Keep September 1, 2013 Available - for a vinyl extravaganza

[Warren M.]

AIM:

1. To present a "relatively affordable" turntable-based sound system with performance which rivals (and in some cases betters) many ultra-expensive systems
2. To present exceptional music on exceptional vinyl pressings
3. To play from a unique master lacquer cut directly from the original master tape (a once-in-a-lifetime experience for almost every attendee)
4. To show you several modestly priced ways to improve your listening experience
5. To have a truly fascinating afternoon

WHO CAN ATTEND:

• Anyone !

Prizes, discounts and specials on offer at the September 1 meeting:

 

DOOR PRIZES:

1. Krispy Audio has generously provided a pair of 1-metre Anti-Cables Speaker Wires (with banana terminations) as a door prize in September.  Perfect for mono-blocks.  
2. 1 bottle of Record Revirginizer.
3. I'm letting go of a single Classic Records 200g LP from my own collection as a door prize!!!  No kidding!
4. Who knows what else will be on the prize list.  If you aren't there, then you can't win.

DISCOUNTS:

1. Audio Addiction is offering substantial discounts on all Anti-Cables products including interconnects and speaker wire.  These modestly priced cables are regularly compared favourably with cables costing up to 10 times their price and more!
2. Triton NeoLev magnetic levitation feet will be offered at a big discount by their Australian distributor.  These feet, which use rare earth magnets to levitate your components, do an incredible job of isolating against vibrations. I'll have a set between the table and my turntable shelf, insulating the turntable from vibrations in the air and especially transmitted through the floorboards.  They are truly amazing.
3. Great specials will be offered by Decibel HiFi and GrooveWorks on record cleaning and protection products and other essential accessories.
4. Join ASoN on the day and get immediate exclusive discounts by at least two hi-fi distributors (being announced on the day) and several retailers! 
5. More being negotiated.  We are looking to exclusive discount arrangements with a number of suppliers, as a benefit of your ASoN membership.

IF I'M NOT A MEMBER OF ASoN, CAN I STILL ATTEND?

• Why do you think we are offering prizes???  Of course we want you to attend!  Bring a friend or your spouse - you might be surprised what an enjoyable afternoon it will be for them!  If you can, please contact ASoN or myself a week or so before so we have a good idea of numbers.

THE PRESENTATION SYSTEM:

• Australian designed and hand-built Once Analog turntable (with latest mods) - a 2nd-hand Once turntable might be available for sale on the day at a crazy price (not mine!)
• Scottish hand-built Audio Origami PU7 pickup arm 
• American-designed, Japanese hand-crafted and individually tuned Lyra Kleos MC cartridge
• HK-designed and hand-built Eastern Electric MiniMax phono preamp, massively enhanced by Joe Rasmussen of Custom Analogue Audio (JLTi)
• TTW Audio TTMega 1kg peripheral ring weight
• JLTi KT88 Mk2 integrated amplifier, featuring TungSol KT-120 output tubes, Sophia 6SN7 power tubes and Psvane 12AT7_T input tubes
• Protoype Orpheus Aurora Maximus speakers
• Anti-cables Level-3 Reference Series Speaker Wire
• Anti-cables Level-2 Performance Series Interconnects

Including the amplifier (but excluding the speakers) this entire system could be put together for about $16,000!  Including the amplifier!  Are there better?  Well, of course!  But there are turntables (without arm or cartridge or phono preamp) which cost several times more than this whole system!  There are pickup arms which cost far more than this whole system.  Come and listen to what $16K can get you in long-term musical satisfaction!

 

THE SCHEDULE:

 

What does an original master "lacquer" sound like?

Before a vinyl record can be pressed, the master disc needs to be cut, using a special cutting lathe, from the original master tapes.  This master disc, cut from lacquer on an aluminium base, is then used as the template to press a father/mother disc which becomes the basis for the vinyl record production.  As such it is the "hottest" version of the record ever made, so it should sound as close to the original master tape as possible.  But it was never designed to be played. The shock waves, generated by the stylus as it collides with the lacquer, create much more impact damage than in a normal vinyl groove, due to the solid aluminium which sits underneath, so the life of the disc will be perilously short.  We'll have a chance to hear a master lacquer!  This is a unique opportunity. You might never get a chance to do so again.  Don't miss it!!!

