My Audio Journey

Post your system set-up here.

Moderator: JackD201

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Sat Mar 30, 2013 4:24 am

update - March 2013

fertile mind (or pregnant na ba?) won't rest just yet :D

I think I was hanging out at audio fora too much, kung ano ano tuloy ang pumapasok sa kukote. I thought just for the heck of it, I will build myself a cheapo DIY cable lift and hope that it will elevate my system's performance. While we were preparing for our daughter's debut, I went with my wife to Michaels', a mega craft store. I looked at different materials, and ended with two packages of this rubber thingies, some paint and a bottle of glue.
Image

I don't see myself selling turntables, so adding a turntable line to my product offering is out of the question. It is no secret in this forum that I had been curious about the Lenco L75. Remember my first attempt to buy a Lenco at fleabay? Unfortunately the bidding war ended with somebody taking home probably the most expensive Lenco sold at ebay :D at that time. Hell no, as much as I like the table, I am not spending megabuck on it on it's original form. At about the same time, a guy was selling an Artisan Fidelity restored unit with ruby bearing upgrade ($800) at agon for $3,800 including an Ortofon tonearm, I came very close to buying that unit because it was a good deal considering Chris Thornton sells it for $6.5k. I decided to let things cool off a bit and wait around. I looked at other candidates like the SP10, TD 124 or maybe a 301 again. I am now focusing on vintage tables thinking that if I take good care of it, it's value will only go up in time (the $350/pair 6SN7's I bought a few ago are now regularly offered at $650/pair). And while it may not have the best sound of the megabuck systems like the Techdas Air Force One or Wave KInetics NVS, a properly sorted direct drive is good enough to make me happy. I exchanged emails with Chris a few more times and came really close to ordering one, then a couple opportunities showed up a Canuck Audio Mart. A restored L75 with a nice plinth from a guy in Quebec for $575 and a restored Bogen-Presto (L70 equiv) with a nicer plinth from a guy in British Columbia for $480, as per the recommendation of Mr TAS Lenco - I pursued the L70.

The unit itself is in relatively good shape, the previous owner buy, recondition and re-sell Lencos, and he has already done all the necessary rebuild jobs including the installation of damping materials in the back of the chasis. He sent me pictures of the plinth build process and looking at his wood clamps alone, I was convinced he know what he was doing, built in alternate layers of MDF and baltic birch plywood using the same philosophies popularized by J Nantais. It is cheap enough that I could employ some more of the tweaks I have in mind without too much financial exposure.

Image
Image
I coated as much as I could

Image
including the plinth. I did two thick coats and sanded lightly just to make it look nicer.

Around the same time I was working on the Bogen-Presto, an opportunity to buy a classical record collection came. I was told by the seller that it originally belonged to his wife piano teacher - an 80 year old former music professor at the University of Alberta Conservatory of Music, who regularly ordered records from Europe when she cannot buy them in North America (pre e-commerce era). I asked the classical music afficionados at WBF what to look for and went to the seller's house with a list of composers (Britten, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven etc) and only intended to buy maybe a couple of hundred lps. When I saw the lot, I was impressed with the condition of the records/covers because most of them looked like they have only been played once or twice. Most of the composers in my list are still there, the seller has a collection of more than 2,000 classic rock/popular music lps and has no interest in classical music. His wife picked 400 records that she personally liked and they decided to sell. Well, I got brave and offered a price which the guy hesitantly took, and with the agreement he will deliver to my house. Man, transporting 1200 lps from the guy's basement, to the main floor, to the front door, into his truck, from his truck to the entrance of our house proved to be a good workout. Once we brought all the boxes inside our house, I led the guy to my basement and we played a few tracks in my system while enjoying some refreshments. The guy was awestruck with my aquarium and we ended talking about the aquarium for the next hour or so (nothing new here, almost all audiophiles who come to my house forget about audio once they come to my basement). Suddenly the guy realized he has to pickup his wife from work, so I was left alone to haul the 12 heavy boxes to my basement. Boy, my arms were sore for days after that weekend.

