DSP - does it defeat the object of expensive analogue sources?

[watchnerd]

An abomination in my opinion.

I sent my Thorens TD-160 and TD-145 to my Dad's house to play with. He's not a big fan of the floaty suspension decks either.

I've got the perfect one for Sal, a drawer loading, both sides play, twin linear tracking arms and fully random track programmable Sharp/Optonica RP-117. Opens like a CD player, has twin optical sensors that scan both sides to determine the track positions.

Like this (not my pic)

View attachment 18091

They are fun and games to repair, I picked up a number of them back in the day at garage sales and tip shops including the model below it with no programming. Two belts and a cracked gear are the common issues. Uses a special Audio Technica dual magnet stylus with a gap to allow the IR track reading bean to shine through and reflect back.

They can play hideously warped records that no other turntable in my collection can. Due to the overhead (and underhead) mounted, very short linear tonearms.

Wouldn't this require a custom cartridge?

I can't imagine the compliance of a modern cartridge being compatible.

 

[restorer-john]

Ah, a fellow tip-rat, at least before the Contract Recyclers used OH&S to keep us out.

The bloke that had the 'scavenging rights' to three large landfills on the coast used to pay about $350,000 per year to the council for those rights. He was a fascinating bloke.

He used to drive a ratty old Landcruiser to the onsite shop (rows of 20ft and 40ft cans with the sides cut out). He deliberately wore old clothes. He had an office, two way radios and had his workers out in bulldozers and rusty old utes collecting all the scrap metal from three tips. The metal was where the money was. The tip shop was just pocket money for him. He'd never leave anything much to waste. I watched him tear strips off a worker for burying a large amount of copper one time.

HiFi was stacked inside a few containers. Tons of it. You could get a boot load for $10.

One day I saw him in a brand new V8 Sahara Landcruiser parking out behind the containers where no-one could see it. The old one was for show! He used to pile up stuff I might be interested in in the office and ask me if there was anything I wanted. One time he'd asked me if a pair of Perreaux power amplifiers were any good and were they worth $20 to me. I told him what they were worth and he should keep them. We had an understanding after that.

 

[watchnerd]

The bloke that had the 'scavenging rights' to three large landfills on the coast used to pay about $350,000 per year to the council for those rights. He was a fascinating bloke.

He used to drive a ratty old Landcruiser to the onsite shop (rows of 20ft and 40ft cans with the sides cut out). He deliberately wore old clothes. He had an office, two way radios and had his workers out in bulldozers and rusty old utes collecting all the scrap metal from three tips. The metal was where the money was. The tip shop was just pocket money for him. He'd never leave anything much to waste. I watched him tear strips off a worker for burying a large amount of copper one time.

HiFi was stacked inside a few containers. Tons of it. You could get a boot load for $10.

One day I saw him in a brand new V8 Sahara Landcruiser parking out behind the containers where no-one could see it. The old one was for show! He used to pile up stuff I might be interested in in the office and ask me if there was anything I wanted. One time he'd asked me if a pair of Perreaux power amplifiers were any good and were they worth $20 to me. I told him what they were worth and he should keep them. We had an understanding after that.

Now I know why the "Mad Max" movies are set in Australia....

 

[restorer-john]

Wouldn't this require a custom cartridge?

I can't imagine the compliance of a modern cartridge being compatible.

It was essentially a relatively normal AT dual magnet cartridge with IIRC, TP4 style pins but not a TP4 mount, but with a LED/PD in the mount. Not a special cartridge, but in combination with the short low mass arm, it could track anything pretty much. Two arms, one for side A one for side B on a tracking mechanism. Photo interrupter linear tracking.

I have a spare arm in a TT parts box here, I'll dig it out and post a pic or two. And the stylus just for fun.

 

[restorer-john]

Now I know why the "Mad Max" movies are set in Australia....

It was an post-apocalyptic scene that's for sure. Especially when dust was blasting the place. Not a place to take a clean car.

 

[Ron Texas]

What was the purpose in the first place?

 

[restorer-john]

What was the purpose in the first place?

Of what?

 

[babysnake]

As promised I have now finished the process of listening critically (although admittedly not blind) to various DAC options through my Illusonic DSP

I tried the DAC in the DSP itself, along with my Blu2/DAVE and various other external DACs all of which went through the Illusonic AD-DA process

I chose a small handful of tracks I know well (all redbook FLACs) and listened for various specific elements within those tracks, especially bass reproduction, imaging and detail retrieval

DACs tested included a couple of R2R models (Audio-GD with a BB1704 chip, one with a Soekris resistor ladder), one with an ESS 9018 and also an FPGA design (Exogal) in addition to the Blu2/DAVE (FPGA)

Take home message was this (normal caveats apply: listener bias, system and room specific, unblinded)

1
I can readily distinguish between DACs, implying the AD-DA process in the Illusonic is transparent, or at least consistent in whatever it does to the SQ

2
R2R DACs sound very similar and 'warmer' but less detailed than either the ESS 9018 or Exogal. In my highly resolving system I found this sound preferable

3
I believe the DAC in the Illusonic itself is a Delta Sigma design as it sounds much closer to the ESS than the R2Rs

4
The Chord duo is head and shoulders above all the others (which are actually pretty close). Bass reproduction and detail retrieval is stellar

Regardless of the 'value' of this subjective assessment I have at least convinced myself that the Illusonic is transparent (or maybe I mean transparent enough) to deter me from any further tinkering, so it will remain in my chain