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Beechwoods
28-09-2008, 16:27
I figured it was maybe about time to share some pictures of my system... my passion is for interesting source kit, particularly reel to reel and other tape-based systems. It's not an audiophile system and the room it's in isn't set up for decent staging or whatever, but I like it. I have a couple of KEF floorstanders in the loft that me and my dad made when I was in my teens but no space so make do with a couple of bookshelf boxes that make a nice enough sound.

I'm lucky to have a whole room for my stuff at the top of the house. It's the only kid-free area we've got and it's shared with Mrs Beechwoods, who gets to have a say about how excessive (or obsessive!) my system gets. I already stand accused of having a reel to reel museum :)

I've been saving a space for a Sony Elcaset EL-7 which arrives in a few days time. Once that's in, I'm going to have to cool it for a while due to lack of space and lack of funds. But I'll be happy. With the exception of a palm-size Nagra SNN my collection will be complete, at least for a while :)


http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_01_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_02_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_03_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_04_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_05_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_06_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_07_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_08_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_09_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room/beechwoods_2008-09-28_10_s.jpg

John
28-09-2008, 17:14
nice to see the pics never heard a reel to reel and not notice the Nagra Its great to have your own space to listen too

Marco
28-09-2008, 22:12
Great pictures, Beechy! I thoroughly approve, especially the retro stuff! :smoking:

The Nagra is a thing of beauty. How much did you pick that one up for?

Marco.

Beechwoods
29-09-2008, 11:53
Thanks for your comments, Marco and John!

The Nagra is a work of art. I'd always considered it to be the holy grail of portable reel to reel, and must have bored Mrs B to death about it because she bought it me as a surprise wedding present... I was speechless for days :) It cost around £900, and is the TOTL timecode model (IV-S TC). Mono machines and machines without timecode etc can be picked up for a bit less but I'm glad she had taste and went for the best!

The sound off it is amazing. At 7 1/2ips it's beguiling. 3 3/4 sounds better than my other machines at that speed. Pro use advises 15ips but tapes only last 15 minutes at that rate...

It's a 2-track stereo machine, which means it uses the full width of the tape in one direction. Better s/n than 4-track machines that allow the tape to be flipped for extra record time. It's an ex-rental machine, but has been well looked after and serviced. Unfortunately when I enquired about the projects it'd been used for I couldn't get any details. It's likely to have played a role in many Pinewood and OB productions though. It's nice to have a real bit of history.

I'll have to post some pictures of it open because the insides are as well designed as the exterior. All designed for easy repair in the field.
The Pioneer is also a lovely machine. The 707 (max 7" reel size) and 909 (up to 10") were Pioneer's last consumer machines, and the 707 has a great form-factor that was designed to sit well with the amps, receivers and tape decks of the time. It fits my space nicely. The build quality is superb. It was designed to be rackmountable off the front plate only, which given its weight is quite a feat. I love it's logic controls and autoreverse mechanism - really nice and easy to use. It makes great recordings, sucks a good signal off low-speed playbacks, and pre-recorded tapes sound great off it as well. I guess the characteristics of open reel tape might appeal to valve lovers - I find the sound magnificently 'bouncy' I'm not sure if that means anything to anyone :)

My Uher is ex- the BBC Scotland Sports department. A cheapo eBay purchase (£35) which needed some work - new belts and a new speed-change switch and knob. Its a 2 track mono machine. Half-width recordings in two directions. I've not yet had a chance to properly play with this one yet, but having had it apart to sort out the belts and switch I love the way it's put together. Simpler than the Nagra, but also cleverly designed, a single motor system with a great big flywheel mechanism to minimise flutter even when being handled... and a simple tape path; it's easy to see why these were so popular as broadcast work-horses.

John
29-09-2008, 14:05
Mrs B is one loving wife Nice Gift

Mike
01-10-2008, 11:08
That Lenco plinth is rubbish! :lolsign:

Beechwoods
01-10-2008, 11:13
LOL :) I was wondering when someone was going to mention that! It's somewhat non-functional at the moment due to not having a stylus or mains lead. My plinth project is waiting for the long winter months, Mike, but will be re-energised shortly!

Filterlab
01-10-2008, 11:30
Nice to see some DAT machines there too, I love DAT. It was shameful that it was overlooked in the hi-fi world as it destroys most digital recording in terms of out and out sound quality. I had an Aiwa HDS-1 and a Sony TCD-D7 which I used for outside recording of ambience for my tracks. I remember having to use a wind sock the size of a football on the external mic whilst using the Sony as it was super sensitive to any wind flutter. Great second hand purchases these days, although a lot of the machines are now broken and there are no spares available.

Nice den Beechy!

Beechwoods
01-10-2008, 18:33
Cheers Rob. I like DAT a lot and have used it for some local live recording and a lot of tape A>D transfers over the years. I've also got a SCSI DAT drive connected to my computer, with 'audio firmware' which means I can 'rip' from audio DAT to AIFF on my Mac. For a long time this was the way I converted my analogue sources to FLAC. I trusted my DA-20 mkII A>D's far more than a soundcard on a non-dedicated computer. My only problem with DAT has been the longevity of the tapes before digi-dropouts start affecting playback. It was this that caused me to retire my DA-20 to occasional use, playback of borrowed tapes etc, and to get my HD-P2 CF recorder instead. I still use the D7 for occasional 'field use', though I need a better discrete mic :)

When my D7 seized up a while back (common problem apparently) I got it serviced by a chap in Leeds who did a great job, including replacing a leaky cap on the record side that I'd not even noticed. You can always get parts from donor machines these days :)


Mrs B is one loving wife Nice Gift

Damn right! I'm a lucky man. Loving wife, 2 great kids, and a Nagra IV-S TC! I really couldn't ask for more :)

aquapiranha
01-10-2008, 20:18
Wow! some lovely looking kit there! I often longed for an open reel, but would never use it...

Beechwoods
02-10-2008, 06:45
I've been having great fun finding my favourite albums on pre-recorded reel. Columbia released a fair few pre rec tapes for their more popular rock and folk artists. At least they did in the states. Sealed and NOS tapes turn up regularly.

Quality varies on these releases. Up til about 69 7½ ips was pretty standard but then they started cutting costs and quality went down. 3 ¾ became the norm. All were duplicated at 8 - 16 x speed mind :) The higher speed tapes sound great. The lower speed ones not so good but still ok.

It's also fun to make up comps and swapping with friends that have machines. I have a couple of like-minded mates luckily. It's also amazing what you can pick up on eBay in the way of odd home recordings...

