Magic moments.

JohnVF

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Sometimes the stereo grabs you when you least expect it. Last night I finally got my Merrill/AR turntable up and running after a year in storage. This morning I was listening to Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours on it as the sun came up, and all the pains in the ass that my stereo has given me were forgiven. I’m sure you’ve all had those moments where it all just works. Not in the functional sense, but in the making the world alright sense.
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Sometimes the stereo grabs you when you least expect it. Last night I finally got my Merrill/AR turntable up and running after a year in storage. This morning I was listening to Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours on it as the sun came up, and all the pains in the ass that my stereo has given me were forgiven. I’m sure you’ve all had those moments where it all just works. Not in the functional sense, but in the making the world alright sense.
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Nice sunrise setup, looks rather inviting and Zen-like, with a cup of coffee of course.
 
I’m sure you’ve all had those moments where it all just works. Not in the functional sense, but in the making the world alright sense.

got that feeling last night spinning burning spear garvey/garvey's ghost past my bedtime.
 
Yes, yes, and yes! I think what makes it all the more special is when you’re not looking for it or paying much attention. It causes you to lift up your head and pause whatever else you were doing. Can’t go wrong with Sinatra either!
(When reading the thread topic the song by the drifters came to mind)
 
The turntable had been sitting in my storage unit since last March, in pieces. I was relieved that, when I got it back together last night, everything worked and there were no weird noises or hum. That may have added to my relaxation this morning- and, of course, there was a cup of coffee @MikeyFresh. Fresh ground, brewed with an Aeropress, in my favorite mug.

I haven't yet fussed over cartridge setup beyond setting tracking force (with the scale on the arm even, as my cheap digital scale is suspect) and using the only alignment tool I could find, an old MOFI geo-disc, which leaves a bit too much room room for error. But it tracks well, no sibilance, and sounds great.

The next task is to find a new cartridge for my wife's Mitsubishi LT-30, still in the cabinet, as she refuses to touch the bouncy/fussy AR.
 
I haven't yet fussed over cartridge setup
Don't spoil the fun until you have to. That Zen-like atmosphere I referred to will quickly vanish, unless of course you find cart setup to have a calming effect in which case it might actually enhance that sunrise serenity. That and another cup of coffee of course.
 
Don't spoil the fun until you have to. That Zen-like atmosphere I referred to will quickly vanish, unless of course you find cart setup to have a calming effect in which case it might actually enhance that sunrise serenity. That and another cup of coffee of course.
The only part of cartridge setup that I really can't stand is the actual mounting of the cartridge on a new headshell and attaching the leads. I have no idea where my fozgometer is and only a vague idea where my Dennesen 3 point protractor might be (I don't recommend hastily moving to a new state right as a pandemic shuts the whole country down). Oh well! I guess I"ll have to live with this as I don't have the tools needed to trigger my OCD.

The MOFI GEO-DISC alignment tool is super-simple to use, probably the easiest alignment tool around, but the degree of slop in sighting it towards the arm pivot by eyeball is a bit questionable.

OH, and the arm has an aftermarket VTA adjuster-- yay for the previous owner.
 
Many of those experiences over the years, moments when all of the stars aligned in the firmament. The system plays a role, the choice of music and then there is the state of the listener...
Yep. Yesterday I was fairly relaxed after a less hectic than usual day working, and had Radio Paradise streaming to my SVS actives as background music while I wrapped a few things up. Then a song I have heard literally thousands of times came on, and I stopped what I was doing to listen. Only this time I was hyper-focused on the drum playing of Mitch Mitchell on Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Calls Mary". Listening intently to his drumming during the guitar break was mesmerizing. It was like I had never heard the song before and I just sat back (probably with a stupid grin on my face) and enjoyed every note. Moments like that is why I listen to music as much as I do. A magic moment indeed.
 
I have come to realize after many decades that I appreciate music more when I sit down to listen already in a calm and focused state. If I sit down to listen tired, stressed and distracted (expecting the music to "cure" me), I rarely get into the "zone". And my experiment with the big theater JBLs has helped to de-program a lot of the audiophile notions I had acquired over the years. They make it easier to imagine that I am hearing live music, and that illusion is really what I have been chasing all along.

