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Case: I bought a secondhand Technics SL-1210MK5 turntable a while ago, and it will be serviced and a new stylus implemented soon. The stylus will most probably be the Denon DL-103, since the guy doing the job adviced that one. He also asked me to bring vinyl to test the service afterwards, and he will finetune the settings of the turntable based on my taste. I’m going to bring Led Zeppelin (The Song Remains The Same), Thin Lizzy (Live and Dangerous or Life/Live) and Deep Purple (Made In Japan) on vinyl, since I’m a huge lover of live rock shows. But of course I want to bring some Smashing Pumpkins too. I’m not a vinyl collector, so I have only little vinyl of Smashing Pumpkins. What should I bring to the turntable finetune session?
Choose between:
I Am One 10\"
I Am One 12\"
Cherub Rock 7\"
Cherub Rock 12\"
Siamese Dream 12\" (black vinyl)
Disarm 12\"
Machina / The Machines of God 12\" (I’m thinking of bringing this one)
Tarantula 7\"
That’s The Way (My Love Is) 7\"
Teargarden Theme 7\"
The Solstice Bare 12\"
The Celestials 7\"Reason I’m asking, I never played Smashing Pumpkins on vinyl so far. And I have no idea which 7\", 10\" or 12\" of SP is worthwhile listening to in a technical hifi-oriented way. Thanks for your help!
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TEG on Machina on vinyl is insanely bass heavy.
a lot of record players can’t even handle the depth of the groove there… resulting in tracking problems (bouncing stylus even)…
if calibrated correctly, it sounds amazing!
the Cherub Rock 12\" is not too bass heavy, but you don’t get much in terms of b-side balance stuff to check with.
i’d use the SD LP…
check for the seperation in the stereo field, especially in Quiet, the drum sound in Cherub Rock and Geek, the attack in the guitar in Rocket, the cello/strings in Disarm and the clearness in Today and Hummer… it should be a massive difference compared to the cd. -
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i wish i had sven’s ears[/quote:2xmgv6oa]
They are not too bad, I heard.[/quote:2xmgv6oa]well, errr….
they had some ‘road damage’ due to way too many concerts…but, still:
the insane NAD pre/end amp coupled with the speakers and hooked up to the SL1200MK2 (never mind any higher spec; it’s the MK2 you need to go for!) set-up blows your brains out (and half of the neighbourhood… -
never mind any higher spec; it’s the MK2 you need to go for[/quote:2vf75v48]
True, the differences are minimal. But when I read this on a vinyl forum, I decided to go for a MK5 anyway: "MK5’s have a superior speed control circuit." And the Denon DL-103 stylus does well in the rock/blues market, I understood. Anyway, after it is serviced, you’re happily invited to come check it out, Sven!On a sidenote, plans have changed again. Not that I wanted that, though… But I spend quite some time trying to find my copy of Siamese Dream on black vinyl, but it is hidden somewhere… No idea where. I’m sure I have it, I even remember buying it in Belgium in 2008! Instead I found my copy of Siamese Dream on pink vinyl, but no way I’m going to play that.
So now I’m taking I Am One 10" and Thin Lizzy – The Sun Goes Down (extended version on 12") with me. The latter is a stunning, well recorded rock ballad, and it has a very different type of dynamics between SP’s I Am One/Machina and the live show of Led Zeppelin on The Song Remains The Same. If the Technics turntable can swallow all that nicely after being serviced and calibrated, I’m sure it was treated well.
"There is a demon among us whose soul belongs in hell
Sent here to redeem us, she knows it all to well"
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But I spend quite some time trying to find my copy of Siamese Dream on black vinyl, but it is hidden somewhere… No idea where. I’m sure I have it, I even remember buying it in Belgium in 2008! Instead I found my copy of Siamese Dream on pink vinyl, but no way I’m going to play that.[/quote:2asj10io]
i was wondering, which SD pressing on black vinyl do you have? is it the fairly recent caroline repressing, or the original hut uk pressing?
also, why is there no way you’re going to play SD on pink vinyl? -
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I think it is the repressing of SD that I have, but I can only confirm that after I found it back. I must have stored it in another vinyl box when we moved in 2010. And I want to keep the pink vinyl in mint condition, that’s the most important reason. I don’t think the color of the vinyl influences the quality of the pressing. Could it be?
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Are coloured vinyls not said to be of leeser sound quality?
