Esoteric Grandioso T1 turntable arrives; G1X Master Clock coming.

[Mike Lavigne]

whew.

today mounted an armboard, switched an arm from one turntable to another, switched another arm board, mounted an arm, then switched a cartridge from one arm to another, then mounted another cartridge. none of those involved a cartridge already on a head shell.

the Wood armwand Durand Telos is now on the NVS in place of the FCL, and switched the 0.7 Miyajima Labs Infinity mono onto the Telos from #2 Tosca......where i have just mounted the Audio Technica MC-2022. earlier did a mono side on the Telos, now listening to the AT.....both of those now using the two dart phono's.

the mono was excellent, and the AT seems to love both the Tosca much more than the Ikeda, and seems alive on the dart phono. i expect that the Tosca/AT will get plenty of action in the mix. and the Koetsu Azule should get it's turn too.

a labor of love, enjoyed every minute.

 

[Pokey77]

whew.

today mounted an armboard, switched an arm from one turntable to another, switched another arm board, mounted an arm, then switched a cartridge from one arm to another, then mounted another cartridge. none of those involved a cartridge already on a head shell.

the Wood armwand Durand Telos is now on the NVS in place of the FCL, and switched the 0.7 Miyajima Labs Infinity mono onto the Telos from #2 Tosca......where i have just mounted the Audio Technica MC-2022. earlier did a mono side on the Telos, now listening to the AT.....both of those now using the two dart phono's.

the mono was excellent, and the AT seems to love both the Tosca much more than the Ikeda, and seems alive on the dart phono. i expect that the Tosca/AT will get plenty of action in the mix. and the Koetsu Azule should get it's turn too.

a labor of love, enjoyed every minute.
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“A labor of love, enjoyed every minute.”

Thats what I wanted to hear!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Can you give some more listening impressions?
I find this to be a very interesting TT ... I'm even considering adding one

what is the musical contribution of the Esoteric T1/w clock? what makes it something at another level? sometimes that extra bit of nuance and realism is difficult to describe. so i don't bother. can't easily find the right words. and musically it's not always better bass or lower noise, not really FR related. it's more musical touch and content. speed and steady opens up the inner recording. takes it more from sound to music. by degrees. important degrees.

sometimes it's like right now as i listen to 'Dream with Dean', an AP 45, side 2 with the FCL/Etsuro Gold on the T1. the grain less, so real presentation, along with previously unheard deeper inflections and 'extra' textures in his voice, in some ways a new recording. like i got a better pressing. and this was always something special. easy to describe. this is a go-to demo side often played.

this one punched me in the nose.

it's doing those type things with every pressing.

 

[jazdoc]

Because I am nothing if not a servant of the WBF community, I spent some time spinning vinyl at Mike's today. All of the stereo rigs (Esoteric/FCL/Etsuro Gold, Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA, CSPort/Etsuro Gold and NVS/Tosca/Audio Technica) sound terrific. Indeed, it was surprising to me how the sound of all 4 have converged with meticulous set up. Not sure I can pick a favorite at this point...maybe the Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA?? Need to spend some more time to appreciate the nuance. Also with 3 turntables, 4 arms and 5 cartridges, there are many more combinations to sample...

 

[dminches]

Because I am nothing if not a servant of the WBF community, I spent some time spinning vinyl at Mike's today. All of the stereo rigs (Esoteric/FCL/Etsuro Gold, Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA, CSPort/Etsuro Gold and NVS/Tosca/Audio Technica) sound terrific. Indeed, it was surprising to me how the sound of all 4 have converged with meticulous set up. Not sure I can pick a favorite at this point...maybe the Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA?? Need to spend some more time to appreciate the nuance. Also with 3 turntables, 4 arms and 5 cartridges, there are many more combinations to sample...

Was this the first time you heard the Audio Technica? Any thoughts on how it sounded?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Esoteric/FCL/Etsuro Gold, Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA

Thank you for serving the WBF community with such grace and selflessness! We appreciate your hard work and painful sacrifice!

What can you tell us about FCL/Etsuro Gold versus Tosca/Dava? Did you listen to the same tracks on both of these combinations?

