QUIEX Vinyl - Not bad

[Sckott]

Well I went and paid my $30 ticket to get Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" on Classic Records' new Quiex vinyl. Here's my take:

1. Vinyl seems just a tad heavier. I know Lps that I've bought that were not purposely 180g, but this feels heavier than the S&G 45's and the other Classic titles I own. Hmm.

2. Quieter vinyl? Yes and no. This compound may lend itself to a quieter pressing more often, but I have some DCC's and Classics that are still just as quiet. I have to admit though the sound on this title is quite amazing.

3. Which brings me to.. although I don't have a 6-eye original, this speed-corrected version is very enjoyable at high volume, concentrated - in-the-dark-with-candles listening. The sound breathes well, no harshness or brightness, distortion or plastic heaviness in the sound. I'm very impressed.

4. They did well with the packaging too - printed matter as paste-on directly to thick cardboard. Sheesh. Finally someone LISTENED! It's one strong, well printed item. I don't think Columbia or even some MFSL covers could beat the packaging/printing job.

5. Classic Records, for crying out loud, drop using those sub-par vinyl lined paper sleeves. Use VRP type Japanese sleeves, and mark the price up a buck. I'll PAY gladly. I hate it when I carefully pour the record out of these sleeves, and it's scuffed, although minor. Okay, I'm whining.

[Mark H]

Hey I was just wondering what turntable and speakers are you were using through those dynacos? You guys have seriously got me thinking about going tubular soon. I can see myself haunting yard sales looking for old Dyno or MacIntosh units. The soldering idea tends to cause me to hesitate a bit though. I think curiosity is gonna get the best of me.

[Sckott]

Being a DIY guy is a bit of a situation where you are more in control, but you have to be willing to take your losses when you spend 2-4 days building a circut (or troubleshooting one) and come up with nothin. I started out with a difficult project. I wasn't sucessful the 1st time. It was a crash course. I also had a crappy soldering iron to work with. It was like eating Spaghetti with a toothpick.

I'll say it again, if you want to experiment, get yourself a kit like on www.bottlehead.com (http://www.bottlehead.com) like the Foreplay, because it's not expensive at all, your instructions are laid out visually and verbally, and most "idiots" can get one up with minimal soldering experience. It's also a classy, beautifully sounding 12AU7 amp. (I like the 6189 RCA greenies better, an equiv) Yeah, tubes kick serious audiophile ***, but I was thinking of it like this a few days ago:

I own a 66 gal fish tank with some fresh water tropical fish I've had for years. It takes care, maintenence and the love for the swiming creature(s) you buy. Tube amp building and care is like that. If you have a demanding life and household taking a lot of your time in general, you're better off getting NAD, Rotel, Adcom solid stat-y stuff. It's not like you're gonna fail in the heart and eye of a fellow audiophile.

You also have to plan your sound, budget (whatever it might be) and take a good, hard research-look around on the net, if you're curious with anything at all; Weather they'd be computers, cars, audio equipment, or pets. I'd love to have a cat, but I don't think with my schedule that I'd be able to pay lots of attention to it. Fish love to be fed, paid some attention to, and they go about their business and sometimes rather be left alone to go to sleep. I can relate to that.

Also, just like anything else, you have to put some effort into getting some tools that would get you there. A Weller© soldering iron, a Fluke volt meter is minimal, costing (used) about $140 total, usually. An oscilliscope helps BIG TIME when you build something messy that doesn't work, so you can realistically troubleshoot how and where signal is, and isn't. Those real good ones go for $300-400 last I checked, used. I'm lucky because I know someone with it, and I get to visit the guy and bench units with him. If I screw up royally, it's him I can get help with. He's an electronic genius, and it's like getting 'after school help' with kits. Cost? I buy him dinner.

Then, tubes. I prowl electroinic yard sales, eBay, estate sales, and educate myself on tubes that I may want, and try not to go overboard on buying them. Tube rolling is when you have 2-3 brands and types of tubes for one/two amps, and you roll your experience/experiments with em. That can be expensive. It can also be a ton of fun, and sometimes cheap! That's why I like the fact that the Russians are making great tubes. I have a set I'm going to replace with Mullards or Telefunkens. It's a running hobby. Addictive as hell if you're.....serious!

Using a Rega P3 with the RB300 Arm stock, no mods, rolling a Rega Bias for now. I'm using DIY speakers, some older OEM speakers (no-name, they just compliment the crossover circut real well) and I'm going to build much better ones soon. Nothing super, just honest. Rotel RT-965 replaced a Adcom because the Rotel does DTS and DD. With the 2 Dynaco ST70's, it bridges the gap between past and future technologies real well. Sorry for the length!

[ September 29, 2001: Message edited by: Sckott ]

[Unknown]

Originally posted by Sckott:
I'll say it again, if you want to experiment, get yourself a kit like on www.bottlehead.com (http://www.bottlehead.com) like the Foreplay, because it's not expensive at all, your instructions are laid out visually and verbally, and most "idiots" can get one up with minimal soldering experience. It's also a classy, beautifully sounding 12AU7 amp. (I like the 6189 RCA greenies better, an equiv) Yeah, tubes kick serious audiophile ***, but I was thinking of it like this a few days ago:

The Foreplay is a pre, no?

[Sckott]

Yeah, it's a line amp/preamp.

-Sckott

[John Buchanan]

have a look at this page for some nice locally produced valve amplifiers http://www.cantech.net.au/~supra/