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Post by nonuffin on Jan 14, 2020 17:01:19 GMT
I am having a bakeoff this coming Saturday and you are of course invited.
Starts at 10.00am and hope to finish by 5.00pm.
Directions how to get here to be supplied by PM only.
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Bigman80
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AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 14, 2020 17:14:12 GMT
I am having a bakeoff this coming Saturday and you are of course invited. Starts at 10.00am and hope to finish by 5.00pm. Directions how to get here to be supplied by PM only.
How unfortunate that you are probably 6hrs away from me and i am at work all day Saturday! I would have loved to bring the Bigbottle down for a listen. I hope the day is enjoyable and full of good sound. |
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Post by nonuffin on Jan 14, 2020 17:19:10 GMT
I am hoping that it will be a good 'un, even though the people that said they wanted a Cornish bakeoff have gone silent since xmas 
Never mind, there will be some great toons to listen to even though not much kit is forecast to arrive. Nice bit of lunch thrown in and there is no beating talking utter bollocks with fellow hi-fi nutters for a few hours  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 14, 2020 17:43:14 GMT
I am hoping that it will be a good 'un, even though the people that said they wanted a Cornish bakeoff have gone silent since xmas
Never mind, there will be some great toons to listen to even though not much kit is forecast to arrive. Nice bit of lunch thrown in and there is no beating talking utter bollocks with fellow hi-fi nutters for a few hours You find that. Lots of talking one up then the inevitable lack of commitment prior to the event. I am sure you will be fine, come the day |
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Post by pauld on Jan 14, 2020 18:39:00 GMT
I’m a little nearer than Oli but still around 3 hours, so will have to decline, but thank you for the invite.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2020 19:25:25 GMT
Have good one Frank
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2020 20:27:24 GMT
If you can possibly move it to within 20 miles of Skipton , I'll be there like a shot.
In fact if there's a free buffet I'll even bring the kids ! 😛
Otherwise , I hope you have a good day in darkest Cornwall..
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Post by pauld on Jan 15, 2020 8:35:45 GMT
In fact if there's a free buffet I'll even bring the kids ! 😛 LOL, that was funny! |
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Post by nonuffin on Jan 18, 2020 23:11:45 GMT
Well despite there being only the 3 of us it was a very good day of some great music to listen to and great kit to hear it on.
A very BIG thank you to Paul from Exeter and to Will of Radford Revival.
Had to go out to some friend's house this evening so will do a full report tomorrow.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 18, 2020 23:22:40 GMT
Well despite there being only the 3 of us it was a very good day of some great music to listen to and great kit to hear it on. A very BIG thank you to Paul from Exeter and to Will of Radford Revival. Had to go out to some friend's house this evening so will do a full report tomorrow. Bit remote down there matey, which is a shame. Maybe we can look at something in the Midlands areas for next year if we keep building our membership. Equidistant from most places at least |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 23:59:10 GMT
You should have called Kurtan and Kerry Bucklow.
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Post by nonuffin on Jan 19, 2020 14:26:41 GMT
I think that people who have never hosted or even attended a bakeoff may have a misguided notion that it is a giant willy waving fest with endless comparisons designed to humble or embarass anyone who hasn't spent many thousands on shiny boxes with famous badges on. Not so, in fact the best sounding gear at the bakeoffs I have been to have been items that fall way under the mainstream radar and have probably never even been reviewed, usually bunged into a heap of tangled wires for good measure and many having their origins in late night soldering projects in a loft or shed. I take my hat off to these DIY pioneers. And so to yesterday's small gathering which didn't begin too well, with Paul's beautiful TEAC VRDS player having a major sulk. It would load the CD, spin the disc and read the TOC so the laser was working, but no play beyond that and what a massive shame. I took along my AVI player and my Marantz CD63 as a back up so at least we weren't going to be short of sources. I took my Shanling DAC 50 and Paul brought 2 DACs so my Shanling sat on a table the entire time. I wanted at some point to see whether the Shanling DAC was worth keeping given the quality of the AVI internal DAC so that will be on the to do list for a while. My Quadrals were the only speakers there and although I thought the room size overwhelmed them, they did just fine according to Paul and Will. As I said above, sometimes it looks a bit of a mess and this is one of those times:  Began with my Yamaha amp and soon replaced with Will's STA-100 power amp and fed by my tiny little FX Audio valve pre. For a measly £28 delivered it really did shine coupled up to the Radford Revival power amp and to me had exceptional detail and clarity at the top end. Talking of which. here is a picture of the aforesaid power amp, freshly rebuilt and yet to be run in:  and the little FX Audio pre in action:  My little 6 way block/mains conditioner sating what the mains input voltage is:  Will brought in his 'home brew' pre-amp and although it sounded good, it did seem to lack that crisp sparkle in the upper treble that the FX Audio has:
Paul brought along his self built DAC which gave a very good account if itself so was left in for the whole time, plus a carrier bag full of CDs to play. Added to that I brought along a box full of CDs that we managed to get through most of them during the day. Top stuff. My missus did the coffee making and other catering during the day and I am very grateful that we were able to use the community centre. A couple of the other local residents popped in for a listen and were mighty impressed so I am told
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Post by dsjr on Jan 19, 2020 15:24:52 GMT
If the Teac reads the table of contents, then the usual thing with linear tracking laser sleds is contaminated runners, which can be cleaned easily enough with care in my experience.
