Blog
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LP12MF Listening Test: Linn Troika MC Cartridge
In the latest edition of the LP12 Modification Frenzy, I listen to the effects of swapping my Dynavector XX-2 MC cartridge for a retipped Linn Troika. You can check out my listening methodology here. Full listening impressions are below. Digestible, numerical summaries of all my listening tests are here. tl;dr Isn’t it nice when something…
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Best Pressing Shootout: Eric Dolphy, Out There — 1969 Prestige Blue Trident Stereo vs. 1968 Xtra UK Stereo vs. 1975 Toshiba-EMI Japan Stereo vs. 1977 Victor Japan Mono
Yes, that’s right, my friends. I have gone to absurd lengths to find you the finest (stereo) pressing of this very very fine record. Actually, I’ve gone a little further than even the title suggests. Time for the Best Pressing Shootout I’ve been planning the longest… Background Some time in the winter of 2018, when…
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Best Pressing Shootout: Can, Tago Mago — 1971 (?) UK First Pressing (?) vs. 1981 Celluloid French Reissue
When I realized sometime last summer that vinyl really did (or could) sound better than digital, I was thrilled and horrified at all the records I had to track down. In my digital days, I would smugly think how economical streaming was — but deep down inside, miss the fun of tracking down those big…
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LP12MF Mini Listening Test: the Adikt Returns
Here is a new genre in the LP12 Modification Frenzy: a “Mini Listening Test” in which I offer briefer thoughts on a minor alteration to the system. Here, I listen to the effects of putting my Adikt cartridge back into my system after a few months with a Dynavector XX-2. You can check out my…
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LP12MF Listening Test: Mober DC Motor Kit
In the latest edition of the LP12 Modification Frenzy, I listen to the effects of the Mober DC Motor Kit. You can read all about the process of installing the Mober DC Motor Kit. You can check out my listening methodology. Full listening impressions are below. Digestible, numerical summaries of all my listening tests are…
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Best Pressing Shootout: Pentangle, Sweet Child — 1968 Transatlantic UK vs 1970 Reprise USA
In this Best Pressing Shootout, I look at two copies of Pentangle’s 1968 classic Sweet Child. Oh how I love this record. I might like it just a touch less than their self-titled début (with liner notes by a young John Peel) — but I definitely like it way more than any of the sort…
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Best Pressing Shootout: Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet — 1970s Decca UK vs. 2003 DSD Reissue
Best Pressing Shootout time. I came to The Rolling Stones fairly late. In the early 2000s, while I was an undergraduate student in London, Ontario, I ran out of indie rock to listen to and so started going backward: finding out about the Fall via Pavement, about Gang of Four via the Rapture, about Joy…
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Best Pressing Shootout: Yo La Tengo, Painful — 1993 Matador First Pressing vs. 2011 Reissue
Bit of a deep cut, here — not sure how many people are debating between these two particular copies of this record. But hey, I love this record, and I have two copies of it, and I want to know which one to keep. So: Best Pressing Shootout! Since installing the Mober DC power kit…
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LP12MF: Installing the Mober DC Motor Kit
Welcome to the latest installment in my LP12 Modification Frenzy series. This time, I install Mober’s DC motor and power supply. I’ve had my share of troubles with motors and power supplies over the years. When I bought my LP12 way back in 2005, it had a wonky Valhalla power supply, and so the music…
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LP12MF Listening Test: Mober Subchassis for Linn
In the latest edition of the LP12 Modification Frenzy, I replace a Linn Kore subchassis with a Mober subchassis for Linn. You can check out my listening methodology. Full listening impressions on the Mober subchassis are below, as is a summary of the installation process. Digestible, numerical summaries of all my listening tests are here.…
