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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4290 Registered: Dec-03 | "In addition to the unique design features already found in the Apollo the Saturn offers significant enhancements to the power supplies, digital to analogue converter, master clock and transformer......These improvements take sound performance far in advance of the already superior level achieved by the Apollo". Rega Research Limited |
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Silver Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 126 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi John, wonder of wonders! I clicked on the link you provided above, and I am aware that this is not relevant to CD players, I noticed that Rega also have a new moving coil cartridge!!! Seems like they really have been busy little bees down on the south coast...... cheers Rav |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4302 Registered: Dec-03 | Thanks, Rev. [Ever the pedant, let me say Southend does not qualify as "South Coast", more "Thames Estuary" - that would be like calling Melbourne "South Australia" which it is, in one sense!]. Hey, but pedantry aside, let me thank you - of course this is relevant. I hope to get my ancient Planar 3 back before too long. I will then be looking at a new cartridge, possibly, amongst other things. Like an RB 300 tonearm. I have the Apollo CD player. It is excellent. I am keen to try LPs on my new-old stereo, too, to see who's crazy, the recording industry or the audiophiles. |
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Silver Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 130 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi John, thanks for the correction :-) I am hoping to get back into vinyl too! My Sondek is languishing in its box. I was hoping I could get a cheap boost to the Sondek, with a Origin Live modded RB250, or a Mitchell technoarm, since I am keen to figure out what MC cart's are all about. You may have seen my thread on this, but folks seem to feel that the bearings in the RB250 are not good enough to cope with the energy that a MC cart may feed into the arm. But its funny, elsewhere I have seen people very happily using modded RB250 or 300s with a great number of high end tables and MC carts. On tables like the German DPS, or the Torres Audio, and with carts like a Shelter 501, and Benz ACE series. But I guess how much money I ultimately invest on upgrading my LP12 will depend on the ready availability of good vinyl in my locale. This is something I have not yet investigated. Hope to hear more from you soon on how you go with your Planar 3. best wishes Rav |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4304 Registered: Dec-03 | Rav, Many thanks. The famous LP12, eh....?...! Sorry, I cannot comment, and have no knowledge to impart. I still have the original cartridge and tonearm on my Rega, and the first question I will ask when I get it back is whether it is possible to improve significantly on these at reasonable cost. Going back to CD players - have you noticed people recommend CD players by saying "sounds like analogue" and people never say about turntables "sounds like digital"? |
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Silver Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 135 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi John, yes I have noticed that good CD players are often described as sounding like analogue, and not the contrary for good turntables. In fact it is often derrogatory when a turntable or cartridge is described as sounding digital-like. On the vinyl versus CD debate, I try to take a pragmatic view. They both have there pluses and minuses. CD has greater dynamic range, and lower noise floor, but vinyl is warmer and does not suffer from that brittle 'breaking-glass' sound that characterises poor digital replay for me. Many times in the past, when I lived in the UK, myself and friends compared CD and vinyl, using the same album on both mediums. First thing that I noticed was that both my LP12, and the JVC XL-Z1050TN CD player, were consistent when it came to recording quality, and this seemed to be the biggest factor affecting overall sound quality. Next thing was that modern well recorded pop/rock sounded better on CD. The greater dyanmic range gave more slam and a harder hitting sound. When we played older albums, stuff like early Springstein, the LP12 trounced the CD player. It had far greater warmth and body. I did not understand this at the time, but now know categorically that this was not a fault of the CD medium itself, but of the poor mastering quality of early reissues of albums onto the fledgling CD format. For me well recorded rock/pop faired better on CD. But things changed dramatically when it came to Jazz and classical. Most pop/rock material makes heavy use of compression during recording/mixing, and when you look at the signal level it seems to hover close to or precisely at 0dbfs. But on Jazz and classical, were you have greater variety of signal level. I feel the LP12, and vinyl comes into its own. On vinyl, quiet instruments, eg violin, or gently brushed cymbals for example or backing vocals still sound 'real', not poor facsimilies thereof. But on CD quiet instruments do not sound real, quiet violins sound like the synthesized versions you would get pre-programmed in the presets of a modern synthesizer. I think this may because at low signal levels, we as humans can start to hear the quantising error inherent in the digital format. Since the I believe the CD format is a linear encoding in terms of amplitude, they don't use logarithmic segments to increase the resolution at low levels. That is based on my experience, how I can best characterise the strengths and weaknesses of the two mediums. Also CD has convenience on its side too, programming tracks, and using the remote not to have to get up and re-cue the tracks. But yes when time and funds permit I must get the old LP12 going again. BTW in the past I owned a Goldring G1042 cartridge, I cannot recommend this cartridge highly enough. It would be a good one for you to consider since it is great match for a Planar 3 and RB300 combination. cheers Rav |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 619 Registered: Nov-05 | Ravinder One way a cd can get those brushes sounding more real: https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/215360.html We kid you not. |
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Silver Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 136 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi MR, I tried it, in summary, I agree it works!!! But I could not find the special car polish listed in the thread. I had to make do with a micro-fibre cloth that I bought at Coles, and a spray can of Mr Sheen. This certainly made a difference on my modded Sony XA-5ES machine. Overall sound was 1) more detailed and 2) less stressed and more in control. A very worthwhile improvement!!! -many thanks Rav P.S. I must try to order that magic polish over the web, sounds like it may be much better than the Mr Sheen that I had to settle for. |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 620 Registered: Nov-05 | Rav, I called the company that makes Mr Sheen and they did not recommend its use on cd's as there would be a chemical build up (I guess it would depend on how often one polished them). I found it worked well but the Zaino polish & enhancer was just a little better - mostly - though quite expensive. The Z6 and Z14 cost around $60 delivered from the Aus distributor. |
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Silver Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 137 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi MR, thanks for the warning about Mr Sheen. I will switch to the Zaino, I did not realise they had an Aussie distributor. cheers Rav (a little bleary eyed today!! but very impressed by the Socceroos!!!!) |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 621 Registered: Nov-05 | http://www.zainobros.com.au/ Cheers Rav - yeah, go the Aussies! |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4311 Registered: Dec-03 | Cheers, Rav. The Apollo does indeed qualify for "more like analogue" in my experience. I do not know how they get that effect. Welcome, my Rantz - good to see you again! Best wishes, John |