Houdini

[Daniel Quinn]

Judging from users on the net, not sockpuppets. I'd say it is obvious any change made by the houdini is restricted presentation. Hardly what it says it will do.

I'm still not tempted to try.

[NSNO2021]

I cannot get beyond what to my thinking is the imbalance between the cost of £300 and what you actually get. I used a PT LP12 power supply and associated add ons for many years and was happy with it but as someone else said this feels like a grab for cash and that's disappointing. On a positive note it's encouraged me to try a spare piece of some very thin high tech isolation material between the cartridge and headshell on my Planar 8. Onward and upward

[CaterhamKev]

I have one on the “buy it and try it” scheme.
Are you interested in my thoughts on it as a £300 item?

Yes I have been away from here for a while, but I am in no way connected with Funk Firm and will not benefit from posting about it.

[Daniel Quinn]

Anybody interested can read audio addicts.

[NSNO2021]

Kev I most certainly am

[savvypaul]

I have one on the “buy it and try it” scheme.
Are you interested in my thoughts on it as a £300 item?

Yes I have been away from here for a while, but I am in no way connected with Funk Firm and will not benefit from posting about it.

Hello, Kev,

I've read your reports at Audio Addicts. Ad hominem removed

Personally, I've no interest in a shim that costs £300 and, given that you've not been here for many months (and given the way this thing has been marketed), I'm a bit curious about why you suddenly want to post here about it rather than at your usual hangouts. Of course, if this is the start of full on participation, here, then welcome back.

If you do post about it, the usual etiquette applies...declare any friendship that you might have with Arthur.

Paul

[CaterhamKev]

I have no friendship with Arthur. I have never met him, or spoken directly to him, but have exchanged e-mails with him.
Most of these mails have been about a problem I encountered with Houdini.

It arrived in a plastic bag, with no instructions, but they are available on the net.
So, I fitted my triggers broom DL-103 to it. This has a Boron Canti with Shibata grafted on it. It is also fitted in a Techne-Audio brass body. All up it weighs about 25g. Houdini does not seem to like that, and gave me a wandering/smudged/blurred mid range when the music got busier than a few drum hits.

So, as I am a kind and generous individual, I offered him my DL-103 so he could further his research, in exchange for an ART-9 he has, but says he does not like. Funnily enough, he has not responded.

Anyway, my thoughts on Houdini with a more suitable cartridge.
It is currently fitted with an EPC-205/Jico Neo SAS combination on my SL1200 with a full package of Funk Firm mods.
The first thing that is very obvious is that the bass is snappier. Everything is better defined and I would say that the noise floor has dropped, but I have not measured it to be able to confirm this.

It is more than a shim, as you have two parts to it. The part that bolts to the head shell, which is rigid, and the cartridge mounting plate, which is relatively free to moved, and seems to be sprung, but not by elastomers. It feels more like a spring system, but I could be completely wrong about this.

Would I recommend it? All I will say is that it makes a very noticeable difference. You may, or may not like the difference. If you are serious about vinyl replay, then you should give it a try for yourself.

It is £300, so it is not cheap, but what is when we look at vinyl replay?
My Houdini is staying, and I will most likely get rid of my DL103 and a few other bits and pieces to buy myself an ART-9.

[Lindsayt]

Did you adjust the arm height between the no Houdini and with Houdini listening test?

Have you compared it to 2 similar weight and thickness washers?
And to adding a similar weight in blu-tak (plus a coin?) to the top of the headshell?

[CaterhamKev]

I used a 4mm high density graphite spacer, an arm lift and a couple washers to maintain the height and weight differences at the head shell. Only a minor tweak of the VTF was required due to the slight difference in weight.
The Houdini adds about 2g at the head shell normally, as they use nylon bolts. I used metal ones with Houdini, and nylon without to get the weight as close as possible.

[CaterhamKev]

To be honest and open, I am not here to “shill” this product, as I did not get offered a cheap one, but I am happy to respond to questions, if I can. Obviously they will be based on my experience. If you have any technical questions about it, you need to ask elsewhere.