 

[Elliot G.]

what is the musical contribution of the Esoteric T1/w clock? what makes it something at another level? sometimes that extra bit of nuance and realism is difficult to describe. so i don't bother. can't easily find the right words. and musically it's not always better bass or lower noise, not really FR related. it's more musical touch and content. speed and steady opens up the inner recording. takes it more from sound to music. by degrees. important degrees.

sometimes it's like right now as i listen to 'Dream with Dean', an AP 45, side 2 with the FCL/Etsuro Gold on the T1. the grain less, so real presentation, along with previously unheard deeper inflections and 'extra' textures in his voice, in some ways a new recording. like i got a better pressing. and this was always something special. easy to describe. this is a go-to demo side often played.

this one punched me in the nose.

it's doing those type things with every pressing.

Really glad it all worked out well. Slow but hopefully worth the wait. Enjoy flying home today look forward to seeing your reflections

 

[jbrrp1]

Mike, I definitely thought of you while experiencing the new DartZeel cartridge and phono stage at the Munich show. Was weird on Days 1 & 2, and apparently the cartridge was still breaking in (and the analog specialist presenting this room couldn't anticipate this?), but by Day 4, holy smokes! I heard bass texture and nuance like never before, and this under show conditions. And the entire rest of the presentation was simply stellar, wonderfully voiced. It really got my attention, as I consider diving deeply into this analog rabbit hole.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike, I definitely thought of you while experiencing the new DartZeel cartridge and phono stage at the Munich show. Was weird on Days 1 & 2, and apparently the cartridge was still breaking in (and the analog specialist presenting this room couldn't anticipate this?), but by Day 4, holy smokes! I heard bass texture and nuance like never before, and this under show conditions. And the entire rest of the presentation was simply stellar, wonderfully voiced. It really got my attention, as I consider diving deeply into this analog rabbit hole.

thank you for the feedback. excited for Herve and darTZeel for this all-in analog direction. a stand alone phono/cartridge also extends the darTZeel magic to a broader audience. so that's cool too. can't wait to hear it myself.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Because I am nothing if not a servant of the WBF community, I spent some time spinning vinyl at Mike's today. All of the stereo rigs (Esoteric/FCL/Etsuro Gold, Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA, CSPort/Etsuro Gold and NVS/Tosca/Audio Technica) sound terrific. Indeed, it was surprising to me how the sound of all 4 have converged with meticulous set up. Not sure I can pick a favorite at this point...maybe the Esoteric/Tosca/DAVA?? Need to spend some more time to appreciate the nuance. Also with 3 turntables, 4 arms and 5 cartridges, there are many more combinations to sample...

thanks for your visit and help with dialing in the set-ups. agree on one level every arm/tt is really working well and no lesser choice. the fun is getting in deep to find the inner magic.

last night i closed with both sides of a symphony w/T1/Tosca/DaVa, a Speaker's Corner pressing (KIJC 9236), Maazel Sibelius No.2. everything was synergizing and flowing. the room completely energized and alive with music, touching all the bases. the T1 w/clock taking things to a higher immersive level. hard to dissect the 'complete' experience further.

i'm sure the original Decca pressing might be better, but this was fantastic.

 

[jazdoc]

Was this the first time you heard the Audio Technica? Any thoughts on how it sounded?

Thought it sounded great. It was more of a 'work' session rather than a relaxed throw a bunch of records and just listen affair. Certainly bold and dynamic, not at all reticent. Will have to hear again to understand better strengths and weakness...

 

[jazdoc]

Thank you for serving the WBF community with such grace and selflessness! We appreciate your hard work and painful sacrifice!

What can you tell us about FCL/Etsuro Gold versus Tosca/Dava? Did you listen to the same tracks on both of these combinations?

To quote Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai when asked by Kissinger what he thought about the French Revolution, "it's too early to say"

My initial reaction was that the Tosca/DAVA was clearly better, but as we continued to dial in the FCL/Etsuro Gold, it was more of a horse race and I'm not sure we have the FCL/Etsuro combo 'nuts on'. Both combinations are fantastic. Look forward to more comparisons in the future.

 

[dminches]

I don't want to put Mike's thread on a tangent but I am curious what you were doing to dial things in. Were you making changes by ear or were you using different tools to get things properly aligned? Or both.

Feel free to respond via PM.

