Back to recording: In SA-X Heaven

[Mr. Lin]

I've been "house-sitting" for the past couple weeks and thus separated from my Nak and tapes, but now I'm back. There was a nice supply of TDK SA-X tapes waiting for me by the time I got home, see pictures below. Believe it or not I wasn't extremely eager to start making tapes again, I've been a little distracted with other audio things this past week, namely cables.

I decided that recording The Thelonious Monk Quartet Monk's Dream would get things off to a good start. It required about 22 minutes per side, so I went for one of my new SA-X60 tapes and unwrapped it (wanted this to be one dedicated tape) - not as if these are in short supply anymore. Wait - that's a SA-X90. *headache* Sometimes I could kick myself for stupid little mistakes like this.

Here I will admit to setting things up to produce a recording perhaps not entirely true to the CD, instead being on the warm side. Just the kind of mood I was in, and I thought it would fit the piano-lead jazz well. I put some NOS Mullard box-plate 12AX7s in the preamp, switched out the Kimber Silver Streak interconnects from CD to preamp with Audioquest Colorados, and off I went.

It's good to be back. The tape sounds simply wonderful. Despite my efforts to add warmth it seems to have turned out practically identical to the source CD, though I swear the dynamics are a little better, which is something that seems to happen recording from CD to tape. It sounded so good in fact that I was actually disappointed when side B was over.

See pictures of my newly-acquired TDK SA-X collection, which will serve me well for the foreseeable future.

Dave

[Web Police]

Those TDK SA-X tapes are some of my favorites too.

[Scorpion8]

Those are awesome tapes. I have a few that I'm holding onto for awhile.

[itzmike]

I prefer SA-X to Maxell XLII S. SA-X limited better. SA-XG best. I just picked up some 4-5 weeks ago at a music shop. Early 90's version. Nice. Mike

[NAD613]

Thanks for reminding me, Mr. Lin! I just ordered 2 boxes of the SA-X60 from that same seller.

[Mr. Lin]

Thanks for reminding me, Mr. Lin! I just ordered 2 boxes of the SA-X60 from that same seller.

He's fast, I got them within a few days. Haven't used any yet, they're the later ones, but I've used the later ones before and they're just as good as any others.

[Marc Hugo]

A great read Dave - somehow a journery into your musical sanctum. Thank you!!

The SA-X is one of my favourites - somehow I have a preponderance of the "100"s - but no ill effects from length issues.

The dynamics you mention are a fact with analogue music. I'm sure I have offended or disillusioned many in the past by sating that digital renditions of 90+dB dynamic range are absurd to say the least. Simply because, in the real world of live music, no-one plugs their heads into the sound desk. Attending a jazz festival - or perhaps to be fair, a jazz performance in a well-filled but otherwise quieter auditorium, you still only get +- 60'ish dB dynamics due to many factors. Soundwave/amplitude decay being an obvious one (distance dependent), close quarter ambient noise (i.e. the twit sitting next to you with emphysema) etc. But the biggest one is the tendencey of the ear to continuously sensitise and desensitise to soft and loud passages automatically and near-instantaneously. The truth is that analogue playback delivers a far more realistic dynamic range typical of live-music experiences that would be enjoyed by a concert attendee.

That's not to say that digital formats don't have their own benefits and advantages too!!

Cheers - Marc

[Mr. Lin]

That's not to say that digital formats don't have their own benefits and advantages too!!



Yes, they provide something for me to tape. :)

Thanks for your reply Marc. I'm finding your responses to other's threads practically entire threads in themselves!

[stuwee]

Yes, they provide something for me to tape. :)

Thanks for your reply Marc. I'm finding your responses to other's threads practically entire threads in themselves!

Me too! I love Marc, I'm interested in your exploring tubes an interconnects to warm up a recording. There are so many variables, I think you should keep tryin' and keep us updated too *Hi5*

[Mr. Lin]

Me too! I love Marc, I'm interested in your exploring tubes an interconnects to warm up a recording. There are so many variables, I think you should keep tryin' and keep us updated too *Hi5*

You got it stuwee. I have quite a few awesome cables already, and more on the way. The tube preamp I'm using is, well, basic, but eventually I'm going to upgrade that as well. Not surprisingly you have to be careful using tubes when recording with tape so as not to produce something so warm and dark that it sounds veiled and bloated. Then again, here I tried to make it warm and it hardly ended up on the warm side of neutral. I think the SA-X might be the reason it came out that way.

[Marc Hugo]

Yes, they provide something for me to tape. :)

Thanks for your reply Marc. I'm finding your responses to other's threads practically entire threads in themselves!

Hi Dave,

Gosh, "Yes, they provide something for me to tape" is so true - that really made me laugh, because that's exactly what I do!!! MyCD recorder is almost exclusively for recordings for other people.

As for the entire thread - so sorry about that. I have been accused of being either overly verbose or uneccesarily terse, with no happy medium.

Thanks for your kind words Craig - too right - interconnects have an amazing effect at tempering/enhancing - some are pretty pricey too.

Cheers all!!

Marc

[Mr. Lin]

Hi Dave,

Gosh, "Yes, they provide something for me to tape" is so true - that really made me laugh, because that's exactly what I do!!! MyCD recorder is almost exclusively for recordings for other people.