 

A quick comparison of classical piano recordings:

I have over a thousand classical piano recordings on vinyl.  Whenever I listen to one, it amazes me how very different each piano is!  It should not really surprise me as I play piano myself, and each piano, even if the same model of the same manufacturer,  has its own distinctive sound and feel.  So I thought I would choose a small selection of superlative performances and use them to compare how different recordings "play on" the special attributes of different pianos, pianists and recording halls. I've chosen about 20 minutes of piano music across 6 records.  In most cases, the recording happens to be of the best performance on record in my (very subjective) assessment.  Here are my current candidates:

• Ikuyo Kamiya: Beethoven Sonata Opus 57 (Appassionata) 3rd Movement - Bosendorfer piano - Direct To Disc 45 rpm RCA Japan - Recording engineer Masaki Ohno (1977)
• Maurizio Pollini: Chopin Etudes - Etude Op 25 No 11 (Winter Wind) - Steinway piano - DGG - Recording engineer Heinz Wildhagen (1972)
• Daniel Barenboim: Beethoven Sonata Opus 27 No 2 (Moonlight) 3rd Movement - Steinway piano - EMI - Recording engineer Suvi Raj Grubb (1966)
• Byron Janis: Mussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition 1st Movement (promenade) and 2nd Movement (gnomes) - Steinway piano - Mercury 45rpm - Recording engineer C. Robert Fine (1961)
• Malcolm Fager plays Chopin (track 2: Andante Spinato & Grande Polonaise) - Bosendorfer piano - Telarc Digital - Sound engineer Jack Renner (1978)
• Nojima plays Liszt (track 2: La Campanella) - Hamburg Steinway piano - Reference Recordings - Sound engineer Prof. Keith Johnson (1986)

 

A few recent vinyl releases:

As many of you know, vinyl died in the 1990s.  So how come more vinyl records are sold today than CDs?  We'll listen to some recent releases and reissues on vinyl, and perhaps the answer will present itself to you.

 

Digital remaster vs analogue original:

With all the hype about the Beatles digital remasters, you'd think there was something seriously wrong with the original pressings. We'll cut through the hype and listen to a track or three from a 1969 UK "1st stamper" of Beatles Abbey Road. Once you've heard the original, there is no going back forward!

 

A quick look at record cleaning and record longevity:

There are record cleaners and record cleaners and record cleaners.  Not long ago there was a discussion on stereo.net about the benefits of buying a $3500 automatic record cleaning machine.  The buyer had 1000 records to clean.  He bought and was very happy about it.  From the look of it, it is fantastic, but it is pretty expensive.  I have 4000 records of which only about 10% have been cleaned, so I have a lot of cleaning to do.  My record cleaning machine is the G.E.M. Dandy which costs well under $250.  When I buy a record which has been cleaned on a vacuum cleaning machine, the first thing I would do with it is clean it with the G.E.M. Dandy in order that it be clean!  So we'll have a quick look at this cheap manual record cleaner and why it works so much better than the expensive ones.  The supplier in Australia will have a special deal for attendees.

 

All record cleaning fluids are not created equal.  You'll get to see and hear the results of the one that many people regard as the best in the world, and, if you want, take advantage of the special deal for attendees and ASoN members! (Note that this is NOT the G.E.M. Dandy cleaning fluid and not even supplied by the same distributor)

 

What would you say if I told you that you can keep a record in as new condition over hundreds even thousands of plays?  And that a stylus can last thousands of hours without deterioration.  These ridiculous ideas are fact!  We'll look at the products which make this possible, and the special deal I've arranged for attendees to get these products. 

