Vinyl is hard work!

bigfish786

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Since getting my new speakers in February I’ve found both the sound and experience of my turntable and records had left me a bit underwhelmed.
The speakers took an ice age to run in which didn’t help.
I had found the ease of playing music off a usb stick stuck in my CD player very convenient and satisfying enough.
The long hot summer has kept me away from the turntable and my listening in general had almost come to an end.
Today I have found myself with both time and patience to have another go with the turntable. The Goldring E3 I once loved just wasn’t singing anymore, so I dug my old favourite Nagaoka TS12 out and following me buying a protractor I had another go at setting it up on the Marantz.
It took a bit of fiddling, but the TT15 is easy enough to tweek (when you have the right tools).
It took a few albums to settle in, but it’s now absolutely singing.
I’ve tried 4 carts on here, but the TS12 is the only one that seems to perform how I like things to sound.
So I’m back, enjoying spinning records, getting off my ass every 15 mins to flip them over.
Another thing that has definitely helped is losing 3 stone over the summer.
I don’t feel lazy and lethargic anymore. So turning a record over isn’t the ordeal I once judged it to be.
 
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bigrod

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Glad you’re enjoying your music , to get vinyl singing can be tricky
It’s a bit more than “chucking “ a record on in the old days for sure ..
When I audition a new cart the dealer I’m buying it off has to fit it .. he damages it or it don’t gel he is takes it home .. I like it I tend to buy one ..
You just need a lot lot more patience.. it’s a mechanical “thing” it relies on the physics of the cosmos “ gravity”….
 

Bazzer

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I also have it on vinyl. 's funny how I think it's a summer album and you like it in the winter. I can't remember which season of the year it was when I first heard it but it could have been summer. What about you?
Ha! can't remember what I had for tea never mind that album .
 

hiesteem

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Love the art work of vinyl but feels to much baggage to invest time effort and money into starting again.
 

StingRay

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Jazz is for Friday evening with a glass or two of port ..
I like Jazz in the evening most but can be good on a summers afternoon. I find winter better for playing music, dark earlier, windows closed, less other things to do. Vinyl too expensive in the UK, new vinyl getting silly prices now.
 
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DUVET

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Since getting my new speakers in February I’ve found both the sound and experience of my turntable and records had left me a bit underwhelmed.
The speakers took an ice age to run in which didn’t help.
I had found the ease of playing music off a usb stick stuck in my CD player very convenient and satisfying enough.
The long hot summer has kept me away from the turntable and my listening in general had almost come to an end.
Today I have found myself with both time and patience to have another go with the turntable. The Goldring E3 I once loved just wasn’t singing anymore, so I dug my old favourite Nagaoka TS12 out and following me buying a protractor I had another go at setting it up on the Marantz.
It took a bit of fiddling, but the TT15 is easy enough to tweek (when you have the right tools).
It took a few albums to settle in, but it’s now absolutely singing.
I’ve tried 4 carts on here, but the TS12 is the only one that seems to perform how I like things to sound.
So I’m back, enjoying spinning records, getting off my ass every 15 mins to flip them over.
Another thing that has definitely helped is losing 3 stone over the summer.
I don’t feel lazy and lethargic anymore. So turning a record over isn’t the ordeal I once judged it to be.

Its a fragile medium as is the equipment but I still prefer it .
 

Headcoat

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I'm beginning to realise I have developed my own system (non-hi fi, instead a purchasing system) for deciding between vinyl/CD/streaming:

- Buy Grateful Dead gigs on CD, the segues and long songs don't suit vinyl. Getting up to change sides breaks the spell. The limited editions often increase in resell value and at least hold their price. These CD's aren't currently available on streaming services, and may never be.

- Buy jazz on vinyl. I just think it sounds better. The Blue Note Tone Poet and Classic vinyl series have excellent mastering and the few pressing defects I try and ignore. Jazz suits vinyl for me.