Marco
02-10-2008, 07:08
Beechy,

I suspect that the sound quality of a good reel-to-reel machine could show modern digital sources a thing or two, especially with NOS tape ;)

People these days don't realise just how much we've gone backwards in terms of pure sound quality having traded it for the convenience of computers, etc. If they were shown what a 'proper' (in my view) hi-fi system sounds like, comprising of top-notch classic equipment (or modern equivalents of such) they’d realise how compromised their tinny sounding and artificially processed iPods, AVI ADM9s, and suchlike, actually sound!

It always saddens me when I see just how utterly undiscerning and easily satisfied the majority of people are now with audio, listening to music on the likes of mobile phones and declaring the sound quality as 'adequate'. Well not in my world it isn't! 'Shite' would be more appropriate.

Long live reel-to-reel machines, valves, classic big 'battleship' Japanese or German direct-drive T/Ts, vinyl, classic tuners, and big 'proper' loudspeakers with 12” drivers and above! *That* is where true hi-fi is really at.

Marco.

Filterlab
02-10-2008, 09:33
...I've also got a SCSI DAT drive connected to my computer, with 'audio firmware' which means I can 'rip' from audio DAT to AIFF on my Mac....

Have you tried the new .caf file format? I've just switched over to .caf from .aiff and there is a distinct improvement (albeit marginal), it's Apple's new lossless format for studio production - very lively, very neutral too. Both Max and Cog support .caf too although Cog won't playback 64bit float, it will play 32bit float and linear though (I use linear). :)

Give it a whirl with some back-to-back comparisons and see what you think.

lexi
04-10-2008, 12:52
Long live reel-to-reel machines, valves, classic big 'battleship' Japanese or German direct-drive T/Ts, vinyl, classic tuners, and big 'proper' loudspeakers with 12” drivers and above! *That* is where true hi-fi is really at.



Well I agree. I still use Elcassete and that was /is superb. Neighbour came in one day. "Is That a Betamax video you are still using" "Err.... No"? I reply.
"Oh Look! Big Disco speakers" is the next comment!..........Don`t ya love it!!

Puffin
04-10-2008, 18:12
You've got tapeworm!

lexi
04-10-2008, 19:16
Lot`s of lovely gear Beechwood. Some of that stuff is only available in Hi Fi year book 74:) My wife aint as thoughtful on the Hi Fi front as yours. That lovely Sugden T21 tuner of yours?..........I have one too but the Mrs threw away the wooden sleeve/box:confused:......"It was only an old wooden thing" she said:doh:

Beechwoods
04-10-2008, 21:01
Thanks Lexi! When I bought my Sugden home my wife's opinion was that it was nice and small, so it could stay :) I guess I'm lucky!

Oh, and I've literally only just got my Elcaset - I'll be posting a proper report once I've had a chance to play with it :)

Puffin, gotta say I'm still reeling from your comment :doh: :lol:

Rob, thanks for the heads up about .caf files. I'd not heard about them - will have to check them out.

Togil
05-10-2008, 08:18
Nice to see some DAT machines there too, I love DAT. It was shameful that it was overlooked in the hi-fi world as it destroys most digital recording in terms of out and out sound quality. I had an Aiwa HDS-1 and a Sony TCD-D7 which I used for outside recording of ambience for my tracks. I remember having to use a wind sock the size of a football on the external mic whilst using the Sony as it was super sensitive to any wind flutter. Great second hand purchases these days, although a lot of the machines are now broken and there are no spares available.

Nice den Beechy!

Strangely the Nakamichi DAT machine was very poor, probably deserves another look , though.

Primalsea
05-10-2008, 08:38
Thats an Alladin's cave you've got there Beechy.

I have a theory for ownership of non WAF stuff by married men.

I reckon that when my wife's friends think I must have some attributes and abilities that far outway my wife having to put up with my hifi.

Basically in their eyes I look like a hero and a stud!!

Why else would she put up with it??:eyebrows:

Mike
05-10-2008, 20:19
Oh..Oh... I'm gonna try that one. Love it!!! :eyebrows:

Beechwoods
05-10-2008, 20:25
I showed my wife this thread and she thinks your theory is rubbish.

I'm still trying to work out what she meant :lol::doh:

Primalsea
05-10-2008, 21:13
Yeah,

My wife isn't convince either, I haven't asked her friends yet.

Filterlab
06-10-2008, 09:24
Strangely the Nakamichi DAT machine was very poor, probably deserves another look , though.

Strange given their ability to extract decent sound from compact cassette. Aiwa really sat high in the DAT game, about the only game they sat high in though.

Marco
07-10-2008, 13:33
I never got into DAT (same as minidisc or SACD and a few other technologies). Was it any good?

As far as tape goes, I was a diehard Nak CR-7 and Sony Walkman Pro user, which with good quality chrome tape (like it was in those days) such as TDK SA90 (not the cheapo shite SA90s that are still produced now) used to record vinyl from my (then) LP12/Naim set-up, would piss all over any digital bollocks made today.

The CR-7 in particular was stunning, but I suspect that a top-notch reel-to-reel machine would've pissed all over that, if set-up properly.

Incidentally, regarding NOS tape, I've just bought a load on here for my Nakamichi (now DR-10):

http://stores.ebay.com/RealDeals-Steals

Got some cracking sealed 1987 TDA SA90s, Maxells, Scotch and BASF.

I listen to tapes in the car on a decent Blaupunkt tape deck recorded from my system both on vinyl and CD, not cheap plastic CD players or some such bollocks :eyebrows:

Marco.

Filterlab
07-10-2008, 13:54
I never got into DAT. Was it any good?


DAT was, and still is, mind blowingly good. In fact it was the studio standard for recording in its day and is still the preferred choice for location recording. It's a clinically accurate and faithful recording medium and so is ideal for 'original recording' purposes. However the machines were complex and prone to breakdown and tape of course degrades over time, but that aside DAT is very very good indeed.

Have a read: DAT on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape)

Marco
07-10-2008, 14:00
Will do, mate :)

I'm all for new technology, but *ONLY* when it's unquestionably superior, sonically, to what went before. This has of course got nothing to do with DAT.

Some people (not you) I feel are just technology freaks and simply must have the latest 'gizmos' regardless if they're actually any good or not at their job. I will never inhabit that planet as far as hi-fi is concerned.

Marco.

