Oracle Paris Mk V turntable.

Johnny Vinyl

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May 16, 2010
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Me neither, hence my adjustable DIY armlift ...

View attachment 20584
Nice!

After playing some vinyl for most of the day yesterday I've begun to get comfortable with the straight lift, so I'm fine with it. I still think the design should be changed however.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
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I'm not very good at describing the best of details with regard to components and such, but I thought I'd give it my best shot anyway.


Oracle Paris Mk V & Grado Reference Sonata 1 Review


I knew that when I decided to purchase the Oracle/Grado combo that I'd be in for a vinyl front-end to last me a long time. I had heard both products before, although not combined, and was already very pleased with what I heard. So when the day finally came to play some records I was most anxious and hoping for a rewarding experience.

Over the last 5 days I have been playing every possible genre of music one could imagine, and everything from standard domestic pressings, imports and audiophile recordings. Without even listening critically at first, I knew I made the right decision with this purchase.

My Nottingham was a very quiet table compared to the other ones I owned previously, but the Oracle betters it by a significant margin, which is quite evident at startup. This of course IMO translates into the cartridge now only picking up what has been cut into the grooves. And with a record that is perfectly surface quiet, all I hear is the recording. And I suppose this is where the cartridge imparts its signature and works in unison with the TT and tonearm.

There are three areas of improvement that I heard, which are essential in discovering/recognizing how a record was recorded, mic'd and mastered. They are depth, instrument separation and instrument identification.

Depth: When listening to this combo I can clearly tell where the musicians are standing/playing, whether that be from left to right or back to front. This provides me with a more holographic image as opposed to a flat 2D presentation.
Separation: Musical instruments and multiple voices are more clearly defined and recognizable. There is space between between them as opposed to being more muddled together.
Identification: A stand-up Bass and a Bass guitar, a steel guitar and acoustic guitar, violin and cello, piano and organ, sax and clarinet, trumpet and trombone are much easier to distinguish from one another. When this happens it brings a whole other dimension to the music.

As a result, the music sounds more like it was intended to be heard. What a joy!

From an operational perspective, I love the push-button start/finish and switching from 33rpm to 45rpm. I don't have to move the belt like I did before, so there is no real wear and tear on it, plus the rear of the turntable has an adjustable speed control that I can utilize, in concert with a provided calibration disc, should that be required. It also comes with a screw-on clamp which I absolutely love. I can torgue it with enough precision to make sure every record is perfectly secured and lays flat. The dustcover is also very smartly designed as it is not sealed at every corner. There is a small gap on each side that allows me to lift/lower the dustcover by its edges, so I don't impart any fingerprints on the dustcover itself. Nice!

Verdict: I couldn't be happier!
 

andi

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2012
97
5
913
Germany
Hi John,

glad to hear that everything turned positive for you.

A bad start not often leads to a big love.
My Oracle has now over 20 years on its platter. I will never give it away, although I own a TW Acustic, too.

Have fun

Andreas
 

Johnny Vinyl

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May 16, 2010
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Thanks Andreas! I'm really glad that I worked with Jacques to get the tonearm issue resolved. Many people (not here) urged me to return it, saying that the defective tonearm on a brand-new TT was completely unacceptable and they would never deal with them again. Every manufacturer no matter how solid their reputation for build-quality and performance is confronted with an issue now and again. I viewed those comments as extreme and unreasonable, especially given the fact a fix only required the drop-in of a new tonearm. It took some time to come to that conclusion, but it was realized nevertheless.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
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TBone

New Member
Nov 15, 2012
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My Nottingham was a very quiet table compared to the other ones I owned previously, but the Oracle betters it by a significant margin, which is quite evident at startup. This of course IMO translates into the cartridge now only picking up what has been cut into the grooves. And with a record that is perfectly surface quiet, all I hear is the recording. And I suppose this is where the cartridge imparts its signature and works in unison with the TT and tonearm.


I've had some really good experiences with Notts, however only with non-Nott arms and with the TT direct coupled to light & rigid type isolation devices. Those "space" arms just don't do it for me.

Johnny, do you have a digital rig?
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
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Calgary, AB
I've had some really good experiences with Notts, however only with non-Nott arms and with the TT direct coupled to light & rigid type isolation devices. Those "space" arms just don't do it for me.

Johnny, do you have a digital rig?

I only have a cheapie Harman/Kardon DVD/CD/SACD player, plus a Geek Pulse DAC (which isn't even connected yet). I don't really listen to digital at all, other than through my PC setup.
 