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Of course, my wife is not happy, she said "saan mo na naman ilalagay yang mga junk na 'yan?" But of course, as understanding as she is, she agreed to let me use one of the spare rooms, and helped me buy and put together a couple of bookcases from Ikea. As you can see, may lugar pa :D I originally told her that I will only pick the ones that I like and sell the rest, but I think she has now realized that they are here to stay for a while :emo:
Image

Image
will it harm/warp the records if I leave the box sets stacked flat like this?

Image
classic rock underneath the aquarium, jazz etc on the shelf to the right

Image
dvd collection remained small, there's Netflix. I also have a few stored in 2 tb external drive. Btw, the room where I have the records is quite away from the TT, at the end of this hallway, door to the right.

So with the spring fast approaching, I finally finished my audio related projects. My wife helped me wrap the Bogen in carbon fiber look vinyl one evening. Isn't it handsome?
Image
Image
I DIY'ed cork platter mats for the two tables - I was surprised by the improvement in the sound. The Acos Lustre arm, with Dynavector 10X5 with Soundsmith ruby cantilever and stylus upgrade.

Image
The Cocobolo arm pod looks ugly in this picture, but is very beautiful in person. Arm is still the Audiocraft AC4000MC, with Dynavector XV-1S also with Soundsmith ruby cantilever and stylus upgrade.

Image
mounted in the back is the FR64FS with Ortofon MC20Mk2

Image
Image
Image
also finished the G1 tweeter module, hard to take nice picture

Image
my DIY stand turned alright, I think. Also showing is the 2500 watt Trodt coppershielded Iso Trans, damped with layers of high temp silicone and dampening paint

Image
screen down. sources are HTIB, PS3, Shaw digital cable box with 1tb pvr, and karaoke system (for the wifey)

Image
Trodt GM70 in vacation mode muna :D baka naman magalit na si Vladimir kung si MR pirmi ang kakanta

Image
rest of two channel electronics. I will put the Trodt battery powered pre (on top of Lamm LL2 deluxe) on commission when I put back the GM70 into action.
The 4tb external drive beside the Memory Player has my backup files and will eventually contain a folder of my favourite cds upsampled to 32/192

Image
listening position

Image
view from behind right channel

Image
screen up. notice the front port of VR5?

Image
and lastly, the multi colored foam became black cable lift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_Ua94S ... Yel57pHSxg
music pls 8)

one thing I enjoy in my hobbies is DIY'ing. My aqua hobby climaxed with my DIY 1360 gal aqua. my audio stuff has a lot of DIY flavor to it now. It keeps me interested and to me it adds another dimension to the hobby, sometimes 'di mapakali 'pag may naisipang project. To me, it is not about pogi points of having the most expensive or best reviewed stuff, I get off the traditional audiophile path, but still staying focused in getting the best sound reproduction. I can safely say my main system sounded better than ever.

My DIY audio related projects and mods so far:

current black audio stand (previous audio rack as well)
plinth and arm pod for G401
dampening G401 platter
L70 dampening and carbon fiber wrap
two cork platter mats
two brass record weights
foam cable lifts
UPOCC bi-wire damped speaker cables terminated with rhodium spades on amp side and banana on speaker side
all Mogami 2435 damped IC's terminated with Eichman bullet, WBT & Swtchcraft
two damped Belden based power cords
Aurum Cantus G1 tweeter module

ongoing project - Neotech based damped power cords and a Crest based ultrasonic record cleaner
Last edited by dimfer on Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby randybarba » Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:49 am

Nice one Ding. Cool pics too :) . Pregnant mind indeed - may you have more babies to come :)
randybarba
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 1508
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 4:23 pm
Location: St. Luke's Medical Center

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Sun Mar 31, 2013 6:04 pm

randybarba wrote:Nice one Ding. Cool pics too :) . Pregnant mind indeed - may you have more babies to come :)


thanks Doc. Iba ang epekto ng Viagra sa akin, leeg ang tumitigas (due to arthritis) and something is getting pregnant.

