View Full Version : Equipment you wish you hadn't sold...
Giubanix
02-06-2012, 15:31
I guess we've all sold, or otherwise dumped, gear that we kind of wish was still lurking in a cupboard somewhere, so we could dig it out and hook it up for another listen?
I was aimlessly surfing this afternoon (the net, not the sea), and stumbled on the Alchemist HiFi archive. I once had this Alchemist Axiom amp: http://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/axiom/axiom_apd26a_integrated_amplifier.htm that I've often wished I'd hung onto.
It wasn't particularly expensive, but it really seemed to suit the speakers I had at the time, sounded good and looked quite smart too. If I remember correctly, it was just those handles on the sides that were the problem - I couldn't fit it on the shelf with the other bits and pieces and ended up giving it away for next to nothing. :doh: Really wish I'd just stuck it in a plastic bag and shoved it under the bed out of the way.
twelvebears
02-06-2012, 15:42
Without doubt, the single biggest 'audio regret' for me is selling a mint pair of Sonus Faber Extrema speakers:
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/915
Was buying a house so needed the money and I sold them for more than I paid s/h but it still hurts!
seoirse2002
02-06-2012, 15:49
Got a pair of Sonab OA-5 Type 2....enjoying them as we speak(type)
The Vinyl Adventure
02-06-2012, 16:51
Fuji s5 pro ...
Sorry wrong forum ;)
I might regret selling my TD power amp ... But I'm gonna do it anyway!
walpurgis
02-06-2012, 16:58
Wish I still had my Tannoy Chatsworths and Decca 4RC!
Except for a lone Leak TL10 I sold years ago and a Nagaoka MP30 that I seem to have mislaid I don't have any regrets about what I've sold as it was all replaced with something better. I've never had to sell something I liked just because I needed the cash, not to date anyway.
Rare Bird
03-06-2012, 10:15
Logic 'DM101' TT
A Koetsu Black Goldline MC cartridge, which at the time I'd been using with a low-mass Hadcock tonearm (and not really liking the results), before I learned that they perform optimally in high-mass arms, and had studied the whole cartridge compliance thing and how it affects one's choice of tonearm - and also how much of an effect SUTs have on the performance of low-output MC cartridges...
Wish I still had that Koetsu now, as it'd sound bloody marvellous in my current set-up! :)
I also don't think that I ever got the most out of my ECS EA1 monoblock amps (http://www.ecsamplifiers.co.uk/product1.aspx?id=11), before I went all 'valvey', as they were never an optimal match for my Croft preamp. They were awesome with my old Naim 52/Supercap, and remain as one of the finest sounding solid-state amps I've ever heard.
Never mind, one lives and learns! :cool:
Marco.
Rare Bird
03-06-2012, 10:49
Actually Marco
If you slide the mass ring right to the front on the Mayware arm you can successfully use a Denon '103' with it.
You know i'm not a fan of tone controless pre amps but i did get on with my old Naim 32.5/Hi-Cap
Don't doubt that, dude. I've also heard it working pretty well on a Hadcock GH-242, with added mass at the headshell, and an SME 3009.
Here's hoping you can get that rather nice Mayware aboard a T/T that hits the spot for you, ASAP! :)
Marco.
Rare Bird
03-06-2012, 11:24
Well i bought a Systemdek 'IIX', but i'm in the middle of making a new design plinth for it :eyebrows:
Systemdeks were always good, and punched way above their weight, sonically.
I'm surprised that you didn't go for a Heybrook TT2, as I always rated those too, or perhaps it looks too much like an LP12 :eyebrows:
Marco.
Rare Bird
03-06-2012, 11:41
Only ever had one 'TT2'..
The old Systemdeks gave a performance well above their price range imho..I like the suspension on em they don't bounce all over the place like some do..
Sure, defo. The heavily bouncy T/Ts always have a slightly different sound. What about a Pink Triangle? Some of Arthur's designs were fab :)
Marco.
hoopsontoast
03-06-2012, 11:45
Rega R7 sold @ £550 as I needed the money! Doh!
