System problem

[Rectified]

Afternoon chaps

Recently i decided to have a Hi Fi change around as i listen to Headphones exclusively these days. Out with the Amplifier & Loudspeakers.

The system stands as below but it sounds dreadful. Lifeless/Dull un dynamic!

Can anyone see straight away to problem!

STD '305' Turntable
Mayware 'Formula 4' Pick Up arm
ADC Block: '550XE' Cartridge
Schiit 'Mani' Phonostage
Hi-Fi News 'Headcase' Headphone amp
AKG 'K240 MK.2 Headphones.

Ive tried the Gain & load settings on the Phono stage but still nothing listenable!

[Ithilstone]

Did it sounded better before ??
When you had amp and speakers did you tried HPs with it?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Hi Andre - now behave yourself this time.

[guydarryl]

Try some Grado SR80, if it still sounds dull and lifeless then it's something else in your system

I hesitated to suggest, but to hell with it - then try an LP12 for some boogie factor

[_D_S_J_R_]

Guy, I'm going to find out where you live (before we move) and I'm going to wash your ears out!!!!!!!!! Andr'e's been there and done it decades ago and moved on - from the conversations we've had over ten years or so...

Well Andr'e,

First, welcome back and PLEASE don't rise to it all and get yerself evicted again? Just take a holiday as I do

Please take my following suggestion in the genuine way it's intended and not me shilling NVA...

MOST headphone amps use low powered chips to try to give enough signal. Modern headphones need somewhat more than this and I remember slagging off my HD600's when all they really needed to reduce blandness and distortion was a proper power amp to drive them - I didn't realise this until some years after I got rid of them and heard them properly driven. I'm 'assuming' the AKG's are much the same. Also, do you still have a CD player? If so, how does that sound in comparison to the vinyl you have? I don't remember the STD being a disaster, but with the Mayware, it may not be the ultimate in dynamic expression for vinyl, but it's thirty five years since my old now deceased friend changed hers (the electronic one with Hadcock) for a Manticore Mantra...

My favourite 'headphone amps' are the geriatric pro amp I have (which needs a line buffer preamp to keep hum down used this way - it sounds ok otherwise, the headphones straight off the output stage - ouch...) and best of all for simplicity, an NVA amp - and this is as quiet as a mouse and with loads of drive/gain, together with all the goodly musical things NVA amps do so effortlessly.

So, my answer in the first instance would be to buy an AP10P if only for the thirty days, to compare with the head-case, which is probably getting on a bit now - see the following - Q&A with the designer of the thing who's as notorious to those of a certain age in this industry as The Doc is :D

http://rockgrotto.proboards.com/thread/ ... estoration

[Vinyl-ant]

Before trying to spend your way out of it you could try tweaking the mayware first. Try setting the tracking weight on the mayware by using the counterweight instead of the cursor if you haven't already. Just set the cursor weight as close to the bearing as poss then balance up with the counterweight as normal
That adc has a compliance of 35x10-6dyne so fairly high.
Should make it more lively by effectively lowering the arm mass

[Rectified]

Cheers Dave

Well its nothing to do with the front end because that was fine with the old Amp. The AKG Headphones are fine because im using them straight from a laptop at the moment which are clearly easy to drive.. the Head phone amp sounds fine with the CD player with a selection of other AKG phones. so really has to be an issue with the Phono stage way i see it but why. These are suppose to sound superb but is far from doing it for me in an un listenable way.

[Rectified]

Ant

Ive used Mayware & ADC Blocs for years. The mass ring is always back to the stop. Like i say its not the front end.

[southall-1998]

DSJR's shout-out for the AP10P is a good move.

S.

[Ithilstone]

Well I am not big fan of AKG HPs with an exception of K1000 ;]

But if HPs sounds OK from laptop and head amp works ok with other HPs then
you might be right that it is something to do with phono or tt and I know nothing about that ;]