Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on May 1, 2018 14:41:22 GMT
Where to start? I guess the mod 80s was the start of proper hifi for me. I was a product of the flat earth, being brought up with aspirations to end up,with a Linn/Naim 6 pack. Two spanners git thrown into the works pretty quickly:
1: The Xerxes arrived and made the LP12 sound less than great to me.
2: Exposure amps did the same fir me against Naim.
I've been a box swapper for much of my 30 plus years but I've so often enjoyed Exposure amps, Roksan turntables and also Linn amd Naim speakers....... Then I got a pair of Spica TC50i se (X) speakers and I was in love.
Lately I've come to love Sonneteer products too, so that's kinda where I am now. I have a slew of decks and nit many records, I'm unsure whether I will run a top flight deck or just settle with my Revolver.
I will post more pics as I go., but would love to hear from anyone who shares my loves.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on May 3, 2018 16:54:14 GMT
Major roadblock: just seen a watch I want. If I buy one, I won't be able to spend on hifi for quite a while. Unless I get rid of some kit......
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 5, 2018 15:08:29 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 15:11:48 GMT
Smart looking system and place.
(nothing like my pigsty)
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 5, 2018 15:18:42 GMT
Cheers. It’s in n need of dusting and tidying, but it’s really hot today and it just makes you feel like doing nothing
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2018 17:23:29 GMT
Liking the ice cold system, Andrew  S. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 5, 2018 17:40:03 GMT
That’s a really cool tag fior it, Shane. I might need a clear acrylic deck to finish the look. Maybe the PS-6750 will look ok, but we’ll see.
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Post by antonio on Jul 6, 2018 7:18:35 GMT
Very nice Andrew, especially like the unit your gear is placed on.
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Post by dsjr on Jul 6, 2018 16:22:40 GMT
Choose the 6750's cartridge wisely, remove the lid when playing and you might get away with it sonically if it's going to be plonked on top of that furniture unit.
I've catalogued most of my HiFi Sh#t journey over the years and especially here, so needn't bore you lot again. Once you've had really seriously good gear, it's all but impossible to climb back down though without some pain along the way. I inherited a fair bit of stuff ten years ago and I have to say it's been fun restoring some of it to full function and possibly slightly improving other items a little. I'll never forget the seriously good system I once had though - a then life-changing high point that was....
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 6, 2018 16:41:12 GMT
The last one I had was primarily used with an AT32e which seemed to work well. I also used a K18 which was OK, but MMs arrant as good as MCs to Me. Not sure what I will use this time, but likely MC. I may try a Dynavector or Benz Micro if I see a used one a a decent price.
I normally use a DIY Silentstage AND a torlyte platform under my decks. Maybe this time I will try less isolation because I would like a cleaner look. Gromit found removing the feet and replacing them with something else was a step up. The feet are gel filled and I’m somewhat reluctant to dabble, but I do trust his ears and it would open up fitting Isonoes or Alto Extemo feet. The latter were brilliant on the Analogue Works deck, but that was a very different construction.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2018 16:43:49 GMT
Thats nice Andrew.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 6, 2018 17:30:18 GMT
Cheers, Rupert.
I would’ve been laughed is someone had posted this system 5 years ago and said it would be mine. I always had “industrial” looking kit wit a real 80s vibe. But then again, I used to believe the earth was flat!
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Post by dsjr on Jul 6, 2018 18:04:39 GMT
The AT-F7 is an absolute bargain at a couple of hundred quid or slightly more, if an AT540 doesn't vibe with you. Got a bit of energy to it which is lacking in say, a 10XV at £499 now.
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Post by antonio on Jul 7, 2018 5:34:48 GMT
Trusting Gromit's ears - hasn't he just moved back to an LP12. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2018 22:48:33 GMT
Here’s a pic from just now:    Always wanted my system to look as neat as yours does in that picture. Very clean lines. 👍 |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2018 23:32:14 GMT
What's the 3 knobs attached to Westie ?
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 24, 2018 3:26:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2018 5:32:34 GMT
I like that Westie, an understated elegance about it.
And long knobs like a Denson.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 24, 2018 5:55:55 GMT
I like that Westie, an understated elegance about it. And long knobs like a Denson. Understated just about sums the brand up. They don’t promote, have almost no dealer presence and their products run for a long time without major change. Both amp and CD player don’t do any kind of fireworks, but they grow on you to the point where trying anythjng else seems like eating food with lots of artificial flavouring. For the first time ever, I just don’t want to hear other stuff. At first I thought it was laziness but it’s not. They have changed me because they satisfy me musically. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2018 6:02:44 GMT
High praise indeed.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Jul 24, 2018 6:11:17 GMT
Now all I need to complete the sound is another pair of Linn Kans........only joking  |
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Post by dsjr on Aug 5, 2018 8:53:05 GMT
The Alabaster I heard at HiFi Dave's place sounded delightful into (EEK!!!) Harbeth SHL5+... Bright, clear and no smear, stodge or 'thickening' of the sound. Apologies to Shane, but I prefer this kind of presentation to the Sugdens that Dave had a few years back.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 6, 2018 2:38:30 GMT
Id like to hear an Alabaster. It’s meant to be a more robust sounding version of Sonneteer
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Post by dsjr on Aug 6, 2018 9:40:13 GMT
I don't know the other models, so could only speak for the Alabaster, which as I said, I liked very much...
