Hello to all from a 30 year Claymore owner.

cotic

I bought my Claymore in 1986, and have been using it ever since, it has served me brillianly, with only a switch clean. I bought it with a Michell Syncro, which I also still use; and it still looks beautiful to me, even after all this time. I have a Denon CD player, about 20 years old, I also use an ipod connected to a Vista Audio (Raurk) DAB and ipad dock.
I have recently bought a pr of KEF XQ 20 speakers for £500 ex display. To my ears the Claymore and XQ20's sound fantastic with vinyl, but I have noticed an almost distorted sound with digital music, nothing too awful, but noticable. Are my new speakers perhaps showing up a weak link in my system?
I wondered if a DAC would help matters? If so which one?

I am a complete novice in HiFi matters, but have always really enjoyed all sorts of different music genres. I am happy to spend some money to upgrade my system, but do not want to be sold something that is not going to help; or make things worse, by a HiFi salesman!!

Any help from you knowledgable folk would be highly appreciated.

All the best,

Cotic

uglymusic

Hi @Cotic ;

Welcome to the Chews loony bin :-)

I'm not sure I have the answer to your digital problems, but I have a few thoughts and suggestions.

At 20 years old, your Denon CD player could be getting a bit knackered (Chews technical term, there) as well as digital having made considerable strides over that time. So the Denon may be being shown up.

On the other hand, your iPod is almost certainly playing lossy AAC files, which sound worse than CDs on a good system.

However, I'm not convinced either of these would cause a distorted sound. But you say 'almost distorted', so maybe your digital sources aren't up to your analogue source.

I guess the other possibility is something up with the Claymore, but that would mean two line inputs being sub-par. 

I'm sure someone will have some better thoughts than mine. 

cj66

The "distortion" has only manifested after the KEFs were added, is that right? As they are very standard in the electrical properties they show the amplifier I doubt there is any kind of mismatch.
Again, I doubt the Claymore is at fault unless the greater gain from digital source(s) is showing something up that the phono section does not??? A problem some people have had, myself included, is a faulty input selector on the Claymore. You say this has been cleaned before so you've had reason to question its performance in the past.

Do you run the iPod through the system or is that dock self contained only? See if you can get the iPod to play lossless files through the Claymore.
Maybe you can borrow a more recent CD player from a friend to check if that has the same problem. Don't forget to check the interconnect cables as well. Try another set just in case.

cotic

Thanks very much uglymusic and cj66 for your kind help. I run the ipod, which is docked on my Vita audio dock/DAB player, via Cambridge interconnects to the Claymore. I will try out your suggestions and report back.

All the best.

AntiCrap

Hi,

The Claymore came in a few versions has Darwin got his hands on them.

Can you tell me which version?

No then open lid and post photo please.

On the early Claymore I used (cough spit) digital MPX to select the input and they can over load, but that will be very easily put right. 

So Photo please

Best Col

cotic

  Hi Col,

Thanks very much for your reply. I have looked on the back of the Claymore, and the serial no box has what looks like ( it is very faded) 60  69 written in the box, does that help? If not I will send photos.

 Listening to the music again this morning, I think the problem may lie with the fact that I am using a poor quality source to play my music. Prior to buying the XQ20's, I had a pr of budget KEF Q15's, which I think may have hidden the shortcomings of using an ipod and an old CD player. This morning the music sounded unclear, rather than distorted as I originally posted.

 I originally bought the Claymore and Syncro, pre wife and child, since then I have not had the time or disposable income to worry about sound quality very much. Now child has finished University and left home, I have time and a bit of extra cash, so I can renew my hifi interest.

Rather than update my 20 year old CD player, I would like to use a computer based source; I have stopped buying CD's, I look for vinyl for special music and download anything else. As you can probably tell, I do not have a clue about digital music and the best way to play it, I have missed out on about 20 years of progress!!

What is the best way to go about upgrading my system, so that I can still use my Syncro for vinyl, but download digital music?

Can you or other Chew members recommend a way forward re the best purchases to upgrade my digital source, I guess I can spend around £1500 if I need to, but would obviously prefer to spend less if I can. However, I would rather spend more now than "spoil the ship for a hapeth of tar"

I am rather excited to learn about what I have missed out on over the years, and experimenting with my system again after all this time. I had lots of fun 30 years ago, experimenting with all sorts of wierd and wonderful things that I found out about in hifi mags, usually with no success, or to the detriment the sound quality!

Thanks again for your reply.

All the best,

Simon

cotic

 Hi Col,

I have taken some photos, but can't see how to attach them to the post?

uglymusic

cotic said:

  Hi Col,

Thanks very much for your reply. I have looked on the back of the Claymore, and the serial no box has what looks like ( it is very faded) 60  69 written in the box, does that help? If not I will send photos.

 Listening to the music again this morning, I think the problem may lie with the fact that I am using a poor quality source to play my music. Prior to buying the XQ20's, I had a pr of budget KEF Q15's, which I think may have hidden the shortcomings of using an ipod and an old CD player. This morning the music sounded unclear, rather than distorted as I originally posted.

 I originally bought the Claymore and Syncro, pre wife and child, since then I have not had the time or disposable income to worry about sound quality very much. Now child has finished University and left home, I have time and a bit of extra cash, so I can renew my hifi interest.

Rather than update my 20 year old CD player, I would like to use a computer based source; I have stopped buying CD's, I look for vinyl for special music and download anything else. As you can probably tell, I do not have a clue about digital music and the best way to play it, I have missed out on about 20 years of progress!!

What is the best way to go about upgrading my system, so that I can still use my Syncro for vinyl, but download digital music?

Can you or other Chew members recommend a way forward re the best purchases to upgrade my digital source, I guess I can spend around £1500 if I need to, but would obviously prefer to spend less if I can. However, I would rather spend more now than "spoil the ship for a hapeth of tar"

I am rather excited to learn about what I have missed out on over the years, and experimenting with my system again after all this time. I had lots of fun 30 years ago, experimenting with all sorts of wierd and wonderful things that I found out about in hifi mags, usually with no success, or to the detriment the sound quality!

Thanks again for your reply.

All the best,

Simon

Hi Simon

The First Rule of Chews Club is not to mention digital to Colin (you'll see why shortly ;-) ).

On the matter of posting photos, you need to put them on some photo hosting or Dropbox, click on the button on Chews that looks like a picture, TV screen or old Polaroid picture and paste the link into the field.

It's getting late and Murray has just won the Gold Medal, so I'm going to bed. I'll try to make some recommendations about digital playback tomorrow.

AntiCrap

Digital, is ok for turning light ON and OFF but for music, just keep taking the pils Dave. Bloody sickos should be banned when digital is preferred to real music.

Simon Alan and Dave and Paul and James and Ben are all digital techno freaks not me, it is ok for light but not music, life is only ON and OFF when your dead and not before OK

uglymusic

AntiCrap said:

Digital, is ok for turning light ON and OFF but for music, just keep taking the pils Dave. Bloody sickos should be banned when digital is preferred to real music.

Simon Alan and Dave and Paul and James and Ben are all digital techno freaks not me, it is ok for light but not music, life is only ON and OFF when your dead and not before OK

Simon. See what I mean? You actually got away with it lightly there. Poor old chap has trouble keeping up with the modern world :-)

cotic

Sorry if I've offended/sinned;  I also want to update my Syncro if that is any consolation. It had been stored out of harms way for a number of years, but has just been dusted off and reintroduced to it's old friend the Claymore.

It has it's original Linn Basik+ tonearm and a very old Stilton Nagaoka cartridge (1980's again), but it stll sounds better than my CD player or the ipod!

I have ordered some new springs for it and a new belt. The next step will probably be a new arm and cartridge, so again any advice from Chew members would be highly useful and appreciated.

I'll post the pics of the Claymore when I have mastered the technology to post them.

All the best.

Simon

Suzy6toes

"sinned" - love that! You're getting the hang of Chews real fast Simon

farout

Blasphemy you sinner lol  welcome aboard Simon this is a great place to be

cj66

You know it's taking over, that's why it's called DIG-IT-ALL.........groan

cotic

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome, this may be the begining of a beautiful relationship

:-*

cotic

Hi Col,   Not sure if this has worked, I tried to link the photos. If not I'll try again.

 

uglymusic

That's a link to a PDF that shows you you to use Dropbox. 

What's the URL of the image you want to post?

AntiCrap

Ben wrote a few digital year ago , chooooke spuke that word like the music is un-digestible and is not a German Gift but poison.

How to put photos up on chew over to Ben.

Your Turn Ben

uglymusic

Ben's on holiday. You'll have to put up with me!

cotic

Thanks uglymusic,

I have just tried again, so hopefully it has worked this time. As you can tell, I havn't used Dropbox before. I usually send photos via my phone.

If it hasn't worked, I'll try again, I always get there in the end!!

All the best,

Simon

Suzy6toes

Simon, I use PhotoBucket. Doc Foster posted a thread called James' Tutorial (Aug 2015), and I just follow the instructions he put on there. 

Good luck

cotic

I've tried again, but it doesn't seem as straightforwad as it pretends to be, or maybe it's just me!
If this try doesn't work, I'll try PhotoBucket as you suggest Suzy, thanks for that.

All the best,

Simon

cotic

Oh dear, it looks like another failure!!!

 I'll try Photobucket and the tutorial tomorrow, too weary tonight.

Thanks again Suzy.

cotic

One last try while I'm having my lunch!

cj66

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1g7hdc10bm982xw/P1030626.JPG?dl=0

This is how Dropbox links work.

Copy your photo into the dropbox folder on your PC while logged in, it will automatically synchronise with your online folder. Go to said online folder and next to the photo or the folder containing more than one photo click on "share". Then click on "create link" and then on "copy link". Paste that directly to the message box here without use of the image tool from the bar above the message box. Hit return twice (I've found this helps on most links in this particular forum) and post or write your message after those two returns.

cj66

Alternatively, bring up the photo from the online dropbox and right click, from there choose "Copy Image Location", come here and click on the Insert Image icon from the bar, paste in the link y voila!

uglymusic

Perhaps even a little easier.

Put your images in the Public folder in DropBox, and then you don't have to worry about sharing.

cotic

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/osmvgtszbq36n4d/AADSbmRHEoH9PnqmhDc9Fp_Ta?dl=0

Thanks very much for your help cj66 and uglymusic. I hope this has worked, as my poor old brain is starting to hurt!

cotic

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rkqffz7oepy5v3q/P1000959.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iksx0b17e372dp7/AADR5lJLiPQxfCWAWKdD5pKua?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/osmvgtszbq36n4d/AADSbmRHEoH9PnqmhDc9Fp_Ta?dl=0

Another try.

**Admin edit... I've embedded the photos using
right click on image > copy image location
from the Dropbox photos.
This must differ in some way from the photos URL addresses. I don't know why / how.
Docfoster***

cotic

It seems to have worked from my end, what joy!!!!!!!

uglymusic

The links work, but I'm wondering why the images won't embed. All of the images I put on Chews are from my Public folder on Dropbox.

AntiCrap

OK it is a version 6 thus no digital switch, so it could be something external, but if you test that first please then if you like send it on to me to give a look over.

Best Col

cotic

Thanks very much Col, I'll do as you suggest.

All the best,

Simon

Docfoster

cj66 said:

Alternatively, bring up the photo from the online dropbox and right click, from there choose "Copy Image Location", come here and click on the Insert Image icon from the bar, paste in the link y voila!

As I discovered, this is apparently the way to do it for an image in Dropbox.
I've edited Cotic's post above accordingly.

cotic

Hi Col,

I have swapped around external sources and I can hear what sounds to me to be a low level intermitant distrtion/buzz, it seems to be coming just from the right channel. If you could take a look over, that would brilliant; and very kind! 

Also, I noticed that you have an Atom amp in the for sale section. I wondered if that would be a good buy for me?
 I want to set up 2 systems, 1 with the Claymore and Syncro (as it was 30 years ago), which I am very happy with.
And another CD/Computer system (which I already know you detest) for which I need an amp.

As always, expert advice would be much appreciated.

AntiCrap

Hi yes send the Claymore over, many folk have had Atom I do have a couple up for sale, but the Q20 from E.W.A.Ltd is a much better amp, so wait for that, some will be rolling of production soon.

Dave has got 2 Atom's now modified by me and Alan B and Alan E have both had a play with them.But the Q20 is much better.

cotic

Thanks very much for looking at my Claymore,where do I send it to?

And thanks very much for the amp advice. I will certainly have a Q20 when available. I have not heard of the EWA Q20, is it one of your designs? Is it an integrated amp or a power amp?

Thanks again.

All  the best,

Simon

AntiCrap

See private msg.