Beyond Turntables-Micro Seiki SZ-1t, SX-8000II & SX-8000

[DasguteOhr]

Pure magic

 

[DasguteOhr]

a Decca is like Canadians in a lumberjack shirt with a axe dynamic, great but coarse.
sorry, I don't want to offend Canadians, it spontaneously occurred to me

P.S i notice we are not coming to a common denominator, tastes are just different

 

[ddk]

This past weekend, I took ownership of a SX-8000 and a FR-66S. Spent yesterday performing TT set up. I still need a couple of things to mount the FR-66S (namely a suitable cart, suggestions appreciated) but did have a SME armboard to transfer my Phantom III w/ZYX U II and get initial impressions.

I cannot say I understand the physics of what I hear yet but in simple terms, things went quiet, basically, the extraneous noise floor dropped significantly. Faint details emerge, music comes into focus and long sought after bass response/tightness has come to life. A significant step up from my ancient VPI.

Impressive kit that I probably would have overlooked had it not been for guidance found here...Thanks one and all!

Been a couple of weeks, how do you feel now? I see the copper mat in your avatar you should give the stainless platter with MS's thin leather mat a try too, bass should improve.

david

 

[Tirebiter]

Been a couple of weeks, how do you feel now? I see the copper mat in your avatar you should give the stainless platter with MS's thin leather mat a try too, bass should improve.

david

David, this kit is indeed ear opening impressive and am very happy I made the acquisition. Plenty of superlatives I could conjure up but most noticeable is the detail and focus it digs from the grooves that I have never experienced before. So far I have only listened with the Phantom III arm/ZYX combo as I am awaiting an armboard to fit the FR66S w/B60 base.

Thanks for the tip concerning the thin mat. I have a 1mm thick deer hide that have yet to try with this table. I have switched between the bare SS and the Cu and prefer the Cu mat. It will be interesting to compare the SS with the leather.

Thanks to this thread am sure I will have plenty of tweaking and listening enjoyment ahead for years to come.

Brock

 

[djsina2]

David, this kit is indeed ear opening impressive and am very happy I made the acquisition. Plenty of superlatives I could conjure up but most noticeable is the detail and focus it digs from the grooves that I have never experienced before. So far I have only listened with the Phantom III arm/ZYX combo as I am awaiting an armboard to fit the FR66S w/B60 base.

Thanks for the tip concerning the thin mat. I have a 1mm thick deer hide that have yet to try with this table. I have switched between the bare SS and the Cu and prefer the Cu mat. It will be interesting to compare the SS with the leather.

Thanks to this thread am sure I will have plenty of tweaking and listening enjoyment ahead for years to come.

Brock

Pictures!

 

[Tirebiter]

Pictures!

Here ya go, not wild about the color but one can't be choosy in a limited market...

 

[jeff1225]

Wow that is one clean machine!

 

[Solypsa]

I love the color

For some reason the big blue micro's remind me of industrial equipment in the absolute best way.

 

[PeterA]

Congratulations, Tirebiter. That sample looks to be in great condition. I also saw a glimpse of a Lamm component. Is that the phono? You can have fun with multiple arms now.

With my Micro Seiki, I hear an incredible solidity and ease. Music is alive yet there is also a quietness and calmness to the sound. The biggest change when I installed this table was the quality of the bass. It became much more natural sounding with nuance, weight, richness and energy. Your photos look fantastic. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing on this thread.

 

[PeterA]

Here are two photos of my SX 8000 II to add to this dedicated turntable thread.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Stunning looking system peter

NOS gear

 

[Tirebiter]

I love the color

For some reason the big blue micro's remind me of industrial equipment in the absolute best way.

That it does, it isn't that I don't like the color, it's that it isn't really cohesive with the rest of the equipment. I will post another pic to illustrate.

 

[Tirebiter]

Congratulations, Tirebiter. That sample looks to be in great condition. I also saw a glimpse of a Lamm component. Is that the phono? You can have fun with multiple arms now.

With my Micro Seiki, I hear an incredible solidity and ease. Music is alive yet the sound is relaxed. The biggest change when I installed this table was the quality of the bass. It became much more natural sounding with nuance, weight, richness and energy. Your photos look fantastic. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing on this thread.

Thanks Peter, that is a Lamm LL2 you see in the pic, I am using an Amazon B-Lab phono stage. I agree with your sound assessments and for myself find that the soundstage expanded as well but in a surprising way. Yes wider but there were holes between the speakers that have now been filled in. Albums I thought I knew pretty well now sound completely different and in a very good, expansive manner. Clarity is also much improved.