While I don't dare build something electonically complicated like amps etc, I enjoy experimenting and tweaking the simpler stuff, and hearing the result is just priceless. For example, I had been very familiar with the sound of the G401 since I owned it for over three years, hearing it after I damped the platter and switching to cork mat blew me away because it transformed the sound by a lot, sounding almost like a different table. There are days that I want to be ambitious and build more room treatments like bass traps, but I know my wife will object to it or buy a speaker kit like the Super V from GR Research, but I don't have room for another pair of speakers. I was also very happy to find out that the cables I built bettered the VD Nite 3.0s. Reading up, getting information consume a lot of my time, I think to the point that my wife is suspecting that I am having an online affair with somebody else :D

After I brought home the big lp stash, I dug my Nitty Gritty record cleaner from our storage room only to find out that it was totally destroyed when one gallon of cleaning fluid leaked to it after my wife stored it sideways and on top of the record cleaner. I felt bad, considering how much it cost, but then half glad that I can now rig my own ultrasonic based unit. I spent a stupid amount of time reading articles like this and watching videos at youtube and then finding ways to build a better and simpler unit. Sourcing parts also take a lot of my time, which I also enjoy doing.
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby trod93 » Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:25 am

Very cool setup 8) DIYing is not only fulfilling, but, you also learn a lot from the experience. Playing around with different materials, particulalry on mechanical gear, is one way of knowing how each will affect the sound on a system. I also use cork on my platter. Try applying polyurethane on one side of the cork mat. You'll be amazed by the effect. :)
trod93
Citizen
Citizen
 
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:46 pm
Location: quezon city

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby jadis » Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:49 am

dimfer wrote: Boy, we arms were sore for days after that weekend.

Image


ding,

mukhang may mother load ka na rin ah. :D

congrats on a very well thought out audio haven.
User avatar
jadis
Legend
Legend
 
Posts: 5688
Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:14 am
Location: Tubeland - The Tube Will Set You Free

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:43 am

trod93 wrote:Very cool setup 8) DIYing is not only fulfilling, but, you also learn a lot from the experience. Playing around with different materials, particulalry on mechanical gear, is one way of knowing how each will affect the sound on a system. I also use cork on my platter. Try applying polyurethane on one side of the cork mat. You'll be amazed by the effect. :)


thanks for the tip. I was actually curious to try applying dampening paint on one side but never really got to try it. I have enough materials to make 2 more mats, I'll make one more for the Lenco and coat it, then compare it with the untreated unit. BTW, which side up - treated or untreated?
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:53 am

jadis wrote:ding,

mukhang may mother load ka na rin ah. :D

congrats on a very well thought out audio haven.


yes, kaya nga napasubo kahit hindi prepared to buy that many. If I could have the same luck in jazz I think I'll be set for life. I am very happy with my classic rock collection as well, because most of them came from one person. I just took delivery of 1000 static free rice paper inner sleeves from Acoustic Sounds, so I am almost ready to clean and catalog the new additions.
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby trod93 » Fri Apr 05, 2013 11:14 am

dimfer wrote:
trod93 wrote:Very cool setup 8) DIYing is not only fulfilling, but, you also learn a lot from the experience. Playing around with different materials, particulalry on mechanical gear, is one way of knowing how each will affect the sound on a system. I also use cork on my platter. Try applying polyurethane on one side of the cork mat. You'll be amazed by the effect. :)


thanks for the tip. I was actually curious to try applying dampening paint on one side but never really got to try it. I have enough materials to make 2 more mats, I'll make one more for the Lenco and coat it, then compare it with the untreated unit. BTW, which side up - treated or untreated?


I get better detail on the treated side up.

