Thirty three and a third.

Started by Irons, November 22, 2018, 11:40:48 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

vandermolen

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 23, 2020, 12:26:01 PM
Out of curiosity, what did your picnic consist of Jeffrey?  Glad that you had a good time out and hope that it wasn't too hot for you?

PD
OT
It was a vegan picnic PD as my wife is vegetarian and my daughter is vegan. I am so by default but I sneak a 'secret meat lunch'  >:D when I am at the school where I work (not that that is happening now). Anyway the picnic was very tasty (I think it involved tofu, rice, couscous etc) and my daughter made a banana bread cake for me which I over-indulged in. It was too hot for me but as my wife kindly offered to drive I was able to have some glasses of wine to cheer myself up.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on June 23, 2020, 01:36:08 PM
OT
It was a vegan picnic PD as my wife is vegetarian and my daughter is vegan. I am so by default but I sneak a 'secret meat lunch'  >:D when I am at the school where I work (not that that is happening now). Anyway the picnic was very tasty (I think it involved tofu, rice, couscous etc) and my daughter made a banana bread cake for me which I over-indulged in. It was too hot for me but as my wife kindly offered to drive I was able to have some glasses of wine to cheer myself up.
A banana bread cake?!  Oh my!  I do love banana bread and over the years (particularly in my teens to early 20's) have tried to perfect the perfect banana bread recipe.   ;D

Does your wife and/or daughter give you a hard time if you go out for dinner and you want to order something non-vegetarian?  And any 'occasional pescatarians' in that mix?  Just curious.  I do love my vegetables and many vegetarian dishes and am always trying to push myself in the kitchen to cook new dishes too.  Love making baba ganoush during the summertime for example...I have some personal variations in making it that I love (if you're interested).   :)

Best wishes,

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 23, 2020, 03:55:52 PM
A banana bread cake?!  Oh my!  I do love banana bread and over the years (particularly in my teens to early 20's) have tried to perfect the perfect banana bread recipe.   ;D

Does your wife and/or daughter give you a hard time if you go out for dinner and you want to order something non-vegetarian?  And any 'occasional pescatarians' in that mix?  Just curious.  I do love my vegetables and many vegetarian dishes and am always trying to push myself in the kitchen to cook new dishes too.  Love making baba ganoush during the summertime for example...I have some personal variations in making it that I love (if you're interested).   :)

Best wishes,

PD
OT
'Baba ganoush' sounds most interesting and I can swop the recipe for my daughter's banana cake one if you like. It was more than just banana bread as she added stuff to it like dark chocolate. Now that I've reminded myself of the meaning of pescatarian I can answer your question. Wife: Yes, Daughter: No. In fairness, my wife does not give me a bad time if I eat meat (which I rarely do anyway). My addiction to tomato ketchup is much more of an issue for her. It rang true recently, when watching the excellent drama on the Salisbury Poisonings the other day, when the young son of one of the main characters gets an earful from his mother for asking for tomato ketchup with stew. My sympathies were with him, especially as tomato ketchup is supposed to have (as I often tell my wife) some health benefits. My daughter is rather less tolerant if I have meat. Still, I have already done my bit for nature this morning by rescuing a bird from my cat's mouth  0:)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Pohjolas Daughter

I'll post my recipe over in the 'What are you eating thread' so as to not go OT yet again!

And that birdie owes you one!  Yeah you!

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Irons

#504
The German company Teldec invented a new process for manufacturing LPs known as DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) there is a Wiki page if anyone is interested. Although it did have its critics I am a great admirer of records produced using the DMM process. It came along late in the day and over time I have replaced where available DMM copies for records pressed in the normal way. Teldec pressed the late RCA "Gold Seal" series which included all the Previn RVW recordings (Not all "Gold Seal" are from Teldec).



The earlier "Red Seal" are pressed at various plants including Decca at New Malden but none far as I'm aware are DMM.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Irons on June 29, 2020, 11:53:48 PM
The German company Teldec invented a new process for manufacturing LPs known as DMM (Direct Metal Mastering) there is a Wiki page if anyone is interested. Although it did have its critics I am a great admirer of records produced using the DMM process. It came along late in the day and over time I have replaced where available DMM copies for records pressed in the normal way. Teldec pressed the late RCA "Gold Seal" series which included all the Previn RVW recordings (Not all "Gold Seal" are from Teldec).



The earlier "Red Seal" are pressed at various plants including Decca at New Malden but none far as I'm aware are DMM.
I have some of their (Teldec's) DMMs.  Thanks for telling us about the Previn/RVW pressings Irons!  I'll keep an eye out for them.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

aligreto

The cartridge on my main turntable is beginning to come close to the end of its life. I will have to replace it but what to do? I am just at the initial stage of looking and the Benz Micro MC Gold Moving Coil Cartridge has caught my eye.





Does anyone have any experience with this cartridge?

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 30, 2020, 04:21:45 AM
I have some of their (Teldec's) DMMs.  Thanks for telling us about the Previn/RVW pressings Irons!  I'll keep an eye out for them.

PD
By the way, Irons, where does it show that they were pressed by Teldec?  Is there something on the label or jacket?

PD
Quote from: aligreto on July 03, 2020, 03:06:49 AM
The cartridge on my main turntable is beginning to come close to the end of its life. I will have to replace it but what to do? I am just at the initial stage of looking and the Benz Micro MC Gold Moving Coil Cartridge has caught my eye.





Does anyone have any experience with this cartridge?

I haven't heard anything about it; I'll ask my audio friend, though, if he knows anything about them (he also subscribes to various audio magazines).  We hope to visit a record store today; however, the weather is not looking good.  So much for trusting the weather app on my phone (Forecast:  sunny and hot).  After spending a good half hour watering, I turned on the radio...cloudy and good chance of showers later!   ::)

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

aligreto

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 03, 2020, 04:37:46 AM



PDI haven't heard anything about it; I'll ask my audio friend, though, if he knows anything about them (he also subscribes to various audio magazines).  We hope to visit a record store today; however, the weather is not looking good.  So much for trusting the weather app on my phone (Forecast:  sunny and hot).  After spending a good half hour watering, I turned on the radio...cloudy and good chance of showers later!   ::)

PD

Cheers PD. I know that the name has a great provenance at the higher end. However, this is their "entry level" cartridge and this is what I am specifically wondering about.

Irons

Quote from: aligreto on July 03, 2020, 03:06:49 AM
The cartridge on my main turntable is beginning to come close to the end of its life. I will have to replace it but what to do? I am just at the initial stage of looking and the Benz Micro MC Gold Moving Coil Cartridge has caught my eye.





Does anyone have any experience with this cartridge?

I cannot help you with the Benz Aligreto as I have had not heard it. I was in a similar situation late last year as the AT-OC9/111 I was using did not sound right and time for retirement I thought. I had three old cartridges in a draw, a 13 year old Koetsu Rosewood, a 15 year old Ortofon Kontrapunct C and Miyajima Spirit mono. The first two were worn and third the tip had parted company with the cantilever. I could not afford spending a four figured sum on a new cartridge so on a whim contacted Dominic Harper up at Northwest Audio. We agreed that I send my Kontrapunkt to him for inspection which I duly did. I must say the service I received from Dominic and his wife was top class and my Kontrapunkt is as good as new and delighted with the performance of my refurbished cartridge.

https://www.northwestanalogue.com/
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Irons

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 03, 2020, 04:37:46 AM
By the way, Irons, where does it show that they were pressed by Teldec?  Is there something on the label or jacket?