Big Dog RJ

Well-Known Member
Feb 2, 2012
1,242
463
1,155
Melbourne
Hey Johnny, how's it going? Trust all is well at your end of the woods. I've been flat out with work and new ventures coming up, had to leave the system behind. Based away across the new south wales border. Now I terribly miss all of it! Family, cat and music! Whenever I get the chance to visit and relax for just a short while, all I can say is that the stress completely goes away from that wonderful lp spinning... I don't think of anything else and it's truly relaxing. Just like therapy.

I'm off the scotch, no more cigars and I've lost 5 more kilos. Work is going well and I intend to keep the system as simple as possible, since I realized there is hardly any time to actually listen and enjoy the music...

I share your vinyl passion all the way 110%! Very exciting to learn that you have finally got your rig going, and seem to be enjoying it to the utmost.
Cheers to that mate!
RJ
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
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Hello RJ - Things are going well and I'm enjoying life. Just put in a new backyard deck, bought a new BBQ and Patio Set. Hope to go to IKEA today or early next week to order some KALLAX shelving for my LPs. Half of my vinyl is still in boxes and I want unpack them. Turntable is getting lots of action, but I'm changing cartridges as the Grado Sonata is giving me an irritable hum. I'll post info once I make that change.

Hope you are well and can get home soon!
 

Fred

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2010
296
5
365
Covington, LA
Hey Johnny, how's it going? Trust all is well at your end of the woods. I've been flat out with work and new ventures coming up, had to leave the system behind. Based away across the new south wales border. Now I terribly miss all of it! Family, cat and music! Whenever I get the chance to visit and relax for just a short while, all I can say is that the stress completely goes away from that wonderful lp spinning... I don't think of anything else and it's truly relaxing. Just like therapy.

I'm off the scotch, no more cigars and I've lost 5 more kilos. Work is going well and I intend to keep the system as simple as possible, since I realized there is hardly any time to actually listen and enjoy the music...

I share your vinyl passion all the way 110%! Very exciting to learn that you have finally got your rig going, and seem to be enjoying it to the utmost.
Cheers to that mate!
RJ


Way to go RJ! Don't you find you sleep much better at night?
 

Big Dog RJ

Well-Known Member
Feb 2, 2012
1,242
463
1,155
Melbourne
Yes! Indeed no doubt.
It's a whole new life now since I changed employers. No more late night shifts back to a corporate role with ownership. Heavy stuff, and all good. Only down side is I'm located in a different state. On the way now via train 4 hours away from home. Looking forward to the weekend roast and good company with family and cat. Music has become secondary now since I hardly ever have time. However, the little time I do spend with it, the more I actually appreciate it, not bothering to tweak it further.

Hey Johnny, did you manage to get rid of that hum?
Cheers, RJ
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
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Calgary, AB
The Grado Sonata has been sold and a Dynavector DV20x2L is on it's way, thanks to one of our fine members. I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to install it right away as I'm getting two (2) 4x4 Ikea Kallax units tomorrow. I'm going to have to re-organize all of my vinyl and that'll take a day or two or three. I'll finally have most of my vinyl accessible.

I may post some pics, but I'm somewhat hesitant as I'm in an unfinished basement and it kinda looks crappy. We'll see.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
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I received the Dynavector DV20x2L last night and will have my dealer mount it. I don't have the tools to check every possible alignment, so I prefer having it done by my dealer.

I also assembled the two 4x4 Kallax units and organized all of my vinyl. I need another 1x4 Kallax to go where the boxes you see on the left are. I will then brace it so its solid and won't be going anywhere. As I said earlier, I'm in an unfinished basement for now (at least one year) and I'm trying to make it as user-friendly and presentable as possible. I should be done by the end of the month and I think you'll be impressed with what I've done/accomplished.

Here's a pic of the Kallax units. They hold about 2,800 LPs.

Audio Dungeon 8.jpg
 
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XV-1

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2010
3,591
2,576
1,860
Sydney
Looks good Johnny

Don't worry about the gap at the moment. Every audiophile has strategically placed boxes etc in every nook and cranny :p
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
I've had the Dynavector DV20x2L for a little over a week now, and while it's a dynamite cartridge exhibiting outstanding detail and has the best soundstage depth or three-dimensionality I've heard, it leaves me somewhat cold. I find the overall presentation to be somewhat too bright for my liking. I'm going to start looking at alternatives.
 

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