As for the entire thread - so sorry about that. I have been accused of being either overly verbose or uneccesarily terse, with no happy medium.

Thanks for your kind words Craig - too right - interconnects have an amazing effect at tempering/enhancing - some are pretty pricey too.

Cheers all!!

Marc

Marc, you can feel free to go on and on in response to anything I say and you'll never hear any objections from me.

[Scorpion8]

None from this end either. The more info packed into one post the better!

[Mr. Lin]

Thanks for your kind words Craig - too right - interconnects have an amazing effect at tempering/enhancing - some are pretty pricey too.


Speaking of which, look what arrived in the mail today *eyepop*:

[stuartypoorty]

Speaking of which, look what arrived in the mail today *eyepop*:

I use a combination of XLO and Nordost interconnects for various components in the system; the former for the CR-7A and Nordost Blue Heaven on the DR-10.

True, they're not cheap if you buy new. I've bought secondhand interconnects and mains cables and have been happy with the quality and savings.

I managed to get an XLO 3.1 reference phono cable a while back, but need some tweaking of the deck - a very sprung Pink Triangle Anniversary turntable with SME V tonearm (if the cable is too stiff it can effect play to the suspended sub chassis ) - for optimum results.

All of this should have happened if I hadn't succumbed to the lure 'n' lore of cassettes.

[Mr. Lin]

I use a combination of XLO and Nordost interconnects for various components in the system; the former for the CR-7A and Nordost Blue Heaven on the DR-10.

True, they're not cheap if you buy new. I've bought secondhand interconnects and mains cables and have been happy with the quality and savings.

I managed to get an XLO 3.1 reference phono cable a while back, but need some tweaking of the deck - a very sprung Pink Triangle Anniversary turntable with SME V tonearm (if the cable is too stiff it can effect play to the suspended sub chassis ) - for optimum results.

All of this should have happened if I hadn't succumbed to the lure 'n' lore of cassettes.

Which XLO cables do you use (besides the phono)? I've got to tell you, I just did the initial test with headphones using a different set of interconnects (AQ Diamondbacks) from CDP to preamp, then switched over to the new XLO cables, and I was taken aback by the improvement. What's more, the Reference interconnects are said to sound a bit weak out of the box prior to break in. What I heard was quite the opposite, the bass and midrange was particularly excellent. Eventually I hope a reasonably priced pair of the Unlimited Edition will come along, I can only imagine...

[stuartypoorty]

Which XLO cables do you use (besides the phono)? I've got to tell you, I just did the initial test with headphones using a different set of interconnects (AQ Diamondbacks) from CDP to preamp, then switched over to the new XLO cables, and I was taken aback by the improvement. What's more, the Reference interconnects are said to sound a bit weak out of the box prior to break in. What I heard was quite the opposite, the bass and midrange was particularly excellent. Eventually I hope a reasonably priced pair of the Unlimited Edition will come along, I can only imagine...

Can't say which interconnect series I have off the top of my head, but I'll update this post when I return home from Glasgow.

Some cables will leave you seriously underwhelmed - until they're burned in that is - Nordost even has a gizmo for this very task.

Despite what's been said in the press I've never heard a cable that is as good as a mid - high level source hi fi component, That said though the incremental effect of good wires is undeniable, just remove them all and replace with the originals supplied by most manufacturers and you'll hear a considerable difference.

[Mr. Lin]

Can't say which interconnect series I have off the top of my head, but I'll update this post when I return home from Glasgow.

Some cables will leave you seriously underwhelmed - until they're burned in that is - Nordost even has a gizmo for this very task.

Despite what's been said in the press I've never heard a cable that is as good as a mid - high level source hi fi component, That said though the incremental effect of good wires is undeniable, just remove them all and replace with the originals supplied by most manufacturers and you'll hear a considerable difference.

I'm currently working on getting all the parts together to build a Hagtech Frybaby, which is a cable cooker. I ordered the half kit, just need to get the electronics components, but it's a long list. The Frybaby is said to be very effective, and a lot of people swear you'll never have any idea what your cables are capable of until you burn them in. So that's something to look forward to.

The way I look at this complicated topic, good cables basically allow you to realize the full potential of your system, and sometimes it's surprising how much certain lesser cables can hold things back.

[stuartypoorty]

Can't say which interconnect series I have off the top of my head, but I'll update this post when I return home from Glasgow.

Some cables will leave you seriously underwhelmed - until they're burned in that is - Nordost even has a gizmo for this very task.

Despite what's been said in the press I've never heard a cable that is as good as a mid - high level source hi fi component, That said though the incremental effect of good wires is undeniable, just remove them all and replace with the originals supplied by most manufacturers and you'll hear a considerable difference.

Turns out that they are XLO Ultras.

[Mr. Lin]

Turns out that they are XLO Ultras.

I have a pair of those and I kind of wonder if the ones I got are knock offs, because I bought them on ebay from a seller in Hong Kong, they were used. I say this because the RCA connectors are ridiculously worn, which I didn't think could happen, and the performance of these is, well, nothing to write home about, which contradicts what I've heard from other people about them.