Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 16, 2018 9:53:09 GMT
It’s not an easy thing to do: Items take up a good bit of space; they need regular workouts and they mark easily if you look at them the wrong way. I’m hoping to keep a collection of integrated amps, but I expect my own minimalist/decluttering urges or regular moving around will make it short-lived, I just wondered what others have stashed away, and do they think of it as a collection?
I remember Audio Al setting up his new room with all that shelving. Now he’s a collector! The thing is, I’m not sure I could make domestic compromises to have it on display. I couldn’t live with loads of wires either.How does he cope with dusting? I could just keep it boxed and bring it out when I want to use it, but that seems a bit of a waste. Should I just play for a while then put the stuff back out there so it can Ben used and loved?
Any thoughts on collecting hifi ?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 12:43:52 GMT
I don't know why you'd have money tied up in things just for display purposes like some do. Also, I haven't got enough money to stockpile kit so whatever I buy is usually with one eye on the next upgrade.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 16, 2018 14:33:02 GMT
I guess it’s a bit like classic car collectors. They just want to own and cherish the items, At least hifi is a bit easier to store, but you can’t just whack it in a garage.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 14:45:49 GMT
I don't collect Hi-Fi, but seem to end up with an accumulation. I know people do things like deciding they need every integrated amplifier from the Pioneer 1974 range or every Shure catrtridge they can find. Not my style. I'm just lazy at shifting stuff on and like to keep a back-up item (or two  ). |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 15:25:32 GMT
I have got;
3 CDP's - 2 CD3.5, CA CD5
2 TT's - PL71, LP12
3 TT power supplies - lingo, Taps2, Geddon clone
3 phono stages- NVA phono1, Naim stageline, Naim 323 boards
2 integrated amps - NVA ap20, Nait2
2 Naim Nap140
1 Nac 72
4 Avondale Voyager monoblocs
2 Avondale NCC200 amps (not voyager but pimped up)
2 NVA based monoblocs working
4 NVA monoblocs yet to build (still in bits waiting)
3 pairs of manufactured speakers - B&W P4, B&W CM1, MS 902S (was)
1 set of diy speakers - don't have a name for them apart from ugly
Pair of Marantz imperial cabs with a ton of steel glued in - have not finished with these yet
Loads of Naim interconnects- some butchered or shortened
TIS x2
LS6 x2
Avondale blacklink
Nainm Naca5
LS2
Super sound chord
BMU
Loads of transformers, rectifiers, caps, inductors, resistors and other faff
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 15:35:18 GMT
Well different items to me, but looks a similar quantity. I'm too lazy to list it all though.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 16, 2018 15:51:26 GMT
That’s quite a bit more than I have, I hate bits hanging around and I usually clear them out, only to forget and then spend hours searching! Cables and cartridges I always forget about selling.
I don’t like a high box count, largely due to wiring. It’s a PITA to clean too. Another pet hate is captive mains leads. Yeah, I know they are meant to sound better but they just aren’t practical for me. It’s often the cause of scratched top plates of kit too. Given me an IEC socket every time,
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 16:15:20 GMT
What ya need is an amp with the mains cord system of a vac inside. Press the button in and it gets pulled inside with only the plug left outside.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 16:32:03 GMT
Tried some of this hifi collecting. I don't like the feeling of owning more than 2 amps. Knowing that one of them isn't getting any use will make me feel edgy. Same goes to speakers.
I can own a max of two headphones. Three will again make me feel edgy.
S.
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Post by macca on Oct 16, 2018 17:08:05 GMT
What ya need is an amp with the mains cord system of a vac inside. Press the button in and it gets pulled inside with only the plug left outside. That's a genius idea. I hate vacuuming but I love the bit where you press the button and the 30 foot cord rattles all the way back into the housing. I could do that all day |
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Post by macca on Oct 16, 2018 17:11:18 GMT
I've got a lot of kit I need to rationalise. I'm not a collector I'm just lazy about selling it on. I've got a room upstairs with shelves already in like Audio Al has, except they are in alcoves either side of the chimney breast. I'm going to box up all the stuff already cluttering them (books, mostly) and then get all my spare kit laid out on them so I can see exactly what I've got. I couldn't list it all from memory. There's not as much as Audio Al has but it isn't far off.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 16, 2018 17:50:16 GMT
Tried some of this hifi collecting. I don't like the feeling of owning more than 2 amps. Knowing that one of them isn't getting any use will make me feel edgy. Same goes to speakers. I can own a max of two headphones. Three will again make me feel edgy. S. “Edgy” is. A great description. I seem to have the two competing urges: one to collect and the other to have a clutter free life. I thought that farming kit out to mates was a good solution, but eventually you have to deal with it. That’s what happened in April. I popped back to Blighty and decided to get hold of the kit I had loaned out and sort it. I ended up with 32 spare bits of kit and in an hour it wasn’t all on EBay. Most of it untried. I won’t go there again. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 18:53:37 GMT
I have some spare stuff, mostly hidden away in cupboards. A back-up CDP, which is fair enough, two spare power amps, one knackered pair of extra speakers and for some unknown reason, two spare headphone amps.
