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FUNK Firm - HOUDINI

If someone wants to try the effect prior to purchase, use a bit of two sided foam mounting tape between the cart and headshells, no bolts.

But maybe hard to remove afterwards. Or it may unstick during playback and you may loose your cart.
 
matodono1 said:
Just one example of many combinations. Again don't take my word for it. Google Funk Firm Houdini, click images and see the diversity for yourself.

In addition Ortofon Blue on an RB250, Rega P1 plus Houdini and Achromat would surprise you.

M
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Adding £300 to a P1 pretty much gets you a P3 (ignoring that an Ortofon "blue" costs more than a P1), so the question is, does a P1 with Houdini outperform a P3? I doubt it, but would be intrigued to find out.
 
Hi guys! I am indeed a real person. I found this forum as I was investigating the Houdini prior to purchase and just wanted to share my experience.

I’m really happy with it. Happy to answer any questions.

Daniel
 
Hi Daniel

Welcome to pink fish :)

Appreciate adding the 3 Funk items lets you spread the cost, but looking at the price of your Planar3+Exact vs a Planar6(Neo PSU)+Ania MC, I do wonder which would sound best, the overall cost works out about the same for either.

I have an Achromat on my Techy and have had a PT1 for 40 years, things have been a bit bumpy on this thread getting a bit salesy, but I am curious about the Houdini, I recall similar gadgets appearing over the years. What do you like about the Houdini, what areas are improved?

ATB

Gus
 
sq225917 said:
Matt, I'm perfectly happy should my opinion being one of one. It's the only one that matters to me
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Again with respect, experiment only partially explored. One day please at least listen to Houdini in it's wheelhouse.

Concern for roll axis? Aren't we both fans of unipivot tonearms?

As with our chosen arms, Houdini is stable enough where need be.

Kind regards, Matt.
 
Dan K said:
Ha, You could just have said "yes you're right" and saved me having to read 2 pages of marketing.

I think an F1 team did the same thing with a beam and mass inside their car nose, the design got banned.

You'll need different versions for MM and MC due to the unsprung mass of MM's being much less
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Some truth to this, MM seems to respond very well to Houdini although there are many out there using MC with Houdini with good results.

Houdini is indeed only in it's first iteration. Arthur has plans for far more elaborate and more technically focused designs.

Matt.
 
david ellwood said:
Surely if someone wanted to follow the funk path £300 would better be spent on a fully funk turntable?…
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Gett 2 starts at £708 plus VAT. But even then we recommend that Houdini Achromat and Bo!ngs are added to get the best results.

On the other hand if someone already owns say a Rega we are not requiring that they sell it to get a Funk TT. They have an option with their existing TT.

If later the deck gets upgraded, the Achromat, Houdini and Bo!ngs can be transferred over.

It's win win.

Matt.
 
Amber Audio said:
Hi Daniel

Welcome to pink fish :)

Appreciate adding the 3 Funk items lets you spread the cost, but looking at the price of your Planar3+Exact vs a Planar6(Neo PSU)+Ania MC, I do wonder which would sound best, the overall cost works out about the same for either.

I have an Achromat on my Techy and have had a PT1 for 40 years, things have been a bit bumpy on this thread getting a bit salesy, but I am curious about the Houdini, I recall similar gadgets appearing over the years. What do you like about the Houdini, what areas are improved?

ATB

Gus
Click to expand...

A bit bumpy, yes just to put it mildly. Full disclosure I did make the mistake of not being in the Trade area and even now I skirt the edges.

Also it can be difficult when it's sometimes 40 people versus 1 in the debate. I do get tired and I do get agitated. I'm human.

And here are some formidable and technically competant people (Simon for one) and the dabate can get warm.

I do want to form accord with the group but at the same time I do have a reason for being here and a very demanding boss.

The struggle is real.

Kind regards, Matt.
 
Matt it was only the extra weight that kept me from fitting it, I'm right on the limit for my arm. I know marks system as well as my own, but as you say it's only sample of one.
 
Hi guys.

Just to explain the journey a little bit for you all.

I have been into decent hifi for many years but being a child of '79 CD had already taken off in a big way by the time I was buying music. I missed the whole vinyl thing and was a Walkman > Minidisc guy as a kid with a CD based system at home.

Since then I've owned some really nice digital systems from top end home cinema kit in the early 2000s into a Meridian digital system (G91 & DSP5200s).

About 3 years ago I bought my first turntable, a second hand RP3 (£350) and a second hand Moon 110LP and I fell in love with the vinyl experience. Not just the sound but the collecting, the way I got back to listening to albums etc.

During lockdown I started to get the bug to try some new things and, again, vinyl offered me the opportunity to tinker with my existing setup, learn more about how the format really works, how to set up a turntable properly etc and I have really enjoyed that part of the experience - again, not necessarily all about sound quality but an enjoyment for the process of learning and experimentation.

I have added each of the funk firm upgrades to my RP3 incrementally to the turntable and it has brought me quite a lot of joy to have a little project each weekend that I received one of these - followed by a Saturday or Sunday session sitting listening to music with a few beers, of course! I also added a second hand TT-PSU and a Tangospinner sub platter so - yes, I could have had a P6 easily by now but I would have missed out on all the learning and fun that I've had along the way which, to me, has been worth the outlay alone.

None of this was done through any particular care for budget or value for money - it was done through the love of trying things and seeing how I could improve what I already have - I still never cease to be fascinated by vinyl as a technology and have been quite amazed at what can be achieved even with fairly modest equipment.

The houdini, to my ears, did improve the sound in my context and I am glad I tried it.

As it turns out my friend sent me a Denon DL-103 in a mahogany body that he had 'lying in a drawer' which is as you probably all know an MC cart - the first time I have used one. This has taken me to yet another place in terms of what I am hearing. I also enjoyed setting this up, learning about cart alignment and opening up my phono stage, moving jumpers around etc - listening to music after a couple of hours tinkering and hearing something different was fun.

So - for me - it's not all about SQ - the learning aspect and the fun of trying new things has been just as satisfying.

What a great hobby!
 
P.S. I've also recently run another project during lockdown - finally putting something decent in my bedroom for those lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings. I decided to only buy second hand and pick up some stuff that I lusted over in the 2000s in the hifi world when I was focused on home cinema.

  • I built a raspberry Pi4 and installed Ropieee on it
  • added an Arcam A85 as I always wanted one
  • a second hand pair of Monitor Audio floor standing speakers
  • finally, experimented with a Chord Mojo and a Meridian Explorer2 as the USB dac
This system punches well above it's weight in terms of what I paid for it and, again, was great fun to put together.

D
 
matodono1 said:
And to quote Mr Lincoln
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
Click to expand...

And as is the way of politicians everywhere, he nicked it from Jacques Abbadie, a French Protestant based in Germany, England, and Ireland. In his 1684 work “Traité de la Vérité de la Religion Chrétienne”, the following passage appeared in chapter two:

"… ont pû tromper quelques hommes, ou les tromper tous dans certains lieux & en certains tems, mais non pas tous les hommes, dans tous les lieux & dans tous les siécles."
 
Amber Audio said:
What do you like about the Houdini, what areas are improved?
Click to expand...

I'd say that the background seemed more 'black' as if the spaces between the notes and in the lower level background was quiet. This had the effect of everything else feeling better positioned in the stereo image to me with more prominence in the mix.

I apologise for how I have explained this - I don't work in the hifi press but hopefully you understand what I am trying to say!
 
sq225917 said:
Matt it was only the extra weight that kept me from fitting it, I'm right on the limit for my arm. I know marks system as well as my own, but as you say it's only sample of one.
Click to expand...

Simon there's plenty of time. We'll stay in touch. I do appreciate your input BTW.
 
suzywong said:
And as is the way of politicians everywhere, he nicked it from Jacques Abbadie, a French Protestant based in Germany, England, and Ireland. In his 1684 work “Traité de la Vérité de la Religion Chrétienne”, the following passage appeared in chapter two:

"… ont pû tromper quelques hommes, ou les tromper tous dans certains lieux & en certains tems, mais non pas tous les hommes, dans tous les lieux & dans tous les siécles."
Click to expand...

I did not know that. Thank you so much!

Matt.
 
Daniel Webb said:
P.S. I've also recently run another project during lockdown - finally putting something decent in my bedroom for those lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings. I decided to only buy second hand and pick up some stuff that I lusted over in the 2000s in the hifi world when I was focused on home cinema.

  • I built a raspberry Pi4 and installed Ropieee on it
  • added an Arcam A85 as I always wanted one
  • a second hand pair of Monitor Audio floor standing speakers
  • finally, experimented with a Chord Mojo and a Meridian Explorer2 as the USB dac
This system punches well above it's weight in terms of what I paid for it and, again, was great fun to put together.

D
Click to expand...
Enjoyed reading your posts. I ran an A85 with MA GR20 a long time ago, still have the GR20 speakers cos the Mrs won’t part with them from her system, the A85 is one of the few bits of kit I’d be happy to revisit.

I had a full on Meridian system, 565 then 568.2MM based, only system that satisfied me for movies and music, sometimes regret moving it on to get the new surround formats via an Onkyo Pre/Proc, not sure it was an improvement, should have gone to the G series.

I bought a Techy in lockdown and have been enjoying buying and swapping headshells/carts around and messing with cables and stages/settings.

ATB

Gus
 
Can I just add one thing - please don’t take me the wrong way.

Let’s enjoy talking to each other and most of all our mutual appreciation for the music.

I’m listening to my turntable just now and I’m smiling.

Peace!
 
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