 

Accessories which work and don't cost the earth:

As you might know, there are speaker cables you can buy for $5000/metre and interconnects that cost even more.  Yet there are a handful of companies around the world which make and sell inexpensive cables that consistently receive rave reviews.  We'll look at one of these companies, AntiCables, and the great discount offer to attendees and ASoN members, by them and their Australian distributor.

 

Who has resonance/vibration problems in their listening environment?  We all do.  So I've singled out a couple of products which work, and we'll see the effect on the speakers and components we are using at ASoN.  There is a special deal on these too!

 

Your listening room is one of your components!  The hall where we meet has some really major acoustic problems, and, of course, we are not at liberty to permanently modify it.  It's too hard to temporarily fix the ceiling, but we can do a lot with the walls.  September will see us use Dunlop Acoustic Foams for the first time, to improve the stereo sound stage of the Epping Creative Centre hall.

 

SOME CANDIDATE RECORDS (tracks not yet decided):

• The Beatles "Abbey Road" (Apple UK 1969 "1st stamper")
• Peter Paul & Mary "In Concert" (Warner Brothers US 1966 pressing)
• "Jazz at the Pawnshop" (ATR 180g audiophile pressing)  
• Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" (Classic Records Clarity Vinyl 45rpm)
• Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat (Cisco 45rpm)
• more later... 

 

ASoN meetings are held at:

2:45pm - 5:45pm, on the first Sunday of each month except January

at

Epping Creative Centre
26 Stanley St, Epping, NSW

 

See you September if not before

 

Regards,

Warren

Edited August 9, 2013 by Warren M.

[Krispy Audio]

Sounds great Warren, I'll try to make it. 

 

I wonder if with the Anticables deal, you should get the local distributor involved rather than sending people offshore? I'm sure he'd be interested if you contacted him. 

[Warren M.]

Sounds great Warren, I'll try to make it. 

 

I wonder if with the Anticables deal, you should get the local distributor involved rather than sending people offshore? I'm sure he'd be interested if you contacted him. 

 

Unfortunately AntiCables afaik only sell direct.  I much prefer supporting local supply if possible.

[Krispy Audio]

You can buy locally from Audio Addiction in QLD.

[Warren M.]

You can buy locally from Audio Addiction in QLD.

 

Thanks so much for letting me know.  That's very weird.  I wonder why AntiCables didn't raise that with me in our discussions.  The cables should arrive this week.  Once I've listened to them, had them tested for baseline specs, and started burning them in, I'll make contact with both Audio Addiction and AntiCables and work out how best to promote.  We'll be using their speaker cables as well - I'm not sure whether they've supplied level 2 or level 3 speaker wire.

[Krispy Audio]

No probs at all. Very strange indeed!

I've got a set of new Anti Cables speaker cables I'd be happy to donate for the day as a lucky door prize. I'll pass them onto EK next time we catch up. They're only 1m but great for monoblocks!

[Warren M.]

No probs at all. Very strange indeed!

I've got a set of new Anti Cables speaker cables I'd be happy to donate for the day as a lucky door prize. I'll pass them onto EK next time we catch up. They're only 1m but great for monoblocks!

 

Thanks for the door prize offer - gratefully accepted.

 

I've checked with Paul at AntiCables and he is happy for sales arising from the presentation to be directed to Audio Addiction.  Good for everyone!

[Warren M.]

Some ideas and features are starting to come together

 

As I come up with ideas, I'll post them here for comment, derision, alternatives, etc.  Nothing which I write here is guaranteed, but it is developing as a plan.

 

A quick comparison of classical piano recordings:

I have over a thousand classical piano recordings on vinyl.  Whenever I listen to one, it amazes me how very different each piano is!  It should not really surprise me as I play piano myself, and each piano, even if the same model of the same manufacturer,  has its own distinctive sound and feel.  So I thought I would choose a small selection of superlative performances and use them to compare how different recordings "play on" the special attributes of different pianos, pianists and recording halls. I've chosen about 15 minutes of piano music across 4 or 5 records.  In most cases, the recording happens to be of the best performance on record in my (very subjective) assessment.

