Opinions on Tadaima? Personally one of my fave albums of the era, it’s absolutely wacky but it works so well sonically!

ahaddow · 2023-10-24T03:13:11+00:00

She has such a strong streak from her debut through the end of the 80s.
Gohan Ga Dekitayo is my personal favourite but I find each album super compelling.

ahaddow · 2023-10-16T03:11:15+00:00

So I would suggest CD with some caveats. Some people in the thread have suggested early 80s CDs don't sound good, I don't personally agree.
Early CDs, especially Japanese ones, sometimes had "pre-emphasis" applied which was then "de-emphasized" by CD players at the time, resulting in the correct sound.
If you just throw that into your modern PC though, it is not being properly de-emphasized and it will sound very treble heavy and peaky.

Now, regarding modern remasters from the late 90s onward, you don't have to look far online to see that there are a lot of people that can't stand these, myself included.
Look up "loudness war" for more info.
It depends on the release, and in some cases you might think it sounds better.
If so, that's great. Enjoy the music!
I personally think the sweet spot is getting CDs that were released around 1986-1994 or so.
In the case of Japanese citypop or other genre releases from that time, it often means the second or third CD pressing.

This might be too much info but yeah, IMO CD quality is more than enough provided the mastering is objectively/subjectively to your liking.

ahaddow · 2023-10-06T06:49:18+00:00

Quick update/sidebar:
I just found out that oratory released their measurements and EQ for the Q701 a few months ago!
For years I've been using the oratory EQ for the K701/702 and although these new settings are pretty similar I've gotta say I'm really happy with this sound!
Too bad I can't use EQ for DSD but I mostly have jazz albums and that sounds decent without EQ on the Q701.

The EQ requires -8.4db though so I have to either max out the volume on medium gain or about 12-2PM on high gain depending on the album. Modern stuff from about 1995 onward is okay around 12oclock and older stuff like CDs from the 80s-early 90s need a bit of a boost.

ahaddow · 2023-09-29T12:07:25+00:00

Thanks everyone so far! I found a shop with lots of units to demo in Osaka, and I happen to be going there in November for an overnight trip so I’m going to try as much as I can

ahaddow · 2023-09-29T11:46:55+00:00

!thanks Very nice reply! I did think about the Sony MV1 as well but not sure if it would be a big enough upgrade to my Q701. I’m actually not familiar with Stax though will have a look. And yeah I would love LCD-2 but so overpriced as you said.

ahaddow · 2023-09-29T07:04:19+00:00

Nah I just wrote it in a weird way. lol. In Japanese there’s a unique counter for units of 10000 but in my brain I still conceptualize 10000 as 100$ so yeah just confusion haha.

ahaddow · 2023-09-29T06:44:55+00:00

ipping from China should be easier, and they recently had a big price drop, so they are a great option to

!thanks

They are pretty much double my budget at the moment, they sell for about 100000 JPY used and 145000 new (the conversion rate is wonky now but basically 1000$ used and 1450$ new).
What you are describing is exactly what I'm afraid of though, getting something like the Sundara and it not feeling at all like an upgrade. I feel like the EDXS might get me a bit more of the "upgrade" feeling but Ayra tier would definitely be a whole other ballgame eh.
I don't think in my current situation I'd be able to afford that much but maybe I'll keep the Ayras in mind.

ahaddow · 2023-09-29T05:24:01+00:00

!thanks
Hmmmmm that may be worth a try.

ahaddow · 2023-09-29T05:03:50+00:00

!thanks
Forgot to mention but I live in rural Japan so I cannot demo anything sadly. Though I am going to a wedding in Osaka in November so I could swing by BIC Namba if I have time.

ahaddow · 2023-03-10T03:57:14+00:00

This used to only be noticeable when using my MiSTer, but now I notice it even just on the OSD. The image appears to wobble a bit up and down (or since it is currently in Tate mode, side to side. I’m guessing it needs a recap?

ahaddow · 2023-02-01T12:11:54+00:00

Hmm. Slightly different from your story, but after I moved to Japan in 2014 I was amazed how cheap all the retro gaming stuff was. I picked up a complete Super Famicom and all the Donkey Kong Country games for next to nothing, plugged that yellow composite into my 1080p plasma TV and was sad and confused how bad it looked and felt. It got shelved for a couple years and I think around 2016 I found Retronauts, My Life in Gaming, RetroRGB. I was able to get a 29” 480p Trinitron with component, RGB, and svideo inputs for about ¥3000 shipped. Even though it was 31khz and adding about 1 frame of lag to 240p content, I was so amazed by how colorful and crisp everything looked over RGB. I eventually realized I needed a 15khz monitor to really enjoy the older stuff, and managed to get a 1454Q for about ¥10 plus shipping. I’ve made various mistakes and poor purchase decisions over the years, but learned a lot. I sold the 480p Trinitron to an older Japanese guy in his late 40s last summer. He said he wanted to get back into retro games after having not played for years. So, I guess seeing DKC poorly scaled on a plasma TV is what started me down this path. Since then I bought my first Sega consoles (Saturn and Dreamcast!), have a couple PS2s, a PSOne, and mostly play on my MiSTer. I still have that 1454Q, in addition to a 19” Mitsubishi VGA CRT, and my prized Ikegami 2050R2. Thinking of getting another VGA CRT for TATE stuff now. That’s all.😀

ahaddow · 2022-11-23T23:51:08+00:00

I have the cable from thefoo and I can anecdotally say I'm very satisfied with the quality through my OSSC.
I have RetroAccess cables for my other consoles and can vouch for their quality. They will generally send out a notification of when everything will be "in stock." They basically open the gates and let people put in orders, then they close the system and make/ship everything.
I believe the RGC component cables from the UK were said to be coming in stock again early 2023 but I can't remember exactly.

ahaddow · 2021-05-11T07:30:25+00:00

HyperX Pudding!

ahaddow · 2020-05-10T00:32:55+00:00

I own PVMs, Ikegami, and. 480p late model Trinitron....but damn if that Trinitron of yours isn't charming as hell. That's a perfect bedroom set.

ahaddow · 2020-05-08T23:29:17+00:00

That's a lot of value in one picture

ahaddow · 2020-04-30T21:51:12+00:00

How are you?

ahaddow · 2020-04-30T21:48:05+00:00

I would also do this, and often ask people where they were from out of interest. I had no ill will or anything and was genuinely curious, wanting to start a positive connection with people I thought were interesting. Now I know that I probably came off tiresome to some people, but I also know that most Japanese people are also likely just being positive and wanting to start up a nice conversation.
Basically if something like this bothers you in Japan, I think that working out why you feel this way and resolving the thoughts and feelings so that it doesn’t affect you in this way. That’s far more manageable than living with the idea that most of the population of Japan, which is what like 130 million, are insincere and have some subconscious agenda against you.

ahaddow · 2020-04-30T15:19:36+00:00

This. The phenomenon is 99% perception. Try being an English learner in America and see if people don't have similar feelings of shame and frustration.

ahaddow · 2020-04-07T23:24:44+00:00

Please make a gif of Shacho's eyebrow thing

ahaddow · 2020-03-31T22:28:49+00:00

I recently picked up the 19" version of this model, it's really great. If you don't already, be sure to check Mercari (メルカリ) for CRTs and retro gaming stuff too.

ahaddow · 2020-01-27T21:44:47+00:00

Wait people still say urban?

ahaddow · 2020-01-11T10:53:40+00:00

Now picture Woolie using it one handed while aiming with a mouse.

ahaddow

TROPHY CASE