Sure I heard that somewhere.[/quote:3dvpys3j]colour doens’t matter.
however:
– picture discs use very thin vinyl on both side of a ‘picture’ on paper sandwiched in between and although thin vinyl should per se compromise the sound quality (i.e. Teagarden 2 12"), it frequently appears to be of lower fidelity…also:
– clear vinyl / translucent / transparent vinyl tends to but is not always somewhat of inferior fidelty to solid vinyl (coloured or black)…
> therefore I really REALLY dislike the fidelity of the original PI release…
>> however: I own a Red Sparrowes record on clear speckled black/gold dust vinyl that just sounds amazing, so it can be done… -
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– clear vinyl / translucent / transparent vinyl tends to but is not always somewhat of inferior fidelty to solid vinyl (coloured or black)…
> therefore I really REALLY dislike the fidelity of the original PI release…[/quote:339zlo3w]
that’s why you need the UK pressing.[/quote:339zlo3w]errr… yeah i did and would like to have the black vinyl UK pressing, BUT: the remaster blows even that one out of the water… so as per audio (SP)Freak(s)-joy there no begging here
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So I went to the guy doing the service, and it was pretty cool spending a few hours there. He owns every Technics SL model, including the extremely rare MK6. His preferred model is the M5G, which he set up with a Marantz amplifier and Stanton speakers. We played the vinyl I brought on his turntable, and tried several brands of stylus. The Denon stylus is indeed quite something.
I was not impressed by Machina on vinyl. In fact I was disappointed. Same for the Led Zeppelin show I brought (I learned I have the first pressing by Swan Song, but the second pressing is supposed to be better). The Thin Lizzy vinyl blew us away, which I kinda hoped/expected since I remembered playing it years ago when my Thorens turntable was still working. I Am One was not played.
The guy also played some vinyl from his collection, some jazz on 200 gram, Dire Straits and more. And during this session I learned a tough lesson… When you enter the world of high end turntables, your vinyl better be a perfect pressing of a perfect recording, perfectly mixed and produced. And that’s where Machina failed… I mean, it sounds good, it are still the songs I know and love. But it didn’t blow me away…
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TEG on Machina on vinyl is insanely bass heavy. a lot of record players can’t even handle the depth of the groove there… resulting in tracking problems (bouncing stylus even)…
if calibrated correctly, it sound amazing![/quote:j8w9qcnm]
I wonder if we did something wrong. I mean this guy obviously knew what he was doing, as he showed me how to calibrate the skating settings in a way that skating will not appear on ANY place of the record, while most people settle for a no skating setting only in the middle of the vinyl. He will teach me the magic on my turntable in 2-3 weeks, when he is done servicing it. But I wonder, is maybe a special type of stylus needed for the Machina vinyl? -
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TEG on Machina on vinyl is insanely bass heavy. a lot of record players can’t even handle the depth of the groove there… resulting in tracking problems (bouncing stylus even)…
if calibrated correctly, it sound amazing![/quote:3t7kddtp]
I wonder if we did something wrong. I mean this guy obviously knew what he was doing, as he showed me how to calibrate the skating settings in a way that skating will not appear on ANY place of the record, while most people settle for a no skating setting only in the middle of the vinyl. He will teach me the magic on my turntable in 2-3 weeks, when he is done servicing it. But I wonder, is maybe a special type of stylus needed for the Machina vinyl?[/quote:3t7kddtp]no, i don’t think you did something wrong…
it’s just a massively distorted/saturated mix with all out low end; i guess it’s a matter of taste… -
@manillascissor: that’s what I will do indeed. I’ll bring Siamese Dream next time. And some other vinyl I have that I remember that are quite good pressings (Michael Schenker Group, Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent). I hope I am not mistaken… Nevertheless, vinyl is a world apart, I realize now.
@sven: I guess you are right. You know, that Thin Lizzy maxi single with the extended version of The Sun Goes Down played like the band was right there in the room. Few other songs/albums made us feel the same. I like that feeling, and Machina didn’t do that, at that moment.
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For who’s interested, this is the service currently being performed.
-New EU transformator (since the US transformator does not have the 220V switch)
-New alu diecast base
-Upgrade to blue LED stylus illuminator
-Cleaning of pitch fader, buttons, tone arm and all other moving elements inside and outside
-New wiring, soldering, packing and lubrication on some places
-New (goldplated) shielded signal cables and plugs
-New panel cover with mounted hinges (the original MK5 does not come with hinges)
-New turntable mat
-Extra headshell with Denon DL-103 stylus
-Full calibration of all settingsThe new alu base and the EU transformator made it a rather pricey service after all. I have to blame myself, because though I did my research before I bought it from an American seller, I forgot to ask about the 110/220 switch, which comes on other SL models. And the base is not that damaged (the turntable is still in perfect working order), but I still didn’t like the scratches on it when I saw it irl.
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Service done, can’t wait to spin some SP vinyl when I pick it up on Friday! The guy even made a little clip for his Facebook page lol.
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Last post about this. During the listening session Friday night I made a few pics, and this blurry one of the colored Siamese Dream being played, which I send to a few friends, ended up on SPfreaks Twitter and Facebook, I noticed.
Siamese Dream sounded stunning by the way. We played the record start to end, and I got goosebumps at almost every song! <= the guy that serviced this machine didn’t know Smashing Pumpkins at all, but he put Siamese Dream on his list of must-buy vinyl albums. He even took a picture of the sleeve!
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Siamese Dream sounded stunning by the way. We played the record start to end, and I got goosebumps at almost every song! <= the guy that serviced this machine didn’t know Smashing Pumpkins at all, but he put Siamese Dream on his list of must-buy vinyl albums. He even took a picture of the sleeve!
[/quote:3aukeptd]
new fan!
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