Your system looks sweet. It looks like you have an Ortofon SPU on the SME 3012. Which one, thoughts? I am doing my due diligence in looking for a cartridge to mount on the FR66S I purchased with this table. The prior owner had used an SPU but for now am considering Koetsu. Time will tell.

 

[Tirebiter]

I love the color

For some reason the big blue micro's remind me of industrial equipment in the absolute best way.

As you can tell, red is a theme here...

 

[PeterA]

Thanks Peter, that is a Lamm LL2 you see in the pic, I am using an Amazon B-Lab phono stage. I agree with your sound assessments and for myself find that the soundstage expanded as well but in a surprising way. Yes wider but there were holes between the speakers that have now been filled in. Albums I thought I knew pretty well now sound completely different and in a very good, expansive manner. Clarity is also much improved.

Your system looks sweet. It looks like you have an Ortofon SPU on the SME 3012. Which one, thoughts? I am doing my due diligence in looking for a cartridge to mount on the FR66S I purchased with this table. The prior owner had used an SPU but for now am considering Koetsu. Time will tell.

Thanks for the additional description. I noticed some soundstage differences too mostly just more definition of what the space is with less homogenization and similarity between recordings. Basically more resolution or spatial information presented in a natural way.

That was the Ortofon A85. Jeffrey T was kind enough to let me use his cartridge for 6 or 8 weeks last summer. I really enjoyed it but I sent it back and I have a second VDH Colibri on the back arm now.

I have only used these two N0S SME 3012R arms on this table, but I find when there is a VDH Colibri on them the resolution is superb. The SPU sounded very good on strings but it added a slight and beautiful coloration in the mid range. I kept returning to the other arm with the Colibri.

 

[PeterA]

As you can tell, red is a theme here... View attachment 84845

that is great. Another Micro Seiki system with Lamm electronics and horns. Those look like the ML2 amps. I like the stone front wall with the arch. What is inside the wooden cabinet between the speakers?

 

[Tango]

Here are two photos of my SX 8000 II to add to this dedicated turntable thread.


View attachment 84843

View attachment 84844

I will be ashamed if I show a pic of my tt close up. It would look like the tt went off-roading. You use a windex to clean your gears?

 

[Tirebiter]

that is great. Another Micro Seiki system with Lamm electronics and horns. Those look like the ML2 amps. I like the stone front wall with the arch. What is inside the wooden cabinet between the speakers?

Yep a pair of Lamm ML2.1's bring the Duo Grosso's to life.

Ah yes the cabinet.

It was a concession to my wife 10 years ago to hide equipment and wires...she hates the clutter of it all. Original purpose was to hide an Avantegarde Model 5 (0.5 watt!!) integrated amp and other digital audio sources of the day. However analog quickly crept back into the mix and have been band-aiding it since to accommodate various TT. Not at all ideal for the TT because of vibrations induced by the speakers. So I devised a damping system consisting of the stone slab suspended on half a dozen squash balls. With the addition of the MS, I upped the suspension to about a dozen. It does a surprisingly good job of damping vibration from the cabinet and passes the knuckle rap test easily.

It now houses a Lampi Golden Gate 2 DAC and a Lampi Superkomputer along with the B-Lab and misc other "stuff". Though the cabinet has thermostatically controlled cooling fans, the GG2 really needs to be in the open for proper ventilation/cooling so yet another project will be coming down the pike.

 

[jeff1225]

Yep a pair of Lamm ML2.1's bring the Duo Grosso's to life.

Ah yes the cabinet.

It was a concession to my wife 10 years ago to hide equipment and wires...she hates the clutter of it all. Original purpose was to hide an Avantegarde Model 5 (0.5 watt!!) integrated amp and other digital audio sources of the day. However analog quickly crept back into the mix and have been band-aiding it since to accommodate various TT. Not at all ideal for the TT because of vibrations induced by the speakers. So I devised a damping system consisting of the stone slab suspended on half a dozen squash balls. With the addition of the MS, I upped the suspension to about a dozen. It does a surprisingly good job of damping vibration from the cabinet and passes the knuckle rap test easily.

It now houses a Lampi Golden Gate 2 DAC and a Lampi Superkomputer along with the B-Lab and misc other "stuff". Though the cabinet has thermostatically controlled cooling fans, the GG2 really needs to be in the open for proper ventilation/cooling so yet another project will be coming down the pike.

View attachment 84852

you've done a fantastic job with WAF. I bet this system sounds fantastic. Although not very flexible, I think the Lamm LP2.1 Deluxe is one of the jewels of the Lamm line, you should really give it a demo.

 

[PeterA]

I will be ashamed if I show a pic of my tt close up. It would look like the tt went off-roading. You use a windex to clean your gears?

No liquids ever. For dusting, I use the sable glove that was once brushed on Sean Connery at the Swiss rehab clinic.