- Listen to my old CD's and vinyl as and when.

- Stream for playlists, new music, albums I don't fancy or can't afford to buy.

- Buy selected artists missing recordings (i.e. those I don't already own) on vinyl, new or second hand. Bit of a collectors / completist thing. Updated Neil Young and JJ Cale so far, Leonard Cohen next.

- Consider buying a non-Gratefuls CD as and when, not happened for some time.

There's pros and cons on all sides of the debate. Above works for me.

Edit: buy a couple of RSD releases instead. Nice to feel a part of something that's current. That said I sometimes found I may have been better selecting an archival purchase instead.
 
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uzzy

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The speakers took an ice age to run in which didn’t help.
That is strange to me - in all my years selling the stuff (unboxing and installing new speakers in peoples homes and in the dem room) I cannot recall a time where a speaker needed more than a few LP sides to be fully broken in.

I asked a speaker manufacturer about this and was told that the running in time would be the development time - but in practice the drive units would have had no more than a few hours use before the final measurements were fine and they sounded fine:

It would be interesting to measure a new pair and then measure again after a few hours use, and then again after a few days.

As for me I cannot recall any change to the sound with my Gale 401s, the PRO9TLs that I built (and again when I replaced the bass drivers). So my view is when a speaker takes an Ice Age to burn in my view is it took an age for your ears to get used to them.

I also find it hard to empathise when people talk about a massive difference changing "budget" cartridges. In my experience for my ears, they have different presentations and some with a bright system can make it over bright and some with a "dull" system can make it sound even more dark and recessed.

For me the Decca hit me between the eyes because of its transient attack and somehow a realism that I did not hear with other cartridges .. the original Kondo Audionote cartridge from Japan in the 80s was gobstmackingly good with balance and detail but even that could not match the Decca on transients. With other cartridges from the old Shure 75 and V15 series, Ortofon with the VMS series, AKG P series, Sonus Blues, Grados, Audio Technica and Signet Moving Magnet cartridges all gave a superb result to my ears and the differences were more in detail, balance (some more forward and others more recessed) but to be honest as long as well matched to the TT arm I could live with most of them.

Perhaps the Nagaoka is a better match for your arm and perhaps its balance (on speakers taking an Ice age to break in) was a better match for your speakers.
 

bigfish786

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They did take some getting used to, and they do sound completely different to the ones they replaced. One particular driver (midrange) is still very stiff, the other moves freely.
One driver was replaced due to a manufacturing fault, if I could be bothered, I would try and get the stiff driver replaced, but it sounds ok now. In the beginning you could here the soundstage shrink and the musicality drop.
The dealer I bought them from was not very good with aftersales service, so I ended up contacting the makers in France.
Lesson learned, I won’t use that dealer again. When things don’t quite go 100% right it would have been easier if the dealer was local.
Not long after I bought the speakers, richer sounds started selling them. Wish I’d held on a bit and used them.
 

Warszawa

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I really haven't found vinyl hard work at all, but then I've bought everything new or ex-dem and had the dealer set it up. And I only buy records in tip-top shape.

Certainly the expensive route but sometimes you have to put a price on your own time, and sanity.
 
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uzzy

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They did take some getting used to, and they do sound completely different to the ones they replaced. One particular driver (midrange) is still very stiff, the other moves freely.
One driver was replaced due to a manufacturing fault, if I could be bothered, I would try and get the stiff driver replaced, but it sounds ok now. In the beginning you could here the soundstage shrink and the musicality drop.
The dealer I bought them from was not very good with aftersales service, so I ended up contacting the makers in France.
Lesson learned, I won’t use that dealer again. When things don’t quite go 100% right it would have been easier if the dealer was local.
Not long after I bought the speakers, richer sounds started selling them. Wish I’d held on a bit and used them.
I am a tad surprised they did nor replace both - that was tough luck for you. Hope it all works fine now
 

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