vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Discussion on new albums, developing listening skills, critical listening to others' work, as well as TOMB members' MP3 links, online recording critiques

Moderator: cgarges

Post Reply
User avatar
Gregg Juke
cryogenically thawing
Posts: 3544
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:35 pm
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA
Contact:

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by Gregg Juke » Sat Jun 30, 2018 11:31 am

I ordered the "new" ("lost tapes") Coltrane album, "Both Directions at Once," two or three weeks ago when I heard it was coming out. I picked it up yesterday, and I'm on my third listen through of the double record set (a "deluxe" package with alternate takes is available).

This is a spectacular record. I can't believe we're just hearing it now. As Sonny Rollins said-- "This is like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid."

Well worth the purchase price for the Coltrane fan.

GJ
Gregg Juke
Nocturnal Productions Music Group
Drum! Magazine Contributor
http://MightyNoStars.com

"He's about to learn the most important lesson in the music business-- 'Never trust people in the music business.' "

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:09 pm

New lost album Coltrane huh? Will have to check that out.

I have an old Telefunken Opus 7 tube radio that I wanted to have as an option to run the digital contingent of my music library (vinyl dubs included) through. It's a fairly large radio at 24" wide and 16" tall with two speakers facing forward and a tweeter on each side. The aux input available on the radio is meant for an old style mono reel to reel DIN plug. For modern use, cut off one end of an RCA cable, tie the two hot wires together and put that in whatever slot makes a hum, and tie the grounds together and find the input slot and call it good.
Image


So now I've got the signal running through the radio, but it's not sounding that great. Even though I had had this Telefunken Opus 7 gone over and recapped, it has always had quite a wooly sound*. But I really wanted to press it into service, to get some use out of it besides it just sitting there looking awesome, so I finally patched in an old Rane dual graphic eq between it and the analog outs from an Icon D/A desktop amp. (The little black box to the right of the graphic eq. The Icon's optical input receiving the optical output from an iMac.)

The sound... geez, audio metaphors. Well, it sounds like warm crayons. I mean really warm crayons, like melty ones with the wax oils seeping into white bond paper in full-on summer sun.

Still messing with the eq settings, but pretty extreme added highs and lows makes it sound like a good V setting on a boogie. :)
* (Through the aux in. Might need to revisit my diy cable)

Image


_____________________

Speaking of melting, my Denon DP72 turntable lid had had some kind of melt marks on its lid since I got it off Craiglsist and it had always bothered me as otherwise the thing is in great shape. They go too deep into the finish to easily buff out. Finally just sprung for one of those nice acrylic replacement lids off ebay. It is strikingly transparent, (I believe optical grade is the terminology) and the table looks as good as it sound now.
Image

Told the seller it would be ok using my photos for his ebay auctions..
Last edited by shedshrine on Thu Aug 30, 2018 3:43 pm, edited 9 times in total.

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:51 pm

a few new ones.
Nice first press green labeled copy of UFO's Force It. That's two members from Throbbing Gristle going at it in the bath on the cover. US pressing kind of has them semi transparent.

The other two. One sounds like a forgotten album from the sixties, and one IS a forgotten gem from the sixties.
Plan 9 Dealing With The Dead is the former, (with black light cover and bizarre Zap Comix-like mini comic book enclosed)
HIgh TIde Sea Shanties is the latter. (My copy is a repress)

Image

User avatar
markjazzbassist
tinnitus
Posts: 1050
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:33 am
Location: Cleveland

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by markjazzbassist » Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:57 am

i have one of those new turntable lids from ebay as well, they are just as you described, very transparent. Classy looking though i think. it's for my technics sl-23

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Mon Jul 09, 2018 12:44 pm

Agreed Mark, installing that lid made it look like a new table. It's not like the original hard brittle plastic ones either, these optical acrylic ones are thicker and heavier, and have an almost soft quality to them, but they don't scratch easily.
______________
A couple more I picked up recently. Allan Holdsworth albums,
Copies of his Sand and Secrets solo albums (both opened but still in shrink) to add to his collection.
I still don't understand fully *what the heck he's doing, but I dig it/find it fascinating to put on and listen to.
What a mind/approach to the instrument that guy had.
I'm beginning to even appreciate the synth axe stuff a little more, but his guitar playing will always be where it was truly at for this listener.
*Link to an explanation in music theory terms his whole tone half tone diminished scale

Image

“He chased simply what he heard and what he loved.”
Last edited by shedshrine on Thu May 23, 2019 9:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
alexdingley
buyin' a studio
Posts: 804
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2004 10:00 am
Location: Greater Philadelphia Area
Contact:

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by alexdingley » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:54 am

It started to get deeeeep last year. Out of frustration from my LP's skipping when I walked — I started devising a way to isolate the player from floor-sourced vibration. There's already a faux air return cut into my living room floor (and it was near the foundation wall) so I thought about mounting a pillar to the foundation... see below:

Image

Image

But I ended up just going another route— bought a really nice hardwood stereo cabinet & cleated it to the wall. I'll edit this later to include a pic of the finished mounting job.

Image

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by alexdingley on Thu Jul 12, 2018 5:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:18 pm

Oh man, that is awesome.

Y'know there's a skyscraper they built in San Francisco completed around 2008, the Millennium Tower. They built the thing 58 stories tall on what amounts to landfill. This is near a famous earthquake fault, and they didn't even bother to bolt the concrete and steel piles holding the thing upright down to bedrock to secure it. So far it has sunk 17 inches and tilted 14 inches. It is still sinking and leaning.

But you sir, you are hardcore, you are the real deal. We're talking a bedrock pole from the depths of mother earth installed as a pillar of solidity to keep your turntable free from vibration and all sonic detritus. That sir is clearly dedication and commitment to excellence. 8)

Seriously, great idea well implemented. Wall cleat option or no, Hope you've got some James Brown to put on and do a happy dance to with you and yours when it's completed.

User avatar
markjazzbassist
tinnitus
Posts: 1050
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:33 am
Location: Cleveland

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by markjazzbassist » Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:28 pm

alex does your TT have an anti-skating mechanism? mine does and i can control the pressure so when we walk around it doesn't jump. i have a technics sl-23 from 1976. not sure if it's just a consumer grade thing for my cheapie or not.

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:19 pm

I'm in the middle of painting the livingroom so pardon the mess (well, one wall, just finished putting up a primer coat. See, it's going to be an accent wall. Just ask the Mrs. It's going to be a dark red), but we had the same issue with floor-bounce messing up the turntable tracking.
The Ikea shelves mount to the wall, but with the speakers on each side of the tv there was no room for the turntable,
so I put two steel L brackets on a board and made a little shelf for it underneath. (will probably add some trim to hide the exposed particle board edge at some point..)
Image
Image

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:21 pm

Ah, I see you've been doing some editing up there.
Damn Alex, that setup looks fantastic.
Beautiful cabinet, and the LED lighting under the lid really sets off that piano gloss black turntable..very nice.
alexdingley wrote:
Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:54 am

Image

Image

User avatar
alexdingley
buyin' a studio
Posts: 804
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2004 10:00 am
Location: Greater Philadelphia Area
Contact:

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by alexdingley » Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:23 pm

shedshrine wrote:
Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:21 pm
Beautiful cabinet, and the LED lighting under the lid really sets off that piano gloss black turntable..very nice.
Thanks!! Yeah, it was a big part of the plan to find a way to light the record player. Partly for the cool effect, but mostly, because it can be hard to see where I’m dropping the needle.

User avatar
floid
buyin' a studio
Posts: 983
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2006 1:39 pm
Location: in exile

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by floid » Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:21 pm

shedshrine wrote:
Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:09 pm
For modern use, cut off one end of an RCA cable, tie the two hot wires together
Using an appropriate network of summing resistors?
Village Idiot.

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Mon Jul 16, 2018 5:44 pm

Hi Floyd, aka the voice of reason..
How does one go about implementing " an appropriate network of summing resistors?"
My lack of doing so would explain the muffled sound?
I am not electronics diagram literate unfortunately, so the "tablature" version of explanation would be most helpful if you have a moment.

When it's set to "Radio" it sounds nice and balanced, but the aux in is definitely not as happy.
Not pictured: The toothpick I've got underneath the red leads and over the white leads there to separate the two colors and destinations to prevent shorting.
Yes, very high tech I know.
Image
_________
EDIT: Got this cable below on ebay from UK firm. Great fit and connection, great clear sound now with no external eq needed.
3 Pin DIN to 2 Phono (RCA) Plug Cable. OFC Cable 1M Length

Image
Last edited by shedshrine on Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Nick Sevilla
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5555
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:34 pm
Location: Lake Arrowhead California USA
Contact:

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by Nick Sevilla » Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:56 am

I see a nice short going on there LOL.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

User avatar
shedshrine
deaf.
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:47 pm
Location: sf bay area

Re: vinyl collecting ( and surrounding planetary atmosphere )

Post by shedshrine » Tue Jul 17, 2018 11:56 am

Nick Sevilla wrote: I see a nice short going on there LOL.
shedshrine wrote:
Mon Jul 16, 2018 5:44 pm
Not pictured: The toothpick I've got underneath the red leads and over the white leads there to separate the two colors and destinations to prevent shorting.
Yes, very high tech I know.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests