De-essing part 6: miscellany

Here are some few extra tips for the vinyl de-essing problem. None address the underlying problem but do give some symptom relief. 

Treble

This easy solution does remove the edge of those pesky esses a bit, although it also deadens the playback by reducing brightness; however, my ears tell me there's a net benefit. Also you don't have to turn it all the way down to hear some effect.  Not perfect by any stretch, but the functionality is already there. If your system supports it, EQ control by frequency is better still, because you can isolate the annoying bands more precisely.

Stylus force

This is not really a solution, but may work for some special purpose. Just ramp up the stylus force and you may get a better "read" from the groove. This is not recommended for everyday use however as it will wear out the vinyl in no time.

Get another

Some Lps of your collection are worn out already a no fiddling will get their music to what you remember. Why no just get another? Unless it is some kind of unique item, Ebay and Discogs more often than not will have a good copy around of your favorite album even if its decades old.

Tube amp

Not tried this one myself, but maybe a workaround is going entirely digital with the media and playing it through a tube amp (which I hear they are making a comeback) for the warmth.

Kancolle and history

I admit it. I am one of those persons who rewatch a movie or tv show and hope something different to happen when the set plot doesn't satisfy me. Mostly it is because it is sad or tragic, but always because it stings and when it is real history, specially so. Apparently I'm not alone experiencing this feeling as some others have taken matters into their hands and re-rewritten events of history to take the edge off of what cannot be changed in reality.

Case in point is that of Kantai Collection, or Kancolle for short. In it the characters, or the players in case of the of the game, relive famous events from the Pacific War from the losing Japanese perspective, and allow them to get the outcomes they want. This franchise consists of the flagship game, manga, an anime series and who knows how much else. I'll center my impressions only on the anime as it is the only one I've tried and because, as in case of Koihime Musou, the game looks like an enormous time-waster, despite, or because of its unalloyed fun.

Not to worry: what I've got from the anime is good stuff and quite good. In it the characters embody the spirits of old time Japanese warships and fight the mysterious Abyssals which have risen from the depths to menace the seas. Taken at it's face value, the premise works. But looking through the thin veil the Abyssals can be equated with the US Navy circa 1942 and the protagonists with the Japanese Navy at the time. These last even share the names of the actual ships and some of their historical quirks (poi). Seen this way the the show lends itself for an even richer immersion to the actual historical theater, which leads me to my next point.