Hi Mingles

Thanks. I did at first consider that, but I believe that the retip strikes at the fundamental sound reproduction, more than resonance control. There was one fellow 103R user who used black tape on the sides of the cart, which seemed to work. I might try that as it is less invasive.

Anyway I do have plenty of other carts, perhaps not as many as Raul, but sufficient to have enough fun spinning for many years to come. Of late the SS retipped AT33PTG is sounding fabulous on my Conductor arm, extraordinarily detailed without sounding harsh in the least bit, in fact very musical such that I'm really enjoying this sleeper of a cart. IMO it is much better than even the SS retipped 103R.

Cheers and enjoy the music.

cmk July 06, 2008 08:03

Hello Cmk, have you considered removing the plastic body of the SS-103R and replacing it with an ebony body or brass plate? It's easier to do than you'd think and the results are quite impressive. It would be interesting to hear with your Soundsmith retip.

Very nice system!

mingles July 03, 2008 02:01

System edited: Over the past few months, I had been sorting out some issues with the system, and only now resolved them. A number of changes have taken place in the room, all of which have helped in one way or another, so I'll just list them out here: 1) Use iLink cable for digital between the Esoteric P5/D5. This is the best way to connect these fine equipment and produced the most detailed and coherent soundstage without sounding clinical. 2) Added Audio Magic Large Disruptor on ModWright. This helped to quieten the system from tube microphonics, since I use the Amperex 7119 in place of the 5687. 3) Added some CD racks from Ikea. This not only increased my CD storage area, it also helped to reduce the side wall reflections and enhance imaging! 4) Changed the Conductor air beam. The last one had some issues with the air flow. Len Gregory was very helpful so I changed the air beam and now the arm floats again and seems to sound better than before. 5) Got back the AT 33PTG re-retipped by Soundsmith. The first retip had a channel imbalance, which Peter solved later. It took some time, but it was totally worth the wait. Now mounted on the Conductor, this is an amazingly detailed and yet musical cart! 6) Added Mapleshade Brass footers. After the good experience with the Walker Audio Stilpoints, I tried out the relatively cheaper alternative. These significantly upgraded the sound of the tubed Herron phono, reducing the noise floor and enhancing dynamics greatly. Also placed a shorter set under the Audio Magic Eclipse which also helped. 7) Last tweak: got meself a nice velvet Lazyboy chair! :)))

cmk June 25, 2008 01:23

System edited: Inserted Walker Audio Valid Points below the ModWright Preamp which instantly tightened the images and gave the music a solid foundation. Dynamics took a quantum leap forward and the instrumental outlines were highlighted naturally. Highly recommended. I will be trying out Mapleshade Brass footers next...stay tuned.

cmk April 18, 2008 15:12

System edited: Went for the top Dynavector cart, and what a cart it is!

cmk March 19, 2008 14:13

Hi Ycekin
I've not tried the direct connection with the Esoteric, though I have tried it with the Benchmark when I was running it.

There are a couple of things to consider:
1) Does the preamp add/take away anything?
2) Does running the DAC>amp via the XLR benefit?
3) Do you have other (analog) inputs?

For the pre, I reckon the ModWright (Signature Ed - with the tube rectifier), to be one of the most transparent pre available out there. Very little is done to the signal. I've tube rolled the 2 key tubes (5687) for the very beautiful sounding but microphonic-prone Amperex 7119. With this particular combination, the sense of body of the person in the room is extraordinary, plus the pre is still linear and detailed. I got around the microphonics by dampening the chasis. So now I actually prefer the pre in the chain.

2) I've tried running direct to the amp via the XLRs from the DAC1. It does do somethings very well, more quiet, better bass, separation. However I'm more concerned about the mids - where the music really is and with the upgraded tubes in the pre, the difference running via XLR was really not significant.