Beechwoods
07-10-2008, 14:03
DAT was never really a consumer technology. It seemed to take off amongst live tapers and Deadheads in the states, and they are what keeps the format going. There is still the occasional post to the DAT-Heads list, though these days its more people offering their collections up. There were very few pre-rec DAT tapes. The industry were sh-t scared that people could copy material without gen-loss, even with copy protection that denied even legit copyright owners the rights to copy their own material digitally more than once.

The form factor was great. Lovely little well manufactured cartridges.

I love the concept of having a VCR transport in my pocket (when I'm out with my D7 :)).

The CR-7 Nak deck was brilliant. Manual playback azimuth controls on the front. Absolute genius. My ZX-7 has record azimuth controls so you can tune the azimuth to the tape, but the p/b azimuth control is the proverbial keys to the kingdom.

My bro had a Pro-Walkman. He used it for years to record his own band rehearsals and performances. They were fantastic quality machines, lovely recordings esp. with Dolby C and Type IV tape.

I still have some sealed and unused Maxell XLII-S 90's tucked away. I don't have cause to do any tape copies these days though. Nice tip for source of NOS tape though.

Filterlab
07-10-2008, 14:08
...The industry were sh-t scared that people could copy material without gen-loss, even with copy protection that denied even legit copyright owners the rights to copy their own material digitally more than once...

Oh yes, I'd forgotten all about SCMS, it was a piece of piss to bypass if I remember correctly. You'd have to do one analogue to digital recording and it was gone, DAT was so good there was (virtually) no degradation through the AD converter - the rest from then on was digital to digital. :)

SCMS is serial copy management system.

Marco
07-10-2008, 14:10
Here's another good source, Beechy. Just picked up these rather nice BASF:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350103617213&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:US:1123


My bro had a Pro-Walkman. He used it for years to record his own band rehearsals and performances. They were fantastic quality machines, lovely recordings esp. with Dolby C and Type IV tape.


Indeed. And sonically miles better than any iPod abomination!

Marco.

Filterlab
07-10-2008, 14:23
Pioneer did a semi-pro DAT machine with a 24bit/96khz ADC/DAC if I remember correctly, I believe it was one of their "Elite" range of rather tasty digital product. I'll dig something out on it when I can.

**EDIT**

Found it, it's the D9601, very yummy. Not so great in black but fantastic in that brushed champagne that the Japanese companies are so good at.

Pioneer D9601 on The Vintage Knob (http://www.thevintageknob.org/PIONEER/D9601/D9601.html)

Marco
14-10-2008, 09:58
Beechy,

Take a look at some of the reel-to-reels for sale here (just scroll down past the opening 10 images):

http://www.shawsounds.com/_equipment_for_sale

I fancy the Revox B710 (although it's a 'compact cassette' deck). It ticks all the right boxes for me. If Santa was good to you this year which one would you have? :eyebrows:

Marco.

Beechwoods
16-10-2008, 05:12
Wow! What a great site. I'll have a proper look and get back with my thoughts! Some of those compact cassette decks *do* look superb. The open reel decks look lovely as well! Great spot, Marco!

Marco
19-10-2008, 10:53
And your verdict is? ;)

Marco.

Beechwoods
19-10-2008, 15:10
Sorry! Been a bit sidetracked recently, and there are a good few tasty machines to think about on that page :)

For me it's toss up between the Revox B215 and the Studer A721. Both are quite similar in spec, 4 motor direct drives, 1 for each tape reel and 1 for each capstan. Both have HX-PRO, Dolby B+C, 3 heads etc etc etc. The B215 was manufactured through from '85 to '92, and the A721 came out around the same time, but i don't think it lasted as long. The Studer comes kitted with balanced XLR ins and outs. If it were my money I'd probably go for the 215.

These 2 machines are the ones that get mentioned whenever there's a debate about machines to rival the best Nakamichi decks. The B215 often comes out as being recommended as better than the Dragon :)

I believe that rock solid tape transport is at the heart of a good deck. And the Studer/Revox machines were always considered to have great transports. The best Naks had some really useful and unique tape transport design features, eg the pressure-pad lifter which removed the reliance on well-manufactured cassette-shells. I'm not sure if the Studer/Revox machines applied similar thinking. I've not had the opportunity to use or hear one in person, though I'd love to.

The 215 gets a great write up here: http://aroundcny.com/technofile/texts/revox86.html
YouTube clip: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xMCpJYudxCQ

They obviously like their Akai reel to reel players there. The GX 4000D is a really nice deck - Akai heads are said to last forever and the GX (Glass) heads were the top of the range. And those flower-cut metal reels look really tasty.

baron
25-10-2008, 15:06
Hi Beechwoods

After seeing your collection of tape decks I decided to get out my old Akai 4000D. The heads needed a bit of a clean but it still works.:). Its been fun hearing some of my old recordings, brings back a lot of memories.

I’m listening to a recording of an old Capital Radio show I made in the 70’s. Roger Scott’s Crusin’. The new’s reports were just as depressing then as they are now.

The adverts are funny, especially John Cleese doing an advert for Sony HI-Fi.


http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk320/baron103/DSC_0098.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk320/baron103/DSC_0100.jpg

I'm using it with my loft system, Sugden A48 amp and Tangent RS4 speakers see link below.

http://www.theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=341

Mike
25-10-2008, 15:23
If Santa was good to you this year which one would you have? :eyebrows:


I wonder how much they want for that Garrard 401? ;)

Beechwoods
25-10-2008, 15:57
After seeing your collection of tape decks I decided to get out my old Akai 4000D. The heads needed a bit of a clean but it still works

Hey, Philip. I'm glad that my thread encouraged you to get your old kit out. Like I mentioned before the 4000D is a well regarded machine. With new tape or good old tape you should be able to get some fine results off it. Zonal (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Recordable-Media) do great 1/4" tape at good prices.

You may find that after a few years of not being used, your machine would benefit from a new drive belt. They're cheap enough too, if you know where to look (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-AKAI-4000-4000D-TAPE-DECK-MAIN-DRIVE-BELT_W0QQitemZ330281082187QQihZ014QQcategoryZ11686 8QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem).


I'm using it with my loft system, Sugden A48 amp and Tangent RS4 speakers

That Sugden amp would go very nicely next to my T21 tuner. I love the old Sugden orange styling.


I’m listening to a recording of an old Capital Radio show I made in the 70’s. Roger Scott’s Crusin’. The new’s reports were just as depressing then as they are now.

I love old home recordings - was there any reason why you recorded that show back in the day? Or were you like I was with John Peel in the late 80's, when I'd tape his every show and edit the best bits down onto compliations :) Oh for digital recording back then :lol:

What music are you into? It'd be fun to do a reel to reel tune swap :harp:

baron
25-10-2008, 17:05
Thank you for the links, I may get a new belt.

That particular show had original recordings of some of the music that The Beatles covered on their early LP’s. It’s not great quality, as I did not have a roof aerial then.
I’m into all types of music from Pink Floyd to Mozart.

I have been transferring some of the recordings to my hard drive for archiving to CD. The main one I wanted to do was a recording of my wedding, which was made using a radio microphone, quite advanced for 1975!

Beechwoods
25-10-2008, 18:39
Wow! A radio mic setup for a wedding in '75, you must have been quite into your audio back then. I was two in 75 by the way! Good choice on the music. I'm a big Floyd fan, in fact that was a major factor in me getting into old analogue kit; so I could archive old Floyd live shows with lowest gen-loss... not always hi-fi but always exciting ;) :interesting: :nocomment:

baron
26-10-2008, 10:36
It was not my set up, a friend of my wife’s family was a sound engineer for the BBC and he wired me up for sound.

Beechwoods
30-11-2008, 14:09
Time for an update...

First up is the excellent Tandberg TD-20A deck, which was given to me by Greg on this forum after he'd seen how mad I was for open reel machines in my earlier Gallery posting. Many thanks Greg! The TD-20A here is the 4-track stereo version. It needed a service but sounds fantastic. The TC-377 has had to be moved to make way!

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1137_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1136_s.jpg

Alongside the Tandberg, another new acquisition. A Sony EL-7 Elcaset deck. I got this from the States via eBay. It sits under my Realistic TR-801 8-Track deck. For those of you who've not come across Elcaset before it was a large format cassette system developed by Sony in the late 70's. I've attached a comparitive pic of an Elcaset tape and a conventional compact cassette.

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1127_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1129_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1130_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1131_s.jpg

Primalsea
30-11-2008, 14:31
Yeah yeah, blah blah blah, wheres these pics of the plinth then:lol:

Beechwoods
30-11-2008, 14:38
The glue is setting :)

Will this do until I get a finished picture?

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/Lenco_Project/IMG_1116_s.jpg

John
30-11-2008, 15:05
nice cutting

Beechwoods
30-11-2008, 15:15
nice cutting

Thank you. Only one minor slip-up at the top. Considering I was using a hand-held jigsaw it didn't turn out too badly. Patience and careful marking out of the template are the best tips I can give to anyone else thinking of doing something similar.

The Grand Wazoo
30-11-2008, 16:22
Time for an update...

First up is the excellent Tandberg TD-20A deck, which was given to me by Greg on this forum after he'd seen how mad I was for open reel machines in my earlier Gallery posting.

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/beechwoods_room2/IMG_1137_s.jpg




WOW!!!
That's what I call VINTAGE HIFI -

The Pioneer to the right of the Tandberg must be steam powered, judging by the smokestack!!!

Trouble is ....you're gonna have to watch those carbon emissions Beechyman.

Beechwoods
30-11-2008, 16:36
The Pioneer to the right of the Tandberg must be steam powered, judging by the smokestack!!!

:rolleyes: I always thought of it as my joystick :lol:

Thanks Grand Wazoo.

Togil
06-12-2008, 10:14
Btw, what DAC do you play the digital output from your Tascam through ?

Beechwoods
06-12-2008, 19:43
I don't, Hans. To be honest I only occasionally use the DAT these days, for checking old stuff and tapes I get given or borrow. If I want to get material off the DAT with bit-level integrity I use a Sony SDT-9000 DDS tape drive with audio firmware and a program called DATXtract which allows native extraction of audio data from DAT to AIFF on the Mac.

I have been considering the Beresford (like so many others!) but would have to be listening to more digital sources more often and louder than I currently can to properly justify the upgrade.

lexi
06-12-2008, 23:01
Excellent. I think Elcassete tape is twice as wide and plays twice the speed of Compact Cassette. The motors are probably spooling twice as fast as well. I threw mine in the bin two months ago as it was faulty..........along with 50 tapes..........I didn`t know people were still interested:confused:

Spectral Morn
06-12-2008, 23:09
I have enjoyed reading your thread and it inspired me to bring my Nakamichi Cr 5 Tape deck out of storage. I have a listening room upstairs in the house(as well as the living room system) and I store kit I haven't been using for awhile here. It was a real treat to listen once again to tapes I recorded in the 80's from the Friday Rock show with Tommy Vance. This radio show was a great place to hear old sessions and concerts and on many occasions the sound and performance was better than the albums some of this material was lifted from. I have radio 1 sessions from the likes of Chicken Shack, Greenslade, Camel, Caravan, Gong, and many others. The session Greenslade did in particular dates from their album Bedside manners are extra and this material played live in the studio made listening to the lp a real disappointment as to was a Gong session from about the time of Radio Gnome Invisible, fantastic musician ship just silly lyrics. I also have lots of concerts too a particular fave is Genesis live at Knebworth in 1978. Phil Collins is in top form and as the material is mostly from the Gabriel period it is nice to hear Phils take on these at times IMHO he is better vocally. I know you like the Floyd as do I but I am not sure if I have anything by them, as at that time I was not into them much, I will have to have a look in the collection of hundred of tapes I have.

Just thought I would thank you for inspiring me to hook the Nak up again. I should never have semi-retired it. Even the wired remote control was fun to use again. Sound quality is brilliant ( I know the Dragon and the CR7 are better but at the time I could not afford them). I have always wanted a Reel to reel but would not know where to start.

Regards D S D L ----- Neil :)

Beechwoods
06-12-2008, 23:44
Excellent. I think Elcassete tape is twice as wide and plays twice the speed of Compact Cassette. The motors are probably spooling twice as fast as well. I threw mine in the bin two months ago as it was faulty..........along with 50 tapes..........I didn`t know people were still interested:confused:

:doh: No! That's terrible! The tapes alone would have been great to check out. The wife would've killed me for bringing more 'clutter' back but that could have been worked out somehow! Which bin?


