Accession MM Capacitance/Loading Settings

Thank-you so much for your responses.

I do hope I didn`t (totally unintentionally!!) cause any offence .

The extra `hiss` did take me slightly by surprise to be honest. It will always be more noticeable for me compared to the overwhelming majority of your other Accession MM customers as all my listening is via headphones (tweaked Sennheiser HD600s) because of environmental (and marital!!) considerations.

For the avoidance of doubt, even after a brief listening session on an Accession that is nowhere near burned-in/fully optimised yet, I could never go back to the Reflex M now 

The general amount of extra musical detail; the tighter, `quicker` and more detailed bass performance, plus what also appears to be a general increase in transient performance/dynamic range clearly shows that I`ve made a very wise choice with the Accession. 

In short, it is superb, and I`m sure it will only get better in the ensuing weeks/months.

I was just seeking reassurance about the extra `hiss` which, from your comments, you seem to be suggesting is to be expected - so that is more than good enough for me . 

Graham`s analogy of a racing car (Accession) versus, say, a saloon car (Reflex M) makes complete sense to me now. 

Again, gents, my sincere thanks to you both for your interest/support in my new purchase.

Best wishes, Paul

In short, I think I`m in love! 

Where did all that extra detail and `musicality` come from?

Not to mention the extra space/separation between instruments.

The Accession MM has only been powered up since Wednesday afternoon so I know there is much more to come!

The hiss with no music playing is basically not an issue now as I have become fully `acclimatised` to the Accession MM.

The culprit is probably my Sennheiser HD600 headphones which have an impedance of 300 ohms and require a high volume setting on my Naim pre-amp to reach my desired level (which is probably louder than most people).

A headphone upgrade is on the cards this spring; maybe the Focal Clear which is much easier to drive (55 ohms) and will need a lower gain setting on the pre-amp to hit the same volume levels, so maybe less hiss evident?

One final question for Graham and Jon: I`m toying with upgrading my PSU1 to the `Enigma` but £385 is a lot of money. Would you guys accept a PSU1 as part exchange? I have the box and it is in mint condition.

Will the Accession MM take full advantage of the Enigma, or was it intended more to partner the Accession MC? I`m fully aware of the importance of the power supply in the hi-fi chain and was blown away by the difference that the `Radikal` MK2 PSU made to the performance of my L*nn LP12 

Grateful for any suggestions/comments.

However, I don't notice a huge difference between the two styli. I do notice a number of things though.

1. The LVB seems to suppress surface noise more than the regular 2M Black

2. The LVB seems a bit airier at the high end and a little better at presenting complex passages (notably, massed orchestral strings).

3. The LVB seems to dull down the lower frequencies.  

I'm wondering if changing the dip switch settings on the back of the Accension might be better with the LVB. I don't want to reject it because I'm not letting it do its best. 

Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

To test my perception about the bass, I got out some of my old rock records (normally I listen almost entirely to classical music). I listened to The Who's "Who's Next" and the whole thing sounded a bit muffled and dull. Normally, I listen with the bass/treble controls on my Outlaw Audio rr2160 amp turned completely off but I have to turn them on when I listen to rock music and turn down the bass several notches because the bass is too much. With the LVB, bass did seem excessive with the controls turned off – as I say, it sounded reduced even, which I'm thinking confirms my perception that the 2M LVB somehow muffles the bass and enhances the highs relative to the plain 2M. 

So, again, would a change in switch position likely have a positive effect on the frequency presentation of the 2M LVB?

Thanks!