Keesonic Kolt sold the first time round, Doh!
Tannoy Cheviot with 12" HPD's sold for £300 a few years back! Doh!
Keesonic Kolt? That's a new on me, Rob :)
What is it?
Marco.
The original Systemdeks SHOULD bounce, but at a lower frequency than Linns etc :)
I've had so much gear pass through my hands and, being a hoarder all my life, regret selling loads of it. A few examples.
The NAS Mentor - so good with the Decca and a Wave Mechanic would have been a further superb improvement. A wonderful turntable
Radford SC22/STA25 - needed servicing back in '78 and no decent preamps then available (or if they were, they were strangled by bad sources - we're so spoiled today) but noone really wanted to know back then. A then recent addiction to Naim kinda spoiled me for a while :(
Revox A76 tuner - Superb sounding and pig ugly. Replaced it with a gorgeous looking Luxman T88-V which sounded like a sludge-box - ugh!
Revox B77 IEC-HS and Nak 682ZX, Dragon & CR7 (various times) - took 'em totally for granted back then, but each was a classic..
"Bolt-up" Naim 250 - This one I first sold to a friend who sold it to me when he bought some early 135's to replace it. This one was sweet toned, spacious and so musical - NOTHING like the CB and Olive models which followed..
My first Decca - a Blue which "twanged" a bit in the treble, but my gawd it was a goodie :)
ARC SP14 - It's certainly no better sonically than a Croft "R" grade preamp, but has bling in abundance and pride in ownership was second to none.
Loads more, but I'm getting even more boring than usual...
hifi_dave
03-06-2012, 13:01
I believe we have had a similar thread before but anyway...
When I sold my last shop, we had plans to live in Florida, which didn't transpire but I sold a huge amount of vintage kit I still regret, such as a Quad Series 1 pre and power and the original Quad PA amp, all as new. Also several Leak Stereo 20 in grey and gold, a Stereo 60, Lecson AP1/AP3, Radford STA 15, STA 25, various Tandberg reel-reel, several Quad II's, several Garrard 301 in cream and one hammerite with Leak arm and cartridge plus a 401 or two. A MacIntosh tube pre and two Mac tuners and on and on.
I also put in the skip several Nakamichi cassette decks, umpteen GL75s, Lab 80s and SP25s - who wanted them six years ago ???
It still upsets me to think of all that great gear I sold for notta lot but slowly, slowly I am building up my 'museum' once again.
I forgot - we'd moved to Suffolk by then and I wasn't there to raid your vintage stock rooms.
It's true though, the rocketing used HiFi gear prices is a fairly recent thing. 401's were around £150, TD124's and possibly 301's double this. Lab 80's and 4HF's etc were all but worthless and you could buy a Rogers cadet for well under a ton and a Nait mk1 for little over. Ditton 44's were being almost given away too 'cos they're a bit large..
Hey-Ho.....
Keesonic Kolt? That's a new on me, Rob :)
What is it?
Marco.
Just found your thread on the Wam: http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?63610-Keesonic-Kolt
Interesting... The broadcasting pedigree appeals, and some of the larger models look like a bit like Spendor BC-1s :)
Marco.
hifi_dave
03-06-2012, 15:47
I did a review for Hi-Fi for Pleasure (IIRC) on the KRF and then the KBM. Very good speakers at reasonable prices.
Not sure what happened to Keesonic ?
Most likely went bust, Dave, like so many other small British manufacturers then... I'd never heard of Keesonic speakers, before Rob mentioned them. They appear to have a similar pedigree to Harbeth and Spendor, only of course were nowhere near as commercially successful.
Marco.
hifi_dave
03-06-2012, 16:30
Like a lot of Hi-Fi 'companies', they were basically a one-man-band - just Peter Keeley. The speakers didn't a have stunning build quality but they certainly did sound good and had some very interesting design features.
I can think of dozens of speakers whiich were no where near as good but their companies have prospered. What a great shame.:unfair:
Does anyone know what became of Peter Keeley ?
hoopsontoast
03-06-2012, 17:31
Marco, yeah that's them, they were made as a direct competitor to the BBC designs at the time I believe.