"The zone takes care of its own..."

Can you name the movie without google ?
 
I have come to realize after many decades that I appreciate music more when I sit down to listen already in a calm and focused state. If I sit down to listen tired, stressed and distracted (expecting the music to "cure" me), I rarely get into the "zone". And my experiment with the big theater JBLs has helped to de-program a lot of the audiophile notions I had acquired over the years. They make it easier to imagine that I am hearing live music, and that illusion is really what I have been chasing all along.

"The zone takes care of its own..."

Can you name the movie without google ?
My current setup was purposefully put in a place to get me out of "critical listening". I can't think of a phrase more antithetical to how I listened to music, when I most enjoyed music in my younger years, than "critical listening." Like its a test, or a chore. Something to analyze what's wrong. This whole year, in this kind of temporary living space my wife and I are in, I've been very consciously trying to break myself of the type of audiophile habits that have sucked the joy of music out of me. That's not to say that there aren't other audiophile habits that have added to my enjoyment- there have been- but I've acquired a good number of habits that turn what was once something pleasurable into something that feels more like work.
 
Couldn't agree more! I am trying to make it fun again, and mostly succeeding. Sounds like you are too ! I love to read stories about people dancing around the house and calling out their favorite tunes (made possible by streaming and instant access to pretty much anything).
 
Couldn't agree more! I am trying to make it fun again, and mostly succeeding. Sounds like you are too ! I love to read stories about people dancing around the house and calling out their favorite tunes (made possible by streaming and instant access to pretty much anything).
My wife and I make it a point to, once a week, get a bit, err, inebriated and take turns streaming songs over the stereo and dancing around like idiots. The current JBL speakers seem to bring this on more than the previous 'serious' ones (my Harbeths..which I still like).
 
View attachment 36282
The plinth needs some oil, and I might install stiffer springs.
About how many hz would you say the bounce is now? If you're running 2-2.5 hz I'd leave the springs as they are. Stiffer springs will up the rate and mess with things, especially the bass... as per some extensive discussions I once had with Marc Morin (RIP)...
 
About how many hz would you say the bounce is now? If you're running 2-2.5 hz I'd leave the springs as they are. Stiffer springs will up the rate and mess with things, especially the bass... as per some extensive discussions I once had with Marc Morin (RIP)...
I really don't know. It's very bouncy. More bouncy than other suspended decks I've had. When I had it apart last night, I noticed that the spring nearest the tonearm is quite a bit off, as far as the setup, from the others- to make the deck level. The whole deck really needs to be balanced, which means I need to pull it apart and play with it and the springs outside of the plinth to get the tension/compression even across all 3, as the problem now is that even though the deck is level, the springs aren't bouncing at the same rate because the weights on each are so different. I'm aware of how to tackle it, its just... another thing, ya know?

My floors are more sturdy here so it doesn't skip like it used to. Only if I dare close the cabinet door while its playing.
 
I really don't know. It's very bouncy. More bouncy than other suspended decks I've had. When I had it apart last night, I noticed that the spring nearest the tonearm is quite a bit off, as far as the setup, from the others- to make the deck level. The whole deck really needs to be balanced, which means I need to pull it apart and play with it and the springs outside of the plinth to get the tension/compression even across all 3, as the problem now is that even though the deck is level, the springs aren't bouncing at the same rate because the weights on each are so different. I'm aware of how to tackle it, its just... another thing, ya know?

My floors are more sturdy here so it doesn't skip like it used to. Only if I dare close the cabinet door while its playing.
So you set the bounce by getting the weight the same on all three springs. I've redone my TD-125 and Ariston RD-11s so they work via the principle and man, did it ever clean up the sound. Marc told me to aim for two or so cycles per second and then that all three move in sync. Neither of the tables I was working with are set up for such rigamarole so I got some tiny lead weights that have double-sided tape on the back. Set them on top until I got the bounce I wanted and then stuck them immediately under the spot. It took awhile, but wasn't that hard. I imagine the Merrill has a much easier way t go about it, similar to the SOTA I think?
 
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