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Post by antonio on Oct 17, 2018 5:43:39 GMT
That’s quite a bit more than I have, I hate bits hanging around and I usually clear them out, only to forget and then spend hours searching! Cables and cartridges I always forget about selling. I don’t like a high box count, largely due to wiring. It’s a PITA to clean too. Another pet hate is captive mains leads. Yeah, I know they are meant to sound better but they just aren’t practical for me. It’s often the cause of scratched top plates of kit too. Given me an IEC socket every time, You've shocked me Westie, I'd have been sure you would have preferred a captive lead over IEC, I certainly would. |
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Bigman80
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AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 17, 2018 7:52:35 GMT
That’s quite a bit more than I have, I hate bits hanging around and I usually clear them out, only to forget and then spend hours searching! Cables and cartridges I always forget about selling. I don’t like a high box count, largely due to wiring. It’s a PITA to clean too. Another pet hate is captive mains leads. Yeah, I know they are meant to sound better but they just aren’t practical for me. It’s often the cause of scratched top plates of kit too. Given me an IEC socket every time, You've shocked me Westie, I'd have been sure you would have preferred a captive lead over IEC, I certainly would. I can understand why they are a necessity with Class II equipment but I found them a major PITA because it’s much harder to plug, unplug and move stuff. I hate dust lying round and you need to shift stuff to clean properly It was a factor in getting shot of my 4x A40s and going to 2 A80s instead. They sounded immeasurably worse and still had two annoying captive leads. At least the P50 was perfect in this respect......no mains lead at all Sadly my Claymore has a captive lead. I really wish it didn’t, but at least there’s only one. |
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Post by macca on Oct 17, 2018 11:38:24 GMT
I like captive leads because it saves me having to search round for one or rob one off of something else. Which I'll forget about and then wonder why that isn't turning on when I want to use it.
The leccy really doesn't care whether the lead is captive or not.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 17, 2018 12:24:17 GMT
I’d also doubt that a captive lead will sound “better” but I haven’t tried it. How you’d compare reliably is another matter, it would take two of the same amp and who’s gonna go to those lengths.
Exposure’s biggest amps all had IEC sockets so I’m guessing JF used a captive lead for cost reasons.
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Post by macca on Oct 17, 2018 17:23:54 GMT
Maybe they fitted IEC to the stuff they were selling abroad? Just stick the appropriate socket into the case, a lot easier than fitting market-specific leads and plugs. Cheaper just to fit a socket than put in a captive mains lead with a plug.
I don't think the whole mains lead thing had started back when Farlowe was designing for Exposure so he wouldn't have been thinking of that. IIRC it wasn't until the late 1990s I started seeing reviews and adverts for after-market mains leads. Although I could be wrong.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 20, 2018 21:02:31 GMT
In terms of hifi collecting, I think cartridges are a good thing to collect. Small, fun, good to rotate and as long as you have a removable head shell, pretty easy to swap in and out. I might collect a handful for fun.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2018 21:20:49 GMT
In terms of hifi collecting, I think cartridges are a good thing to collect. Small, fun, good to rotate and as long as you have a removable head shell, pretty easy to swap in and out. I might collect a handful for fun. Can't remember exactly what I've got in the way of cartridges, which means I probably have too many. There are Shures, ADC's and ZYX's for a start. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 20, 2018 21:50:20 GMT
If I had a cartridhe collection, it would likely contain a Garrott P77, an SPU, a Kiseki lapis lazuli, an ART1 and a premium version of the DL-103. If I was rich, an IO limited would be nice.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2018 21:55:41 GMT
I couldn't have a cartridge collection that didn't include at least one decent 'brick' type ADC cartridge. They are still one of the all time best non MC's.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 20, 2018 21:58:46 GMT
I haven’t seen or heard an ADC cartridge. Worth looking out for after having your reccy though.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2018 22:26:34 GMT
I haven’t seen or heard an ADC cartridge. Worth looking out for after having your reccy though. Very hard to find good ones with original styli now. The 'brick' types 25, 26 and 27 are too compliant for use with all but the lowest mass arms. The 10E Mk.IV is the one to find. The 10E Mk.II is good too, as is the 550XE. I have these. The later XLM III is also very nice, the other XLM's less so. The ZLM is supposed to be great, never had one come my way. The 10E Mk.IV by the way, offers better sound quality than many MC carts. It was my favourite alternative to my Decca 4RC and SPU. |
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