I have enjoyed reading your thread and it inspired me to bring my Nakamichi Cr 5 Tape deck out of storage. I have a listening room upstairs in the house(as well as the living room system) and I store kit I haven't been using for awhile here. It was a real treat to listen once again to tapes I recorded in the 80's from the Friday Rock show with Tommy Vance. This radio show was a great place to hear old sessions and concerts and on many occasions the sound and performance was better than the albums some of this material was lifted from. I have radio 1 sessions from the likes of Chicken Shack, Greenslade, Camel, Caravan, Gong, and many others. The session Greenslade did in particular dates from their album Bedside manners are extra and this material played live in the studio made listening to the lp a real disappointment as to was a Gong session from about the time of Radio Gnome Invisible, fantastic musician ship just silly lyrics. I also have lots of concerts too a particular fave is Genesis live at Knebworth in 1978. Phil Collins is in top form and as the material is mostly from the Gabriel period it is nice to hear Phils take on these at times IMHO he is better vocally. I know you like the Floyd as do I but I am not sure if I have anything by them, as at that time I was not into them much, I will have to have a look in the collection of hundred of tapes I have.

Just thought I would thank you for inspiring me to hook the Nak up again. I should never have semi-retired it. Even the wired remote control was fun to use again. Sound quality is brilliant ( I know the Dragon and the CR7 are better but at the time I could not afford them). I have always wanted a Reel to reel but would not know where to start.

It's great you got your old deck out. I am still amazed when I pull a good tape and play it on my deck. You forget how good they could be, especially on Metal tape. The weight of those old metal shell Maxell tapes has a real way of inspiring confidence in the recording :)

It'd be great to hear more about your home taping stuff. There is something about old radio broadcasts that beat any subsequent CD reissues. I think it's got a lot to do with time and place. The words before and the tracks around the particular thing you're 'into'. My favourite is John Peel for this... his shows were so eclectic it's half the fun finding a Ukrainian folks song played after your favourite Napalm Death session track!

Spectral Morn
06-12-2008, 23:50
Thanks for the Pm, I will get back to you.

It has however just dawned on me that unlike you, I usually didn't record the DJ but just the music. However some of this commentary, intros etc may be on some of the stuff I taped but we are going back twenty odd years ago and I can't remember.

I will Pm you a list when I look at the tapes. unlike you I don't have a list of them to hand.


Regards D S D L ---- Neil :)

Togil
07-12-2008, 10:25
I have enjoyed reading your thread and it inspired me to bring my Nakamichi Cr 5 Tape deck out of storage. I have a listening room upstairs in the house(as well as the living room system) and I store kit I haven't been using for awhile here. It was a real treat to listen once again to tapes I recorded in the 80's from the Friday Rock show with Tommy Vance. This radio show was a great place to hear old sessions and concerts and on many occasions the sound and performance was better than the albums some of this material was lifted from. I have radio 1 sessions from the likes of Chicken Shack, Greenslade, Camel, Caravan, Gong, and many others. The session Greenslade did in particular dates from their album Bedside manners are extra and this material played live in the studio made listening to the lp a real disappointment as to was a Gong session from about the time of Radio Gnome Invisible, fantastic musician ship just silly lyrics. I also have lots of concerts too a particular fave is Genesis live at Knebworth in 1978. Phil Collins is in top form and as the material is mostly from the Gabriel period it is nice to hear Phils take on these at times IMHO he is better vocally. I know you like the Floyd as do I but I am not sure if I have anything by them, as at that time I was not into them much, I will have to have a look in the collection of hundred of tapes I have.

Just thought I would thank you for inspiring me to hook the Nak up again. I should never have semi-retired it. Even the wired remote control was fun to use again. Sound quality is brilliant ( I know the Dragon and the CR7 are better but at the time I could not afford them). I have always wanted a Reel to reel but would not know where to start.

Regards D Louth ----- Neil :)

Greenslade... hm is that Dave Greenslade ? I was sitting next to him on a flight to Germany last year. We talked about the early Colosseum days, one of my favourite bands. They reformed in Germany in 1994 but are not well-known in the UK

Spectral Morn
07-12-2008, 11:37
Hi Han's

Yes the very same. After Colosseum split Dave formed a keyboard based Prog band called Greenslade. They did 4 albums with Time and Tide and Bedside Manners are Extra being the best Imho. The other two are quite good as well. Greenslade reformed a few years ago but so far I have not heard the new material. Dave did a lot of TV sound track work and released a number of solo albums,mostly instrumental as well during the period after Greenslade stopped working as a band. Most of this info is on Dave's web site.

You got to met him WOW cool. I hear lots of stories from various people like this over the years but so far it hasn't happened to me. Though I was friends with a guy called Jim Ryan. His family were and still are involved within the Irish Folk/Prog/Rock band Clannad and Nicky Ryan produces some of their sisters stuff. I also used to when I worked in the Hi-fi trade meet various people and the husband of Iona's ( Christian /folk/rock/Prog band)lead singer was a customer. But I have never met anyone from the early days of rock.

I like Colosseum too, but if I am honest I like the later stuff better when they became more of a Jazz fusion band. The drummer John Heissman and guitarist Gary Moore took it down that road. Very good if you lkie that sort of thing, as I do.

regards D S D L ----- Neil :)

Beechwoods
07-12-2008, 15:16
I hear lots of stories from various people like this over the years but so far it hasn't happened to me. But I have never met anyone from the early days of rock.

I don't think I've ever had the luck to meet anyone massive, but I did get introduced to Kevin Ayers (early guitarist with Soft Machine, and later slightly bonkers solo artist). It was at the bar at the Syd Barrett Barbican Tribute last year, and Kevin was livid that Roger Waters had the temerity to turn up and play one of his own sh---y songs (I'm paraphrasing!). His take was that it was Rog that pushed Syd out of the Floyd in the first place! I couldn't really get a word in edgeways :) I also got to meet Jeff Dexter, legendary DJ at the UFO club. It was a good night.

Robert Plant would occasionally spend Christmas in a village near where I grew up and in our late teens we'd go to the local pub there and occasionally see him and his entourage. Really nice guy to be honest. I lent him a light once :trust:

I also got to meet the drummer with Spinal Tap many moons ago. He was the brother of another guy I knew. He was the chap that explodes in the middle of a solo at the end of the film. He played with them at the Royal Albert Hall, with a broken leg. Everyone thought the cast and the nurse next to him were part of the act; well kind of... :doh:

Togil
07-12-2008, 15:32
I also met DDDBMT a few times, they bought me a breakfast at their hotel in Manchester in 1967. Do they count as big ?:lolsign:

Beechwoods
07-12-2008, 15:39
You are a God, Hans. You have touched greatness :lol:

Rare Bird
08-12-2008, 02:28
Beechy
Do you have the 10.5" extension arms for the Nagra?