These are the Kolts, a broadcast monitor ala LS3/5a-
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5068/5763824329_3acc47d9d1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/5763824329/)
Keesonic Kolt Near-Field Monitors (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/5763824329/) by hoopsontoast (http://www.flickr.com/people/hoopsontoast/), on Flickr
Based on Seas drivers (11F-GX)
Would love to hear the 'Keesonic Ranger' but never seen a pic, for sale ad or mention anywhere. I believe it has the same mid/tweeter combo as the Kolt, but with a 10" Bass driver.
A Scanned Brochure I have-
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6963925151_d5ec69737e_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/6963925151/)
Keesonic Brochure 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/6963925151/) by hoopsontoast (http://www.flickr.com/people/hoopsontoast/), on Flickr
hoopsontoast
03-06-2012, 17:45
I believe Peter Keeley is still about, I seem to remember reading somewhere.
The Kolts are very similar to the ATC SCM7 in terms of sound/presentation. Open and Punchy but a bit smoother (like the SCM10) and do not have the SPL ability of the ATC's.
Thanks for that, Rob - interesting... I like the look of the Ranger and the KBM :)
Marco.
I had a reworked and modded Pioneer Spec 2 recapped with Black gates and Panisonic caps
The power supply was fitted with larger reserve caps from 15,000 uf to 22,000 uf as well as all new modern transistors,US relays for a more stable bias and modern binding posts,upgrade diodes and key resistors and it did 355 watts RMS @ 8ohms before clipping per channel with far less distortion than new. A real monster with a 4 ohm load!
I never even let the new work break in as while it was being reworked I got a Manley Labs Stingray and loved the EL84 triode sound.
I some times miss that Godzilla amp.
accuphaseman
03-06-2012, 21:53
AKG K1000 headphones.
jandl100
04-06-2012, 07:11
Je ne regrets rien!
.... on the several occasions that I have re-visited previously owned kit I've found that I hear its particular characteristics and flaws very rapidly and it just doesn't do it for me anymore in terms of musical enjoyment. But the one piece of kit I would like to hear again is my old Burmester CD006 cd player. I have a feeling I'd still love it.
Morning, Jerry.
Je ne regrets rien!
Did you mean Je ne regrette rien?
Apologies for the pedantry, but I hate seeing foreign languages I speak being mangled ;)
Marco.
jandl100
04-06-2012, 07:52
Wot? Oh, yeah. Probably. :scratch:
All civilised people speak English, dontcherknow. ;)
Lol... You're not one of those daftees who goes abroad, and makes no attempt to speak the local language, and expects everyone else to speak English, are you? ;)
Marco.
BTH K10A
04-06-2012, 08:54
I also don't think that I ever got the most out of my ECS EA1 monoblock amps (http://www.ecsamplifiers.co.uk/product1.aspx?id=11), before I went all 'valvey', as they were never an optimal match for my Croft preamp. They were awesome with my old Naim 52/Supercap, and remain as one of the finest sounding solid-state amps I've ever heard.
Never mind, one lives and learns! :cool:
Marco.
That's probably because valve pre's usually have a high output impedance that is not optimal for SS amps. You can use transformers or a buffer stage to overcome this though.
The best valve pre driving a big SS amp i've heard was an early Conrad Johnson that had been modded with balanced 600 Ohm output transformers. It was used with bridged Crown K2's driving planar ribbon speakers and the whole setup souded sublime.
Ah, good point, Andy. That was most likely a factor.
The other thing too, was that my Croft preamp, in its original state (until I modded it accordingly) sounded a little 'soft' and 'tubey', and didn't really gel well with the ECS amps.
However, it would be a different ball now, as I've eradicated those issues, so it would interesting to revisit the ECS amps again, although in reality, that's unlikely to happen :)
Marco.
Pioneer PD-91. Beautiful CD player, superbly built and very slick. Made a fanastic sound for its time. I really miss it.
