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In Reply to: Anyone try this "free MC cartridge demagnetizer technique? posted by John Chleapas on November 23, 2002 at 06:52:49:
Yes, I've tried it. In fact, I'm probably also the person who first started talking about this technique outside of Japan.If you enter the words "fluxbusting" "jonathan" "carr" into the AA search engine (use boolean AND instead of OR), you should be able to find the information that you are looking for.
What is the model number of the Denon cartridge that you have? Denon produced quite a few cartridges that did not have permeable cores, and these will show less benefit from fluxbusting than if the cartridge has a permeable core.
FYI, the Parnassus can be used with a fluxbusting circuit without problem, not just with passive fluxbusting measures like the Cardas cartridge or the short-circuit method that is the subject of this thread. Just make sure that the fluxbuster is healthy and operating correctly, and you should not have any problem.
BTW, which Parnassus do you have? The first one (deep blue-black body), or the DCt (polished titanium body)?
regards, jonathan carr, Lyra designer
Follow Ups:
> BTW, which Parnassus do you have? The first one (deep blue-black > body), or the DCt (polished titanium body)?> regards, jonathan carr, Lyra designer
Hello Jonnathan! I just bought a Lyra Parassus DCt cartridge. I was also incorrect in that while I do own a new in the box Denon 103 MC cartridge. I meant to say in my last post the cartridge I was writing about was my current Dynavector DV 20x low output MC cartridge. That is what is now mounted on my upgraded Well Tempered Classic turntable. I will need to buy a new (or used) MC step up transformer for the Lyra Parnassus DCt. I do now own a vintage Denon HA-500 head amplfier. I am thinking seriously about the new YS-Audio Solo MC pre-preamplifier. This is advertised as not using any RIAA circuit. (Since it has a active gain pre-preamplifier, and a passive step up transformer.) It uses one 6N3 (WE396) tube. It also comes with a separate power supply chassis. With the twin chassis design it kind of reminds me of the Denon HA-1000 head amplfifier. For $400 it seems like it is worth a chance. I want to spend some time with the Dynavector low output MC cartridge before I attempt to use the Lyra Parnassus DCt. I bought the Parnassus from a nice gentlemen in Hong Kong. He was very helpful with his emails and he has a excellent feedback rating. This was his back up cartridge with ~50 hours on it. I want to get comfortable with my new (to me) WTC turntable before I mount the cartridge. I may be posting here with some more questions on the Parnassus DCt. I found very little about it doing searches on the Internet. I would like to know things like how the Parnassus DCt performs in the real world in a few situations like this;
1) How is the Parnassus on good used records that are cleaned, and play well with low surface noise? I have some vintage used records that play with less surface noise than many new albums I unsealed and cleaned before playing them for the first time.
2) Should I preclean all my records again each time I play them when I am using the Parnassus DCt in a month or less? I have always wondered about this? I have a Nitty Gritty 3.5 Fi that is OK for now. What I do like is the Nitty Gritty does not force you to put a clean side of a record down on a dirty surface like the VPI cleaners do. I am not trying to start any flames over the merits of Nitty Gritty Vs. VPI record cleaners. I spend the time to clean my records and put them in good inner sleaves. Then I put the nifty vinyl outer covers with the closing flap to protect my small collection of vinyl. I am just back to work after a 7+ year battle recovering from a doctor that cost me 21+ operations due to medical negligence. I got into vintage tube audio as my only means to a better sounding stereo to listen to. The speakers are wonderful that the WTC and the Parnassus DCt will be used with. They are 6' tall with TAD TD-4001 drivers feeding 31" x 31" JBL horns. The bass bins are twin 15" JBL 4648A-8's. These speakers allow me to hear things I never heard before on my old records. I just finished scrounging 8 Mullard EL-34 tubes for my Dad's CJ Premier 4 amplifier. The preamplifier is a CJ PV-10A. I upgraded it with Telefunken 12ax7, and Mullard CV-4003 (12au7). I then got the WTC a few weeks ago. It went to WTL for a full tune up. They rewired the arm with Cardas wire, and mounted my Dynavector DV 20X low output MC cartridge for me. Then while surfing for a better cartridge I stumbled onto the used Parnassus DCt. The stereo the Parnassus will be used on is at my Dad's house. I basically got it for him one piece at a time as funds allowed. He too is now a victim of medical negligece with his misdiagnosed melanoma. I wanted him to be able to listen to music for a few hours a day to relax his mind and "heal." I am not an audiophile, but I do enjoy listening to good sounding music. This is late and I just got home from work so I am tired and rambling on a bit. I do enjoy listening to the stereo I got for my Dad. Even his Fisher FM-1000 tuner that I had rebuilt for my Dad is fun to listen to. I want to start recording his many classical records onto CD for him. That is for another post...
