Opus1 vs. MSL Platinum

Ron Resnick

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So what are even the small technical design differences or specification differences between the Air Tight Opus and the TechDAS TDC01?
 

bazelio

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Hi @Tango , I was curious if the MSL Platinum reached the Opus 1 level of resolution / inner detail after some more time? Also if piano resonance with the MSL came close to the Opus1 with more maturity? Lastly, did you ever make clips of Opus1 and MSL Platinum on the same table and arm type?

Thanks!
 

Tango

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Hi @Tango , I was curious if the MSL Platinum reached the Opus 1 level of resolution / inner detail after some more time? Also if piano resonance with the MSL came close to the Opus1 with more maturity? Lastly, did you ever make clips of Opus1 and MSL Platinum on the same table and arm type?

Thanks!

The Opus more resolute? Yes by a small degree. In my system the Opus is sharper more articulate. The MSL has a bit more body and more punch low down. I made these vids just for you.

Opus Piano

MSL Piano

Opus Saxophone

MSL Saxophone

@PeterA I know you know Sonny Rollin very well. Is he suppose to be on the left or on the right on the song above.
 

kodomo

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Well the question is not directed at me but I can not help myself. This is from "Way Out West" album, "I am an old Cowhand" and the Sonny Rollins should be on your left blowing his sax :)
 
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Tango

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Well the question is not directed at me but I can not help myself. This is from "Way Out West" album, "I am an old Cowhand" and the Sonny Rollins should be on your left blowing his sax :)
Thank you. I was thinking that too. Thats why I asked. I didnot listen my system for two weeks because I sent my preamp to tighten the rca inlets. I told my electronic guy to hook back interconnect last Friday and probably wrongly connected left to right. I was hearing Sonny's sax coming from the right side instead of left side. My interconnects dont have red black or left right indicator at the connectors.

Tang :)
 

bonzo75

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Thank you. I was thinking that too. Thats why I asked. I didnot listen my system for two weeks because I sent my preamp to tighten the rca inlets. I told my electronic guy to hook back interconnect last Friday and probably wrongly connected left to right. I was hearing Sonny's sax coming from the right side instead of left side. My interconnects dont have red black or left right indicator at the connectors.

Tang :)

You can use those dot stickers to differentiate. They stick on forever. Use red dot and blue dot, I understand those colors are better for sound though the red colored dot sticker might cause that channel to sound brighter than the other one
 
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Tango

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You can use those dot stickers to differentiate. They stick on forever. Use red dot and blue dot, I understand those colors are better for sound though the red colored dot sticker might cause that channel to sound brighter than the other one
No need. Golden ears like mine always detect when something is off. ;)
 

tima

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You can use those dot stickers to differentiate. They stick on forever. Use red dot and blue dot, I understand those colors are better for sound though the red colored dot sticker might cause that channel to sound brighter than the other one

Aren't there red and black colored mook dots?
 

bonzo75

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Aren't there red and black colored mook dots?

No. I put stickers on them so I can orient them easily those dot stickers are easy to see
 

bazelio

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@Tango thank you very much. Your recordings always sound great and here, it's easy to hear the tonal shift in going from one to the other. At least in the vid, the piano sounds more true to life to me with the MSL. The bass chords sound like I expect them to. The Opus seems a bit lean and maybe a bit tilted up, e.g. slightly tizzy cymbals on Rollins? The MSL might be slightly sleepy? So some questions for you since tonal difference is really my only discernable takeaway:

Is the Opus treble snappier or could that be a mind trick resulting from its more lean sound overall? Is the depth, width, height of soundstage comparable between them? Does either one seem more precise in imaging?

Thanks again for the recordings!
 
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Audiophile Bill

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@Tango thank you very much. Your recordings always sound great and here, it's easy to hear the tonal shift in going from one to the other. At least in the vid, the piano sounds more true to life to me with the MSL. The bass chords sound like I expect them to. The Opus seems a bit lean and maybe a bit tilted up, e.g. slightly tizzy cymbals on Rollins? The MSL might be slightly sleepy? So some questions for you since tonal difference is really my only discernable takeaway:

Is the Opus treble snappier or could that be a mind trick resulting from its more lean sound overall? Is the depth, width, height of soundstage comparable between them? Does either one seem more precise in imaging?

Thanks again for the recordings!