Reid Malenfant
05-06-2012, 20:17
Classe DR5 pre amp :eyebrows: It did happen to be the better version with balanced outputs & a balanced input :)
At least it now has a good home, Dave (synsei) is enjoying it :cool:
Also a set of home designed & built loudspeakers I sold to another friend way back when, I miss those Focal T90K tweeters :(
icehockeyboy
06-06-2012, 12:56
Regret flogging (read give away) my Thorens/SME/Shure combo for peanuts!!!!!!
Add my Classe CP 47.5 to that too
A Scanned Brochure I have-
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6963925151_d5ec69737e_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/6963925151/)
Keesonic Brochure 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoopsontoast/6963925151/) by hoopsontoast (http://www.flickr.com/people/hoopsontoast/), on Flickr
We sold dozens of pairs of Kubs and they were a brash, but supremely involving listen. We also had a "Me Too" alternative to the Spendor BC1 and it was either the Skout or the KRF (I think the latter). Despte having totally different drivers IIRC, they sounded very close indeed to the BC1's in their golden era (white cone surrounds).
hifi_dave
07-06-2012, 19:57
We sold dozens of pairs of Kubs and they were a brash, but supremely involving listen. We also had a "Me Too" alternative to the Spendor BC1 and it was either the Skout or the KRF (I think the latter). Despte having totally different drivers IIRC, they sounded very close indeed to the BC1's in their golden era (white cone surrounds).
The KRF was the BC1 alternative - a bit rough but more exciting.
hoopsontoast
07-06-2012, 20:48
There are a Pair of Kubs, and Skouts (going by the dimensions) on eBay atm as it happens, and no, I wont be bidding, the Kolts, Kords and AE2's are more than enough for my flat atm!
daytona600
08-06-2012, 12:27
JR149s NS1000M sold very cheaply to fund upgrades , both now worth a lot more , wish i,d kept them , also wish i,d bought 301/401/TD124 as these could be brought for scrap years ago
Not scrap value, just their true worth when compared to what's available. These days, a 301 and 401 should be no more than a couple of hundred, if not £100 in all honesty and a TD124 for £250 tops. The three of em are wonderful things to behold and use, but their performance as spinners of vinyl (wow, flutter, rumble/noise and feedback) can be bettered by a Rega in most respects and annihilated by a Techie. Their current over-value is purely nostalgic in brutal honesty IMO and it seems there are many of us who live in the past, myself included, where audio gear is concerned.
Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 14:54
I'd put yer tin hat on after that post Dave! :lol:
Beobloke
08-06-2012, 15:16
My original Leak 2075s. The lower midranges were making unpleasant nosies and it was before my speaker design days, so I didn't know how to repair them, so I sold them and remember watching the new owner drive off with them whilst I thought to myself "Why did I do that?".
It was also about 3 months later that Hi-Fi World did a feature on DK Loudspeaker services and his ability to rebuild virtually any drive unit! :doh:
Luckily I have since acquired another pair...
Other regrets were selling my original SME 3009 after I upgraded to an AT1130 on my 301 - again, I've bought another one as it's simply so beautiful and lovely to use.
Finally, on a purely greed front, I used to have a boxed, immaculate EMI EPU100 arm with 2 pickup heads, which I rashly decided I didn't need and then sold. It was a lovely bit of kit but what's really galling is that they are now selling for about 10 times what I sold mine for!
Other than these, most items I sell are simply no longer required, have been upgraded or I simply bought them to see what they were like and my curiosity has been sated.
aquapiranha
08-06-2012, 15:26
I'd put yer tin hat on after that post Dave! :lol:
He is right though Ali. There are some products that while very good, have their prices increased due to rarity rather than performance. I would be willing to bet that the 1210 analogy is correct.
Rare Bird
08-06-2012, 16:55
Not scrap value, just their true worth when compared to what's available. These days, a 301 and 401 should be no more than a couple of hundred, if not £100 in all honesty and a TD124 for £250 tops.
Still wouldnt pay it ..Gimmi a Sony 'TTS3000' motor unit anyday over any of those three :)
Shhh, they've woken up already and prices are climbing.
I know, I'd love a TD124 and have even got a basic plinth for one ready and waiting :lol: God, the deck looked beautiful in it :)
daytona600
09-06-2012, 17:02
Not scrap value, just their true worth when compared to what's available. These days, a 301 and 401 should be no more than a couple of hundred, if not £100 in all honesty and a TD124 for £250 tops. The three of em are wonderful things to behold and use, but their performance as spinners of vinyl (wow, flutter, rumble/noise and feedback) can be bettered by a Rega in most respects and annihilated by a Techie. Their current over-value is purely nostalgic in brutal honesty IMO and it seems there are many of us who live in the past, myself included, where audio gear is concerned.
agree but have you seen what swissnor charge for a rebuilt td these days
same as 301/401 to high spec plinths , as a teenager for a grand , could of bought a garage full of 301/401s td124 l07d sp10s gl75 , worth 20 times that now
Not scrap value, just their true worth when compared to what's available. These days, a 301 and 401 should be no more than a couple of hundred, if not £100 in all honesty and a TD124 for £250 tops. The three of em are wonderful things to behold and use, but their performance as spinners of vinyl (wow, flutter, rumble/noise and feedback) can be bettered by a Rega in most respects and annihilated by a Techie. Their current over-value is purely nostalgic in brutal honesty IMO and it seems there are many of us who live in the past, myself included, where audio gear is concerned.
Lol...... :eek:
As much as I love the Techy, Dave, I'm not sure I'd agree. You should know that I've compared my T/T with quite a few different Garrards recently, and none of them exhibited audible "wow, flutter, rumble/noise and feedback."
With vintage motor units only, what you hear depends so much on how well they're fettled and mounted. If you heard Dominic Harper's 401, in his superb slate plinth (with whatever arm and cartridge you like), I can assure you that you'd change your mind, pronto, matey!
It's every bit as good as my Techy, in any area you care to mention, albeit with its own way of music-making, and you know that I wouldn't say that unless that was most certainly the case :)
Marco.
tannoy man
10-06-2012, 12:07
My TD 124 is the Best Turntable is I have Ever Owned, and I Feel this because
I don't Want to Constantly Improve it, Mess about with it, buy New Mats, Better Isolate it or Tweak it.
The Sound is Consistently Excellent and I just get on With Playing Records that
Sounded Shit on my Other Decks.
If Someone Offered Me a New Sondek( £10,000 plus I think) as a Straight Swap for My £60 Thorens, I would Say No.
It is My Opinion that even at the Top Prices Being Asked, All These Old Idler
Decks are a Bargain.
The Internet puts Us Contact with Specialists. Who Can Repair almost Anything.
Those Delicious Garrards being offered by Audio Grail will Still be Running in 2050;)
Lol...... :eek:
As much as I love the Techy, Dave, I'm not sure I'd agree. You should know that I've compared my T/T with quite a few different Garrards recently, and none of them exhibited audible "wow, flutter, rumble/noise and feedback."
With vintage motor units only, what you hear depends so much on how well they're fettled and mounted. If you heard Dominic Harper's 401, in his superb slate plinth (with whatever arm and cartridge you like), I can assure you that you'd change your mind, pronto, matey!
It's every bit as good as my Techy, in any area you care to mention, albeit with its own way of music-making, and you know that I wouldn't say that unless that was most certainly the case :)
Marco.
You're taking me too literally ;) and a turntable really shouldn't "have a way with music making" you know :) :cool: My take is that a turntable should just spin a record and let the grooves do the talking, although I think we all know it's not as cut and dried as this in practice.
Four pole motors, no matter how well balanced, are going to vibrate to a greater or lesser extent and the Garrard idler used in these decks is extremely hard. Using the plinth to absorb it all may well be fine - and I DO know how great a 301 and 401 can sound when properly plinthed - ask hifi dave - and when fitted with a working Decca - ah, bliss...