Dear John:> I meant to say the cartridge was my current Dynavector DV 20x low output MC cartridge. <
Ah. Finally something that I can recognize (grin). From memory, this design uses a permeable-core, so fluxbusting should offer noticeable benefits.
> That is what is now mounted on my upgraded Well Tempered Classic turntable. <
There are many tricks that you can do to the WTT that will improve the sound, and/or tune the sound that it is a better overall match with your cartridge. For instance, compared to many other TT/tonearm combinations, the variable arm-damping on the WTT provides an extra dimension of flexibility in tuning the sound. To adjust the damping, loosen the plastic filaments, raise or lower the paddle in the cup, and retighten the filaments. Note that when you change the anti-skating value, you are also slightly altering the damping. When I set up a WTT, I usually modify the counterweight for greater mass, by gluing lead sheets onto one side of the counterweight (the lead side should be facing the arm pivot). And once I have the VTA dialled in, I will usually wedge a stack of thin metal washers between the cup and the plinth.
> I am thinking about the new YS-Audio Solo MC pre-preamplifier. This is advertised as not using any RIAA circuit. <
No RIAA circuit? Does this means that you need to use it with a separate RIAA equalizer? Or does the designer wish to state that he uses a passive RIAA network that is sandwiched between two stepup devices?
> (Since it has a active gain pre-preamplifier, and a passive step up transformer.) <
So this gives you a choice of either stepping up the cartridge signal via a transformer, or an active headamp? Or does the cartridge first go into the transformer, and then is buffered by the WE396?
> I want to spend some time with the Dynavector low output MC cartridge before I attempt to use the Lyra Parnassus DCt. <
I think that this is a very good idea. Try to get as much setup experience with both the Denon and the Dynavector as possible before moving to the Parnassus DCt, because the Parnassus is not an easy cartridge to use. When I design cartridges, I assume that the person doing the setup is experienced and capable, the tracking geometry will be spot-on, the tracking force and anti-skating will have been carefully dialled-in, it will be used with a rigid arm that has smooth, tight bearings, and so on. But even with my general attitude of expecting excellent comprehension and setup capabilities on the part of the user, I still have to admit that the Parnassus DCt isn't an easy cartridge to set-up. It is a _very_ revealing cartridge, and if it is set up correctly, it will sing like an angel. But if it not, it may not sound good at all. You won't know just how good it can be unless you have it dialled in more or less perfectly. In general, my "DC"-generation designs (Clavis DC, Evolve 99, and to some extent the Lydian Beta) all shared this same tendancy, but the Parnassus was the.most demanding (as well as the most revealing). The Parnassus DCt was designed to retail for USD$3500, and I assumed that it would be used by very advanced audiophiles who had lots of analog experience, and the kind of quality equipment that the Parnassus DCt demanded.
Now with my current Helikon generation, I have backed off on my expectations of the setup abilities of the user. The Helikon is less demanding than my previous designs, and is easier to setup and have it sound good. Basically, as I have seen more systems around the world, I have gradually concluded that it simply isn't realistic to expect too much from users, dealers, or reviewers. You grow mellower as you get older, I suppose.
> I bought the Parnassus from a nice gentlemen in Hong Kong. He was very helpful with his emails and he has a excellent feedback rating. This was his back up cartridge with ~50 hours on it. <
Some places in Hongkong are ok, but it also pays to be a bit wary. I have seen some Lyra cartridges sold through Hongkong mail-order outfits that were definitely phonies (with forged serial numbers that never existed in our books, etc.). Not always, but if the price is too good to be true, maybe there is a reason.
> How is the Parnassus on good used records that are cleaned, and play well with low surface noise? <
Most of my own LP collection are very normal, non-audiophile records; many with compression, EQ, indifferent pressing quality, wear and tear, and so on. The DCt should be fine with these, and in fact, you may find that the signal-noise ratio improves with the DCt (courtesy of the low-mass moving components and the high-quality PA stylus). The DCt may be demanding of setup and partnering equipment, but it really is quite tolerant of LP quality and condition.
> Should I preclean all my records again each time I play them when I am using the Parnassus DCt in a month or less? <
Not necessarily each time, but at least the first time, and I suggest that you also clean the LPs _after_ playing them with the DCt for the first time. The small PA stylus really digs quite deeply into the LP groove, and I have sometimes noticed that the DCt managed to dig up small amounts of dirt from LPs that were cleaned on a vacuum machine. Usually, though, the dirt-excavation process will settle down after about 1~2 plays. BTW, I hope that you will continue collecting LPs, and build up your collection several thousands of LPs, but if you do so, you will need to budget for a constant stock of pristine replacement inner sleeves. So do learn to clean _inside_ the LP inner sleeves. You can get an LP clean with a machine, and then have gunk transferred back onto it from a dirty inner sleeve. I have used both the NG and the VPI, and the VPI is easier to use and stands up to hard use better (just keep the platter clean before you put on an LP). I don't own one (yet), but I suspect that the Loricraft may be a better cleaner than either the NG or the VPI.
> I am just back to work after a 7+ year battle recovering from a doctor that cost me 21+ operations due to medical negligence. <
Ouch!
> I got into vintage tube audio as my only means to a better sounding stereo to listen to. <
Vintage tube audio is one way, but it isn't necessarily the only way. Personally I find that there are many components that can sound quite good, as long as the person setting up the system really knows what they are doing. But unfortunately, this is very, very rare. People with top-notch setup skills are a much scarcer commodity than equipment that has the potential to sound good.
> Then while surfing for a better cartridge I stumbled onto the used Parnassus DCt. <
I suggest that you get a WallyTractor for the WTT, and also a tracking force gauge that can accurately measure to 0.1g. These investments should pay for themselves in long-term listening enjoyment.
Good luck!
jonathan carr
Hello Jonathan. Here is a link for the pre-preamplifier on ebay. It looks interesting. I did a search here in the archives and there was not much to be found in the archives. I now own a Denon HA-500 head amplifier. I will need something else to use on my own turntable. The Well Tempered Classic is going over to my Dad's house. Anyone here familiar with this Solo pre-preamplifier for moving coil cartridges?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1940543053
Thanks for the info on the Wally tractor. I emailed Wally last night and he asked me to call him. I had to work early today and I am still at work, so I will call him tomorrow. His web site looks very, VERY interesting to me. I will need aome (many?) of those items he sells to properly set up my WTC turntable. I feel like my education is just beginning all over again in vinyl as I move up a little bit incrementally one new upgrade at a time.
John: Like the HA-500, the Solo appears to be designed to just boost the cartridge signal (by 17dB), so unless you want to listen to your LPs with anaemic-sounding bass and sizzling treble, you will need a separate RIAA equalization stage. And since the signal output voltage of the Parnassus DCt is 0.22mV or so, I am guessing that your headamp (or transformer) in combination with your RIAA equalizer amp will need to produce a combined voltage gain of at least 60dB, preferably more. If your cartridge produces 0.5~0.7mV, perhaps a 17dB headamp is OK, but for a cartridge that produces less than 0.3mV, I think you want more gain from the pre-preamp/headamp/transformer.Let me offer some general advice. High-resolution, low-output cartridges have the _potential_ to sound better if they are used properly, but if they are used improperly, what they will do most of the time is bite you. It's like changing your car's flywheel from a normal one to a low-mass hand-balanced special. If you are a good driver, the drivetrain will feel much quicker and more responsive. But if you don't have a sensitive touch with the clutch and throttle, you'll mostly get lots of engine stalls.
Before you go any further, I think you should decide if you want to be serious about your analog hobby, and if you want to pursue the performance potential of high-resolution low-output cartridges. If the answer is yes, invest in a high-quality phono stage with plenty of gain and a good signal-noise ratio. If you are willing to make this committment, in the future, in addition to the Lyra cartridges, you can also think about manufacturers like Transfiguration or ZYX.
But it is also perfectly fine if you decide that you just want something nice to listen to, that doesn't require meticulous setup and top-notch partnering equipment. If so, you should probably stay with medium-output cartridges that have at least 0.4mV output, and are reasonably revealing, but not fiendishly so. My cartridge upgrade suggestions would include the Shelter 501 II, quite a few of the Benz-Micro's, maybe the Ortofon Kontrapunkt A.
As it is now, I think that you have a reasonable turntable (although it is probably close to the lower limit of what you should use with the Parnassus DCt), and if you get the WallyTools and are willing to work on your setup techniques, you should be able to set up the cartridge ok. But the phono amplification and equalization part is really unclear. Decide what cartridge direction you want to go in the future, and get an appropriate phono stage (or combination of components). And if the Parnassus DCt becomes the odd man out, feel free to sell it again and get another cartridge that is closer to what you need.
hth, jonathan carr
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