I finally went analogue, and it's the best sound I've ever heard.

Yelamanchili manohar

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Long rant warning 🤣🤣...

On my return home this time, I completely lost interest in music. So much so, that I was switching on the system for barely an hour a month. And even that might be an exaggeration. Adding to that, I did a silly mistake and blew my tube amps as well as the ps audio power regenator. That was the final nail in the coffin 🤣🤣. I couldn't be bothered to run around to get them fixed, when I had the least interest in using them. Besides I've been travelling too much lately, and even decent family time has become a rarity. So that spelled the end of this hobby for me. And the system was kept unplugged ever since.

Then on a whim, I decided to atleast setup the vinyl rig I had lying here in bits and peices for almost a year now. Mr pradeep garu of hyderabad volunteered to set it up for me. Actually he did all the hard work, as I was only handing him the tools like a nurse in a operation theatre 🤣🤣. We finally finished late in the night. And when we spun it up for the first time, we got a tiny voice sounding like music somewhere distant, drowning in horrendously loud hiss and hum. Ive had serious grounding and hum issues in the past, due to very poor wiring in my apartment ( The ps audio ironed them out for me in the past.. But it's sadly dead now 😱) . Besides, I was using some interconnects with well known hum issues. So we stopped for the night.

Chain was :
TT - acoustic signature challenger mk3
Arm - Acoustic signature TA 1000, 10 inch arm
Cart - EMT TSD 15N MC cart
Step up transformer - EMT STX 21
Phono stage - Big bottle mk3 tubed MM / MC

Then yesterday, I decided to remove the SUT from the chain, and rearranged my cabling. Surprisingly all hiss was gone. Then I got over ambitious, and started tinkering with the cart, and broke the right channel cable 🤣🤣. So only left channel is working now 😜😜. But even with only the left channel working, I ushered in my wife and daughter to show how vinyl works. And all 3 of us were stumped with the result. It is sounding bloody lovely, even with the cart and phono stage not run in. And even with my wrong loading of 100 ohms 😜and the icing on the cake is just the left channel working 🤣🤣. I guess we will complete soldering the right channel sometime next week.

But initial impressions are very very promising so far. And I can't put a finger on what it is with vinyl, but the music just sounds right and inviting. Like nature always meant music to be analogue. I know iam sounding just as dumb as in my signature 🤣🤣🤣.

But the first casualty of my rekindled love for music is my plan to go 4 way active, which was hatched in 2017.I can't send the vinyl through a ADC conversion anymore. So my planned Deqx processor purchase is shelved now. And I might just stop investing in my digital chain with a lumin T3 and tidal and call it a day for now.

The remaining pursuit will definitely be in the analogue domain now. Guess my love for music is rekindled now ❤️❤️
 
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Mods please merge this post with my above thread if deemed suitable. Thanks 😁

After posting the above, I felt I owe an explanation as to why iam going gaga over vinyl.

The single left channel iam hearing now, is only half the picture. And even after the right channel is added. It might not match the resolution and detail I get with my esoteric K-01 digital playback. But somehow vinyl sounds different and very natural to me, that is why iam smitten. And I would urge everyone to give vinyl a try at their respective comfort zones. And it might not beat the digutal front end on Hifi parameters. But iam sure it will be more enjoyable.
 
So when are we getting to hear it first hand?
Are you coming to Radisson(?) this weekend?
Yeah Iam coming 😁😁.. I can lug along my half left channel TT rig if anyone wants to hear. But honestly the phono stage is the real star here. And I would love to bring it along, if anyone is bringing a TT setup 😁
 
@Yelamanchili manohar, you seem to be a hazard to your system and be kept at least six foot away from it! 😄

But seriously, it was nice to read the joy of discovery in your post. Especially how you enjoyed it as a family!
Thanks Sachin ❤️... As I've added later. It is not about the detail or resolution. But about sounding just right in a enjoyable way
 
@Yelamanchili manohar, you seem to be a hazard to your system and be kept at least six foot away from it! 😄

But seriously, it was nice to read the joy of discovery in your post. Especially how you enjoyed it as a family!
Get a jukebox and stay away from your hi-fi system. Minimal handling 😂😂😂.
But you may bust that too 😜.

On a more serious note, would love to hear your views when you have both channels working and when that sound stage snaps into focus.
 
Get a jukebox and stay away from your hi-fi system. Minimal handling 😂😂😂.
But you may bust that too 😜.