As for the TD124. I don't give a toss what it "sounds" like or not (it doesn't really "sound" at all to me), but this is the one I'd own now, given the chance, since I so admire the wonderful engineering underneath. Interesting how the TD125 on launch was reputedly more expensive than the 124 and 150 added together..
Anyway, my task for the summer, before work starts in September - whew! - is to renovate the GL78 - I like those :)
Have to admit I'm an admirer of the Thorens 124/II, from the point of view of aesthetics, superb Swiss engineering and for its 'lack of sound'.
Many years ago I was able to spend time comparing my TD124/II with a 'standard issue' Linn Sondeck (this was before all the so-called upgrades: the Armageddon etc. became available). Yes I noticed some small changes; but nothing to support the hysteria associated with the LP12 and nothing to cause me to want to change my deck.
I later acquired two more TD124/II decks, so I guess that makes me an enthusiast.
Certainly the prices asked these days for the 124, the 124/II and for the Garrards 301 and 401 turntables are rediculous. All my 124/IIs are second hand and cost me, in turn £38, £750 (complete with SME 3012 arm and Shure M55E cartridge) and £350.
sq225917
10-06-2012, 17:22
I thought the decent Garrard motors were shaded pole with 18 windings?
You're taking me too literally...
Lol - how am I? I'm just quoting what you've written!
Earlier you wrote:
These days, a 301 and 401 should be no more than a couple of hundred, if not £100 in all honesty and a TD124 for £250 tops. The three of em are wonderful things to behold and use, but their performance as spinners of vinyl (wow, flutter, rumble/noise and feedback) can be bettered by a Rega in most respects and annihilated by a Techie.
How can I take that too literally? Quite simply ANY of the top-notch Garrards I've heard have never audibly exhibited any of the above problems :nono:
Furthermore, a well-mounted 301 or 401, with a decent arm and cartridge, would annihilate a Rega, sonically, and reduce it to the status of no more than a toy, especially when comparing the latter on an engineering level to a Garrard or a TD-124! :eek:
My favourite is still the TD-124, as I consider it to be the most musically accurate of all the ex-broadcast vintage T/Ts. Would I swap my 'race-tuned' Techy for one, or a Garrard? No, but I'd still love to own one of the gorgeous grey 'Hammertone' finish 301s, which Audio Grail sell, and a nice TD-124, purely as I admire the engineering.
The best T/Ts are all about uber-engineering, or elegant engineering solutions to known T/T design challenges :)
Marco.
Not too many things I wish I'd kept hold of.
In no particular order:
Audio Analogue Maestro - Brilliant "arc welder" of an amp!
Mr Liang 845SE - Something of a classic one of these days I reckon.
Castle Inversion 100 - I still haven't really found a loudspeaker that 'gels' with my room any better than those did. Beautifully veneered in real Yew they were, I miss 'em! :(
Lol - how am I? I'm just quoting what you've written!
Earlier you wrote:
Furthermore, a well-mounted 301 or 401, with a decent arm and cartridge, would annihilate a Rega, sonically, and reduce it to the status of no more than a toy, especially when comparing the latter on an engineering level to a Garrard or a TD-124! :eek:
My favourite is still the TD-124, as I consider it to be the most musically accurate of all the ex-broadcast vintage T/Ts. Would I swap my 'race-tuned' Techy for one, or a Garrard? No, but I'd still love to own one of the gorgeous grey 'Hammertone' finish 301s, which Audio Grail sell, and a nice TD-124, purely as I admire the engineering.
The best T/Ts are all about uber-engineering, or elegant engineering solutions to known T/T design challenges :)
Marco.
I agree with you about the sonics at all Marco, but that wasn't where I'm coming from..
