user510

Listening at The Analog Dept.

2-channel audio

hint: click on thumbnail image to view full size

Above thumbnail: wide shot of the room and system as it is today. 12/21/2008 First day of winter.....and we've had snow since 8 days before.

Close up 12/21/08

New addition: A Zeta tonearm for the TD124. It belongs there and gets along very well with the Uwe ebony bodied DL103-R. This is the best sound I've yet to hear from the TD124.

Using the Graham 2.2, a little "mass tuning" and the Shelter 501-II. Nice sounding, but if I hadn't already owned these components, I would not have purchased them to use on the TD124. The Zeta/DL combo above works to the strengths of the TD124 much, much better.

Ortofon MC Jubilee

close up of the Shibata stylus.

(click on thumbnail image to view full size picture)

_NHT 2.9 (4-way) loudspeakers

Turntables: Thorens Td124/ Zeta tonearm/ Uwe ebony bodied DL103R, Teres 145/Graham 2.2/Ortofon MC Jubilee , Thorens Td160C, Thorens TD150 mkII, and a pair of TD124 projects

Open Reel Tape: Otari MX-5050 BII 2 (2 each), Revox A77 (1 each)

Phono Stage / Preamp: Wright WPP100C phono preamplifier/ Sowter step-up transformers

Integrated Stereo Amplifier:, Classe' CAP 151 @ 150 wpc, rms into 8 ohms

AM Stereo/FM Stereo Tuner: Carver TX-11b

Digital Source: Jolida JD100A CD player/ Denon DCD1500

Speakers: NHT 2.9, standing on sharp factory-issue spikes

Cables:

	Phono: Incognito Silver courtesy of Garth Phillipe for my Graham tonearm. Thanks Garth wherever you might be.
	DIY Interconnects per John Risch recipe using Belden 89259 coax cable with Eichman Bullet phono plugs for the rest of the system.
	HD14G speaker cables in bi-wire configuration The infamous Home Depot, genuine made in China, outdoor heavy gage power extension cable.
	DIY power cable using Belden 19364 14 gage power cable, Pass&Seymour 5266-x AC plug, Schurter straight IEC, Tech-Flex. Easy, cheap and good. See DIYCable.com for the parts.

Other:

Music played: Rock, Folk, Folk-Rock, Blues, Jazz, Classical, Ancient, Baroque

Comments: I'm beginning to understand where my equipment tastes are. Example, I prefer the TD124 over the Teres 145. I prefer the Shelter 501-II over the Ortofon Jubilee. Speakers should be cones and domes, not horns. An amp should have "balls". This doesn't mean that I think one is better than the other. It means that I simply prefer one to the other. Tubes sound great, but so can solid state. It just depends on the design.

For more about the TD124 project link here.

above: self photo. While viewing this it suddenly occurred to me that this is the closest I ever get to cracking a smile. Never mind. I'm smiling on the inside ;-)

webmaster@theanalogdept.com (aka user510)