Beechwoods
08-12-2008, 06:34
Hmm, the QGB adapter. I don't. I've thought about it, but they cost almost as much as the machine itself, and I don't really have the need for them! For me, the Tandberg handles 'large reels' albeit on 4 track rather than 2, so that's good enough for the timebeing!

An adapter went up on eBay recently, finishing at $1,425. There's an interesting feature here: http://www.quarterinchers.com/recent/nagra-kudelski-reel-adapter-qgb-auction-reaches-53000-in-bidding.html

Beechwoods
18-01-2009, 16:24
An update. They say start with the speakers and work backwards...

When I moved into my current room I tried to compromise on the speakers (SWMBO requirement) so they didn't get in the way... I have decided to rebel...

The old speakers, and their positioning, left a lot to be desired. The old speakers are now being used as temporary stands. I've had a pair of handmade transmission line speakers with KEF drivers that my dad and I made together when I was 16. They've been used a lot ever since, but had been put in the loft since moving to our current house. I decided to get them out and give them a try last night and they work really well. With a couple of caveats... (more on which, later).

Some pictures:

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/speakers/IMG_1289_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/speakers/IMG_1290_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/speakers/IMG_1291_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/speakers/IMG_1294_s.jpg

The caveat is that they're suffering from being too low at the moment. Ideally they need to be twice the height from the floor than they are, for my usual listening position. I need some rigid stands because the speakers themselves are quite top-heavy.

Does anyone have any ideas - in the 'affordable' department, preferably ;)

Ali Tait
18-01-2009, 16:35
How about these?

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html

Or these?

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/akropolise.html

Beechwoods
18-01-2009, 16:42
Excellent suggestions! I hadn't thought about making some but it definitely has it's advantages. So many of the stands I've seen around are too tall or too lightweight, if not expensive...

John
18-01-2009, 16:45
Hi Nick lovelly speakers and the Lenco looks great as well
You could always go down a DIY route

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/akropolise.html

Another idea would be to use either RSJ or scaffolding polls to provide a sturdy frame and then weld a top and bottom plate if you could look for someone local to do this for you

John
18-01-2009, 16:46
Ahh sorry for the double post I was typing and Al beat me to it

DSJR
18-01-2009, 17:03
What about a lamp table or two from Ikea (look under "stools and benches")? The "lack" tables are too wide and deep (although the good old GL75 will be fine (great looking plinth by the way).

Ali Tait
18-01-2009, 20:47
Check out the TNT Flexy on the same site if you're after a cheap rack.

Marco
26-01-2009, 07:47
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/speakers/IMG_1290_s.jpg


I like the old Art Deco-style chair at the back! Class :)

Marco.

Beechwoods
26-01-2009, 11:39
Thank you Marco. Mrs B loves Art Deco and that chair was one of her finds. It's a lovely piece. We've deco wherever space permits, though my room is a bit more functional for most part :) So much nicer and better value than cheapo modern tat :)

Spectral Morn
26-01-2009, 15:00
Hi Nick

I love Deco too...old clocks, furniture, jewelery, oil lamps (deco designs are rare as oil lamps were being replaced, except in country areas with electricity), electric lamps, tea and coffee sets.

As our house is Edwardian I would have preferred to go down the arts and crafts, Art Nouveau route , but both it and Deco are now to dear to buy, oh to have been around in the late fifties and sixties when this type of stuff was to be found in skips all over the country, and for free.....

Time Travel anyone....and we could stock up on Garrards, Leaks, Quads etc...oh well to dream.....

Regards D S D L----- Neil :)

Marco
26-01-2009, 20:24
Folk definitely have some class around here... For us its Deco and Gothic - I love Gothic architecture, and gargoyles and griffins :)

As for Deco, we collect Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper pottery, and also some Blackfriars, which is from a somewhat later period.

Modern tat? Too bloody right. The only room we have with modern furtniture in it is the music room where the hi-fi is! :eyebrows:

Marco.

Beechwoods
26-01-2009, 21:36
Folk definitely have some class around here... For us its Deco and Gothic - I love Gothic architecture, and gargoyles and griffins :)

As for Deco, we collect Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper pottery, and also some Blackfriars, which is from a somewhat later period.

Well it's Bretby vases for us - we seem to have quite a few tucked away around the place! And odeon style cabinets. We have an arts and crafts Gothic bookshelf opposite our Deco chair upstairs, you can't see it from the picture unfortunately.

We used to live in a Victorian terrace, with far more room for nice furniture, but downsized to a more hassle-free modern property. But we still like to have nice things around us, it makes it more cosy!

Spectral Morn
26-01-2009, 22:23
Hi Guys

Once a few years ago in Scotland, after a long drive (we where staying in Nairn), we drove to a place called Mintlaw near clola (Aberdeen). in a small Antique shop I tool a risk and bought an Oil Lamp that was Arts and crafts. it looked different to the mass produced stuff I normally pick up. It wasn't to dear but still a risk. Any way it turned out to be a Benson & Co lamp (similar type of operation to Liberties just a lot smaller). Theres a Benson & Co lamp in the V&A museum in London. This is a basic example but probably quite rare. I have a few bits and pieces of Art Nouveau but hard to get at reasonable money. I like Gothic too....Victorian revival or Original Gothic ? Art Deco pottery is nice, but lamps and lighting are my area of main interest. I should point out I collect for type/make not value.

GROUP SHOT

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-19.jpg

BENSON & Co

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-21.jpg

FRENCH GOTHIC/ART NOUVEAU

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-22.jpg

SCOTTISH ARTS AND CRAFTS/ART NOUVEAU

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Ecofanvalvebuffers--BoostItandBu-20.jpg

Regards D S D L----Neil :)

Beechwoods
26-01-2009, 23:15
Art Deco pottery is nice, but lamps and lighting are my area of main interest.

:) My area of main interest aside from collecting reel to reel machines is music posters from the late 60's and 70's... very specific posters from the late 60's and 70's :) The rarer or more peculiar the better, though not necessarily the most expensive. I like the Hapshash & Coloured Coat posters, and I have a thing about movie posters for films with Pink Floyd soundtracks :)

Here are a few that I have originals of. The Soft Machine one is actually a modern reprint, but signed by Nigel Weymouth and Michael English of Hapshash, so special for that reason. Very deco, if I might say so as well :)


http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/soft_machine_turns_on.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/white_bike.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/cia_ufo.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/la_vallee.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/more003.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/committee.jpg

Spectral Morn
26-01-2009, 23:24
The top two posters are more in the tradition of Mucha (I love Mucha). A French Art Nouveau Poster designer and illustrator. Look Mucha up on the net and you will see what I mean.

http://images.google.co.uk/images?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=s&hl=en&q=mucha&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title link to Mucha art work

The other posters are nice too...