I don't have the review done of all of these in '68, but the Sony TTS3000 was head and shoulders "better" than the idler/idler hybrid decks in the THEN important areas like wow, flutter and rumble, which was a real issue for the Lenco's and Garrards back then before the uber plinth market started. I fully appreciate that properly plinthing the Garrards will take the noise down to insignificant levels, but I bet that when compared to a typical techie, there will still be idler "harmonics" there somewhere and just possibly, some vibration transmission as well. Can't prove it though, so it's probably irrelevant in the wide scheme of things :)
To come back on thread, I was given a mint 401 in the late 80's I remember. I was so into Linn and so short of space I passed the deck on to a friend to keep for me. This chap has loads and LOADS of gear and I reckon the 401, in a solid but non-descript plinth, is buried under a pile of other boxes. He wouldn't have sold it so all is not totally lost...
One other thing, an amp I had which failed but sounded great was a Lustraphone LP100, it hung around in bits for years until it was finally reassembled. Didn't sound as good after, and despite being given another, the same lack of space meant I passed them on to a colleague at work, who used one with a Dual 1019 with K9 fitted. I emailed him a couple of years ago and sadly they've all gone, along with a rather nice Beomaster 4000 which had a superb tuner.
Two EMI 555s. I had them in 1977, and I know that I didn't have them in 1979, but i have absolutely no recollection of where they went. They really needed rebuilding, which was beyond my abilities at the time, but now? I wish!
Ten there was my beloved Revox A77, which had to go in order to fund basic living a while ago. I still miss it, especially for the recording I did of a local choir tackling Faure's Requiem. A pretty mediocre performance, although good for a bunch of students, but it was the biggest, openest, airiest and deepest soundstage I've ever heard reproduced through a pair of loudspeakers.
But the biggest regret has nothing to do with hi-fi (the thread title says equipment, so I'm allowed :) )
A friend of my brother bought this little toy in 1975, mainly as an investment, which was an unusual idea in those days. He never drove it, so my brother offered to house it as we had a big garage. We pondered for a year whether we should raise the £750 he wanted for it. I only drove it once. The observant will notice the Daf van in the garage behind which was my everyday transport at the time. The contrast was ludicrous.
Just out of curiosity, I put the registration number into Google the other day. It seems to have done quite well for itself (see last paragraph of notes) : http://www.jaguarheritage.org/JaguarHeritage_VehicleCollection_006.aspx .
http://www.thepippin.plus.com/Misc/Cars1028-2.JPGhttp://www.thepippin.plus.com/Misc/Cars1026-2.JPG
Rare Bird
10-06-2012, 20:24
Very nice Shane
Oooo, nice new Avatar there David (DSJR) - lovely little darlings that they are ;)
Well, on the forum that promotes little speakers with a 5db upper midrange peak (and a 5db dip in the mid bass with little below) in their passive models, I got fed up with snide comments about Harbs being boomy and with sh*tty drivers. I love these Harbeths and find I can listen for hours to all the range, finding great things in the music and the speakers, passive or not, just disappear and let you hear "through" them with no discomfort, unlike the first ones I'm referring to, which give me a headache (those that know me will know to whom I'm referring)....
Actually, I had some rather sweet toned Harbeth HL5's for a few years. These were balanced a bit to full in the bass compared to current examples and I remember putting two small cushion inners carefully in the cabs, leaving the ports clear to "see" the bottom of the bass drivers. The sound was then sublime, the bass being under control and the midrange a true delight. Sadly, herself didn't like the shape of the boxes where they were going to be in our last house and they were sold on :( I don't care what the jealous mail-order-mini-actives competition says, the Harbeths have been measured, listened to, measured again and further listened to for many hours indeed before being released for sale - and the manufacturer is only too happy to submit them for technical based reviews for all to see - and they usually come out very well.. At least I have an early distant relative in the main system.
Back to thread, one cartridge I wish I'd been able to keep is a well thrashed Goldbug Mr Brier that Jimmy H had for extended review. This particular sample sounded glorious with vanishingly low surface noise and superb tracking, despite having many hundreds of hours under its diamond - the others in the range never quite "gelled" like this one. Sadly for me, the old KJ colleague who imported these asked for it back and I had to oblige him. Great cartridge though once set up carefully and I have fond memories of it.