 

A few recent vinyl releases:

As many of you know, vinyl died in the 1990s.  So how come more vinyl records are sold today than CDs?  We'll listen to some recent releases and reissues on vinyl, and perhaps the answer will present itself to you.

 

Digital mastering vs analog mastering:

The debate continues as to whether digital masters make for good vinyl records.  There is a site on the web which lists the best classical recordings/pressings (not performances) of all time on vinyl, and, all up, there are 5 digital masters among them that I counted (out of hundreds of entries).  Maybe the tide is turning, so let's listen to a digital remaster vs analog master on a track from say Abbey Road (a highly lauded digital remastering).  Now one of the problems here is that analogue tends to excel at subtlety and digital tends to excel at impact.  So the digital may sound better in an auditorium even if the analogue sounds better at home.  Let's see.  PS: can anyone bring along the digital remastered LP of Abbey Road, as I don't have it.

 

What does an original master "lacquer" sound like?

Before a vinyl record can be pressed, the master disc needs to be cut, using a special cutting lathe, from the original master tapes.  This master disc, cut from lacquer on an aluminium base, is then used as the template to press a father/mother disc which becomes the basis for the vinyl record production.  As such it is the "hottest" version of the record ever made, so it should sound as close to the original master tape as possible.  But it was never designed to be played. The shock waves, generated by the stylus as it collides with the lacquer, create much more impact damage than in a normal vinyl groove, due to the solid aluminium which sits underneath, so the sound may be different and the life of the disc will be perilously short.  If I can get one, we'll have a chance to hear a master lacquer!  You might never get a chance to do so again.

 

A quick look at record cleaning and record longevity:

There are record cleaners and record cleaners and record cleaners.  Not long ago there was a discussion on stereo.net about the benefits of buying a $3500 automatic record cleaning machine.  The buyer had 1000 records to clean.  He bought and was very happy about it.   From the look of it, it is fantastic, but it is pretty expensive.  I have 4000 records of which only about 10% have been cleaned, so I have a lot of cleaning to do.  My record cleaning machine is the G.E.M. Dandy which costs well under $250.  When I buy a record which has been cleaned on a vacuum cleaning machine, the first thing I would do with it is clean it with the G.E.M. Dandy in order that it be clean!  So we'll have a quick look at this cheap manual record cleaner and why it works so much better than the expensive ones.  The supplier in Australia will have a special deal for attendees.

 

All record cleaning fluids are not created equal.  You'll get to see and hear the results of the one that many people regard as the best in the world, and, if you want, take advantage of the special deal for attendees and ASoN members!  (Note that this is NOT the G.E.M. Dandy cleaning fluid and not even supplied by the same distributor)

 

What would you say if I told you that you can keep a record in as new condition over hundreds even thousands of plays?  And that a stylus can last thousands of hours without deterioration.  These ridiculous ideas are fact!  We'll look at the products which make this possible, and the special deal I've arranged for attendees to get these products. 

 

Accessories which work and don't cost the earth:

As you might know, there are speaker cables you can buy for $5000/metre and interconnects that cost even more.  Yet there are a handful of companies around the world which make and sell inexpensive cables that consistently receive rave reviews.  We'll look at one of these companies, AntiCables, and the great discount offer to attendees and ASoN members, by them and their Australian distributor.

 

Maybe we can do the same for power cables - still fighting for that one.  Watch this space!

 

Who has resonance/vibration problems in their listening environment?  We all do.  So I've singled out a product which works, and we'll see the effect on the speakers we are using at ASoN.  There is a special deal on these too!

 

That's enough for now.

 

Please let me know what else you want at the September meeting, and if any of these ideas leave you cold.

 

See you September if not before

 

Regards,

Warren

Edited May 27, 2013 by Warren M.

[Jake]

Kraftwerk remasters on Mute.

So, what will we play?  What will we play?

[Warren M.]

I have Mute but not Kraftwerk

[Jake]

I have Mute but not Kraftwerk

Most Mute is good. Depeche Mode?

[Warren M.]

Most Mute is good. Depeche Mode?

No Depeche Mode on vinyl - I can mute it on CD if you like - I'm not really that into fashion news.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Warren M.

[Warren M.]

Prizes, discounts and specials on offer at the September 1 meeting:

 

DOOR PRIZES:

1. Krispy Kables has generously provided a pair of 1-metre Anti-Cables Speaker Wires (with pure copper spade terminations) as a door prize in September.  Perfect for mono-blocks.  Cameron of Krispy Kables will be presenting at the July 7 meeting in Epping, with some fabulous new kit - don't miss it!
2. 1 bottle of Record Revirginizer.
3. I'm letting go of a single Classic Records 200g LP from my own collection as a door prize!!!  No kidding!
4. Who knows what else will be on the prize list.  If you aren't there, then you can't win.

DISCOUNTS:

1. Audio Addiction is offering substantial discounts on all Anti-Cables products including interconnects and speaker wire.  I'm currently burning in the Anti-cables speaker wire and interconnects I plan to use on the day.  These modestly priced cables are regularly compared favourably with cables costing up to 10 times their price and more!
2. Triton NeoLev magnetic levitation feet will be offered at a big discount by their Australian distributor.  These feet, which use rare earth magnets to levitate your components, do an incredible job of isolating against vibrations. I'll have a set between the table and my turntable shelf, insulating the turntable from vibrations in the air and especially transmitted through the floorboards.  They are truly amazing.
3. Great specials will be offered by Decibel HiFi and GrooveWorks on record cleaning and protection products and other essential accessories.
4. Discounts for attendees on other items by the Triton distributors.
5. More being negotiated.  We are looking to discount arrangements with a number of suppliers, as a benefit of your ASoN membership.

I'M NOT A MEMBER OF ASoN. CAN I STILL ATTEND?

• Why do you think we are offering prizes???  Of course we want you to attend!  Bring a friend or your spouse - you might be surprised what an enjoyable afternoon it will be for them!

 

Cheers,

Warren

Edited July 6, 2013 by Warren M.

[wadiman]

Hey Warren -

 

Where can I find the details - timing, location etc?

 

Thanks!

[Warren M.]

Hey Warren -

 

Where can I find the details - timing, location etc?

 

Thanks!

 

ASoN meetings are held at:

2:45pm - 5:45pm, on the first Sunday of each month except January

at

Epping Creative Centre

26 Stanley St, Epping, NSW

Edited July 8, 2013 by Warren M.

[wadiman]

Thanks!

[hyper]

Warren sounds great I'll try and make next meet up!

[Warren M.]

SOME CANDIDATE RECORDS (tracks not yet decided):

• The Beatles "Abbey Road" (Apple UK 1969 "1st stamper")
  
• Peter Paul & Mary "In Concert" (Warner Brothers US 1966 pressing)
  
• "Jazz at the Pawnshop" (ATR 180g audiophile pressing)  
  
• Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" (Classic Records Clarity Vinyl 45rpm)
  
• Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat (Cisco 45rpm)
  
• more later... 
  

[hyper]

Great warren If you want to do a comparison at all I have a dead wax obi abbey rd as well I'm happy to bring just let me know

[Warren M.]

Great warren If you want to do a comparison at all I have a dead wax obi abbey rd as well I'm happy to bring just let me know

 

I originally intended it to be a comparison between a digital remaster and the MOFI (neither of which I have), but, having been blown away by my recently acquired UK 1st stamper (2nd stamper side one), in spite of its occasional annoying click and pop, I'm tempted just to let it stand alone.  Comparing it to my nice Aussie pressing is like comparing a strong espresso coffee to dishwater.

 

The problem with comparisons is that the hall sometimes hides the stuff which makes the differences so obvious - comparison in my living room or Joe Rasmussen's studio makes the differences pick you up by scruff and throw you around the room.

 

I'm also faced with a potential play short-list for the day of about 100 tracks (plus whatever others bring), so repeating music eats into an already impossible set of choices.

 

For instance I have 3 4-disk 45 rpm Clarity albums, all of which sound stupendous, alongside at least 15 other 45 rpm albums, maybe 40 other Classic Records 200g albums and Speakers Corner 180g albums, and a heap of other superb audiophile pressings... and then I have the real music in original Decca, EMI, DGG, Verve, ECM etc pressings!

[hyper]

Thats fine just thought I'd offer.. for future FYI I have most of the Beatles albums first uk press (some mint) and also UHQR/MFSL happy to bring them for future sessions if you like just let me know thx

[Warren M.]

CLASSICAL PIANO TRACKS I EXPECT TO PLAY (subject to revision):

 

Within the program there will be a handful of example classical piano tracks which combine superlative performance with fabulous reproduction, with each piano sounding amazingly different from the others.  This is what I have come up with so far:

• Ikuyo Kamiya: Beethoven Sonata Opus 57 (Appassionata) 3rd Movement - Bosendorfer piano - Direct To Disc 45 rpm RCA Japan - Recording engineer Masaki Ohno (1977)
• Maurizio Pollini: Chopin Etudes - Etude Op 25 No 11 (Winter Wind) - Steinway piano - DGG - Recording engineer Heinz Wildhagen (1972)
• Daniel Barenboim: Beethoven Sonata Opus 27 No 2 (Moonlight) 3rd Movement - Steinway piano - EMI - Recording engineer Suvi Raj Grubb (1966)
• Byron Janis: Mussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition 1st Movement (promenade) and 2nd Movement (gnomes) - Steinway piano - Mercury 45rpm - Recording engineer C. Robert Fine (1961)
• Malcolm Fager plays Chopin (track 2: Andante Spinato & Grande Polonaise) - Bosendorfer piano - Telarc Digital - Sound engineer Jack Renner (1978)
• Nojima plays Liszt (track 2: La Campanella) - Hamburg Steinway piano - Reference Recordings - Sound engineer Prof. Keith Johnson (1986)

[Warren M.]

 

CLASSICAL PIANO TRACKS I EXPECT TO PLAY (subject to revision):

 

Within the program there will be a handful of example classical piano tracks which combine superlative performance with fabulous reproduction, with each piano sounding amazingly different from the others.  This is what I have come up with so far:

• Ikuyo Kamiya: Beethoven Sonata Opus 57 (Appassionata) 3rd Movement - Bosendorfer piano - Direct To Disc 45 rpm RCA Japan - Recording engineer Masaki Ohno (1977)
• Maurizio Pollini: Chopin Etudes - Etude Op 25 No 11 (Winter Wind) - Steinway piano - DGG - Recording engineer Heinz Wildhagen (1972)
• Daniel Barenboim: Beethoven Sonata Opus 27 No 2 (Moonlight) 3rd Movement - Steinway piano - EMI - Recording engineer Suvi Raj Grubb (1966)
• Byron Janis: Mussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition 1st Movement (promenade) and 2nd Movement (gnomes) - Steinway piano - Mercury 45rpm - Recording engineer C. Robert Fine (1961)
• Malcolm Fager plays Chopin (track 2: Andante Spinato & Grande Polonaise) - Bosendorfer piano - Telarc Digital - Sound engineer Jack Renner (1978)
• Nojima plays Liszt (track 2: La Campanella) - Hamburg Steinway piano - Reference Recordings - Sound engineer Prof. Keith Johnson (1986)

mmmmm.  Another expense!  Just discovered that the record of the Moonlight, Pathétique and Appassionata sonatas, within my Barenboim EMI 1960s recording of the 32, has a permanent scratch across the Moonlight (practically invisible but unlistenable!).  So last night I found and bought a NM copy of the UK pressing on eBay.  The same seller had a NM copy of Richter playing several Rachmaninoff preludes - the best performances I've ever heard (and I have many others on record and disc) - so I bought this as well.

[Warren M.]

Looking for advice choosing records/tracks to play:

 

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/54886-records-ill-be-playing-at-ason-on-september-1-opinions-requested/

[Warren M.]

Here is the promo for the presentation.  You are welcome to download it and pass it to friends.

 

VinylMusicExtravaganzaA.pdf