Author: DOuG pRATt

If This is Sunday, It Must be Denmark

Thorens TD-166 Mk II turntable (1983) with Ortofon Super OM 20 cartridge.

Phono cartridge brands I have known and (mostly) loved, in the order I first experienced each of them: Pickering, Shure, Ortofon, Audio Technica, Stanton, Grado, Micro-Acoustics, and Sony. That’s a very short list, compared to many vinyl other enthusiasts!

The Sony XL-MC1 is my only moving coil cartridge. The electret transducer in my Micro-Acoustics 3002 is perhaps the most advanced technology ever implemented for phono reproduction, with the exception of the ELP laser turntable.

There are numerous other makers of phono cartridges today, especially with high-end models, but from within that list only Ortofon, Audio-Technica, and Grado remain.

My all-around favorite in sound and tracking ability is Ortofon of Denmark, with the Super OM 20 being my best cartridge. Mounted and aligned in my well-maintained Thorens TD-166 MKII turntable, it is certainly the best tracking cartridge I am using. Ortofon continues its video series on what makes quality phono cartridges work the way they do.

Ten Years After

As I did ten years ago, on Monday I will be at the starting line of the Boston Marathon as a spectator. It’s an event I used to participate in, until one of my ankles decided that 10k was the longest distance it felt like running.

These are the posts I put online April 15, 2013, shortly after hearing about the explosions at the finish line.

Explosions at finish line of Boston Marathon

Boston, you’re my home

Air

Haier products were everywhere when I bought this air conditioner fifteen years ago, but the brand seems to have disappeared from stores.

I’d forgotten it’s 11,500 BTU’s, and extra heavy, so getting the thing out of the house was a struggle.

Dropping off the old A/C at the big trash and recycling center this morning cost $50, but I should be getting a $40 rebate from the Mass Save energy program for the new LG. At 8,000 BTU’s it’s quieter than the Haier was when running.

And that’s about as mundane as a blog post can be.