Ha - Dave, I'd have the Harbs any day of the week, compared with those anodyne sounding AVI lifestyle speaker-ettes, aimed at sonically undiscerning gadget freaks, and marketed by a belligerent twat, keen simply to top-up his pension fund, who considers the mediocre and 'inoffensive' sound that his glorified computer speakers reproduce, to be perfectly adequate!
Some of us have rather higher standards, eh? ;)
Marco.
Russell Turner
11-06-2012, 09:35
Don't know if it counts are not...
But I did swap a pair of Quad 2's and a Quad 22 setup for a Pioneer A400 in the late 80's
I had revamped the Quad 2's with PTFE silver plated wire, Military spec valves, metal film resistors and top end capacitors where I could, each mono block was sat under my SL6S's connected with one meter of Van Den Hul cable (it was biege thats all I recall) and the sound was sublime, not loud, but superb for it's time.
I still regret this action now probably nigh on thirty odd years after doing it, the reasoning at the time was that I was fed-up with the Quad 22 Pre-Amp limitations on inputs.
;-(
Hi Marco, I didn't want to mention the firm concerned as they cannot respond here, but I now have documented objective evidence (of the type that's severely lacking on their site despite all the puff and nonsense spouted there) of what I'm saying regarding the peaky upper mid of the Pro Nines, which measure like early Kans, the subjectively even worse N5's, which, if anything like the NuNeutrons of old measured here, will measure like late kan 1's when KEF beggared around with the bass-mid unit and this, by inference, means that although the ADM's will be better (especially the new version), the tilted bass to mid balance will remain as no attempt to equalise it has been made. Below is a pdf download link of the article concerned -
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=sos%2C%20ns10%2C%20pdf&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soundonsound.com%2Fpdfs%2Fns1 0m.pdf&ei=mrvVT72kEM248gPZuvirAw&usg=AFQjCNEk6Dts2l25mj52E-CltxHQgZ9IWA
Direct link - http://www.soundonsound.com/pdfs/ns10m.pdf
Scroll down to the response section. Some pretty awful plots there and most are peaked up in the very high mids to give a false impression of "detail!" when desk mounted. I doubt many decent domestic models would measure this way, but it sure explains a few things to me.....
hifi_dave
11-06-2012, 09:44
Ha - Dave, I'd have the Harbs any day of the week, compared with those anodyne sounding AVI lifestyle speaker-ettes, aimed at sonically undiscerning gadget freaks, and marketed by a belligerent twat, keen simply to top-up his pension fund, who considers the mediocre and 'inoffensive' sound that his glorified computer speakers reproduce, to be perfectly adequate!
Some of us have rather higher standards, eh? ;)
Marco.
Marco,
Please don't beat about the bush. Tell us what you really think..:whistle:
Don't know if it counts are not...
But I did swap a pair of Quad 2's and a Quad 22 setup for a Pioneer A400 in the late 80's
I had revamped the Quad 2's with PTFE silver plated wire, Military spec valves, metal film resistors and top end capacitors where I could, each mono block was sat under my SL6S's connected with one meter of Van Den Hul cable (it was biege thats all I recall) and the sound was sublime, not loud, but superb for it's time.
I still regret this action now probably nigh on thirty odd years after doing it, the reasoning at the time was that I was fed-up with the Quad 22 Pre-Amp limitations on inputs.
;-(
I have had a set of Quad valve gear (2 x II plus 22 preamp) twice during my hi-fi- 'career'. On the second occasion I used the power amps with a Quad 44 preamp. Whilst I enjoyed using them with my '57 ESLs, I heard no reason why they should replace the Quad solid-state amps I had (and still have).
Both sets were handed on to friends who would enjoy using them more than me (at the time, one was a user of Lowther horn speakers, and the valve Quads worked particularly well with them).
If I have any regrets then it would be for purely mercenary reasons: I could have kept them to sell on eBay, where I would have sold them for many times the pittance I paid for them. But then I don't think like that.
Marco,
Please don't beat about the bush. Tell us what you really think..:whistle:
Lol, no, that would defo need to be censored! ;)
Marco.
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