paulfromcamden
Baffled
Do any broadcasters buy turntables now?
I've seen the occasional 1210 but it's a pretty niche thing now all the playout systems are digital.
What’s the deal with vintage MM cartridges ???
- Thread starter LPSpinner
- Start date
I've seen the occasional 1210 but it's a pretty niche thing now all the playout systems are digital.
Tony L
Administrator
I’d class YouTube as broadcast, and there are many channels of folk live-mixing records etc and not just in the dance/techno field, e.g. lots of jazz, soul etc. It is a far more modern and interactive way of sharing music than traditional radio stations IMO. There’s almost a Japanese jazz-bar aspect to some of it. I guess it fills the requirements of mix-tapes too.
Hazelberry
sister
Not “broadcast quality” as we know it, though. YouTube Music tops out at 256 kbps. Enjoyable enough through mobile systems like my phone & earphones, not as much through the hi-fi.
Tony L
Administrator
Depends on the definition. I’ve always equated ‘broadcast quality’ with pro-grade reliability and serviceability. Kit that can reliably run 24/7 for years if not decades. Most radio was only AM mono, certainly most pop/rock radio. Yes, R3 took care, evening R1 too (Peel etc) but daytime radio has always sounded horrible, way, way worse than someone playing a couple of 1200s on YouTube (which can sound real good IMO).
PS One of my first hi-fi disappointments was buying a proper tuner, a Quad FM3, and realising just how poor pop/rock radio was! Obvious compression, limiting etc. It was only live R3 and Peel sessions that actually sounded good in comparison to my record deck (at the time a humble Lenco).
PS One of my first hi-fi disappointments was buying a proper tuner, a Quad FM3, and realising just how poor pop/rock radio was! Obvious compression, limiting etc. It was only live R3 and Peel sessions that actually sounded good in comparison to my record deck (at the time a humble Lenco).
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Hmm. Maybe. Not sure it counts as radio - though I guess things have become a bit blurred!
Here's Eddie Piller on Soho Radio with a Technics 1210 in view.
And I rather like the SL-110 sitting flush in the table in Giles Peterson's Brownswood Basement.
Hazelberry
sister
Yes, broadcast sound quality is one reason I’ve never bothered with commercial pop/rock stations via the hi-fi, as well as the usually dire programme. I can tolerate poor SQ on a transistor radio but the latter drove me to getting a mobile system for my workplace.
Student FM radio was always much better in SQ & programme. Even the ads were better! I hosted a show once & was impressed by the record system: a couple of SL-10s with nice arms & cartridges. It sounded a million bucks in the studio. To me, that covers both definitions of ‘broadcast quality’.
daytona600
Registered User
YT still plently of turntables & not just technics
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer.[
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer.[
Tony L
Administrator
I’ve started the V15/III capacitance experiments, I realised they work just clipped on whilst I wait for a bag of cheap plastic RCA plugs to arrive (I don’t want to waste my Neutriks on this). Only tried a couple of values so far, but certainly concluded adding 100pF (including the gold thingy) was much too much, that sounded pretty congested and nasty. I’ve currently got 30pF caps added, so about 55pF including the gold plug, and that is sounded quite nicely balanced. It has lost the slight brightness and sounds pretty neutral to me, I’ll obviously fine-tune further, plus maybe try some crude measurements at some point (I have a pink noise track on HFS69). I don’t think the V15 will ever have the punch and drive of the M44/55E, but I wasn’t expecting it to. The capacitance loading should be applicable to the M44 too and hopefully knock that up a notch or two too. I think I know the range to play with now anyway, i.e. adding somewhere between 25 and 70pF on top of the arm-leads. I‘ll likely end up with a different value for each arm/cart combo, but that’s no issue. I don’t think I mind having the gold extension things plugged in long-term. It’s a bit tweaky, but it works ok.
Tony L
Administrator
Edit: scratch that. Just taken them out and think I prefer it as-was. Hard to explain in words, but what I’d describe as a ‘flat earth’ thing, it is just connecting better musically without the thingy inline. Dunno, I’ll keep playing over the next few weeks as it is certainly easy to do. Inconclusive.
Tony L
Administrator
Cheap phono plugs turned up so I now have an easy to use variable capacitance adding thingy. I’ve made up 10, 20, 30, 47 and 56pF pairs, so those values on top of the capacitance of the gold Y plug itself (27pF), or just that value without any caps plugged in. I’ll leave the plug tops off (unless I’m actually leaving a pair in the system) so they are easy to identify, the caps all have the values printed on. It’s a pretty neat solution that’s easy for anyone to build. I linked to the gold plugs and cap kit upthread.