3) I have 2 analog sources, the LPs and a tuner. Running direct would mean the inconvenience of having to plug in/out the ICs each time you change sources, which usually means you have to powerdown the amps - not a very good idea.

cmk February 14, 2008 00:50

Hi CMK. I have very recently sold a SACD and a preamp and bought the Esoteric p5/d5 combo. The CDP is directly connected to Wavac monoblock amps. Have you tried connecting the Esoteric directly to the amp?

ycekin February 13, 2008 21:39

System edited: I've made so many changes I don't know where to start. I'll try to list them out in sequence then describe what each did for the system. 1) Nordost Ti Pulsar Points - recommended by a friend to be placed under the CDP/digital source. These replaced the Feet of Silence and gave a more solid feel to teh sound, more detail and 3D soundstage. 2) Removed the additional rack below the ModWright preamp and put the powersupply on the floor. This is simply "less is more" principle. Less racks, less resonance and much better sound. 3) AudioMagic Sorcerer interconnects - for both the digital and analog sources. These replaced the Slinkylinks and added more body and scale to the music, bigger soundstage and more detail. 4) AudioMagic Illusion powercords - for both digital and analog sources. These replaced some cheap cords I was planning to replace anyway. Made of pure silver ribbons, they impart smoothness, dynamics, continuity to the music. 5) AudioMagic Illusion speaker cable - this was a BIG step up in resolution and scale from the Sorcerer. Soundstage expanded and there was more detail and body in the soundfield. 6) Esoteric P5D5 - this is a state of the art CD/SACD playback system. It doesn't get any better than this, unless you go for the P1/D1. This combo lets you hear everything there is on the disc, without color, just pure music. 7) Darken the system - I basically blocked off all LEDs to let me hear the music without the physical constraits of what my eyes see.

cmk February 07, 2008 16:57

Hi Braab
Thanks for the compliments. I haven't quite updated it yet as the last few changes are still taking shape, but its really, really good. I'll save it for later...

The Anti-Cable used is the speaker wire, hooked up from the speaker terminals on the amp to the sub. I was using some simple Belden wire before, but that didn't do it for me. In order for the sub to blend seemlessly with the sats, it has to carry some(very little) of the sats freqs. With the AudioMagic speaker wires, which are silver and very fast, I have to use a cable which matches, else you will hear the sub slower in relation to the sats.

Good that you will get the 103 from SS, they are great guys.

cmk February 01, 2008 00:31

GREAT SYSTEM!

In particular I love the ambiance of your room, very well thought out component matching, I have a question,I'm sure you've given your reasoning but I can't seem to find it within the thread.It pertains to your choice of cable between your Power and Sub the Anti-Cable,is it the speaker wire hooked into the Subwoofer's terminal? or are they the wonderful Ic's? what were you using before?

I too am waiting for my Denon 103 to return from Soundsmith!
I've got sugar plums dancing in my head...

braab..over and Out

braab8 January 26, 2008 18:49

Hi Cmk,
Thanks of your advise, the cable produce the exact character i'm looking for "smooth and detailed" thats what i'm looking for.
I'll order them and i'm sure I'll be satisfy (I heard SME used them), so the must be good enough for me.

thanks again you help me a lot

Yossi

yossie04 December 19, 2007 22:45

Hi Yossi
Thanks. I didn't try tonearm cables, that's quite an expensive thing to do. I was recommended this by someone who's ears I trust. What I can say is that the 501 silver hybrid produces a smooth and detailed sound which is very natural and therefore musical. Since we all know that you will only hear what the cart picks up, it would be advisable to use the best cable available at the front and this is VdH's best phono cable. I'm also a strong believer in silver.

Welcome.

cmk December 18, 2007 13:58

hi CMK
Great system.
I'm very interesting in the vdh D-501 silver hibrid. i'm sure those cable doing a great job in your system. i'm wondering if you check another phono cable or did any previous comparing before dicided to go on those phono cable.
in your opinion how do you discribe the characters of those phono cable

thanks in advance

Yossi

yossie04 December 17, 2007 19:39

System edited: Made the following changes: 1) Digital cable was swapped from the Canare to the Audio Magic Excalibur and what a difference that made. It was more dynamic, more quiet between the notes and instruments, a bit more forward, but the precision is amazing. 2) Retipped the AT 33PTG at Soundsmith who has done another fantastic job with this cart. Extraordinarily detailed. The stylus was alined a little off, but that was easily compensated for by adjusting azimuth on the Schroeder 2. Tracked at 1.51g, this is another big step forward for analog. Highly recommended.

cmk December 16, 2007 10:03

System edited: Completed the link from source to speakers using AudioMagic cabling with the Sorcerer IC to the Benchmark DAC1, Illusion IC from pre-power and the Sorcerer SC from Power to speakers. Replacing the Slinkylink before has meant an even further improvement in resolution, separation, and liquidity even from digital. There is scale, power/dynamics, and low level details. Amazing!

