Messages

61

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: Bids On Barclay-Crockers go crazy

« on: May 24, 2012, 07:50:36 AM »

I have maybe half of the catalogue. But I've been out of the market for a couple of years now so don't blame it on me. Unfortunately I don't think prices are coming down. Demand for tapes continues to go up and supply is certainly not going up. Maybe there's a market for 7ips high quality tapes again?

62

Flirting With Twilight / Re: TP-021 shipping

« on: May 11, 2012, 07:30:21 PM »

Wo hooooo!

63

Events / Re: Tape at the NY Audio and AV show - this weekend (Apr 13-15)

« on: April 21, 2012, 07:03:33 PM »

Oh, and I have an Ironbut Dolby decoder in each system so maybe Steve Koto is there with PJ and TdP.

64

Events / Re: Tape at the NY Audio and AV show - this weekend (Apr 13-15)

« on: April 21, 2012, 06:51:00 PM »

I had always been intrigued by Quads but bringing a pair down here was very expensive. Until I found a pair local that works perfectly. I tried lots of amps without success. At some point I decided to just use them for the mids a la Levinson with his Quad Hartley Decca system. This was another lucky thing since the idea put some Ionovacs in my hands which are now in the horns system and are the best tweeters ever! At some point I was about to give up but they did some things so nicely that I kept trying. So I said, SETs don't work with Quads but I really don't like push pull amps (no flames please, it's just my liking!). How about a pp amp that is as close as possible to SETs? A triode, pp, class A and without feedback. So another quest started 'till I got an EAR 861 that has such characteristics. And the magic started. The combination is spectacular. No, they don't do the big things that my tetra amped horns system do but the sound is magical. A friend brought one day his Tonshwnend supertweeters and they do nice things with the Quads. The plasticky highs get better and the bass (yes, the bass) gets tighter and cleaner.

Now I need a second room for the Quads/EAR system. I've been tempted to bring them to the office but haven't got the guts to do so. Maybe a bedroom system. Design extraordinaire Paul Joppa on one room and Tim de Paravicini on the other. I already have a TdP Technics so....

65

General Discussion / Re: Movie trailer with one of our favorite characters

« on: January 11, 2012, 04:31:32 PM »

HTF did you get around that?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

66

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Nagra IV-S Service Manual

« on: December 15, 2011, 03:12:31 PM »

Anyone has a copy?

Thanks

67

General Discussion / Re: 20/24track Masters Downloads

« on: October 26, 2011, 12:42:23 PM »

Thanks for the info Steve!

I'll definitely play with these.

68

General Discussion / Re: HRx vs TP follow up

« on: October 25, 2011, 09:01:58 AM »

Hi Larry,

I was hoping you would chime in here!

I hadn't thought about the declicking benefit! And of course, as you mention, for a massive library ("discotheque"?) the benefits of digitazing are huge. And there's no question that for 90% of the time (or more) I could live with what the digital set up is giving me. But for those very few moments when I have a chance to sit down and listen without outside noise, distractions, etc I'll stick to my tapes because of that small difference we both noticed.

BTW, some of my friends liked more the bass on the HRx as you did. But these are bass nuts so I was not sure about the validity of their opinion in that department and that's why I didn't comment about it in the first place.

69

Tape Project Albums - general / Re: Series Two Complete

« on: October 22, 2011, 02:07:33 PM »

Yes Steve, there's some absorbers on the ceiling since the room was too live. But the major room treatment is the shelf. A 5 meter high difractor (sp?) behind the seating position.

70

Tape Project Albums - general / Re: Series Two Complete

« on: October 22, 2011, 01:23:55 PM »

Planning is everything

71

General Discussion / Re: HRx vs TP follow up

« on: October 22, 2011, 01:10:28 PM »

Agre? completely!

72

Tape Project Albums - general / Series Two Complete

« on: October 21, 2011, 07:33:01 PM »

Don't look bad, do they?

73

General Discussion / Re: HRx vs TP follow up

« on: October 21, 2011, 01:20:08 PM »

Yep, I think that once the material is in the digital domain the only reason to transfer it to tape (or vinyl for that case) is to take advantage of better DA capabilities at the studio than at the end user's playback system. But with a digital like mine I don't want any digitalized music to be delivered to me in an analog media format.

And viceversa, if the material is an analog recording I'd rather keep it that way.

And finally, if the material is yet to be recorded the ideal would be to go both to tape and digital in parallel. At least that's what I'll do. But if I have to stick to one it's still tape to me.

74

General Discussion / HRx vs TP follow up

« on: October 21, 2011, 12:37:16 PM »

In october 2008 Doc B. posted:

I would not be enthused about going head to head between, say an HRx thru one of Paul's Model 2s vs, say, a stock Technics 1520, or a 1" running master on the Big Inch vs. Hrx thru a Lynx card and an inexpensive 24/176 DAC. But if you are talking about HRx on a model 2 vs. one of the ATRs with tube repro electronics for the tape playback - bring it on!

Well, last night we did a nice shootout.

Me and seven friends (all of them with a long history in audio -as if that meant something!-) compared selected tracks of three TP tapes (Arnold, Symphonic Dances and Debby) vs the same tracks on HRx material for the first two and a digital 24/192 download for the Debby. In all cases digital and analog material mastered by Paul.

Digital from a dedicated computer server (all solid state drives and heat exchangers for cooling, no moving parts) with Mykerinos card and Pyramix audio software and through a PM2.

Analog from a Mike Spitz ATR through a tube repro with selected tubes (Tele EF806s for starters).

My system/room is pretty good at resolving, dynamics and resolution (front loaded horns, triamplified, hot rodded BH SET amps with Magnequest iron all around, RCA field coil drivers, etc). Everyone commented on just how good the system was sounding last night.

First we listened to music from the server for a while. We were all impressed and more than one commented on the digital saying it was the best they'd ever heard.

Then the shootout. We started with the Symphonic Dances track on the digital. Complete silence and all taking turns to seat at the sweet spot. It was good!

When the piece ended we started playing the same piece on the tape. After a few seconds everyone started to smile. No contest. The tape was clearly better.

No need to tell you about the other two tracks as the results were the same.

Tonality, air, space and detail are just better with the tape.

A curiosity is that with tape the sound is pretty good no matter where one is seated. With the digital the sweet spot is waaay sweeter than the any other spot in the room.

75

The Sermon / Re: just got delivery notice for a tape...."The Sermon"?

« on: October 19, 2011, 03:29:59 PM »

My copy cleared customs yesterday so it should be here before the end of the week!