 

[PeterA]

I don't want to put Mike's thread on a tangent but I am curious what you were doing to dial things in. Were you making changes by ear or were you using different tools to get things properly aligned? Or both.

Feel free to respond via PM.

I was about to ask this very same question. What method for cartridge/arm set up does Jazdoc use?

 

[jazdoc]

I don't want to put Mike's thread on a tangent but I am curious what you were doing to dial things in. Were you making changes by ear or were you using different tools to get things properly aligned? Or both.

Feel free to respond via PM.

Agree. Let’s not derail this thread. Plenty of discussion here and elsewhere about vinyl set up strategies.

Short answer: I use both. Also helpful to have another set of ears to validate my impressions.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

with all 4 stereo set-ups really singing sweetly, i'm starting to get a feel for what the Esoteric T1 w/clock is delivering that sets it apart.

the CS Port/Etsuro Gold and NVS/Tosca/Audio Technica are both really outstanding. fantastic in their own right. especially the CS Port. it has it's own magic.

but the Esoteric is another level altogether in terms of flow and musical touch. the musically significant energy plays to the connection to the music. you are embraced by the PRAT, by the intent, touch and nuance, by the inner rhythm and pulsing energy and jump factor. it transforms the music into something personal. there is a noticeable completeness and grain less realism where the others have a degree of reproduction in direct comparison. the Saskia was a little closer to this than the others (and to be fair it's not here for direct compare), the CS Port has that non mechanical magic, but neither at this level. if the others were not there to directly compare it might be hard to clearly see it. there is a directness and simplicity. the turntable gets out of the way of the musical message and allows it to come through.

i'm not talking about bass or highs or frequency response. they all excel at those things. this is about degrees of being swept up in the music.

i'm struggling to identify with words what i'm clearly hearing. but after installing my reference tone arms and cartirdges, and living with them now for a few days, i can finally see where i'm at. and it's somewhere brand new. previously my perceptions were tempered by the lack of my reference pieces. no more.

tonight have been doing jazz and classical mostly, but the Esoteric delivers across musical genres.

the clock is the cherry on top for the outstanding speed solidity and torque of the Esoteric T1 magnetic rim drive idler. and it all really works musically to take things to another level. the arm boards are really beautifully executed. i'm very happy with what i'm hearing and this is very special. in a brief listen these things might not jump out, but sitting back and letting the music speak to me, it's very evident. you hear it, but you really feel it.

 

[2fastdriving]

with all 4 stereo set-ups really singing sweetly, i'm starting to get a feel for what the Esoteric T1 w/clock is delivering that sets it apart.

the CS Port/Etsuro Gold and NVS/Tosca/Audio Technica are both really outstanding. fantastic in their own right. especially the CS Port. it has it's own magic.

but the Esoteric is another level altogether in terms of flow and musical touch. the musically significant energy plays to the connection to the music. you are embraced by the PRAT, by the intent, touch and nuance, by the inner rhythm and pulsing energy and jump factor. it transforms the music into something personal. there is a noticeable completeness and grain less realism where the others have a degree of reproduction in direct comparison. the Saskia was closer to this than the others, but not to this level. if the others were not there to directly compare it might be hard to notice it. there is a directness and simplicity.

i'm struggling to identify what i'm clearly hearing. but after installing my reference tone arms and cartirdges, and living with them now for a few days, i can finally see where i'm at. and it's somewhere brand new.

Congratulations. But You're killing me, Mike! Just a few more days until I hear what your T1 is doing for myself. A few more days after that, and I'll have my own T1. I cannot freaking wait. You're Esoteric salesman of the year

 

[Kingrex]

Your time will come Marc. Very soon. Who is helping get it to your room? I can make some time.

I have a friend who wants to hear your setup too. He needs tubes but does not know it yet!!!!! I think your Ref 160 will blow his mind.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Your time will come Marc. Very soon. Who is helping get it to your room? I can make some time.

I have a friend who wants to hear your setup too. He needs tubes but does not know it yet!!!!! I think your Ref 160 will blow his mind.

Marc here. Very soon? Good. How soon? I can wait...

 

[Kingrex]

2fast name is Marc also. He lives about 30 minutes from me. I have heard his system a few times. Its great.