Mohan Varkey Posted June 4, 2011 Posted June 4, 2011 AUDIO GUILD Melbourne (Where all music lovers meet) JUNE Meeting: Thursday, 9th June, 2011: 8pm Venue: 22 Michellan Court, Bayswater, Australia 3153. (MELWAY Map: 64A4) CONTACT: (03) 9893 5856 Mobile: 0409 415 315 TURNTABLE, CD AND PUSH-PULL AMPS Joe inspired this month’s meeting. What happens when audiophiles go out recording live music direct to CD? 16-bit 44kHz? No compression!!! Just as I was receiving kudos for my recordings of Church choirs, Joe has thrown down the gauntlet. We will be playing two tracks each from our recordings. Well, what makes a great recording? In my opinion it is the performance 70%, the venue 20% and the gear, engineering etc., 10%. A good example of an inspired performance is “Harry Belafonte at Carnegie Hallâ€. The CD version is slightly compressed for my taste. The music is enjoyable. Talking of recorders one cannot but dream of classic reel-to reel recorders such as Studer, Stellavox, Nagra, Scully, Ampex and so on. Yet, good recordings can be made using lesser equipment. It is a matter of ‘knowing’ your equipment that matters most. We shall hear and judge. NAGRA PL-P Valve Preamp The face plate has not changed one bit over the years. I have listened to this unit on two occasions through Proac Response4. Audiophile designers are always pushing the glass envelopes to their limits (high voltage, high current etc.) in an effort to achieve faster transient response, higher gain, power etc.. In contrast, the Nagra simply reproduces enjoyable music. Phono stage is quite musical. Peter is bringing his Nagra for us to enjoy. If you need more details; http://www.fineaudio.com.au/preamps/prod_nag.html Great Preamps This brings me to another preamp ‘Audio Innovations’ I think; an Eisensen design. Once again, it was not the last word in transient response, detail etc., but it did reproduce enjoyable music. The finest preamp that I have ever listened to was a prototype that Trevor Lees made in the eighties. Simple cascode circuit and a passive RIAA. It did not have the wide bandwidth of my SP6A at the time but was more musical. We played the preamp using two different turntables including a SOTA, two different Audio Research power amps and a pair of Proac Tablettes (Original). Even Trevor, with all of his vocabulary could not reproduce this prototype. AUDIOVERISMO Turntable I can understand Russell’s hesitation in lifting this magnificent turntable. This is a ‘Nonesuch’ unit designed and built on a cost-no-object basis with a performance to match. Perhaps Russell could once again put his mighty shoulders to the Yoke. Great Tone Arms I used to think that JH Formula 4 (Aussie design, copied by Mayware-Japan) was the finest tone arm ever made until I came upon the Odyssey (Scottish design?) in the eighties and the Continuum in production at Mitcham, VIC. In both cases the arm is the performer. You may change turntables; but the reproduction is close to being identical. I wish that Russell could mount one on the Audioverismo. TAKE 5 Few can deny that from the very first note, this music is evergreen. I found a variation posted on SNA; Sachal Studios, Lahore http://www.casttv.com/video/77lv2x4/sachal-studios-take-five-official-video Important: Please bring your favourite LPs and CDs so that all of us can enjoy the evening. Regards, Mohan 04th June, 2011
JA Posted June 5, 2011 Posted June 5, 2011 (edited) Joe inspired this month’s meeting. What happens when audiophiles go out recording live music direct to CD? 16-bit 44kHz? No compression!!! Just as I was receiving kudos for my recordings of Church choirs, Joe has thrown down the gauntlet. We will be playing two tracks each from our recordings. Hello Mohan I'll be there . I have 4 tracks: 1 contemporary choral, 1 big band and 2 Symphony Orchestra all recorded straight from the microphones without any compresssion, limiting or equalisation in different settings/venues. They are very lively and give 0 dBFS a close shake. Best JA Edited June 5, 2011 by JA
Dr Good Vibe Posted June 5, 2011 Posted June 5, 2011 Hello Mohan, would like to attend this if possible, looks like a great night.
JA Posted June 10, 2011 Posted June 10, 2011 (edited) Hello All, We enjoyed another good night with step up transformers and preamps compared. We then settled in and listened mostly to vinyl. There were a number of wonderful LPs played. I will post the details and pics later. It was also great to meet some friendly fellow SNAers at the meeting: Sam (AKA -Yoda) and Pat (AKA - Buzzlightyear). The Sinatra was very enjoyable - thanks Buzz. Best JA Edited June 10, 2011 by JA
Yoda Posted June 10, 2011 Posted June 10, 2011 Many thanks to Mohan for allowing mayhem to be perpetrated by the attendees upon the Bayswater premises for our audio education. Between the insults and red wine flying around, it was surprising how much music was put through between frequent equipment changes. Thoroughly enjoyed it despite having to leave early. Always good to meet a fellow SNAer, - just didn't expect it to be SNA royalty though. Cheers
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