Dusting
audio equipment
November
18, 2019
Marc,
How
best to clean speaker drivers? Microfiber cloth or canned air?
Sheldon
Simon
Given
that we almost always listen without the grilles, which is best for sound, speaker drivers
can accumulate dust over time. I have used canned air to simply blow it off (you want to
be sure to only use short blasts of air, so no "frost" gets on the drivers).
Now, however, I use a Swiffer duster without the included wand (I'm always concerned that
I might scrape or otherwise damage a driver with the end of it). Just use the duster by
hand to gently wipe off the driver. It does a great job, and you can use the same cloth on
your electronics too, in which case the wand makes getting in between and underneath
possible. - Marc Mickelson
".
. . in the education stage"
November
11, 2019
Marc,
I've
been all-digital for over thirty years. I've decided to wiggle my toes in the water, and
experience vinyl a bit. I am currently in the education stage.
I
notice you are running a Lamm LP2.1 phono stage. From what I understand, its gain and
cartridge loading are fixed, with no adjustability. How does that affect or limit your
choice in phono cartridges?
Also,
I see that the Manley Steelhead is also still in production after, what, 15-20 years? This
unit seems to offer endless adjustability. From your knowledge, is the Manley Steelhead
still relevant after all this time?
John
Leosco
Yes,
I have been using a Lamm LP2.1 phono stage (review forthcoming), whose gain and impedance
are set at 60dB and 400 ohms, respectively, for moving-coil cartridges. I suspect that
Vladimir Lamm would tell you that these are appropriate values for the bulk of MC
cartridges, and I've found that to be the case as well: 60dB will be enough gain for all
but the lowest-output MCs, and 400 ohms is a good middle figure for loading. However, I
can only speculate here because neither parameter can be adjusted. The LP2.1 includes an
MM input, and that's there for people who might want to use step-up transformers and thus
cater more closely to their chosen cartridge's electrical needs.
In terms of more adjustable phono stages, my experience is that the overall sound
of the phono stage is more important than its flexibility. It is true that too little gain
or too low a load can dramatically affect sonics, but, again, Lamm's choices are within a
broad range of values acceptable to a wide range of cartridges. You may find that your
chosen cartridge sounds a little better with a few dB more gain or a few ohms more
loading, but the different sonic signature of a different phono stage may wash out those
slight gains -- or may enhance them. It's hard to say.
I'm
sorry I can't give you a definitive answer. Analog playback requires thinking about so
many interrelated aspects that a change in one may or may not profoundly affect the
performance in another. Even when not optimally (whatever that is) configured, a good
analog rig has its own sonic charms and brings its own musical rewards. -Marc
Mickelson
E-mail
list
November
1, 2019
Marc,
Please
add me to the TAB e-mail list.
Thanks!
James
McCarty
You're
on the list. To join and find out about new articles first, send e-mail to rl@theaudiobeat.com. -Marc
Mickelson
