June 2015
David Lord On LP Playback Plus A Beginners Guide to Digital
Editorial By Noel Keywood

 

  I should know what's going on here, but sometimes – no, quite often – events have a way of leaving me non-plussed. As I pored over reader David Lord's impressively thorough look at the balanced connection of pick-up cartridges, why we need it and how to do it – see page 90 – an e-mail slid into my in-box from ex-contributor and hi-fi expert extraordinaire Richard Brice. Richard's role in this tale might not be obvious until you start to delve into what he has to offer in his software programme Stereo Sauce, which I review on page 22.

In the end both these men seek to get the best from LP through, ultimately, the moving coil cartridge. What I haven't told you yet is that in Part II of David Lord's article next month we will be publishing a super-quiet phono stage design he has built successfully and from Richard Brice I hope we will get another super-quiet phono stage – but this one has a digital output. The poor man is desperately trying to get a pre-production sample completed for us, so fingers crossed.

All of which is to say that I hope you enjoy this month's two intriguing LP articles – for want of a better description – and that next month you will enjoy us delving even deeper into vinyl replay.

I hardly dare mention the subject of digitally-applied RIAA correction – a blasphemy to those of the analogue faith – but I will mention it all the same. No, I haven't an open mind – but I'm trying! Richard Brice swears it works.

Digital is getting so complex we could not see how to cover it all in one "Beginners Guide to Digital" article that readers have asked us for. But after long discussion we did come up with what I believe is a great feature on running a modern digital system from your armchair, one that plays anything – MP3, CD, high-resolution – over a normal hi-fi. To the point, but jargon free, I feel Jon Myles succinctly describes its benefits whilst avoiding techno-babble. You can find it on page 57.

So whilst I watch another issue slowly put to bed – an issue I hope you enjoy for its left-field funnies as well as straight and serious reviews – I'm dreaming about the next issue and what we have in store for you.

--- Noel Keywood, editor.

 

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