I applied several coats to about 1mm thick. I left the label part untreated.
trod93
Citizen
Citizen
 
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:46 pm
Location: quezon city

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:37 am

After I took home my haul of 1200 classical lp's a couple of months ago, I went to our storage room to find my Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine, only to discover that my wife decided to store a gallon of record cleaning fluid on top of it - sideways. All the contents of the bottle had leaked into the Nitty Gritty and had totally destroyed it. I was a little ticked off.. but also half glad because now I have an excuse to DIY one :cool:

The idea of record ultrasonic cleaning machines seems to be cool, and according to what has been described at various forums - they work with great result. I know a lot of guys use the $3.5k Audio Desk Systeme, which I think is a well engineered system. I don't consider myself analog hardcore enough to spend that kind of money on a record cleaning machine, so I gathered info and started with my build. BTW, my DIY projects sometimes take a long time to complete (on my 3rd year in building a simple tonearm), and this one is not an exception. I begged an ebay to sell me a 1.5 gal Crest Ultrasonic machine much cheaper than his asking, but made the mistake to have it shipped to Canada and clear customs via UPS, so all my initial savings magically disappeared.

My design goal - simple to build, easy to use. I had seen many DIY ultrasonic rcm projects at diyaudio.com and it helped me a lot, it helped me eliminate a lot of wrong ideas as well. I want to be able to work on batches of 3 - 4 lps at a time, with minimal interruption in between batches. The ultrasonic unit sat in my office for a while, but I finally got started working on it a couple of weeks ago, doing stuff on my lunch break. I would sometimes draw something and let our shop supervisor do the actual fab work.

One of the joys of DIY'ing is hunting for parts at unlikely sources, and converting it into something that could work for your specific need. I want the record clamp/holder to be easy to tighten/loosen. I picked up a few of this aluminum spacers (1/4" bore) and 1/4" thumb screws and made them rod stoppers.

Image
rod stoppers will keep the records in place during the cleaning process
Image

we had a rush job last week, while some of my staff were working overtime, I stayed a little late to circle cut some .032" type 430BA stainless steel, to be used to cover the record labels (4"). I haven't worked much in the shop in the last 20 years, needless to say I had a few cuts in my fingers and palm by the time I was able to do 6 discs (stainless steel is very hard to work with).. And man, do they look ugly. My shop foreman was laughing at me when he saw it the next morning, he hurriedly made me better ones :o

Image

I picked up some 1/4" dia. steel rod from our waste bin and cut them up to lengths required. I inserted this to the shaft coupling that will mate to another coupling in the motor shaft.
Image

ok, I won't make this thread very long - because it is not that complicated. motor is 1 rpm, sourced from ebay
Image

Image
the crooked disc was made by me :o the nicer one was made by Joey :) don't worry, I will make sure it look nice when I'm done.

I guess by now you get the drift. I will have three holders. The idea is to load 3 or 4 lps, let it clean for 6 minutes. While it is cleaning, load another batch on holder two. When batch one is done, move batch #1 to the Dimf's Record Dryer (another project), load batch #2, and then start loading on holder # 3. Simple as that.

Most of the work is done, I just have to cut more rubber spacers, fix the wires and brush/polish the aluminum to make it nicer.

As a true audiophile product, this machine works best when used with your audiophile power cord :D

Image
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby onedown » Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:25 pm

just saw the updates. thanks for sharing. sorry about the rcm. hope you can share updates of your latest project.

re the vinyls, i think they are better off if stored upright. :)
User avatar
onedown
Master
Master
 
Posts: 3173
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 11:50 am

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Sun May 05, 2013 5:27 am

thanks for the advise Onedown. I have corrected the lp placement already.

my latest project was these: Neotech (cables and connectors) based power cords, complete with voodoo rituals and snake oil :devil: It took me a while to complete because I can only work on it during full-moon :geek: :geek: .

These Neotech stuff are supposed to be very dynamic and among the best sounding DIY components, but I'd say they are poorly engineered. The clamping system on the AC plugs are really bad, I actually had to send one back to partsconnexion because it was won't hold the wire. The shiny looking foil finish of the cover is too fancy for my taste, actually making it look cheap (they're not - at $70 each).