cmk December 02, 2007 06:44

System edited: Having upgraded the powercords and conditioning with AudioMagic, I wondered what would happen if I added the high end interconnect and speaker cables to the mix. Though they are not petty change, the improvements wrought by the conditioners/powercords were nothing short of amazing. After careful consideration, I took the plunge and ordered the Illusion interconnect and Sorcerer speaker cables. There was an increase in dynamics, impact and clarity. Transients were enhanced and all this was done without any glare whatsoever. Cymbals and highhats have a crystaline quality and naturalness to them. The mids, especially vocals, have a rock solid 3D image with micro details there but not highlighted. Bass is more defined than before and in correct proportion to the rest of the soundfield. The noise floor seems to be lowered between instruments and the music. I came to the conclusion that now its so detailed and resolving, it doesn't hide anything.

cmk November 20, 2007 00:48

System edited: Latest updates have been to the powercords running to the pre/power/sub. After switching to Audio Magic powercords, the system has taken a leap in resolution, ease/smoothness, air, sense of palpability. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, this latest changes bring the system to a whole new level, its getting harder to find upgrades, so I guess I'll just have to enjoy the music.

cmk November 14, 2007 02:11

System edited: Managed to snag a Dyna DV20XL at a bargain price as it was practically unused. This cart is the latest version of the 20X featuring a Micro Ridge stylus! I mounted it on my Schroeder model 2 and it sounded very groovy. VTF set to 1.96g for now, but going to try lower.

cmk November 02, 2007 15:03

You can find most of the information on the Soundsmith website:
http://www.sound-smith.com/retip/

I opted for the $250 Contact Line stylus. As you can see from the pic, the whole cantilever and stylus is replaced with a ruby cantilever and their special profile stylus.

This lowers the weight of the whole assembly and allows the stylus to respond faster to transients. The stylus profile is cut to allow more contact area with the groove walls and therefore digs out more information than the stock conical of the 103R. The effect is better detail, more extension, and faster/tighter dynamics.

I like it so much that I'm going to retip my other Denon with the Optimised Contact and the AT33PTG with the standard Line Contact.

cmk October 22, 2007 05:41

Can you give more details about the Denon103R retipping by Soundsmith?

denjo October 20, 2007 01:01

System edited: My high-end cart of choice is the Denon 103R retipped by Soundsmith with the ruby cantilever and the line contact stylus. As recommended by Peter, I reduced VTF by almost 1g to 1.68g and tried it on. It sounds WONDERFUL! Gone are the rolled off highs/bass. This cart digs deep, dishing out more details than I've heard before, even on some "hi-end" carts. The transients are fast and dynamic. Soundstaging on the Conductor tonearm is exemplary, stretching well beyond the speaker and room boundaries. The icing on the cake is: its totally liquid and natural. This is what analog is all about folks.

cmk October 17, 2007 15:16

Cmk
I have the Sanders ESL 300 as well, paired with a Bent Audio TAP TVC. Pretty happy with the combo tho still room to tweak here and there. Also added Slinkylinks and this improved musical enjoyment. Your system looks very impressive indeed!

denjo October 11, 2007 01:22

System edited: Just received the Soundsmith SMMC1 MM cart and the retipped Denon SS-103R, ruby cantilever with line contact stylus. I'll mount them and listen over the next few days...This is going to be fun. :)

cmk October 08, 2007 13:57

Just added the Audio Magic Eclipse II power conditioner, replacing the PS Audio P300.
Initial impressions: Bigger soundstage, quieter than before, improved attack and better decay. There's so much air around the instruments. Absolutely no dynamic limitation, in fact, the bass has more loudness and goes lower. Hearing lots of low level detail in recordings its like listening to everything afresh. Its so analog-like, the music comes out from the same fabric, coherent and totally natural.

cmk September 22, 2007 02:21

Thanks for the comment Chadnliz.

Rotti
Its pointing forward with a very slight toe-in to lock in the image in the centre. If you look at the previous photos, you'll notice that over the period, I've moved the speakers even nearer the listening position. The idea behind this placement is that the soundstage then starts from the speakers all the way to behind the curtain. As the speakers do not point directly at the sweet spot, you do not notice them as point sources, so the music seems to come from behind the speakers rather than from them.

Generally the further from the sweet spot, the more toe-in is required. As you move further into the room, you have less toe-in so that the speakers seem to disappear.

Quite sharp. Yes it was 4:37 in the evening. There's some sunlight spilling on the curtain and wall, apart from the spotlighting of the curtain.

cmk September 11, 2007 00:55