Have I had a good day or what

karkus30

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Black Sabbath - Masters of Reality and Paranoid
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Fugazi- 13 songs
Perfect Circle - Mer de Noms


:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
Have you really? :D
 
All for 20 quid and change for a bag of chips and the bus ride home. Marvellous. Oh and I am now the proud owner of a Xerxes, just got to find a decent SME IV to go with it :rolleyes:
 
That's a bargain David Dickinson would be proud of:eek:

Do you go to record fairs at all? I used to go every six weeks or so but since I started buying music online I only go to a fair about every six months, if that. It's a shame 'cause I really enjoy searching through the stalls for the bargains/rarities and talking to the dealers.

And what's a xerxes?:confused:
 
Originally posted by cheeseywang
That's a bargain David Dickinson would be proud of:eek:

Do you go to record fairs at all? I used to go every six weeks or so but since I started buying music online I only go to a fair about every six months, if that. It's a shame 'cause I really enjoy searching through the stalls for the bargains/rarities and talking to the dealers.

And what's a xerxes?:confused:

I bought these from a market stall (not copies) and one of the cheap music shops.

I visit fairs occasionally, if I happen to be passing. I hate paying that £1 or whatever for entrance fee. Last time I came out with a Meat Puppet CD for a coupla quid.

Roksan turntable, legendary for its warped arm boards and stunning sound.
 
Oh and I am now the proud owner of a Xerxes, just got to find a decent SME IV to go with it
Welcome to the club!! :D Did you hear one first Karkus??? :lesson: If not, slapped wrists.............

Roksan turntable, legendary for its warped arm boards and stunning sound.
Can't argue with that.................... although mines not too bad.

Two things:- One. Make sure the Xerxes is isolated from footfall (wall stand preferably. Sound Organisation W/S here) with a good hi-fi stand. Two. If you can't find a SME IV (i've been searching for years :( ) at a sensible price get a REGA RB600 to fill in. The soundstage with that pairing is truly excellent! The RB300 is ok, but in it's original form the cables are seriously ropey, and the bearings are positively slack compared to the 600 & 900.

Hope you have as much listening pleasure out of it as i have. :)

On BTW, where did you get that lot?
 
I heard it rustling in a cardboard box :) I will take a chance on it, if Im not happy it can go back on the 'For sale shelf' ;) Its got an RB300 on it (Ive got twins now). If I like it, then I might buy the Origin live upgrade kit, its a couple of hundred quid in diy format. I can try the upgraded arm on both decks, get a new cartridge at the same time. My intention is to get a wall mounted TT support, so that sorts out the vibration bit. I can also get a trade in deal on the Xerxes for an X model. I noted there was a moth cleaning machine kit on the Origin site for £225.00.

That lot of cds was from Darlington market stall and a cut price cd shop. I was well pleased as last time I saw the remastered Masters of Reality it was about £15 in HMV.
 
heard it rustling in a cardboard box
Yeah, but was the lorry still moving.............:D To be fair I only demmed mine for about half an hour, which isn't enough, but i was convinced!! Still am, so it can't have had too many hidden faults!

When you set it up make sure you get the top plinth adjusted right. It's no where near as fiddly as a suspended sub, and easy compared to poncing with a Linn (i've spent hours getting those buggers "just right"), but it still needs a little fine tuning. One of the nice things about the Oracle is it's fairly easy, in relative terms, to adjust the chassis.

The 10! Now there's a beast!! Seen a few reviews favourably comparing them to a Orbe/SMEIV combi. Can't be bad!! Especially when you consider the price gap.
 
Linn.................Ive heard loads of them, not one sounded the same. Some had all the Valhalla, cirkus, trampoline mods, set up by dealers etc, but about 98% of them sounded very ordinary. Then along comes an older, unmodified example, packed in a mildewed carboard box thats been sitting in someones damp garage for about 15 years. The damp had caused damage to the plinth and arm board, but straight out of the box it sounded fantastic, it was at that point I decided never to buy a Linn.

What arm are you using ??
 
The only worry, Kark, is that you didnt have those 5 albums previously!!
 
Originally posted by Floodedstatue
The only worry, Kark, is that you didnt have those 5 albums previously!!

settle down ;)

I always wanted the Sabbath albums, but at the right price.

I have Soungardens BMF, which is pretty good, but Im not a big fan. This album seems to come from a different place, Black hole sun is fantastic (almost Husker Du).

Fugazi was an impulse buy.

Mer de Noms was for my Lady, shes turned into a Perfect Circle fan since seeing them in Nottingham.

Of course those prices must seem minimal compared to your outlays on rare PT albums :eek:
 
LOL touche!
 
What arm are you using
RB600. Until recently had the RB300 + the re-wire job. The 600's still better even after the re-wire. Must be the better bearings................ or my ears are being influenced by value for money demands!:D
 
Originally posted by overkill
RB600. Until recently had the RB300 + the re-wire job. The 600's still better even after the re-wire. Must be the better bearings................ or my ears are being influenced by value for money demands!:D

Now, Ive been doing my research and...................The best upgrade to do on a RB300 is the counter weight mod it accounts for an improvement of around 70%. The wiring mods make around 15% difference. Two companies also offer counter weight mods; Mitchell and an American company called Express audio.

The RB250 is the best arm to modify because of the pivot arrangement. Once modified with the structural and wiring mods it surpasses the RB 900 ( theres a lot of independent reviews that agree with this statement).

Next up is the further modified RB250, which uses a special arm tube, that costs around £600. Then they start modifying the bearing assemblies :eek:

Now lets get onto modified power supplies and motors :boring: :laugh:
 
karkus old fruit, i got the wiring upgrade done against my dealers advice. They also reckoned (the engineer owns a Xerxes himself!) the counterweight thing wouldn't be much of a bonus either. It was better with the heavier cartridges (Ortofons) but with lighter mass cartridges, say Denons (my fave the 304), or AT's (the OC7, on which i busted the stylus - sob!) it made a modest improvement. Michell weight used.

The easiest answer (and they were right!) was to upgrade the arm. Would've been cheaper in the long run too.................. :(

Try and wait out for an RB600 or better still an Artemiz. Both turn up on E-bay. It'll be worth it.
 
Just missed a Tabriz ZI gone for £225.00, seen them in dealers for around £300.

The Xerxes has an OC 7, hardly used. You seem to have liked yours, are they any good ? I just considered it as a throwaway with the TT, something to be changed sooner rather than later. Have I under estimated ?

The 600 isnt badly priced anyway as new.

Im going to play around with both The Oracle and the Xerxes and see which I prefer. Then one goes off to auction, Im hoping thats going to be The Oracle. Then sell the RB300 on which ever TT is left, so all in all it shouldnt cost me much to upgrade. Still got to buy a new cartridge, but that was on the card anyway. Probably end up with a Dynavector XXT or a Ortofon Rohann for arond the £300/400 mark s/hand.

Speakers are next, probably Neat acoustics MF7 or perhaps the latest Petites or exchanges for my older Critiques (mine have the user friendly sucked out mid range ).
 
I wouldn't bother with a Tabriz, they're good but a tad "bright" compared to the RB300/600 and the Artemiz is in a different class.... I liked the older AT cartridges period. They tend to be clear, well focused, easy on the ear (ie not to harsh in the treble extremes!) and with a decent arm, produce good stereo and 3D. I had an ATF3, 5, & 7. Upgrading wasn't an expensive habit when I worked in the trade. However, the new OC9ML comes in for some stick so i'm not sure if AT has given up on quality MC's.


I'm not sure how you'd compare the two!! :confused: Personally I would prefer the Roksan over an old Oracle (Easily! But that's me!), although in fairness they were made in the very early 80's before the new analogue technology really kicked in - as CD gave the turntable makers a long overdue kick up the ar*e. :D The sound of them both is so radically different though, it would depend on what your personal preference is.

Dynavector XX or Rohmann! yuuuuuuuummmmmmm!! That's a nice choice to make!! The only thing that puts me off the Dynavector is that LINN users like em'!! :laugh:
 
I think I better get a cartridge sorted out soon. Is the OC7 MM or MC ?? If its MC I will use it for a comparison. My MC 20 supreme is in the bent cantilever , twisted straight, maybe its damaging my albums, or maybe its not tracking properly / damaged tip scenario :(
 
The OC7's an MC. Get the hi-fi news test album. If the mc20's mistracking you'll soon hear it!! It's great for setting up properly anyway.
 
I have a Hi Fi sound and a Shure Era IV obstacle course test record. TBH I just use the basic tracking test as a check that Im at least in the ball park. The higher tracking test tracks just confuse the hell out of me, if you use them to set up your deck you have to use them constantly, but there are dire warnings about over use printed on the record sleeves. Im never quite sure what Im supposed to hear :rolleyes:

Great news that the OC7 is an MC, I will use this as the comparison cartridge.
 
You know on second thought. No one really talks about this turntable set up stuff. You get protractors and balances and spirit levels and test records. Who actually knows when your stylus tip is getting worn? If you have the right tracking force etc etc ? There are dealers who say they do, but from experience they have less of a clue than the average joe soap.

Ive always made sure the TT was level and the arm was parallel and that the cartridge alignment was about right (how you can be super accurate with a piece of plastic with a hole in it and a cross on one end is beyond me :suicide: . Then I set up the manufacturers recommended weight etc on the arm and check it with a stylus balance. Stick on a test record, try a couple of the higher resolution tracks, not quite knowing what Im listening for (and maybe the track is already damaged from previous use). Then 6 or 7 years later I assume that I must need a new stylus/cartridge just because it feels about right.

Then theres the dirty record syndrome, you know, the dust and grit is wearing out the tip profile.

You know, its no wonder people choose CD :laugh:
 
You know, its no wonder people choose CD
Now you know why digitals inability to deliver the goods (for me)frustrates me so much!!! :D

I think it's one of those things, you gotta suffer for your art!! But seriously, when you hear the lengths the digital crowd will go to to get "the perfect sound" it makes me think vinyls easy!!! :D

I agree. Most dealers don't know an MC from an MD!!! Although it's from plenty of practice, i don't find setting up that hard. Once you've balanced the thing, set the downforce, set the alignment as nears as darn it, then tested it with the test album, thats it for the next however many years!! Fine tuning can bring fine results, but hey, i'm happy, and none of my Lps have been badly damaged (by stylus wear) when i've bought them from new! :) Since the efforts normally well worth it i can't complain. Speaking of cartridges, PM me.;)
 

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