Post by Bigman80 on Sept 13, 2020 16:51:28 GMT
Impromptu Visit to Jimbo
Yesterday saw me re-visit a very important system in my HiFi journey. Back when Jim lived Stourbridge way, his VPI, 2M Black, Croft 7 Pre & Power and Spendor combo made me rethink what I thought I knew about how music replay could sound.
The imaging and spacious soundstage he managed to pull out of those speakers was phenomenal. IT was pretty clear that Jim and I had similar ideas of what we like about music, its replay and how we consume it. Since then, Jim has been one of my go to Sounding boards when I have been building stuff. It's safe to say I value his opinion and as such we've had a fair few sessions at my house.
With Jims new house purchase finally over the line, his system set up and fine tuned a little, we managed to carve out an hour (lol) to sit down and have a listen to what this system could do in a much larger area.
After the much appreciated warm welcome and “proper” cup of tea, Jim gave up the sweet spot on the Sofa to allow me the experience from the best place.
First up Was Nublano – Sera Una Noche
I am a big fan of this track and find it very easy to hear quite often and never tire of it. A few seconds into the performance I was a little uneasy. I was way too high above the soundstage and thus felt like the music was hitting my knees. The Spendors were on some very solid stands, but being a 6'4 human meant they were too low for me.
I sat on the floor to get things a bit more in tune. Things greatly improved but I still didn't quite feel the magic that I had experienced at Jim Stourbridge gaff.
Next up we played Michael Hedges -
Again, it was ok....but I just wasn't feeling it. There was a feeling of congestion. The individual strings weren't quite audible and the collective of strings sounded more like one whole note rather than individual strings working together to make a harmonised sound. I struggled to explain this eloquently enough and in the end, we got a bit stuck. In hindsight what I was searching for was the word “resolution” or lack of it.
I had taken the Neurochrome with me, just in case. I blamed the Croft amps for this “resolution” issue, However when we plugged it in, the synergy went right out of the window and the sound turned into a bag of nails....I was perplexed. I was hearing a congested midrange and with it a hump, or an emphasis in the midband. Jim suggested that I was maybe missing the overall sound by focussing on this aspect, but to me, it was intrusive and thus impossible to ignore.
This wasnt something I experienced with Jims system previously. We needed to solve it IMO.
I then suggested we swap to a set of cables in that I know very well......The Spotfire Speaker Cables. These have been on loan at jims for a number of weeks, so it made sense to chuck them in,.
Jim obliged and we sat down for another listen to the track. This time, the magic was back.....
The resolution was now greatly improved. The soundstage had new found height, width and depth and the LF was far more detailed. The fretbuzz was realistically organic and the mental image of the string buzzing on the fretboard it conjured ,was crystal clear. This was how I had remembered Jims system sounding.
We A/B tested the cables a few times. I think it's safe to say Jim and I still didn't quite agree with my assessment on the performance of the incumbents, so we put the incumbents back in and played XXXXXXX
Initially, I was gobsmacked. The sound was so much better on this recording than previously, but I just had this feeling that something still wasn't right. I can't un-hear these things and I asked to return to the Spotfire for the same track.
Christ on a bike, this recording made it even more blindingly obvious to me. The Piano rang forever....the hammer strike was audible, the bass was now under control and best of all, the cohesive soundstage was back. But most importantly, the balance was better from top to bottom. No HUMP.....now i could listen. And that is exactly what happened. What was supposed to be an hour turned into 3! The biggest indication (and proof I was right lol) of the change was that I no longer had to sit on the floor to make sense of the sound. The scale had grown,so much so, that back on the sofa I went.
We played a few tracks and that sound I had heard at Jims place all those years ago, was now here again, but bigger, cleaner and more spacious. The room allowing it to breathe was a fantastic experience. One I don't get here unfortunately.
The 2M black has been totally revolutionised by Kilians work on it. Previously quite guilty of being a bit coarse and shouty, this thing now had MC levels of refinement and control. I would certainly be looking into one if I needed another cartridge. It was superb.
There was a natural ease to its delivery, but retaining the balls of a good MM cartridge. Everything was rendered superbly. This is certainly no weak point in the chain. Seriously detailed. So much so that the slide on Ry Cooder's – Paris could clearly be heard making the “whispy” noise along the strings as he moved it to create a vibrato effect.
The Croft amplification is something I really rate, regardless of the terrible measurements that often get quoted when the name of Croft is raised. Coupled to the Spendor's ability to communicate in an organic way, we listened to something close to ideal IMO. Organically delivered and never stressed but not lacking dynamics or urgency when required. What always catches me out with Croft gear is the level of detail available. It never felt like it was anything other than see through.
The VPI front end and the accompanying equipment now vanished from the recording, as though it wasn't even involved at all.
Ok, we weren't without issue. The speakers that once sounded so fluid and free in Stourbridge, now had a bit of boxyness about them at times. Also because they were working so hard to pressurise the larger room, they lost a wee bit of composure. The midbass for instance boomed a bit on a few tracks. Aldous Harding for one seems to be a bit too big for the speaker at times, but when she wasn't it was mesmerisingly intimate. I can see why Jim has played this vinyl daily lol.
Overall though, this is one combination of HiFI components that speaks to your soul. When you wake up the next day still thinking about it, you know it's doing something right!
Jim and I have spoken about getting a few bits of mine into his listening space to see if there is any value in bigger speakers in his system etc. This is something we will definitely do.
What I heard yesterday was musical magic. Conveyance of heart and soul. If that were my system, I'd be tapping Glenn up for some 7RS monoblocks and trying to find a pair of Dynaudio speakers, which on the advice of bigbird is a combination to die for.
It's going to be an interesting journey for Jim. The nucleus of the system is perfect, we just need to make it bigger without losing what makes it great!
Yesterday saw me re-visit a very important system in my HiFi journey. Back when Jim lived Stourbridge way, his VPI, 2M Black, Croft 7 Pre & Power and Spendor combo made me rethink what I thought I knew about how music replay could sound.
The imaging and spacious soundstage he managed to pull out of those speakers was phenomenal. IT was pretty clear that Jim and I had similar ideas of what we like about music, its replay and how we consume it. Since then, Jim has been one of my go to Sounding boards when I have been building stuff. It's safe to say I value his opinion and as such we've had a fair few sessions at my house.
With Jims new house purchase finally over the line, his system set up and fine tuned a little, we managed to carve out an hour (lol) to sit down and have a listen to what this system could do in a much larger area.
After the much appreciated warm welcome and “proper” cup of tea, Jim gave up the sweet spot on the Sofa to allow me the experience from the best place.
First up Was Nublano – Sera Una Noche
I am a big fan of this track and find it very easy to hear quite often and never tire of it. A few seconds into the performance I was a little uneasy. I was way too high above the soundstage and thus felt like the music was hitting my knees. The Spendors were on some very solid stands, but being a 6'4 human meant they were too low for me.
I sat on the floor to get things a bit more in tune. Things greatly improved but I still didn't quite feel the magic that I had experienced at Jim Stourbridge gaff.
Next up we played Michael Hedges -
Again, it was ok....but I just wasn't feeling it. There was a feeling of congestion. The individual strings weren't quite audible and the collective of strings sounded more like one whole note rather than individual strings working together to make a harmonised sound. I struggled to explain this eloquently enough and in the end, we got a bit stuck. In hindsight what I was searching for was the word “resolution” or lack of it.
I had taken the Neurochrome with me, just in case. I blamed the Croft amps for this “resolution” issue, However when we plugged it in, the synergy went right out of the window and the sound turned into a bag of nails....I was perplexed. I was hearing a congested midrange and with it a hump, or an emphasis in the midband. Jim suggested that I was maybe missing the overall sound by focussing on this aspect, but to me, it was intrusive and thus impossible to ignore.
This wasnt something I experienced with Jims system previously. We needed to solve it IMO.
I then suggested we swap to a set of cables in that I know very well......The Spotfire Speaker Cables. These have been on loan at jims for a number of weeks, so it made sense to chuck them in,.
Jim obliged and we sat down for another listen to the track. This time, the magic was back.....
The resolution was now greatly improved. The soundstage had new found height, width and depth and the LF was far more detailed. The fretbuzz was realistically organic and the mental image of the string buzzing on the fretboard it conjured ,was crystal clear. This was how I had remembered Jims system sounding.
We A/B tested the cables a few times. I think it's safe to say Jim and I still didn't quite agree with my assessment on the performance of the incumbents, so we put the incumbents back in and played XXXXXXX
Initially, I was gobsmacked. The sound was so much better on this recording than previously, but I just had this feeling that something still wasn't right. I can't un-hear these things and I asked to return to the Spotfire for the same track.
Christ on a bike, this recording made it even more blindingly obvious to me. The Piano rang forever....the hammer strike was audible, the bass was now under control and best of all, the cohesive soundstage was back. But most importantly, the balance was better from top to bottom. No HUMP.....now i could listen. And that is exactly what happened. What was supposed to be an hour turned into 3! The biggest indication (and proof I was right lol) of the change was that I no longer had to sit on the floor to make sense of the sound. The scale had grown,so much so, that back on the sofa I went.
We played a few tracks and that sound I had heard at Jims place all those years ago, was now here again, but bigger, cleaner and more spacious. The room allowing it to breathe was a fantastic experience. One I don't get here unfortunately.
The 2M black has been totally revolutionised by Kilians work on it. Previously quite guilty of being a bit coarse and shouty, this thing now had MC levels of refinement and control. I would certainly be looking into one if I needed another cartridge. It was superb.
There was a natural ease to its delivery, but retaining the balls of a good MM cartridge. Everything was rendered superbly. This is certainly no weak point in the chain. Seriously detailed. So much so that the slide on Ry Cooder's – Paris could clearly be heard making the “whispy” noise along the strings as he moved it to create a vibrato effect.
The Croft amplification is something I really rate, regardless of the terrible measurements that often get quoted when the name of Croft is raised. Coupled to the Spendor's ability to communicate in an organic way, we listened to something close to ideal IMO. Organically delivered and never stressed but not lacking dynamics or urgency when required. What always catches me out with Croft gear is the level of detail available. It never felt like it was anything other than see through.
The VPI front end and the accompanying equipment now vanished from the recording, as though it wasn't even involved at all.
Ok, we weren't without issue. The speakers that once sounded so fluid and free in Stourbridge, now had a bit of boxyness about them at times. Also because they were working so hard to pressurise the larger room, they lost a wee bit of composure. The midbass for instance boomed a bit on a few tracks. Aldous Harding for one seems to be a bit too big for the speaker at times, but when she wasn't it was mesmerisingly intimate. I can see why Jim has played this vinyl daily lol.
Overall though, this is one combination of HiFI components that speaks to your soul. When you wake up the next day still thinking about it, you know it's doing something right!
Jim and I have spoken about getting a few bits of mine into his listening space to see if there is any value in bigger speakers in his system etc. This is something we will definitely do.
What I heard yesterday was musical magic. Conveyance of heart and soul. If that were my system, I'd be tapping Glenn up for some 7RS monoblocks and trying to find a pair of Dynaudio speakers, which on the advice of bigbird is a combination to die for.
It's going to be an interesting journey for Jim. The nucleus of the system is perfect, we just need to make it bigger without losing what makes it great!
)