On a more serious note, would love to hear your views when you have both channels working and when that sound stage snaps into focus.
Yeah I've been the most unluckiest bloke in Hifi history. I've blown lot of stuff around here 😜😜😜 Hiroshima and Nagasski pale in comparison 🤣🤣🤣

Even iam waiting to get the right channel sorted for a proper listen to be honest. And I will definitely post my listening impressions 😁
 
Yeah I've been the most unluckiest bloke in Hifi history. I've blown lot of stuff around here 😜😜😜 Hiroshima and Nagasski pale in comparison 🤣🤣🤣

Even iam waiting to get the right channel sorted for a proper listen to be honest. And I will definitely post my listening impressions 😁
You had me at hello 😆 but yes do post your impressions when the right channel is sorted.
On the contrary my woes with phono finally got sorted with a Cinemag SUT.
 
You had me at hello 😆 but yes do post your impressions when the right channel is sorted.
On the contrary my woes with phono finally got sorted with a Cinemag SUT.
oops...sorry to hear that sushant...i had no clue about your woes..as i stated...i was mostly off all forums and whatsapp groups for a complete digital detox .
 
Long rant warning 🤣🤣...

On my return home this time, I completely lost interest in music. So much so, that I was switching on the system for barely an hour a month. And even that might be an exaggeration. Adding to that, I did a silly mistake and blew my tube amps as well as the ps audio power regenator. That was the final nail in the coffin 🤣🤣. I couldn't be bothered to run around to get them fixed, when I had the least interest in using them. Besides I've been travelling too much lately, and even decent family time has become a rarity. So that spelled the end of this hobby for me. And the system was kept unplugged ever since.
Very sorry to hear that. What was the mistake? Wrong voltage selection? It could just me a matter of blown fuses.
 
Then yesterday, I decided to remove the SUT from the chain, and rearranged my cabling. Surprisingly all hiss was gone.

This is very strange. Hope the SUT out was connected to the MM in of the Phono ?

My guess is with a loading of 200 ohms + you will get a much better sound.
 
Mods please merge this post with my above thread if deemed suitable. Thanks 😁

After posting the above, I felt I owe an explanation as to why iam going gaga over vinyl.

The single left channel iam hearing now, is only half the picture. And even after the right channel is added. It might not match the resolution and detail I get with my esoteric K-01 digital playback. But somehow vinyl sounds different and very natural to me, that is why iam smitten. And I would urge everyone to give vinyl a try at their respective comfort zones. And it might not beat the digutal front end on Hifi parameters. But iam sure it will be more enjoyable.
Glad you like Vinyl. Also this is exactly the reason why you must ditch that Esoteric and look at something else :).

What vinyl does is get the tone and timing right. It gets your foot tapping. Once you realize how vinyl sounds, you'll start doing changes to your digital chain as well to make it sound like analog as the sterile digital sound most high end sources create is no longer fun.
 
Just curious. Is it subjective impression or any technical advantage of the format?
I think what he meant was the way analogue is designed it mostly gets the tone right which is one of the most important quality even for a non audiophile to get connected to the music.
Every setup or a component will have some compromise somewhere or other but analogue mostly gets the tone atleast right which many digital can't.
Not that it's true for all digital setups.

Same way just for example resolution is very easy for a modern digital setup but with that you cant be sure to get the tone right
 
Glad you like Vinyl. Also this is exactly the reason why you must ditch that Esoteric and look at something else :).

What vinyl does is get the tone and timing right. It gets your foot tapping. Once you realize how vinyl sounds, you'll start doing changes to your digital chain as well to make it sound like analog as the sterile digital sound most high end sources create is no longer fun.
True and somehow some vinyl recordings i have(best example I have is an lp rip from an issue best of chico hamilton)made via an adc @16/48 at home seems to have the same tone and timing as the lp, with the stress on “timing”. I have a cd issue of the same but no cigar.

That just proves to me that a lot of stuff is messed up when the reissued CD’s of the original LP are released. And then the reissues of those reissues.
 
That just proves to me that a lot of stuff is messed up when the reissued CD’s of the original LP are released. And then the reissues of those reissues.

Spot on. Technically a digital can be better but usually the mastering of LPs used to be done much better. hence a high rez rip off a good Vinyl rig could sound better than a cd.
 
Spot on. Technically a digital can be better but usually the mastering of LPs used to be done much better. hence a high rez rip off a good Vinyl rig could sound better than a cd.
Why can’t the music companies understand this basic funda that most of us seem to agree upon? Why can’t they simply use the same masters for the CD as for the LP? (And am not talking of HMV/Saregama who people say have lost their masters).
 
Why can’t the music companies understand this basic funda that most of us seem to agree upon? Why can’t they simply use the same masters for the CD as for the LP? (And am not talking of HMV/Saregama who people say have lost their masters).
Because same cd master is used for music distributed to fm channels and online streaming companies and the way it's consumed it has to sound loud as much as possible and extreme on highs and lows
 
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