PD

Look to the small print at top of label, P.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

aligreto

Quote from: Irons on July 03, 2020, 07:14:56 AM



I cannot help you with the Benz Aligreto as I have had not heard it. I was in a similar situation late last year as the AT-OC9/111 I was using did not sound right and time for retirement I thought. I had three old cartridges in a draw, a 13 year old Koetsu Rosewood, a 15 year old Ortofon Kontrapunct C and Miyajima Spirit mono. The first two were worn and third the tip had parted company with the cantilever. I could not afford spending a four figured sum on a new cartridge so on a whim contacted Dominic Harper up at Northwest Audio. We agreed that I send my Kontrapunkt to him for inspection which I duly did. I must say the service I received from Dominic and his wife was top class and my Kontrapunkt is as good as new and delighted with the performance of my refurbished cartridge.

https://www.northwestanalogue.com/

Cheers and thank you for the input. I will check that link later.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Irons on July 03, 2020, 07:14:56 AM
I cannot help you with the Benz Aligreto as I have had not heard it. I was in a similar situation late last year as the AT-OC9/111 I was using did not sound right and time for retirement I thought. I had three old cartridges in a draw, a 13 year old Koetsu Rosewood, a 15 year old Ortofon Kontrapunct C and Miyajima Spirit mono. The first two were worn and third the tip had parted company with the cantilever. I could not afford spending a four figured sum on a new cartridge so on a whim contacted Dominic Harper up at Northwest Audio. We agreed that I send my Kontrapunkt to him for inspection which I duly did. I must say the service I received from Dominic and his wife was top class and my Kontrapunkt is as good as new and delighted with the performance of my refurbished cartridge.

https://www.northwestanalogue.com/
Nice Irons! 

So, if I'm remembering correctly--and it's been quite a while since I did much looking into cartridges, one can replace the stylus of a cartridge (some of them anyway) rather than having to buy a whole new cartridge?  Which it sounds like what was done for you?  Or did they 'just' reattach the stylus to your cartridge?  Where you also able to salvage your other two cartridges?  Or do you need to send them elsewhere for service?  Or just not possible?

And thanks for the pic of the label Irons!   :)

And Aligreto,

Glad that you found a lead.  I spoke to my friend earlier and he had heard good things about that company/brand, but no experience with them himself.

We did manage to get to a record store today and this is what I ended up getting.



and

I love the Four Sea Interludes; don't know the pieces on the other album.  Nice, though, to see father and son playing together.   :)

Best,

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

aligreto

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 03, 2020, 02:49:07 PM

And Aligreto,

....  I spoke to my friend earlier and he had heard good things about that company/brand, but no experience with them himself.


Thank you for enquiring.

Irons

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 03, 2020, 02:49:07 PM
Nice Irons! 

So, if I'm remembering correctly--and it's been quite a while since I did much looking into cartridges, one can replace the stylus of a cartridge (some of them anyway) rather than having to buy a whole new cartridge?  Which it sounds like what was done for you?  Or did they 'just' reattach the stylus to your cartridge?  Where you also able to salvage your other two cartridges?  Or do you need to send them elsewhere for service?  Or just not possible?

And thanks for the pic of the label Irons!   :)

And Aligreto,

Glad that you found a lead.  I spoke to my friend earlier and he had heard good things about that company/brand, but no experience with them himself.

We did manage to get to a record store today and this is what I ended up getting.



and

I love the Four Sea Interludes; don't know the pieces on the other album.  Nice, though, to see father and son playing together.   :)

Best,

PD

Right, for MM (and you have one of, if not the best) a simple operation as the stylus assembly slides in and out and can be replaced in seconds. MC - moving coil as opposed to moving magnet, this cannot be done. It is the nature of the beast that MC can be expensive and unlike a laser beam wear out. A MC cartridge can be rebuilt with where required either a stylus, cantilever and suspension replaced or all three. Highly skilled work that requires specialist tools including an electronic microscope. I sent my Ortofon and received a report from Northwest detailing work required and cost. If you decide you do not wish the work to be carried out, they charge, I think, £60 for inspection and return the cartridge.

I'm dead jealous, P! Two great finds - but more then that, to walk in a shop and walk out with something unexpected.

You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

#515
Quote from: Irons on July 05, 2020, 02:17:04 AM
Right, for MM (and you have one of, if not the best) a simple operation as the stylus assembly slides in and out and can be replaced in seconds. MC - moving coil as opposed to moving magnet, this cannot be done. It is the nature of the beast that MC can be expensive and unlike a laser beam wear out. A MC cartridge can be rebuilt with where required either a stylus, cantilever and suspension replaced or all three. Highly skilled work that requires specialist tools including an electronic microscope. I sent my Ortofon and received a report from Northwest detailing work required and cost. If you decide you do not wish the work to be carried out, they charge, I think, £60 for inspection and return the cartridge.