I feel desperate about the Radford case that once housed a half decent solid state preamp albeit with noisy sliders as was fashion back then (I used to sell them and owned one for a short while), but then I hate butchered Lenco's too. I'm sure what's in the case now is pretty good though.
Glad you all had a good time.
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Post by nonuffin on Jan 19, 2020 15:32:08 GMT
If the Teac reads the table of contents, then the usual thing with linear tracking laser sleds is contaminated runners, which can be cleaned easily enough with care in my experience. I feel desperate about the Radford case that once housed a half decent solid state preamp albeit with noisy sliders as was fashion back then (I used to sell them and owned one for a short while), but then I hate butchered Lenco's too. I'm sure what's in the case now is pretty good though. Glad you all had a good time. I'm sure the TEAC player had some muck or foreign object stuck on the sled rails from the car journey so I nipped home for a set of Allen keys to pop the lid off for a look. The whole transport needed to come out for a better look but Paul said he would much rather do that at home. |
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Post by radfordrevival on Jan 19, 2020 17:31:23 GMT
I feel desperate about the Radford case that once housed a half decent solid state preamp albeit with noisy sliders as was fashion back then (I used to sell them and owned one for a short while), but then I hate butchered Lenco's too. I'm sure what's in the case now is pretty good though. Just to put your mind at ease the case was from an already gutted HD250 (came to us that way) so no intact Radfords were harmed in its making (by me anyway!)  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2020 21:46:49 GMT
Did the rug on the table improve the sound quality?
If so, expect a ‘Special Edition’ version from Russ Andrews sometime soon. All yours for circa 950 quid, chief.
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,063
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 19, 2020 23:17:01 GMT
I think that people who have never hosted or even attended a bakeoff may have a misguided notion that it is a giant willy waving fest with endless comparisons designed to humble or embarass anyone who hasn't spent many thousands on shiny boxes with famous badges on. Not so, in fact the best sounding gear at the bakeoffs I have been to have been items that fall way under the mainstream radar and have probably never even been reviewed, usually bunged into a heap of tangled wires for good measure and many having their origins in late night soldering projects in a loft or shed. I take my hat off to these DIY pioneers. And so to yesterday's small gathering which didn't begin too well, with Paul's beautiful TEAC VRDS player having a major sulk. It would load the CD, spin the disc and read the TOC so the laser was working, but no play beyond that and what a massive shame. I took along my AVI player and my Marantz CD63 as a back up so at least we weren't going to be short of sources. I took my Shanling DAC 50 and Paul brought 2 DACs so my Shanling sat on a table the entire time. I wanted at some point to see whether the Shanling DAC was worth keeping given the quality of the AVI internal DAC so that will be on the to do list for a while. My Quadrals were the only speakers there and although I thought the room size overwhelmed them, they did just fine according to Paul and Will. As I said above, sometimes it looks a bit of a mess and this is one of those times: Began with my Yamaha amp and soon replaced with Will's STA-100 power amp and fed by my tiny little FX Audio valve pre. For a measly £28 delivered it really did shine coupled up to the Radford Revival power amp and to me had exceptional detail and clarity at the top end. Talking of which. here is a picture of the aforesaid power amp, freshly rebuilt and yet to be run in: and the little FX Audio pre in action: My little 6 way block/mains conditioner sating what the mains input voltage is: Will brought in his 'home brew' pre-amp and although it sounded good, it did seem to lack that crisp sparkle in the upper treble that the FX Audio has:
Paul brought along his self built DAC which gave a very good account if itself so was left in for the whole time, plus a carrier bag full of CDs to play. Added to that I brought along a box full of CDs that we managed to get through most of them during the day. Top stuff. My missus did the coffee making and other catering during the day and I am very grateful that we were able to use the community centre. A couple of the other local residents popped in for a listen and were mighty impressed so I am told
Yes, there is a certain assumption about bakeoffs and their purpose. I have been to many and the truth is, none ever came out that way. Even where mega systems were in play, the talk was of how the music sounded, rather than how much anything cost. I also totally agree that the most interesting (to me) bakeoffs arenthe knes where the under the radar" kit is found. Nothing quite captures my attention like hearing something exquisite on something that looks like it came out of a skip. I do love a bakeoff and always enjoy the backstory surrounding the choice people have made. Bravo for putting this on. |
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Post by dsjr on Jan 19, 2020 23:53:18 GMT
OK  Don't get me wrong, the ZD22 I had for a short while was effed frankly and the pal I passed it on to spent a goodly while restoring it, something I couldn't have attempted back then I admit. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2020 8:11:27 GMT
Funny how those little FX-Audio valve pre-amps seem to sneak in everywhere. One's even sneaked it's way into my collection. |
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Post by nonuffin on Jan 20, 2020 9:55:06 GMT
Funny how those little FX-Audio valve pre-amps seem to sneak in everywhere. One's even sneaked it's way into my collection. Great little pre's for the money. Drop a pair of JAN5654W bottles in there and a bigger power supply then you are cookin' |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2020 10:03:21 GMT
