Another new sound system

[sanjuro73]

I tried to do Little Alton & The Velvatnoes tonight but my copy has a pressing fault and won't play through.

Thank you so much for trying, Bosshoss, I really appreciate all you’ve done in this thread! If I may suggest another in its stead, I’d love to hear the Grifs “Catch a Ride” on either 5-D or AMG. I’m not sure if either pressing is superior to the other.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

Mark thanks a bunch! To my ears the organ sounds like it was being played live in my living room plus the bass is so much deeper and clearer, really amazing. I did not hear much improvement on the highs but that can very well be attributed to my tinnitus. Overall a more open, live like experience in my opinion.

I take Jim's report more seriously than any scientifically conducted double-blind test when it comes to verifying the effectiveness of SBT.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

Here's Jim's request, done today with the graphene bag on the stool.
I tried to do Little Alton & The Velvatnoes tonight but my copy has a pressing fault and won't play through.

The baseline volume has increased considerably on these Foggy Notions FLACs compared to the earlier ones you posted in this thread. Did you increase the volume in your digital music editor, or have the latest graphene-based treatments boosted the power?

 

[bosshoss]

I used Izotope to maximize the volume without compression or maximization or any other discernable artifact. The waveform is still precisely intact, relatively speaking. It's about 1.5 dB louder than it would be without the processing.

I don't bother comparing my new transfers to older ones, because I already know they are better.

 

[bosshoss]

My psychiatrist recommends shock treatment: all off > all on.

OK! If that's what the doctor ordered!

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

OK! If that's what the doctor ordered!

But seriously, you don't have to go to all that trouble to convince me: I'm sure I'll be impressed regardless!

 

[bosshoss]

But seriously, you don't have to go to all that trouble to convince me: I'm sure I'll be impressed regardless!

It might be worth it both for you and for myself. I can't remember any more what the Kii speakers sounded like with no treatment. But I do know they were well below the standard of the Martin Logan system downstairs. Now it's a different story. Of course the Kii are not electrostatic, and they are not planar, and they are not full-range (they are 3-way), and they are not even analog. And they are active monitors with amps built in. So they are not comparable in any way to the Martin Logans. I bought the Kii for convenience (with a heavy emphasis on quality). The Kii system cost less than 10 percent of the Martin Logan system. But it has STB.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

It might be worth it both for you and for myself. I can't remember any more what the Kii speakers sounded like with no treatment. But I do know they were well below the standard of the Martin Logan system downstairs. Now it's a different story. Of course the Kii are not electrostatic, and they are not planar, and they are not full-range (they are 3-way), and they are not even analog. And they are active monitors with amps built in. So they are not comparable in any way to the Martin Logans. I bought the Kii for convenience (with a heavy emphasis on quality). The Kii system cost less than 10 percent of the Martin Logan system. But it has STB.

Then an all off / all on comparison may be better than a graduated listening approach, if only because of the "boiling frog principle". We could even use it as an opportunity to upgrade from SBT Black to SBT Platinum!

 

[bosshoss]

Excellent news - the "B" Component is out of customs, ready for delivery. Not yet scheduled though...

I'm now convinced that the improvements offered by the STB concept are potentially infinite. This after the results of todays latest experiments -more STB Standard mix on the doors of the breaker boxes. I would heve used Platinum or Black mix but I have no Component B. The level of realism obtainable seems to be effectively without limit. I had no idea. I doubt if I will ever see just how far it can be taken. Because you can always go further. It could be a pathway to insanity...but one well worth following.

It's becoming really weird. Because my ears are telling me something is there in front of me, but my eyes say there is not. It's quite disorienting at times.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

It's becoming really weird. Because my ears are telling me something is there in front of me, but my eyes say there is not. It's quite disorienting at times.

Have you tried closing your eyes?

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

I think you should take a break until component "B" arrives.

 

[bosshoss]

Have you tried closing your eyes?

Yes - I tried it tonight and it works. But I normally really enjoy the visualised images, and it's how I judge the effectiveness of the improvements. I use spatial cues in the music, visualised and superimposed on the dimensions of the listening room and the objects in it. That's why headphones don't work for me in judging improvements as I need the reference objects. There are no objects inside my head. Well, hopefully there's at least one.

 

[bosshoss]

I think you should take a break until component "B" arrives.

That's like saying Einstein should take a break from working on the General Theory of Relativity. It's not going to happen.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

I used Izotope to maximize the volume without compression or maximization or any other discernable artifact. The waveform is still precisely intact, relatively speaking. It's about 1.5 dB louder than it would be without the processing.

Music Production Suite Pro - or just specific programs?

 

[bosshoss]

Music Production Suite Pro - or just specific programs?

I have the Pro Suite which is SaaS. The method I sometimes use is phase rotation. Foggy Notions is rotated 26 degrees, so if you want to hear it exactly as on the record, then rotate it minus 26 degrees to restore it to normal. But first reduce gain by 1.5dB. Rotating the phase finds the best fit possible for the waveform in the allocated dynamic range.

 

[Jim]

[QUOTE

I don't bother comparing my new transfers to older ones, because I already know they are better.[/QUOTE]

I tend to disagree with you Mark. People's hearing is so subjective, what sounds perfect to one may just not do it for someone else. Of course no complaints about any of you fabulous and very generous transfers. Just an opinion. Regards, Jim

By the way have you sound tested the stb on true stereo records?

 

[Marc]

It might be worth it both for you and for myself. I can't remember any more what the Kii speakers sounded like with no treatment. But I do know they were well below the standard of the Martin Logan system downstairs. Now it's a different story. Of course the Kii are not electrostatic, and they are not planar, and they are not full-range (they are 3-way), and they are not even analog. And they are active monitors with amps built in. So they are not comparable in any way to the Martin Logans. I bought the Kii for convenience (with a heavy emphasis on quality). The Kii system cost less than 10 percent of the Martin Logan system. But it has STB.

Does that mean you haven't given your superior main system the STB treatment yet? Why?

 

[bosshoss]

By the way have you sound tested the stb on true stereo records?

Not yet Jim. I have my mono cartrdge installed at the moment, so I can't pay stereo records without changing it over, which is a bit of a pain. Since the system is not set up for listening (only digital transfers), there's no point at the moment.

 

[bosshoss]

Does that mean you haven't given your superior main system the STB treatment yet? Why?

Hi Marc. The main system is very big and complex, and I had covered it in previous TFT treatments to a ridiculous degree (many hundreds of pieces). All different kinds of experiments I carried out over the last 5 years. It was impossible to make small changes to the system because of the complexity and intrusion of the treatments. When I got the Kii speakers i decided to break down the main system and remove all the old treatments, and start from scratch. It's a huge job, mainly because of the type of strong adhesive tape I was using to hold the TFT treatments in place. I did about half of it, but my thumbs and fingers started to hurt pretty bad, so I stopped. Then I got completely involved with the STB teatment of the Kii. I'm using adhesive that's very easy to remove this time.

The STB treatments I'm now using on the breaker/dimmer boxes will automatically benefit all systems in the house, including the big sytem downstairs. I can't wait to hear how it sounds, but I don't want to cause permanent damage to my hands so I'm waiting a bit longer. I can use the big system for digital transfers because only the turntable and phono pre-amp are involved, but the amps, cables and speakers still need a lot of work.

 

[bosshoss]

This photo will give you some idea of the amount of work I need to do to get the big system back up and running. It's a mess - the work of a madman. I'm still using this system to do the digital transfers that I post here.