly accurate, the amazing sound image emerges out of a dead quiet background.

$150.00 + shipping

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Regards Snow
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