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Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-05-25 15:01
by TMV
I listened to Slipsik 7 two times before buying it.

First time I compared to Gaio 2 that I was thinking of upgrading to but Slipsik 7 pulled out the music so much better.

Second time I brought my Kinki 2 to my dealer and also compared to a Slipsik 5.1.
Kinki 2 was a bit dull compared to Slipsik 5.1 that made the music much easier to understand but with a "HiFi tone". Slipsik 7 made it so much easier to hear and follow the music but without adding any tone by itself. Just music!

However, first time I used the new Slipsik 7 in my system I was a bit disappointed. Went away a few days and after that I have been very happy playing record after record! It´s more feelings, better rhythms, much easier to hear what is going on, more energy and live feeling. I can play at low volume and still enjoy, but I want to play loud! :) Thanks!

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-05-26 13:52
by lejonklou
Thank you for sharing your impressions, u252agz and TMV! They made me happy.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-05-29 17:32
by DavidHB
@TMV My experience was somewhat similar to yours. Though I never found the performance of the Slipsik 7 "disappointing", I did experience what seemed to be a step-change improvement in clarity and presence after I had (because of other commitments) not listened to the system for the better part of a day and then came back to it. And, as previously reported, I continue to enjoy using it.

Following Fred's report that the first 50 Slipsik 7 units sold very quickly, my dealer tells me that the Lejonklou phono stages are selling very well for him. I must get round to putting my Gaio on the market ...

David

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-05-30 13:31
by u252agz
6 days on and I can confirm that my Rega Planar 3 has been utterly transformed by Slipsik 7 and with Boazu and Komponent 110s makes for a great Bedroom system.

As others have pointed out the music has been getting better the more I use the Slipsik.

I compared the same album on digital with the sneaky and the now the turbo charged RP3 and the turntable is in a different league.

As it stands the Slipsik 7 may well end up remainng in the Bedroom and my LP12 will stay with Slipsik 6.1 for now.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-04 12:09
by mbabst
I received my Slipsik 7 yesterday and it sounds wonderful out of the box and it even will improve. Great work Fredrik! My friend who owns a Urika II and Krystal came over and he was impressed too. Great soundstage and musicality. Never heard a MM system sounding that good. Time to save for a Ekos now and I don't have to care about Urika and Krystal.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-04 13:08
by lejonklou
mbabst wrote: 2019-06-04 12:09 I received my Slipsik 7 yesterday and it sounds wonderful out of the box and it even will improve. Great work Fredrik! My friend who owns a Urika II and Krystal came over and he was impressed too. Great soundstage and musicality. Never heard a MM system that sounded so good. Time to save for a Ekos now and I don't have to care about Urika and Krystal.
Thank you for your kind words, mbabst!

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-04 20:01
by u252agz
Finally got access to my LP12 and replaced Slipsik 6.1 with version 7, now with a few hours of burn in with the RP3.

Wow - it took all of 3 seconds of London Grammars 'Hey Now' to realise that this a huge upgrade over an already fantastic phonostage.

Further listening confirmed that everything is just so much better- more musical for sure, but so many details and nuances revealed and the bass is magnificent. The control and quality of this is just sublime, and makes me appreciate what these 242s are capable of in this department.

it may sound ridiculous but this upgrade seems to be every bit enjoyable as the Majik power supply - Radikal or Akito to Ekos SE upgrade, and for the price and ease of installation perhaps the best value of all for those with Adikt.

Great work Fredrick - if the next MM phonostage is as big as an improvement, please put me on the waiting list.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-06 13:05
by mbabst
Btw has anyone tried a MC step up transformer with the Slipsik 7 and a Linn Krystal?

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-06 20:27
by lejonklou
u252agz: Thank you!

It really does seem like Slipsik 7 is becoming my fastest selling and most highly praised product since I started Lejonklou HiFi in 2005.

mbabst: I have planned to test this soon!

I now have two active MC input stages developed (one is the best that I can do and the second is identical in design but uses the second best selected components) that I wish to compare with a transformer+Slipsik 7 combination. I'm quite excited by this, having recently met and discussed the matter with one of the best transformer manufacturers in the world.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-09 19:58
by Cynicsquared
I’m new here and hope you’re going to excuse if this post is in the wrong place!
I run a few linn lp12, KDSM, twin systems with various arms, cartridges and speakers.
My reason for writing is that in my study system I have a Gaio/2 and Boazu 1.1 which I acquired two weeks ago.
To cut to the chase, it is so musical, enjoyable and uplifting that I can’t be bothered going back to my main setup.
In fact I think I may need to put the records away and get some sleep, after I’ve ordered the Slipsik 7 and listened to the other side of this Supertramp album!
Thank you Fredrik
Stand back
True OCGenius at work in Uppsala.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-10 20:22
by lejonklou
Cynicsquared wrote: 2019-06-09 19:58 I’m new here and hope you’re going to excuse if this post is in the wrong place!
I run a few linn lp12, KDSM, twin systems with various arms, cartridges and speakers.
My reason for writing is that in my study system I have a Gaio/2 and Boazu 1.1 which I acquired two weeks ago.
To cut to the chase, it is so musical, enjoyable and uplifting that I can’t be bothered going back to my main setup.
In fact I think I may need to put the records away and get some sleep, after I’ve ordered the Slipsik 7 and listened to the other side of this Supertramp album!
Thank you Fredrik
Stand back
True OCGenius at work in Uppsala.
Welcome to the forum, Cynicsquared!

Wow, so many systems!

It feels fantastic to hear that you're so pleased with Gaio 2 and Boazu 1.1.

I don't know that an OCGenius is, but it sounds so positive that it can't possibly stand for Offensive Coordinator. And Orange County doesn't make any sense. Perhaps Original Content or Officer Commanding?

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-12 09:50
by u252agz
Obsessive Compulsive, along with Genius would perhaps best describe the qualities needed to produce some of the brilliant equipment coming from Lejonklou HQ.

Slipsik 7 may be the latest and most favourably reviewed at the moment, but I think the Sagatuns, Tundras and Boazu have been received with equal enthusiasm, and rightly so.

Looking forward to a new MC phonostage which could partner the Krystal and give a more affordable option to those with Adikt, who do not want to stretch to Kandid/Singularity and wish to avoid exakt /KDSM.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-12 21:00
by ThomasOK
I'm surprised Fredrik didn't get this, unless he was just being purposely obtuse. Especially since he mentioned to me that one of his friends told him he had OCO - Obsessive Compulsive Order - since he used it to make great products and a living, it couldn't really be a Disorder.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-06-14 12:07
by HIDDENSYSTEMS
Cynicsquared wrote: 2019-06-09 19:58 I’m new here and hope you’re going to excuse if this post is in the wrong place!
I run a few linn lp12, KDSM, twin systems with various arms, cartridges and speakers.
My reason for writing is that in my study system I have a Gaio/2 and Boazu 1.1 which I acquired two weeks ago.
To cut to the chase, it is so musical, enjoyable and uplifting that I can’t be bothered going back to my main setup.
In fact I think I may need to put the records away and get some sleep, after I’ve ordered the Slipsik 7 and listened to the other side of this Supertramp album!
Thank you Fredrik
Stand back
True OCGenius at work in Uppsala.
Glad you like and pleasure to meet you

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-11-15 13:40
by maffe
Yesterday at a demo evening at Toläget I got a reminder of how great the slipsik7 is.
Anders played Rega Elex-R with internal riaa vs Gaio2, Gaio2 bettered the Rega. After that it was Boazo with Gaio vs Rega and Gaio. Boazo was just simply better, maybe not a surprise and to a x2,5 price.
Next battle Boazo with Gaio2 and Slipsik7 and wow talk about big difference!
Sagatun+Tundra stereo was little better then Boazo but the biggest step in musicality was def Slipsik7.
Source was a Akurate LP12 with Adikt standing on Harmonyshelf, top shelf was a first outing of a new design (can’t remember the name) speakers was Akubarik.

I could easily live with any of the combinations, the elix-R is not bad, just the Boazo and Gaio2 better it by a margin (and price) and then there’s the Slipsik7...

Again a great evening at Tonläget, really nice evening and people participating:)

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-11-16 19:09
by lejonklou
Thank you for the report, maffe! I heard from others that it was a very good demo, where every step made sense. I wish I could have been there.

Slipsik is now selling twice as much as Gaio. It used to be the other way around. And this despite Gaio costing half as much as Slipsik. Interesting.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-11-17 23:05
by u252agz
I think people are realising just how much of a Turntables performance is unlocked by a good phonostage - and happy to pay (what in LP12 terms is a small ) premium for the benefit.

Phonostages may be at the tail end of a Turntables upgrade list, but good ones seem to produce a combination of musical and sound improvements that can be quite shocking in terms of value for money.

If Entity is in the same league as Slipsik 7 - it may also become one of your best sellers.

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-11-18 12:46
by DavidHB
lejonklou wrote: 2019-11-16 19:09Slipsik is now selling twice as much as Gaio. It used to be the other way around. And this despite Gaio costing half as much as Slipsik. Interesting.
My dealer told me this, too. After six months with the Slipsik 7 (which replaced a Gaio 1), I can understand why. Once you have used the Slipsik for a while, you realise how easy it is to listen to; it seems to do everything right without drawing attention to itself. I am very happy indeed with my Adikt/Slipsik 7 pairing, which is on the front end of a reasonably high spec LP12 (Cirkus/Radikal (nachined version)/Kore/Trampolin/Ekos SE/1).

A friend and I recently jointly purchased a relatively high end Record Cleaning Machine (the Keith Monks DiscoveryOne Redux), which is transforming our LP experience. So I'm starting to ask myself whether a further LP12 upgrade will be worthwhile. When the Adikt and Slipsik 7 are so good, should I follow the Linn hierarchy, and replace the Kore with a Keel as the first step? Or should I take the plunge and upgrade to Entity/Krystal? Choices, choices ...

David

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-11-18 21:13
by David Neel
DavidHB wrote: 2019-11-18 12:46 When the Adikt and Slipsik 7 are so good, should I follow the Linn hierarchy, and replace the Kore with a Keel as the first step? Or should I take the plunge and upgrade to Entity/Krystal? Choices, choices ...
I'm quite sure you know that you need the Keel first! As for the phono stage, you (IIRC) have exakt and can therefore use the Urika 2. I've heard Urika 1 vs 2 in a klimax exakt system, and there's no doubt that in that context the U2 is very impressive indeed - it seems to offer the same sort of improvement that exakt itself does. I've tried to use my words carefully here, because I'm not an unqualified admirer of exakt. Anyway, your findings will be interesting...

Re: Slipsik 7

Posted: 2019-11-19 00:39
by DavidHB
David Neel wrote: 2019-11-18 21:13I'm quite sure you know that you need the Keel first!
Yes, that is what my head is telling me. Up to now, I have shied away from MC cartridges, for the familiar cost of ownership and logistic reasons, well documented on the Lejonklou website. And this afternoon's listening (to a pair of records which, the sleeves tell me, I bought in August 1962 and which with the LP12 and the Slipsik sound fresher than ever) reminds me that what I already have will be hard to improve upon.
David Neel wrote: 2019-11-18 21:13As for the phono stage, you (IIRC) have Exakt and can therefore use the Urika 2. I've heard Urika 1 vs 2 in a klimax exakt system, and there's no doubt that in that context the U2 is very impressive indeed - it seems to offer the same sort of improvement that Exakt itself does. I've tried to use my words carefully here, because I'm not an unqualified admirer of Exakt. Anyway, your findings will be interesting.
I can actually give you some of those findings now, because my dealer (Chris of Hidden Systems) did demonstrate in my Exakt system a full spec LP12, with Keel, Kandid and Urika II fitted. The result was indeed amazing; even Chris was astonished at the soundstage produced by my Akubariks. Sadly, the total extra cost was (and probably remains) way outside my budget. Entity with the Krystal is interesting, because it might be affordable as the next step after the Keel. By my reckoning it would be less than half of the cost of the Kandid and Urika II together. Now you are going to tell me that most of that difference will be in the cartridge, rather than the phono stage ...

So the great unknown is: which would be better in my system, Entity or Urika II? Obviously, the jury is out unless and until I can hear them both in a reasonably representative system. But, bearing in mind what he has achieved with the Slipsik (and SINGularity of course), I don't think that it is beyond the bounds of possibility that Fred L. has pulled the rabbit out of the hat with Entity as well.

In this comparison, I suspect that Exakt as such is irrelevant. Urika II is not an Exakt device, and works in non-Exakt systems. It connects to the Exakt ports on a Linn DS or DSM for both signal and timing, so it needs to be hosted by an Exakt-ready device, but not necessarily a full Exakt system. My Slipsik is currently, and the Entity would also be, connected to an analogue port on my KEDSM, which is served by an ADC that is identical to the ones in the Urika. Admittedly, the Urika has a dual ADC configuration, but it has to get its clocking from the parent DS(M). Once you take away the fact that the equalisation in the Urika is (partly) digital, the signal paths of the two phono stages are perhaps not as different as they might appear. All the true Exakt processing is downstream of the inputs and is identical for both devices.

I have been using Exakt pretty much daily for over three years now, and my abiding view of it is not that it is clever technology (though it is), but that it gives me the most natural sounding and easy to listen to music reproduction I have had in well over half a century of following the Hi-Fi hobby. And my LP12, with the Slipsik, seems to be as much at home with it as the digital sources. In fact the best thing I can say about Exakt is that, most of the time, I forget that it is part of my system. That's not the way you think of Exakt, I know. Fair enough; life would be pretty boring if we all had the same opinions.

David

Slipsik 7.1

Posted: 2020-01-23 21:49
by lejonklou
A new and improved version of Slipsik is now official: Slipsik 7.1.

What has changed is the damping inside the case. The result is a Slipsik that lets notes fade out a little more precisely. I expected it to be a small improvement, but when I have tried reverting to the 7.0 damping the music just doesn't flow as easily and within seconds I feel that I want to return to 7.1. So it's really worthwhile.

The price of new units remains the same. Older Slipsik 7's can of course be upgraded and it's a quick procedure that takes 20-30 minutes. The cost of the upgrade is just a small work fee (and postage when applicable).

Marco and I have decided to offer the upgrade free of charge for those who bring their Slipsik 7's to the Norddeutschen HiFi-Tage in Hamburg on the 1st to 2nd of February.

Re: Slipsik 7.1

Posted: 2020-01-24 17:42
by ThomasOK
I have upgraded the three units I had here, one of which shipped out to a dealer without me being able to listen to it. But I did a comparison yesterday by listening to two new units, then upgrading one and comparing again. I was literally quite surprised how much more real the guitar, vocal, drums, etc. all sounded on Aqualung with the change in damping. It was immediately clear that this just sounded more real, more natural and more engaging.

The reason for the surprise is that it is a rather small amount of damping that is removed - literally under 3% of the damping pad is trimmed away. But the result is quite enjoyable and was clear on both the units I upgraded and listened to. It never ceases to amaze me the musical differences these small things can make, even more so that Fredrik finds these things - great work! The Slipsik 7 was already a truly superb MM phono stage, taking it to 7.1 makes it even more sublime.

Re: Slipsik 7.1

Posted: 2020-01-25 20:13
by Defender
thank you for the wonderful news ... it just makes my decision again more tough.

Before the Entity came out I was sure to get the Slipsik 7 and an Adikt and save up money for the Ekos SE.
Since I have the LP12 it plays music of about 3hours per week day and maybe 6hours every day on the weekend when the weekend allows it.
I am afraid of the continuous running costs for an MC system as I might be able to wear it down in 1-1.5years even if my habits change for a little bit less time spent with music.

Now my mind gives me a lot of good arguments for both directions meaning getting an Entity or a Slipsik.
One thing I want to be sure is: if I move from the Arkiv B/Linto to an Adikt/Slipsik 7 would that be a step up or a step down?

Re: Slipsik 7.1

Posted: 2020-01-25 20:24
by OscarH
Hi Defender,

I’m afraid I can’t help you in the actual audio comparison but I suspect many others can chime in.

I do however have a fair bit of experience from hobbies/interests with high running costs (mainly sports in my case). I would strongly recommend to buy equipment you can afford to use without feeling guilty. I know too many people with expensive bicycles who don’t want to use them unless the weather is perfect... and what’s the fun in that?

I’m probably MM for life. Think I’m on the tenth album today.

My 2 cents...

Re: Slipsik 7.1

Posted: 2020-01-25 21:15
by lejonklou
Defender wrote: 2020-01-25 20:13 One thing I want to be sure is: if I move from the Arkiv B/Linto to an Adikt/Slipsik 7 would that be a step up or a step down?
Hi Defender!

That is a step down. If you at the same time upgrade something that is higher in the hierarchy (arm, subchassis, motor), it will be a step up.

I know many who've taken this step down (MC to MM) and the easiest way to cope with it seems to be to run the MC until it's really worn. Then, just before it starts sounding really bad and potentially begin harming the records, it will feel like an upgrade.