Regards D S D L---Neil :)

Beechwoods
26-01-2009, 23:29
The 'La Vallee' one, and the 'CIA v UFO' one, are my favourites I think. The La Vallee one is so simple, yet so appealing, with the girl framed by the feathers (of a bird of paradise). It's a peculiar film, but a great poster!

I've just had a look and I'm sure I've seen Mucha's illustrations before. Hapshash's stuff drew heavily from the old illustrators of the early 1900's. Mucha's stuff looks great!

Spectral Morn
26-01-2009, 23:38
Yes I like that one too...

Regards D S D L----Neil :)

Lodgesound
13-02-2009, 08:20
Hi;

Interesting to see your picture of your Nagra IV S TC.

I'm currently actually using one of these to recover some interview master tapes - I needed to resolve the Pilot Tone from the tapes against a known reference and as it turned out this machine was ideal.

A testament to the way Nagra built these was evidenced in that the machine I dug out for use had not been used in nearly 15 years - I literally plugged it in and it worked - I did'nt even need to re-calibrate it's internal master oscillator frequency!

pulsestudio
13-02-2009, 14:04
Wow Nick, as a newbie here I had not hooked onto your "Den" pics, that is an Aladins Cave of niceties, I love the look of the Pioneer 707 machines, and the 909 come to that, have often wondered about bagging one off e-bay but they go for silly money these days.
Talking of 70's posters, do you have the Olias of Sunhillow album, the artwork on there if memory serves me correct is by Roger Dean?! Yes's album cover sleeve artist, it is truly awsome and there are a few leaves of beautiful surreal artwork, the music's not too bad either.
Paul

Beechwoods
06-03-2009, 16:17
Well the Harman/Kardon amp has now been swapped out for a Quad 33 Pre- and Quad 303 Power amp combination. These were in lovely condition, from Used HiFi Shop (Green Home Electronics). Here are a few 'unboxing' pictures. I always find this stuff interesting, sorry :)

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_01_s.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_02_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_03_s.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_04_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_05_s.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_06_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_07_s.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_08_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_09_s.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_10_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_11_s.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/quad/quad_12_s.jpg

Received opinion is that the 303 Poweramp stands up well to history and that it remains an extremely good item, despite it's age (first launched in 69). The 33 Pre- on the other hand tends to be more maligned.

The pre does only have 3 inputs, plus a tape monitor / record loop, and for someone like me with more than 10 sources this is a bit limiting. I use a couple of passive 4-way switches to manage my connections. I find it extremely useful to be able to choose to listen to any of my sources without rewiring stuff so the convenience is definitely an advantage. I can perceive no detriment to performance as a result of this approach. Most of my listening is at 'social', rather than 'critical' levels :)

I think that they work together really well. Reel to reel sounds fantastic, some of my subtle 7½ ips stuff really shining, acoustic performances are surrounded by air and ambience, the Lenco sounds great through the phono input. It seems to handle the delicacies at the top much better than my old amp, but without losing what I like of the bottom end through my KEFs. I also can't believe how silent the system is when cranked up, or between tracks on vinyl.

I love how configurable the 33 is, and how well thought out it's design is.

It handles MM, MC and Ceramic cartridges via the phono input. Selection is made by turning the input board which is removable from the back of the case. The MM setting sounds fantastic with my Lenco, though the M75ED Type 2 only outputs a typical 5mV, whereas the MM input expects 5.6mV - not an issue soundwise, but does mean record levels from disc have to be a bit higher than typical.

Record and input levels on the Tape input side are also configurable as far as input and output levels are concerned. This is achieved via removable screws which go into H/M/L holes on another removable PCB. Some use this to limit levels from modern high output CDP's. I use a pair of of Paul/Primalsea's inline RCA attenuators when required, which work brilliantly.

The Grand Wazoo
06-03-2009, 16:23
Wow!.........wow!.......wow!

What a find - they look immaculate!
I can tell you're going to have some fun with those.

baron
06-03-2009, 17:34
They do look in very good condition. Do you know when they were serviced? If its been a while it would be a good idea to renew the electrolitic capacitors in the power amp at least as they do dry out.

Beechwoods
06-03-2009, 17:40
Philip - they were serviced by Quad in 1992 - I have the receipt. It looks like a thorough job was done, including new capacitors throughout. I know '92 is now quite a while ago but I think they should be good for a while yet :) Hopefully :)

John
06-03-2009, 18:04
Nice gear and should last a good few years

Beechwoods
06-03-2009, 19:37
Thank you guys. I'm glad you think they're good condition. They are! Did I say they were from Dave at Green Home Electronics ;) Definitely recommended. Everything was so well packaged, in a supersize outer box with loads of poly shells... very safe and sound, and he was a really nice chap to boot :)

John
06-03-2009, 20:21
I keep hearing great things about Dave

DSJR
06-03-2009, 23:29
A good 33/303 can sound most beguiling in the midband, a bit loose in the bass perhaps, depending on the speaker and fairly sweet up top, definitely a great easy-listening experience and one I'd be happy with. A tired pair though, is terrible - all grit and noise in the background.

The 33 can be ok if the inputs aren't overloaded. The spare disc position can be modified for CD (if you do some Googling, you'll find a simple wiring patch which is simpler than the Quad suggestion).

I'd love to hear a fully Net-Audio 303 conversion. The modern output devices allowing a fully-complementary layout and with the current limiting either relaxed or removed altogether (the 303 was designed in the days of 15 Ohm speakers and bell-wire remember).

Beechwoods
07-03-2009, 05:57
I'd love to hear a fully Net-Audio 303 conversion. The modern output devices allowing a fully-complementary layout and with the current limiting either relaxed or removed altogether (the 303 was designed in the days of 15 Ohm speakers and bell-wire remember).

I've been reading up on the Net-Audio upgrades for a while and it's great that there is such potential for improving and enhancing the original kit. I do wonder though where the line between upgrade and replacement is drawn. It seems that you can replace so much of the original electronics that none of the Quad remains! Apart from a nice fascia etc :)

The Disc and Tape Board upgrades look very interesting though. And the prices are very attractive. Worth looking at for sure!

