I have for some time used youtube to demo differences between different hifi gear. I stumbled upon a man called "pasinee" who has uploaded many recordings of his changing system and what a system he has.
With the Sondek as his main source he has compared Lingo/Radikal and Sondek against Klimax DS (analog versus digital) among other things.
I find this extremely helpful when trying to find out which way to go with my system.

Have any of you used youtube the same way and what do you think about it?

Hi beck. Only to look at the totem element range. There's some pretty decent videos youtube but you can't get too much idea about sound quality off them though but it's handy to get an idea of looks and size.

To me it is funny how (what I never expected to be a problem in the world of hifi) the relation between notes being played often gets obscured on the way to the listener. It can happen in the recording proces and on the way through a hifi system.
It has come as quite a surprise to me that it is so easy to hear the problem even when listening to recordings through digital gear on youtube.

beck wrote:I have for some time used youtube to demo differences between different hifi gear. I stumbled upon a man called "pasinee" who has uploaded many recordings of his changing system and what a system he has.
With the Sondek as his main source he has compared Lingo/Radikal and Sondek against Klimax DS (analog versus digital) among other things.

Do you have links to where "he has compared Lingo/Radikal" or "Sondek against Klimax DS" - I tried searching on YouTube, but there are too many videos in the pasinee channel...

Just use the words lingo, radikal and linn and it should jump right at you. Find the ones by Pasinee. Then listen to the uploads with the same length to hear the difference between lingo and radikal. Not educated in links! :-(

The other one is called "High Rez file vs LP12".

I thought you meant a single video comparing Lingo & Radikal. Since they're separate uploads, is there any indication that the only thing to change between videos is Lingo to Radikal - no charge in recording settings, position, listening volume, etc?

No change! He has very carefully made recordings of the same setup before and after implementing the Radikal.

High Rez file vs LP12 is one upload.

Just listen and make up your own mind!

Now you're really taking the piss.

No, my pants are still dry. Take a listen and make up your own mind.

I haven't seen/heard these youtube videos, but there are many instances when I have been baffled by how the quality of a source can survive the most brutal treatment later in "the chain".

For instance, I have several times demonstrated how the Tune Method works through a telephone. For instance: You adjust the tracking force on your LP12, gradually increasing it and each time playing ten seconds of a song. Your phone is placed in the room and I'm somewhere else, listening on my phone to each clip with a new and higher tracking force.

In this situation, it's not too difficult for me to say when the tracking force is optimal, although the sound I'm hearing is really bad. It's weird that this works, but it does. It's the hierarchy at play - the quality of the source shines through even when the playback is terrible (and here we can stop for a moment and think about how many people are spending time on room correction these days).

One important thing though: The Tune Method by Telephone is not super reliable. It's easy to confuse the listener on the phone by for instance fiddling with the order or being dishonest of what changes are being made. And as a listener it's easy to become unsure and make mistakes. So use it with care and just the right amount of scepticism.

And while doing the silly things I do, I stumble upon a lump of gold. One of the records Pasinee is playing is the incredible sounding album Fairytales with Radka Toneff. I did not know this record.

If you own a Sondek this record should be in your collection even if it is expensive.

beck wrote:No change! He has very carefully made recordings of the same setup before and after implementing the Radikal.

Well, the '12 sits on a rack vs KDS that sits on the floor and apparently is fed from a PC (or a HDD connected to a PC.
Not a well executed comparison imho.

That is true but I was talking about comparing the LP12 + Lingo2 uploads with the LP12 Radikal uploads made in april 2010.

I think we can all agree on the following: it would not be wise to buy equipment based on a clip on youtube.
What youtube on the other hand offers to us is a peek at some of the gear we would never have a chance to listen to that might be worth having a closer look at.

If I had the money and was building up a new hifi system I would seek out and make real life demos of the equipment "Pasinee" uses in his Lingo/Radikal uploads from 2010. I think it would make me smile when listening.