Mike P
Trade: Pickwell Audio
Yup, that's exactly the way I've been doing it for years.
Cheap phono plugs turned up so I now have an easy to use variable capacitance adding thingy. I’ve made up 10, 20, 30, 47 and 56pF pairs, so those values on top of the capacitance of the gold Y plug itself (27pF), or just that value without any caps plugged in. I’ll leave the plug tops off (unless I’m actually leaving a pair in the system) so they are easy to identify, the caps all have the values printed on. It’s a pretty neat solution that’s easy for anyone to build. I linked to the gold plugs and cap kit upthread.
Craig B
Re:trophile
It likely wouldn't make all that much difference either way with these, but one would need a shorting plug on the side for the no caps capacitance to be that of the whole adapter (that is, relative to the whole adapter plus any cap on). One would certainly need such if using a 'Y' cable adapter and wanting the adapter capacitance only.
Cheap phono plugs turned up so I now have an easy to use variable capacitance adding thingy. I’ve made up 10, 20, 30, 47 and 56pF pairs, so those values on top of the capacitance of the gold Y plug itself (27pF), or just that value without any caps plugged in. I’ll leave the plug tops off (unless I’m actually leaving a pair in the system) so they are easy to identify, the caps all have the values printed on. It’s a pretty neat solution that’s easy for anyone to build. I linked to the gold plugs and cap kit upthread.
Kostas
pfm Member
My small collection, I started researching & buying vintage MM's during the lockdowns.
Philips GP400 II (no stylus)
A&R P77 (no stylus)
Shure M95EDM (NOS)
Shure N97xE (stock stylus - 50 hours)
Shure V15 III (no stylus)
Regarding the generators, is there any difference in Shure V15 III - IV - V outside of the styluses? Same question for the M44/M55 generators, it makes sense to buy since I have the V15 & M95 generators?
Philips GP400 II (no stylus)
A&R P77 (no stylus)
Shure M95EDM (NOS)
Shure N97xE (stock stylus - 50 hours)
Shure V15 III (no stylus)
Regarding the generators, is there any difference in Shure V15 III - IV - V outside of the styluses? Same question for the M44/M55 generators, it makes sense to buy since I have the V15 & M95 generators?
Tony L
Administrator
With the V15 III, IV, V yes. They have different electrical parameters (inductance etc) and want to see different capacitance (less as the range went on). Same story with the V15 I and II. All different, all indicating where Shure were conceptually and priority-wise at the time. All seem to have their fans.
The M44, M55 and V15 Mk I bodies are all identical bar the V15 I having a heavy alloy outer shell rather than plastic. They are electrically absolutely identical. The same physical part.
PS I’d only spend big money on a V15 III stylus if you like the M95EDM. They are very similar IMO. The M44/55 are a different presentation; far fatter, more stereotypically vinyl/analogue, and more ‘in yer face’. I’m still in between somewhere, the V15/III is very nice and clear in a good hi-fi way, the M44E or 55E just kick like Cream or Ministry Of Sound! I’m exaggerating, but really that’s the root of it. As good a way of articulating it as I can think of, but both are still pretty good from the opposite perspective.
Kostas
pfm Member
Thank you for the information, I like your description of the M44/55, I'll try one when I find in a sensible price. Jico released their versions of these cartridges recently, there are relatively affordable but not cheap.
Anyone has or had a Grace F8 - F9? I always read the best comments for these two but they are expensive in good condition, even without stylus.
Nic Robinson
Moderator
Great thread. I gave my son a nice, original condition GL-75 for Christmas. It has a M44-7 and, just to be sure, I bought one of the Tonar jobbies for it for £20.I've just got my M44-7 setup, bog standard Tonar replacement stylus, just something to get some noise from the thing, cost £20. Anyway, I eschewed my SME 3009 and decided to set it up on something a bit more upmarket, the SME V-12/Garrard 401, they make a great match according to http://korfaudio.com/calculator . The sonics are very promising, I must admit that I can't wait to try my M55E out om the same combo
Once he's unwrapped it (delightedly) we set it up and, tracking at just under 3g it sounded really, really good. Nowhere near as good as my GR with VM95ML but really nothing missing to be honest. Although I've been there and done that with Lencos, this one is the first in an age with the springy feet and everything original.
Certainly makes me want to go looking in my boxes for all the Shures I've discarded over the years...
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Shure 1978 presentation: High Fidelity Phonograph Cartridge - Technical Seminar
Lots of info on the design of V15s. Via archive.org:
Lots of info on the design of V15s. Via archive.org:
