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In Reply to: Suggestions for phono pre-amp posted by Pacman on September 13, 2006 at 19:23:51:
There are many imfluencing factors that would cause "hardness".
Things like:
Cartridge break-in
Post break-in re-alignment (VTA)
Mis-tracking (need greater tracking force?)
Overly tighenened cartridge mounting screws
Phono Cable not sufficently broken in
Cheap crappy phono cable
All of the above can compress the life out of the sound and cause the effect you are experiencing.If you are certain that all is well in set-up land, and you are not adverse to a relatively long break-in period, then I suggest the ASR Mini-Basis. It is very flexible, can produce abundant output for just about any cartridge, it is at least as quiet as the best of tube-based equipment, and it has superb dynamic range. Overall surprising sound for $1000. Put a top flight powercord on it, and you have an astounding value even at $1400. It does not have the finest detail of the top top tube units, but it doesn't cost $5000+ either. It is however, as smooth and musical as any I have encountered without the associated "PRAT-fall".
Cheers,
Close to the Edge, down by the river....
-Ray
Follow Ups:
There are many imfluencing factors that would cause "hardness".
Things like:
Cartridge break-in
I bought the cartridge in early 2005. It proably has 250 hours on it by now. If it's not broken in it's not going ot be.Post break-in re-alignment (VTA)
Mis-tracking (need greater tracking force?)
I was really hoping one of these would be the answer. But I checked my alignment and VTA very recently and everything is still right on specification. I also checked by tracking force and its set in the middle of Shelter's recommended values.Overly tighenened cartridge mounting screws
I'm pretty paranoid about stripping screws and damaging headshells, very unlikely.Phono Cable not sufficently broken in
Cheap crappy phono cable
Most the cables I buy are used and therfore broken in. I have tried three
BEL
top-of-the-line Monster
Transparent Music-Link.
Of these cables, the Transparent is the one I'm presently using. It's the most revealing and spacious but it's also the most edgy. Interestingly, I bought the Transparent after reading in the Cables Forum that it was a "warm" cable. I thought it would solve my problem. But I suspect a lot of what a cable does is dependent on the components it connnects.In the end the VPI and the Shelter 901 are both components that favor extension and transparency over warmth. I'm not dissatisfied with what I have purchased but I need something to tone down the edginess that results from the cartridge and the TT. The weakest link in my analog chain is the Monolith phono pre-amp. That's the most logical place for an upgrade.
using Last Stylast? I found that it added liquidity and reduced leanness (which can sometimes be heard as "hardness"). My experience was in a fully broken-in system, however. The Stylast is good for your cartridge and is a cheap tweak!
No and I am not familar with the product but I do use a stylus cleaner made by Record Research
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