I'm dead jealous, P! Two great finds - but more then that, to walk in a shop and walk out with something unexpected.
Thanks for the explanation Irons.  Over time, I forgot what the differences were between MC vs. MM.  And nice to know that mine is an easy swap-out too!   :)  Can you salvage your other two cartridges?  Or too expensive?

Was nice to walk into a store.  At most, there were I think four of us customers and one sales person (the wife of the owner) in there...all with masks.  I tried to remain cognizant of how far away others were there.  I suspect that most people were not quite so aware as it's very easy to start looking through a section and keep moving along it .....drawn deep inside the world of vinyl!

Aligreto,

Let us know what you decide to get and how it works for you.

PD

Pohjolas Daughter

aligreto

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 05, 2020, 04:20:33 AM

Aligreto,

Let us know what you decide to get and how it works for you.

PD

Do not hold your breadth. This is not an urgent project. It can be difficult to move away from one's tried and tested, and trusted, cartridges.

Irons

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 05, 2020, 04:20:33 AM
Thanks for the explanation Irons.  Over time, I forgot what the differences were between MC vs. MM.  And nice to know that mine is an easy swap-out too!   :)  Can you salvage your other two cartridges?  Or too expensive?

Was nice to walk into a store.  At most, there were I think four of us customers and one sales person (the wife of the owner) in there...all with masks.  I tried to remain cognizant of how far away others were there.  I suspect that most people were not quite so aware as it's very easy to start looking through a section and keep moving along it .....drawn deep inside the world of vinyl!

Aligreto,

Let us know what you decide to get and how it works for you.

PD

Hopefully they stay in a draw, P, but if the worse happens.......

Entering the basement of Classical Exchange was an experience at the best of times, post covid I just can't imagine! I am certain I told you of the time a mouse ran across the records I was looking at and the owner calmly dropped a complete set of Beethoven SQ's on the creature. Then he offered me a discount on the set (EMI Hungarian SQ). I didn't take him up on it! 
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Irons on July 06, 2020, 07:22:05 AM
Hopefully they stay in a draw, P, but if the worse happens.......

Entering the basement of Classical Exchange was an experience at the best of times, post covid I just can't imagine! I am certain I told you of the time a mouse ran across the records I was looking at and the owner calmly dropped a complete set of Beethoven SQ's on the creature. Then he offered me a discount on the set (EMI Hungarian SQ). I didn't take him up on it!
Shudder!  No you did not tell me this story!   ??? :o  I do understand the damage that mice can do, but ugh!  Sounds like he needs to get an exterminator or a whole bunch of mousetraps.  Cat would work best, but could also do further damage to the LPs.   ;)

We did also go to an outdoor sale (mixture of books, CDs, DVDs, etc.--no LPs) which worked pretty well....tables spaced apart and pretty much one person to a table, etc.  Picked up those CDs that I mentioned in the New Purchases thread and one pop CD (a Peter Gabriel compilation CD).

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Irons

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on July 06, 2020, 08:02:32 AM
Shudder!  No you did not tell me this story!   ??? :o  I do understand the damage that mice can do, but ugh!  Sounds like he needs to get an exterminator or a whole bunch of mousetraps.  Cat would work best, but could also do further damage to the LPs.   ;)

We did also go to an outdoor sale (mixture of books, CDs, DVDs, etc.--no LPs) which worked pretty well....tables spaced apart and pretty much one person to a table, etc.  Picked up those CDs that I mentioned in the New Purchases thread and one pop CD (a Peter Gabriel compilation CD).

PD

PD, my mum and Peter Gabriel's mum were friends. She, PG mum not mine, was something to do with the Queen (HM not the pop group). I can't recall the details as so long ago but a maid of honour or something like that.
Solsbury Hill is a great record, in fact I will go over to YT to listen to it now.

You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.