New Member: Advice on adding LP and Quad capability to an existing 5.1 system

[fredblue]

I read somewhere that Mogami wires might be good for that Pups? I don't know if that includes all the wiring though? I think if I keep reading up on this stuff it will eventually sink in...

yeay! them's the magic words!

"with a 19.8pF/ft extreme low capacitance"

edit: the pF bit = picofarads, some sorta capacitance/resistance value idk, you just gotta keep it low as poss for CD-4.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

i think it needs to be the 'thicker' type of rca interconnect cable? the old stock SL1200's (like mine) used to come with it hardwired, i'm sure one of the CD-4 experts will know!

I’ve been happy with Blue Jeans LC-1 cables; hopefully they’ll work?

 

[fredblue]

I’ve been happy with Blue Jeans LC-1 cables; hopefully they’ll work?

funny capacitancecoincidence, i just met a girl named Blue Jean!

 

[fredblue]

I’ve been happy with Blue Jeans LC-1 cables; hopefully they’ll work?

The Cable: Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 Low Capacitance Audio Cable
The most important attributes of a line-level unbalanced audio cable are (1) shielding, and (2) capacitance. Heavy shielding protects audio signals from interference from outside sources. LC-1 Audio Cable uses a heavy double-braid shield, with one bare copper braid laid directly over another for extreme high coverage and high conductivity to ground; this is the identical shield configuration to Canare LV-77S, which tested best in our review of audio cable hum rejection characteristics (LC-1 hadn't been designed yet so wasn't tested at that time). By shrinking the center conductor to 25 AWG and foaming the polyethylene dielectric, we were able to get capacitance down to an extremely low 12.2 pF/ft, much better than LV-77S at 21 pF/ft. Capacitance can be important, particularly in long cable runs, because it contributes to rolloff of higher frequencies.

wow! they sound like the mutts' nutts!!

 

[mwhealton]

Original poster here. Whoa. This thread blew up (in a good way) about CD4! I will keep thinking about that and I really appreciate the pointers.

But, my first step will not include CD-4, I backed away from that in my initial purchases...
I will first focus on the stereo and Matrix SQ and QS playback of LPs, while hopefully not cutting off the option for CD4 later.

Here's the gear I have on the way and that will be fully configured, aligned and tested here in SF:

Turntable/Arm: Technics SL-1200GR: This is a direct drive turntable with arm and detachable cartridge headshell, so it will not wall off later swapping in and out of a Shibata/contact line style cartridge for CD4 use.
Cartridge: Soundsmith Otello (elliptical). This should give good performance for stereo and SQ Quad I think.
Phono stage preamp: Simaudio Moon 110LP : This has user-selectable control of capacitance, impedance, gain (for moving magnet and moving coil designs for example), and equalization curve (RIAA or IEC).

(Yes, I went over my stated budget just a wee bit ;-) ).

Would love to hear experiences people have with these pieces! And if I've already made a mistake for SQ quad with the Soundsmith cartridge, let me know and I'll accelerate getting an alternate headshell + cartridge for quad use.

Also, thank you for the recommendation on the Blue Jeans cable type. I have a number of Blue Jeans in my system and am happy with their work.

Dang, I really need to find a switch now for 5.1 analog signals.

 

[proufo]

ZEKTOR HDS4.1D Component Audio/Video Switch Made in USA

You can use this as the remote

Microsoft Remote Replacement - Black - for TV Photo Viewer - B16

 

[mwhealton]

Hey Proufo. Ordered it. I should have set up a continuous search on eBay for them, or I missed that one earliier when I looked.
Thanks for the find and apologies if I was lazy there!

 

[mwhealton]

Annnd ... Now the Sound Master V2 is on its way as well.

 

[proufo]

Hey Proufo. Ordered it. I should have set up a continuous search on eBay for them, or I missed that one earliier when I looked.
Thanks for the find and apologies if I was lazy there!

That Zektor is the better one: it has selection buttons in front. You may not need a remote, depending on your habits.

You can program the Zektor for any remote. Usually they don't come with one. The one I suggested has exactly the right number of buttons, with the right layout.

 

[mwhealton]

That Zektor is the better one: it has selection buttons in front. You may not need a remote, depending on your habits.

You can program the Zektor for any remote. Usually they don't come with one. The one I suggested has exactly the right number of buttons, with the right layout.

Thanks again! I probably will not go with the remote, since I'll need to change a few other things when moving between the Oppo and LPs - like the Lex channel for proper handling and also the Surround Master. I may need to make a nice laminated cheat sheet though. All the possibilities are getting a bit hard to hold in this old head...

 

[Philip Spinner]

I don't often use the switches on my Zektor boxes so a remote is not really missed here.