The Grand Wazoo
14-03-2009, 11:55
:) My area of main interest aside from collecting reel to reel machines is music posters from the late 60's and 70's... very specific posters from the late 60's and 70's :) The rarer or more peculiar the better, though not necessarily the most expensive. I like the Hapshash & Coloured Coat posters, and I have a thing about movie posters for films with Pink Floyd soundtracks :)

Here are a few that I have originals of. The Soft Machine one is actually a modern reprint, but signed by Nigel Weymouth and Michael English of Hapshash, so special for that reason. Very deco, if I might say so as well :)


http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/soft_machine_turns_on.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/white_bike.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/cia_ufo.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/la_vallee.jpg http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/more003.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/posters/committee.jpg

I like the top ones Beechy. Very, very jealous!!

It's just a repro but............

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/258/imgp1619.jpg

Primalsea
14-03-2009, 16:49
Very nice posters there (the ones on the wall, not you guys).
Some remind me of Alphonse Mucha who was probably on of the influences of the poster designer.

twelvebears
17-03-2009, 07:34
Nakamichi ZX-7.... cool... :-)

Beechwoods
17-03-2009, 07:46
Some remind me of Alphonse Mucha who was probably on of the influences of the poster designer.

You're right Paul! Neil said the same thing earlier on funnily enough. I'd not come across his stuff before, but I do like his style :smoking:


Nakamichi ZX-7.... cool... :-)

They are very nice aren't they! A high-point of early 80's design, and a high-point in Nakamichi's art. We could argue all day about whether the ZX-7/9, CR-7E, Dragon or 1000 was the all-time best Nak, but sound per pound, I think the ZX-7 gets the prize :)

Beechwoods
17-03-2009, 21:52
I got a new tripod for the camera today, so here's some nice long exposures and 'night-time shots'...

The Den at Night :)

http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/night/IMG_1604_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/night/IMG_1611_s.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/night/IMG_1614_s.jpghttp://homepage.mac.com/beechwoods/AOS/night/IMG_1622_s.jpg

Beechwoods
21-08-2009, 21:52
My latest acquisitions...

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2375_s.jpg

A Toshiba XR-Z90 vertical loading CD player - one of the best looking 1st Gen CDP's and not a bad sounder, for £9.99 plus postage!

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2377_s.jpg

My equally as cheap Technics RS-M85, direct drive, quartz locked, 2 head tape deck. A well-built hefty deck which needs some work to bring up to scratch. And my fantastic Studer A710 deck which gives the Nak a good run for it's money. Balanced outs into unbalanced DINs :)

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2385_s.jpg

A Hitachi DA-1000 vertical loading CDP, 1st Gen again, and one of the very first ever CDPs, from 1983. Father of a great many licensed clones. Great fun with it's moterised door (the Toshiba door is manual :))

Under that my reliable Sony SACD player. Not used as much as the other because it's not as much of an audio-tactile experience!

And all atop my Pioneer RT-707 which everyone's seen before ;)

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2371_s.jpg

My Tandberg TD-20A. A great deck, with my Uher 4000RM perched in front of for safe-keeping.

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2372_s.jpg

My speakers. Home-made many years ago, KEF drivers, transmission line design, wool tuned, on Atacama SE24 stands. Positioning of these follows the maths of speaker placement, but is confounded by the wall behind. I'd be interested in any suggestions people have for placement. At my listening position they have good sound balance, space, and subtlety but little sense of depth. I have the tweaters lined up heightwise with my ears, but wonder if they're too high :confused: :scratch:

The grilles are removeable but inaudible at my listening levels!

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2381_s.jpghttp://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2382_s.jpg

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods/gallery/IMG_2380_s.jpg

Thanks for any thoughts!

DSJR
21-08-2009, 21:56
I like the Quad amps and shall own them again one day, even just to look at :)

Beechwoods
21-08-2009, 22:00
I'd love one of those teak sleeves like you have in your avatar - there was I thinking you'd just got back into the old 33/303 combo!

Spectral Morn
22-08-2009, 07:27
Nice looking set up Nick....its grown.

The Revox looks very nice....nice price too;) Cheap as chips.....nearly.



Regards D S D L

Beechwoods
22-08-2009, 07:37
It has grown. It's come a long way from when I first joined, and in some important ways:

Credible amplification
Decent speakers and 'better' positioning - still needs to be improved :)

I still find myself an incorrigible collector of old kit, and that fun/discovery element is definitely a massive part of my thing when it comes to audio.

Marco
22-08-2009, 08:00
Excellent, Nick. I love the idea of having a den to keep lots of mad 'stuff' in - well there's my domain behind the little white door, but that doesn't count :eyebrows:

Marco.

jandl100
22-08-2009, 09:29
Wow - that's fantastic looking stuff, Nick. As Marco says, I too would love to have room to collect all sorts of audio collectibles ... some of those old classic Marantz quadrophonic receivers with the wonderous blue-lit displays would be top of my list. :) A long-held ambition of mine has been to have a separate 'collectors room' but when it comes to choosing a new house that never seems to happen. :(

Still, it's fun to see yours! ;)

Primalsea
22-08-2009, 09:40
That's a great collection Beechy!! I particularly like the record deck. A friend of mine also has the Hitachi CD Player which still looks quite smart even today.

jandl100
22-08-2009, 10:05
My speakers. Home-made many years ago, .... At my listening position they have good sound balance, space, and subtlety but little sense of depth.


Thanks for any thoughts!

Toe-in. Depth of image (and image focus) can be all about toe-in. Often, the more the better. Try them raked in so the outer side panels are well visible from your listening position. Don't be shy - swivel 'em in!

Alternatively. something that is weird but worked well with my old ProAc Future Point5 ribbon hybrids, was toe-out - have the speakers pointing more toward the sidewall that they are nearest. Crazy looking but worth a try.

Hope that helps! :)

Beechwoods
22-08-2009, 19:48
Thanks chaps, for your comments :) And thanks Jerry for your suggestions on toe-in. Moving towards and away from the speakers by just a few inches makes quite a difference - because they are only 5' from my listening position. After a bit of playing about with the degree of 'toe' they ended up where they were, with the sides of the cabinets bang on axis :) I think half of it is they need a bit of level to bring the focus out - obvious maybe. I do want to play about with the height too. I can tip 'em upside down to bring the HF drivers down a bit. I did try them that way up before I had proper stands. The bass ports are on the bottom so have quite a different affect shooting up to the ceiling...

The cheapest upgrades!

Alex_UK
22-08-2009, 20:35
it's probably just psychological now, but I've never been happy unless my speakers are toed in, despite the fact that the system has changed many times since I first decided it sounded better - come to think of it, none of the components or cables are the same! Ok, so it's just a habit now!