Relaxed or Not Relaxed? That is The Question

here's the answer

In early November I posted a "re-do" story about the AFI Flat.Duo originally reviewed back in February. The "re-do" article included files comparing an excerpt from side one of the 4 LP one-sided reissue of the famous Reiner/CSO stereo recording of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" recorded in stereo in 1954 but not released in stereo until 1960 As LSC-1806.

After recording it I put it into the AFI Flat.Duo, set it to "Relax" mode and once it had been relaxed, I recorded it again. The cartridge was the Audio-Technica MC-2022 (single piece diamond cantilever/stylus) mounted on the SAT CF1-12 tonearm on the Wilson-Benesch Prime Meridian turntable. Phono preamp was the Luxman E-07 under review. At $7000 it's the least expensive link in the chain.

So which was which? The first file was the "relaxed" version and the second was "un-relaxed".

Comments please!

Comments

2025-12-01 07:32:24 PM

Come on wrote:

I heard what I already mentioned in the initial article (posted again below), which doesn’t speak for the relaxed version in my case.

I further just can tell what I did: I didn’t listen to it on YouTube via iPad. I extracted the audio (MP4) out of the video, converted it to lossless uncompressed AIF and played it with my DAC over the setup. Hires sample files might have been more useful in this case, but I heard what I heard and it didn’t take a forth and back, but I confirmed it with a forth and back later.

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„Just the first minute or so: second playback is more 3D already at the faint beginning and deeper reaching in bass. Following horns have more richness and 3D, following drum is more palpable, rich and with more reverb into the hall.“
2025-12-02 02:04:19 AM

Tim wrote:

Im glad this was the result! As I commented originally I much preferred the 1st file.

@Michael Fremer; as there appeaers to be differing opinions perhaps another comparison would be worthwhile?