For the record, I have no ambition to get into cable business, but decided to label them just for the heck of it... para hindi halatang nagtitipid. I even used the term Reference, parang mag mukhang mamahalin :devil:

Image.

the DIY RCM & Drying Unit is almost complete. I want to finish all my audio related projects before we start spending all our free time outside (summer).
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby Klik » Fri May 31, 2013 9:14 am

Is the sub woofer on when you played Leonard Cohen's Love Itself?
Klik
Newbie
Newbie
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:46 am

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Fri May 31, 2013 9:48 am

Klik wrote:Is the sub woofer on when you played Leonard Cohen's Love Itself?


Yes
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby jundai15 » Fri May 31, 2013 6:51 pm

HI sir dimfer, grabe ang ganda po ng set-up nyo, but also those asian arowanas, great community tank as well, I miss also my jurassic fishes i used to have, unfortunately I can only afford one hobby, audio. ;)
jundai15
Citizen
Citizen
 
Posts: 409
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 1:04 am
Location: Q.C.

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby Klik » Fri May 31, 2013 11:34 pm

Thanks for your answer. Like your system.
Klik
Newbie
Newbie
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:46 am

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Sat Jun 01, 2013 1:35 am

thanks. glad you liked it. i am very happy with it. we are on the way (posting at yvr) to newport beach audio show.. journey continues... stay tuned
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby Hartsfield1946 » Sat Jun 01, 2013 1:57 pm

This is one of the most inspiring 30 minutes of my life. Reading Mr. Dimfer's journey was worth the time. Thanks for sharing Mr. Dimfer. Triple thumbs up. :clap:
User avatar
Hartsfield1946
Newbie
Newbie
 
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 6:04 pm

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:45 pm

Hartsfield1946 wrote:This is one of the most inspiring 30 minutes of my life. Reading Mr. Dimfer's journey was worth the time. Thanks for sharing Mr. Dimfer. Triple thumbs up. :clap:


thanks.. you won't learn much from me when it comes to the technical stuff :D , but I am passionate about this hobby enough that I don't mind sharing the twists and turns.
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby dimfer » Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:23 pm

update from Newport Beach

My wife was wandering from room to room to keep herself entertained. I caught up to her in one of the rooms playing some piano music. I walked into the room, and it was quite full so I stood behind her chair. The room host probably saw her walking in by herself and got intrigued, because she looked like she was listening. Maybe the guy said to himself - wow, female audiophile. So he came up to her and asked "is there something you'd like to hear?" Sabi ko sa sarili ko, "patay kang bata ka". So, she whispered - "do you have anything by Richard Clayderman" (haha, I thought that's what she'd ask). It was probably unexpected, and the poor guy had no clue who Richard Clayderman is, so he asked "who is it again, I don't think I know him". I held my wife's shoulder and answered in her behalf - " she said Richard Clayderman and you probably don't know him". The guy politely said "perhaps so, can I play Beethoven for you instead, and after I said sure, he complied. Within a minute after the music started, she stood up, thanked the guy and we headed out. Then she told me - "sus, wala'y Richard Clayderman tapos binoang na magkaraw karaw lang sa piano ang ipa tokar" translated - (walang Richard Clayderman tapos parang luko luko lang na kumakalikot sa piano ang patutugtugin).

Well, perhaps she did not feel Beethoven's pain. :D :D
dimfer
Fanatic
Fanatic
 
Posts: 2428
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:33 pm
Location: Bozania

Re: My Audio Journey

Postby rtsyrtsy » Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:20 pm

Thanks for sharing Beethoven not impressing your wife--she is a strong woman who truly knows what she likes.

This made my day. :D
User avatar
rtsyrtsy
Moderator
 
Posts: 3908
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2003 5:25 am

PreviousNext

Return to Members' Audio Set-up

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest