Major update to the Sonata Saga:

Its probably really foolish of me to admit what I'm about to admit, but I'm willing to open myself up to ridicule so that no one thinks any less of a product due to my own ineptitude.

I got in my Statement Sonata from TTVJ. While wiring the cartridge to my extra headshell, something about the wiring diagram caught my eye. Oh. Shit. Yup, thats right, I wired the fucking Reference Sonata completely backwards.

Bad postjack!!

So it goes without saying that all my tweaking and adjusting of the Reference Sonata was a colossal waste of time, since the cart was out of phase the whole time. It took me all of 120 seconds to align the Statement Sonata. No shit.

But, with both cartridges wired correctly, back to back, through the PH-1, the Statement comes out the winner, even with the hiss from the PH-1. Its just smoother and more spacious all around, even brand new out of the box, and I only expect it to get even softer and smoother after some break in.

Thus ends probably my most foolish venture yet into audiophilia.

We've all been there in some way or the other, Jack. I did about 2 hours of trouble shooting on my first Cmoy before I finally posted and had someone tell me that I'd simply wired the headphone jack wrong. :| Don't get me started about the PPA that I fixed for Ian that took months to figure out that I'd wired the power supply wrong after fixing the real problem. The list goes on and on...

This just in. The real reason I use film caps in the power supplies of my tubes amps is so that I don't have to worry about getting the polarity wrong and blowing up the cap.

Brand new out of the box, and I only expect it to get even softer and smoother after some break in.

I'd owned all three (up from the bottom) of the woodied Grado cartridges. There is a definitely break-in point, but to my ears there is a point when you really want them to stop breaking in... alas, it doesn't stop and they take a turn for the worse (slight, but it's notacable and kinda annoying). Regardless of my experience, I hope you enjoy them!!

I'd owned all three (up from the bottom) of the woodied Grado cartridges. There is a definitely break-in point, but to my ears there is a point when you really want them to stop breaking in... alas, it doesn't stop and they take a turn for the worse (slight, but it's notacable and kinda annoying). Regardless of my experience, I hope you enjoy them!!

Ah, very interesting. I'll be sure to keep my ears alert for this phenomenon.

I do still want to try a Dynavector with the 1200, its supposed to be a good match.

I do still want to try a Dynavector with the 1200, its supposed to be a good match.

Somewhere, there's an XV-1S which is crying out for you to buy it.

Somewhere, there's an XV-1S which is crying out for you to buy it.

And at just north of 10 times the value of my turntable, I can buy a backup as well.

Nah, I'm thinking more like a 20XL.

Also thank you Nate and Aerius for your kind words. Also thanks to tkam for the ridiculing smiley.

And at just north of 10 times the value of my turntable, I can buy a backup as well.

Nah, I'm thinking more like a 20XL.

I know someone who put a Van den Hul Colibri on a Pro-Ject Debut for shits & giggles. As far as I know, that's the most absurd cartridge to turntable price ratio I know of.

Also thank you Nate and Aerius for your kind words.

Anytime PJ, anytime!

Anytime PJ, anytime!

I don't know about you but my goal is to provide less examples in the future, not more.

I don't know about you but my goal is to provide less examples in the future, not more.

True, but chances are we've both made enough goofs so that we can tell stories about them for a long time to come, well, at least I have. Did I tell you about the time I forgot to put the fuse in and wondered why my amp wouldn't turn on?

Did I tell you about the time I forgot to put the fuse in and wondered why my amp wouldn't turn on?

Heh, I've been guilty of that as well. My Achilles heal is wiring the headphone output with ground and Left switched. I've done it so many damn times now that I can't believe I still do it. But sure enough last night I wired up the headphone jack on the beta22 that I'm testing wrong. Good f'ing grief!

My Achilles heal is wiring the headphone output with ground and Left switched. I've done it so many damn times now that I can't believe I still do it. But sure enough last night I wired up the headphone jack on the beta22 that I'm testing wrong. Good f'ing grief!

I haven't done that one yet, but I've reversed left & right on RCA input jacks a few times and then wondered why the channels were reversed.

I always love wiring the switched portion on the Neutrik HP jacks then wondering why the hell the phones don't work when I plug em in... Damn, there was signal there before...

I always love wiring the switched portion on the Neutrik HP jacks then wondering why the hell the phones don't work when I plug em in... Damn, there was signal there before...

Oh yes, that's another good one. I always feel like Clark W. Griswold wondering why the lights won't turn on!