The speakers I'm lumbered with do seem to need old fashioned 'voltage based' power (not humungous current swing) so I tend to follow the ATC (and now Harbeth) vibe about 100WPC being a safe minimum. It's complicated as each speaker is different and all amps tend to 'clip' differently. So much more to say on this, but I suspect the better amps tend to 'let go' more gently -
- Recently, i remember the Croft integrated amp sounding amazing at lower levels, but unlike the larger Series 7, it hurt when pushed to far in the manner of a smaller current Naim... The Series 7 amp doesn't do this at all...
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Post by macca on Aug 6, 2018 13:13:55 GMT
No, the Series 7 will just blow a fuse instead. One of the reasons I didn't keep it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2018 13:20:47 GMT
I like amplifiers that clip gracefully!
S.
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Post by dsjr on Aug 6, 2018 15:23:35 GMT
Into moderate SHL5+, the Series 7 Croft doesn't hurt and so far when I've been 'playing with it' it hasn't blown fuses. Mind you, the speakers are 6 to 8 ohms and over-damping apart, they're not a difficult load.
I compared a Supernait 2 with a Croft Integrated. the Naim had a very good midrange in fairness, but the grey and grainy top wasn't appreciated and the bass was 'boppy.' Using a favourite cat Stevens album, the Croft was delightful in reproducing the guitar timbres as it was played and strummed and the feeling in Cat's voice was exquisite, but when he 'sang out' it made me wince. the Series 7 didn't do that at similar volume and into more efficient speakers it would never be a problem...
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Post by macca on Aug 6, 2018 15:40:20 GMT
I liked the Series 7 but I was using it with low impedance speakers and I like to crank it.
There's no need to have an amp that clips gracefully, what you want is an amp that doesn't clip at all. Regrettably there is an utterly non-sensical myth that amps with lots of watts lack quality and amps with just a few watts are high quality when in actual fact there is no relationship at all between power output and quality.
Just another flat earth myth from back when watts were quite expensive so making anything with more than 30 of them started eating into the margins.
When I went round Scalford in 2012 I lost count of the number of expensive and boutique audiophile amps that were clipping heavily at quite modest volumes. The owners seemed not to notice.
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Post by dsjr on Aug 6, 2018 18:06:15 GMT
I liked the Series 7 but I was using it with low impedance speakers and I like to crank it. There's no need to have an amp that clips gracefully, what you want is an amp that doesn't clip at all. Regrettably there is an utterly non-sensical myth that amps with lots of watts lack quality and amps with just a few watts are high quality when in actual fact there is no relationship at all between power output and quality. Just another flat earth myth from back when watts were quite expensive so making anything with more than 30 of them started eating into the margins. When I went round Scalford in 2012 I lost count of the number of expensive and boutique audiophile amps that were clipping heavily at quite modest volumes. The owners seemed not to notice. Speak to the Pros and they'll tell you that many of the powerhouse amps don't sound so good in domestic circumstances. The reasons why are nowt to do with the power output, but more how they cope at the typical low levels we domestic users play music at and the fact that some are designed for flat-out use rather than very low levels. Some bigger pro amps sound too 'dry' when reproducing concert hall ambience at home, and I also accept that many domestic confections seem to compress slightly and possibly magnify this effect, but you can't just take any old professional behemoth and expect proper High Fidelity results from it. The best ones can be thrilling though but you need to be careful - look on pro audio forums and you'll see this question come up many times. The Crown D-150 I have is about as far in the 'dry' presentation stakes as I really want to go and it'll never clip it's typical 90WPC into the BC2's as they'll blow first! the Harbeths took full output of a DC300A though without audible stress of any kind (190WPC typically) but these are paltry compared to what we're discussing. The 300A isn't the most 'subtle' amp around, but I love it's overall sound which is better to me than the two smaller ones from the same range and which isn't hard toned at all (I listen to one fairly regularly and it brings back so many memories of Top End when I started out).
In practise, big pro power amps are often saddled with many layers of protection and filtering which can subjectively get in the way. My HH amp, used for nearly twenty years in a Sky TV editing suite, has steep sub-sonic filtering and the bass doesn't 'breathe' properly because of it. It also had a 'tinsel treble' when I came by it, but that was all but sorted when I changed some tired electrolytics on the main board, which runs hot here and there... The Tresham/Tannoy amp did well in a HiFi Choice review, but I'm told by RD, who should know about them as they were his responsibility back then, that the sound isn't as musical and delicate as modern domestic amps (I'll deal with your comments about musicality answering your other post)
The fact that audiophools don't notice many types of distortion clearly audible to my tired old ears worries me deeply. Makes you wonder what it is they're listening to and listening for...
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Post by macca on Aug 6, 2018 18:39:00 GMT
I agree about the pro amps. And it's always best to have more power and current delivery than you will need. Lots of speakers drop down to 2 and 3 ohms in the bass and you notice it when the amp fails to deliver into that.
I don't think Andrew has to worry about that with the Planets, though.
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