Also preferred the MSL myself. Felt a little fuller and more natural. Less agitated in upper mid / treble. A priori, I assumed it would have been other way around. Tang - have you fettled with the VTA on the Opus recently?
 
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Tango

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@bazelio @Audiophile Bill. You guys described the piano tone correctly as how it is in the room. The treble of Opus is not snappier. It is, by your standard, tilted up and has slightly sharper tone overall. I could adjust the vta to soften the treble a bit but I like to be a bold on vta. I get better presence with the current setting. Funny you mentioned MSL sleepy. I yawn a bit too listening MSL video on this particular song. The vta of Opus has always been set this way. The MSL I moved to this tt two and a half weeks ago. That's when I last fiddled with the vta. If you find the Opus tilted up you will find Vdh even more.

Cheers,
Tang
 
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Ron Resnick

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Opus “tilted up”?

MSL a “little fuller and more natural?

Me no likey tilted up or less full and less natural!

Maybe I get MSL Platinum Signature rather then Opus?
 
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bazelio

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We can't truly determine if Opus is tilted up in an absolute sense. It could be the mic. The YouTube compression. Etc. Best to not make a decision based on these clips! Although they're probably better indicators than Stereo Magazine point systems. ;-). In a relative sense, I do think the clips help us understand how the two carts compare tonally, though. I also think that if we could hear the same songs from the same table with a Master Sig, it'd be icing on the cake. Just a passing thought, @Tango .
 
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Tango

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We can't truly determine if Opus is tilted up in an absolute sense. It could be the mic. The YouTube compression. Etc. Best to not make a decision based on these clips! Although they're probably better indicators than Stereo Magazine point systems. ;-). In a relative sense, I do think the clips help us understand how the two carts compare tonally, though. I also think that if we could hear the same songs from the same table with a Master Sig, it'd be icing on the cake. Just a passing thought, @Tango . Heh.
Bazelio you heard some differences between the two. Videos certainly give good approximation and you heard right. Nonetheless, people should understand "Tilted up" is Bazelio choice of word through his standard and preferences. Master Sig would sound even more "tilted up" given your comment on Opus. And I listen to Master Sig more than other carts. So my ears definitely prefer the tone that you described as tilted up :cool:.

This is not addressing to Bazelio. I never told anyone to buy a cart by listening to videos or judge it by other people comments..even from super famous reviewers. Often my findings contradicted what they say. They are just data points. So I went through more than a dozen carts in my system before finding what I like most.

Tang :)
 
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Tango

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Opus “tilted up”?

MSL a “little fuller and more natural?

Me no likey tilted up or less full and less natural!

Maybe I get MSL Platinum Signature rather then Opus?
Ron you are an experienced audiophile.
You can do so much better than this.
 
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bonzo75

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Opus “tilted up”?

MSL a “little fuller and more natural?

Me no likey tilted up or less full and less natural!

Maybe I get MSL Platinum Signature rather then Opus?

Tang is right. You can't just read some words tilted up and assume it is bright.
 
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tima

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I listened to the piano videos twice. Given the reputations of these two carts, I found the piano music with Opus and My Sonic Labs either a poorer representations of Tang's system via YouTube or a not so good LP. The mids and lower mids were out of balance with the treble and the treble was a bit bleached or thin - or both - without the lower octave support - which is in the music, but not so much in my playback. There's a bit of fullness toward the very end and in the final chord though still not satisfying. I did not hear brightness. Giving Tang the benefit of the doubt based on prior substantially better videos, I'm guessing recording. Of course this is through Youtube and desktop speakers. Neither cartridge video sounded like a Master Sig.
 

bonzo75

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I listened to the piano videos twice. Given the reputations of these two carts, I found the piano music with Opus and My Sonic Labs either a poorer representations of Tang's system via YouTube or a not so good LP. The mids and lower mids were out of balance with the treble and the treble was a bit bleached or thin - or both - without the lower octave support - which is in the music, but not so much in my playback. There's a bit of fullness toward the very end and in the final chord though still not satisfying. I did not hear brightness. Giving Tang the benefit of the doubt based on prior substantially better videos, I'm guessing recording. Of course this is through Youtube and desktop speakers. Neither cartridge video sounded like a Master Sig.

I loved both the piano videos. I do agree I prefer vdh usually but I have not heard this Schubert with a vdh video.
 

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