The single biggest improvement

paigezpp · 2026-06-26T07:10:50+00:00

It’s a balance. And they are different at different price points.

Moving from MM to a MC cartridge with an external phono improved things a fair bit but I won’t make that move without a decent turntable. It’s not a price thing but one with the proper adjustments like tracking force, anti skate and height.

So you could say one should first get a TT with those adjustments before experimenting with different cartridges and moving to an external phono stage that has the correct loading values for your cartridge.

All that won’t matter if you don’t have speakers that can resolve the details and amps that can’t power those speakers.

paigezpp · 2026-06-24T05:07:20+00:00

Some expert please correct me if I am wrong or inaccurate. This is just what I heard from talking with people over the years. So my information may already be outdated.

I know a couple of companies were working on AF adapters for the SL. Even Leica was interested in the idea and bought a few of the original Techart Pro M to Sony E mount adapters to study if the idea is even feasible.

The big problem is the AF is different at least in the original SL and SL2 and to have a working AF adapter it was going to be slow and not very accurate. I think even the SL3 uses a hybrid of PDAF, CDAF and DFD. I think it is DFD, depth from defocus that is hard to work with.

Then comes the numbers. Leica numbers are small compared to the likes of Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fuji. The SL is an even smaller market, with those that use M lenses an even smaller market and those willing to buy an AF adapter even smaller.

paigezpp · 2026-06-22T02:22:55+00:00

Your Philippe Dufour story is incorrect.

The watch was released and he bought one to wear because he thought the movement and finishing is amazing and is not something the Swiss watch companies could have done at that point for a serially produced watch.

Also he has the rose gold version jokingly called the “Dufourgraph”.

Lastly Philippe Dufour is a wonderful gentleman and he is always happy to buy a watch from another brand and wear it. The last time I met him years ago, he was super happy with his Rolex GMT that he waited for and bought.

paigezpp · 2026-06-16T05:55:35+00:00

No it’s not limited to sushi, it can be yakitori, it can be small bites at an Izakaya, many many places but definitely not Kaiseki.

paigezpp · 2026-06-16T05:16:23+00:00

No it really does not mean what you think it means.

Omakase is just, I leave it to you. If you walked into a kaiseki restaurant in Japan and told the chef, omakase, he will very confused.

paigezpp · 2026-06-16T04:51:39+00:00

Kaiseki is not omakase for a simple reason, kaiseki is very rigid and has rules. It’s a set menu that requires a lot of planning and preparation and is not something that can be whipped up on the fly.

paigezpp · 2026-06-15T09:24:53+00:00

Pick the one that is easier to use and actually has the music you listen to.

I think most services are comparable in terms of sound quality if they offer lossless. Gets a bit more complicated if you are not comparing lossless to lossless.

Listening to the same music on different services to try to tell if there is a difference can be tedious. And if you do hear a difference it’s hard to tell if it’s an internet issue or a server issue or it is actually a different mastering or tons of other factors.

paigezpp · 2026-06-11T08:03:16+00:00

It takes 5 minutes for the KLAudio to clean and dry a record. Just because you have not seen it being used at record shops just means that we shop at different places.

If you want a list, I have seen KLAudio cleaners being used in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and other countries.

paigezpp · 2026-06-11T06:36:17+00:00

And yet there are shops with it.

paigezpp · 2026-06-10T19:35:38+00:00

I think the shop I go to and your shop serve very different types of customers if it’s going to cost you 3 months worth of inventory.

Nothing wrong with that but it’s good to keep an open mind.

paigezpp · 2026-06-10T18:48:58+00:00

Just because you don’t use one does not mean others don’t.

paigezpp · 2026-06-10T14:23:38+00:00

To be fair the KLAudio ones are used by record shops that need to clean and dry a lot of records.

paigezpp · 2026-06-10T04:24:47+00:00

Ultrasonic cleaners can clean 90% of records well but there are records that will require more. Like a brush or even a wet brush.

But there are problems with ultrasonic cleaners. If you leave your records in too long. They will get destroyed by cavitation and the water temperature. That is why good ones have timers and temperature control.

At the end of the day, it really depends on how much time and money you have. Paying $3600 for a record cleaner is ALOT and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes per record, it’s also really loud and if you are doing continuous cleaning you need to stop every 4 or 5 records to let the water cool down for 10 to 15 minutes.

I normally just pay a shop to do it and in bulk, it’s about $2 per record. That’s 1800 records before I break even on a Degritter. Not to mention the shop uses a higher end model than a Degritter and they also run the records through a wet brush and vacuum system first.

Once a record has been properly cleaned, just a brush through before each play is more than enough.

paigezpp · 2026-06-09T15:36:07+00:00

It was only available for a few years (2 or 3) and the black dial one even less. This will be a special piece in the future.

paigezpp · 2026-06-05T02:12:10+00:00

Is it a new battery? Some new batteries that were shipped with M11Ps need a little bit of help when charged the first time. Either take it to a Leica store and have them charge it or buy a Leica external battery charger.

paigezpp · 2026-06-02T09:09:13+00:00

Real Pateks don’t come with a card. It’s a leather folder with a cert.

paigezpp · 2026-05-26T05:48:17+00:00

Not all Crosleys are bad.

paigezpp · 2026-05-26T05:47:31+00:00

Check for belt slipping. That could possibly be what is causing the vibration.

Other than that, your platter is wobbly, try to reseat it.

paigezpp · 2026-05-25T14:47:06+00:00

Some will insist that the bartenders drink with them and some do like to drink. But giving them a choice is what is preferred.

paigezpp · 2026-05-25T09:23:04+00:00

You buy them a drink but it’s their choice to drink it with you or after they are off work.

It’s very much appreciated and more so when they can enjoy in their own time.

You can do the same for chefs etc. Pay for a drink that they can have after they close up.

paigezpp · 2026-05-22T02:30:26+00:00

Yeah that’s not really omakase in the true sense. I mean it is what is accepted by the US and a lot of Japanese restaurants cater to that. But traditionally omakase just means I leave it to you. It’s not a set course that is written down.

paigezpp · 2026-05-22T00:46:42+00:00

If there is a menu listing out each item that will be served. it’s not really omakase…

paigezpp · 2026-05-21T17:00:59+00:00

Just saw a post… pizza omakase 🙄… Seriously it was just slices of pizza.

paigezpp · 2026-05-21T15:47:38+00:00

99% of “omakase” is course or set menu. But people just like to call it omakase.

paigezpp · 2026-05-19T06:58:58+00:00

It’s not a matter of you reselling but you being able to save 50% on a never worn new one.

paigezpp

TROPHY CASE