octaneTom
LORD OF DESTRUCTION
So I took the plunge into LOMC territory the other day. Picked up a slightly used 20x2L (claimed 10 hours) off another web site at half of retail. Installed it on my Rega P5 last night. Took a while to mount as the pins on the back are smaller than on my AT150MLX, so I had to fiddle with the cartridge clips with a pair of needle nose pliers to get them tight enough to hang on. 25 tense and sweaty minutes later all four of them where on nice and tight. After that it was really easy to align on the Baerwald arc and get squared up. Had to put the counterweight all the way at the end of the arm to get it close to balanced, might need to score a heavier one for this cartridge. Pulled out the stylus gauge and set VTF around 1.95-2g, in the middle of the recommended tracking force of 1.8-2.2. Thought about messing with the VTA but left it as is, with what I think is a 4mm spacer below the RB700 (sorry, bought this used a month ago as well, so not sure how it's set - it's got one of those rotate-able spacer bases installed so you can easily adjust the VTA on the arm, I haven't felt like messing with it since VTA looks close to level on both the Dynavactor and the AT.) It might be a little tail down looking at it again right now. Whatever, it's close.
Jolida JD9 is loading it at 1k, ran the Rega connects into the HIOUT connections, gain dip switch 2 on, which according to charts online is 85db of gain, which seems nuts, but it's about right into my 35w Primaluna to drive the Harbeth C7s. Switch 1 was too little - the Primaluna ran out of volume just below the loudest I like to listen. Switch 2 means I barely get the dial past 11 on the Primaluna - I think in between might be perfect, might try some 5751s in the Jolida and see what that does to the gain.
Anyway, I'm two days in, so these are pretty initial thoughts:
HOT. DAMN. From the first needle drop on Disappears "Power" it was pretty clear this thing was going to kick my AT150MLX's ass. The big things I noticed: bass, mid-bass and detail - lots more of all of it across the board. I can now feel and really follow the bass - it's a wonderful living, churning thing that snakes out across the room - and the cymbals seem to float in the spaces between the rest of the music. This is how I remember Noel's vistalite kit sounding live - dynamic and explosive. My fiancee snapped to attention from her laptop and had a similar reaction "Wow - that sounds amazing."
Next, I pulled out Cannonball Adderly "Somethin' Else". On the first track we both looked at each other..and she noted "Now it sounds like it did at the shop" referring to when we'd demoed the Harbeths over the winter (this was one of the LPs I took in to demo). And she was right - there'd always been a sense of perhaps not-quite-as-detailed-or-as-good as the demo room sound here in our living room (granted, David Michael Audio had the Harbeths hooked up to a new VPI Scout w/ I think a Shelter cartridge and what I'm guessing was a $5k VAC amp in a perfectly acoustic room), but I feel like that's gone now. Beautiful mid-range and strikingly real sounding instruments.
I think it's a great fit for my fairly laid back tube system - adds a little punch, a lot of bottom end, a bit of sizzle up top and a ton of detail across the board. It is currently doing Slayer "South of Heaven" justice.
I'll be sitting on the couch, spinning tunes, if anyone needs me.
Jolida JD9 is loading it at 1k, ran the Rega connects into the HIOUT connections, gain dip switch 2 on, which according to charts online is 85db of gain, which seems nuts, but it's about right into my 35w Primaluna to drive the Harbeth C7s. Switch 1 was too little - the Primaluna ran out of volume just below the loudest I like to listen. Switch 2 means I barely get the dial past 11 on the Primaluna - I think in between might be perfect, might try some 5751s in the Jolida and see what that does to the gain.
Anyway, I'm two days in, so these are pretty initial thoughts:
HOT. DAMN. From the first needle drop on Disappears "Power" it was pretty clear this thing was going to kick my AT150MLX's ass. The big things I noticed: bass, mid-bass and detail - lots more of all of it across the board. I can now feel and really follow the bass - it's a wonderful living, churning thing that snakes out across the room - and the cymbals seem to float in the spaces between the rest of the music. This is how I remember Noel's vistalite kit sounding live - dynamic and explosive. My fiancee snapped to attention from her laptop and had a similar reaction "Wow - that sounds amazing."
Next, I pulled out Cannonball Adderly "Somethin' Else". On the first track we both looked at each other..and she noted "Now it sounds like it did at the shop" referring to when we'd demoed the Harbeths over the winter (this was one of the LPs I took in to demo). And she was right - there'd always been a sense of perhaps not-quite-as-detailed-or-as-good as the demo room sound here in our living room (granted, David Michael Audio had the Harbeths hooked up to a new VPI Scout w/ I think a Shelter cartridge and what I'm guessing was a $5k VAC amp in a perfectly acoustic room), but I feel like that's gone now. Beautiful mid-range and strikingly real sounding instruments.
I think it's a great fit for my fairly laid back tube system - adds a little punch, a lot of bottom end, a bit of sizzle up top and a ton of detail across the board. It is currently doing Slayer "South of Heaven" justice.
I'll be sitting on the couch, spinning tunes, if anyone needs me.
