HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Ordinaryman wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:31 pm ..................HeyHo

Hello Peter. Are you keeping well during these strange times?

TroutFisher wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:48 pm

Ordinaryman wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:31 pm ..................HeyHo

Hello Peter. Are you keeping well during these strange times?

Hello, Greg. Thought you were sleeping elsewhere?

savvypaul wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:44 pm

nilsatisnisioptimum wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:25 pm George seems to be just what's needed, I am looking forward to hearing his thoughts on this contentious addition to the music world

I don't think the Houdini is contentious. It appears to be a more engineered version of what already exists - Cartridge Man Isolator, Origin Live Cartridge Enabler.

What seems contentious, to me, are the claims made for it by Funk and the way it has been promoted.

We agree on why I think its contentious, from a technical/engineering perspective it appears at first sight to be completely unremarkable no matter what has been said.

I had a bit of conversation with the FF marketing guy on the WAM thread that I posted earlier. He gives more insight / info about the development / implementation / compatibility.

I had a look as his replies and came away thinking he dodged your valid question about "template" endorsements and his tonearm claims were daft at best. This naturally colours my opinion on his future comments. Let's sit back and see what George makes of it.

nilsatisnisioptimum wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 12:30 am I had a look as his replies and came away thinking he dodged your valid question about "template" endorsements and his tonearm claims were daft at best. This naturally colours my opinion on his future comments. Let's sit back and see what George makes of it.

Yeah, but he could hardly admit to shilling. Hopefully FF have learnt that it wasn't the right way to go about things.

The tonearm stuff is complete nonsense. It has a beneficial effect with some arm / cartridge combinations but not others. A case of the marketing racing ahead of the evidence. They are far from being the only ones but they do seem to have found a special talent for putting peoples backs up at the same time.

There are two, at least, schools of thought where transducers are concerned one suggests that all the components should be firmly coupled (with the obvious exception of the actual sensing element). The other suggests that the various components should be decoupled. Of course what we don't know is what, if any, decoupling exists within the cartridge. It may well be that cartridges with some internal decoupling are affected differently from those without when external decoupling is applied. Naturally, we aren't going to find out what is inside a cartridge without cutting it open so the only way to find out whether external decoupling works for a given cartridge is to try it.

Geoff as always a good take on a discussion. In the next month I am going to cut out and fit a 1mm constrained layer damping piece from material made by this guy

https://www.lesdavisaudio.com.au/3d-2

I have these pads under my TT and to my ears they make a noticeable difference but I was disappointed when they did not improve my CD transport sound when compared to the sorbothane pads.

I am also considering using the same material between my tonearm and TT top, in doing this I would avoid having to shim it to compensate for the cartridge insert.

I have absolutely no idea how this will play out but what I do know in advance is this, it will cost a fraction of the £300 Houdini

As I have only 1 functional arm, this as become the arbiter of it a tweek, is it worth it.

Building and amp with one arm/hand building an amp especially the soldering is difficult. But it's worth it so I practice, practice.

Fitting a houdini, difficult with one arm. Is it worth it. Err no.

1 arm the ultimate arbiter of a tweek.