Funny how those little FX-Audio valve pre-amps seem to sneak in everywhere. One's even sneaked it's way into my collection. Great little pre's for the money. Drop a pair of JAN5654W bottles in there and a bigger power supply then you are cookin' Interesting. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 20, 2020 17:19:57 GMT
I feel desperate about the Radford case that once housed a half decent solid state preamp albeit with noisy sliders as was fashion back then (I used to sell them and owned one for a short while), but then I hate butchered Lenco's too. I'm sure what's in the case now is pretty good though. Just to put your mind at ease the case was from an already gutted HD250 (came to us that way) so no intact Radfords were harmed in its making (by me anyway!) How is the development of your new amplifier going? |
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Post by radfordrevival on Jan 21, 2020 10:46:22 GMT
Just to put your mind at ease the case was from an already gutted HD250 (came to us that way) so no intact Radfords were harmed in its making (by me anyway!) How is the development of your new amplifier going? Very well! I am in the process of building up the first set of prototypes on a chassis. I have now thought through most of the details and come up with a few simplifications to how things will be physically arranged - I'm trying hard to not overcomplicate things with the layout and circuitry as these things can quickly get out of hand. I got sidetracked for a bit with improving the performance even further which luckily ended up working so was worth the time. I wanted the performance to stay respectable with the amp driving a fairly bad impedance mismatch to take into account speakers with extreme impedance swings - ones that ought to be rated half of what's on their spec plate. It appears to be capable of this now without generating excessive high order harmonics. The actually audio circuit "proper" in these is actually extremely simple, in fact simpler than many valve amps. The added complexity is in the bias servo, which has more than proven its worth as it works so amazingly well |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,063
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 21, 2020 10:48:56 GMT
How is the development of your new amplifier going? Very well! I am in the process of building up the first set of prototypes on a chassis. I have now thought through most of the details and come up with a few simplifications to how things will be physically arranged - I'm trying hard to not overcomplicate things with the layout and circuitry as these things can quickly get out of hand. I got sidetracked for a bit with improving the performance even further which luckily ended up working so was worth the time. I wanted the performance to stay respectable with the amp driving a fairly bad impedance mismatch to take into account speakers with extreme impedance swings - ones that ought to be rated half of what's on their spec plate. It appears to be capable of this now without generating excessive high order harmonics. The actually audio circuit "proper" in these is actually extremely simple, in fact simpler than many valve amps. The added complexity is in the bias servo, which has more than proven its worth as it works so amazingly well Sounds intriguing! Will it be visiting bakeoffs etc? |
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Post by radfordrevival on Jan 21, 2020 10:51:35 GMT
Very well! I am in the process of building up the first set of prototypes on a chassis. I have now thought through most of the details and come up with a few simplifications to how things will be physically arranged - I'm trying hard to not overcomplicate things with the layout and circuitry as these things can quickly get out of hand. I got sidetracked for a bit with improving the performance even further which luckily ended up working so was worth the time. I wanted the performance to stay respectable with the amp driving a fairly bad impedance mismatch to take into account speakers with extreme impedance swings - ones that ought to be rated half of what's on their spec plate. It appears to be capable of this now without generating excessive high order harmonics. The actually audio circuit "proper" in these is actually extremely simple, in fact simpler than many valve amps. The added complexity is in the bias servo, which has more than proven its worth as it works so amazingly well Sounds intriguing! Will it be visiting bakeoffs etc? Yep! A set of prototypes will be also sent around for people to try. |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,063
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 21, 2020 10:54:59 GMT
Sounds intriguing! Will it be visiting bakeoffs etc? Yep! A set of prototypes will be also sent around for people to try. Really! I'd love an opportunity to give it a listen. |
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Post by firebottle on Jan 21, 2020 11:26:15 GMT
When Will demonstrated it to me the level of bias stability was superb, almost magical.
I believe he also drove the amp into a short circuit without ill effects. Stunning design.
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 21, 2020 11:51:17 GMT
When Will demonstrated it to me the level of bias stability was superb, almost magical. I believe he also drove the amp into a short circuit without ill effects. Stunning design. High praise is that. Would be great to get it here for a listen vs the 686. Quite possibly two of the best in their respective designs That's something of interest to me anyway |
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Post by radfordrevival on Jan 21, 2020 13:08:42 GMT
When Will demonstrated it to me the level of bias stability was superb, almost magical. I believe he also drove the amp into a short circuit without ill effects. Stunning design. High praise is that. Would be great to get it here for a listen vs the 686. Quite possibly two of the best in their respective designs That's something of interest to me anyway You're welcome to try a set I just need to get 'em done first |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Jan 21, 2020 16:13:03 GMT
High praise is that. Would be great to get it here for a listen vs the 686. Quite possibly two of the best in their respective designs That's something of interest to me anyway You're welcome to try a set I just need to get 'em done first I'll hold you to that. |
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