View Full Version : Back on the bottle ; a generation of abstinence
Mike Reed
12-04-2009, 10:13
After three plus months of builders and another three of refitting and redecorating, I've downed paintbrushes in favour of garden forks and a bit of serious listening.
I've also been exhorted by Maestro Marco to end my hibernation and comment on my recent acquisition of valve amps. to replace my Naim 135s.
About twenty-five years ago I abandoned valves (latterly RCA monoblocks:-similar to Quads) to embark on a Naim voyage, although I didn't have such aspirations then!
Researching over the last year or two has culminated in my EARmarking 100 watts per channel 509 monoblocks as the valve amps least likely to create a seismic shift in sound and presentation from my Naims. Am far too old and cautious for deep-end stuff!
I use four sources into my Naim 552 pre:- tuner, tv etc., record player and CDP. and keep stuff on 24/7, so the inconvenience factor of valve amps was, and is, a bit of a stumbling block.
First listenings were blighted by a rather unpleasant West Midlands dealer sending me a pre. to power i/c other than that advertised, and also unfit for the purpose he was well apprised of, as the split was at the phono (RCA) end rather than the four-pin din. YOU try to stack two valve monos to reach an i/c, as he 'suggested' I might do!!!!!
My immediate impression was that these amps HAVE TO BE THE VALVE EQUIVALENT OF THE 135s (or other similar s/s monos?). There were far more similarities than differences.
Sending the duff i/c back (at my expense!!!) and concocting another by bastardising a bi-amping lead made up by Naim some years ago opened things up dramatically. Experimenting with 4 and 8 ohm tappings lead me to prefer the 4 ohm, though why this should be is odd, as my PROAC RESPONSE 4s are an easy, fairly consistent 8 ohm load. There seems to be more immediacy to the presentation. I'm also pretty convinced that more detail is coming through vis a vis my 135s, though that could possibly be slightly different emphases on frequency bands. Nice, though!
RADIO (NAT 01) benefits enormously, with Classic FM especially coming to life. Not sure why, as Classic FM is no paragon of transmission quality.
TV comes through with more life, too, and becomes more involving on any musical accompaniment to the visual.
CDP (Meridian GO8) though an overall improvement, wasn't intially much different, and was still a bit steely on strings (though OK on R & R, etc.). I/c cable change recently from Chord Signatures to Audioquest Topaz (courtesy of AOS's Greenhome Electronics; only 'prize' I'd ever won!) ameliorated the strings and adds real verve to non classical, especially vocals. Removing the case fuse may have helped here, as well, of course. (Ahem!)
RECORD PLAYER (Early Michell Orbe with SME 5 and Koetsu Black into Naim Prefix powered by the 552 power supply) was initially disappointing. Wasn't too worried as my Prefix is not appropriate for the Koetsu, whereas it was for my previous Helikon. However, again, the E.A.R.s definitely improve on the overall presentation, with less tendency to sound loud in an abrasive way. Likewise the CDP in this aspect.
To summarise, then, before drowsiness defeats the reader, the E.A.R. 509 mark 2 monoblocks improve on the Naim 135s in every aspect except possibly in the base. BOTH go down deep. BOTH have slam. The 135s, though, are drier, possibly go down deeper and are (slightly) quicker whereas the 509s have a fruitier, more organic base presentation.
Am I a (re) convert? Dunno, as I'm still experimenting, and haven't yet sited them or finalised the pre.-power i/c. I'm very much enjoying the ride, though, even to watching and wondering about those funny little LED bias lights. Just wish they'd stay still!
Where do I go from here? where CAN I go from here?
Down the more esoteric valve path into base-light lushness or up the Naim tree to the 500 amp, which is, I believe, a different beast entirely to my 135s and MAY (pure conjecture) give me a little more of the holography and finesse that valves seem to exude; even the very non-lush, hard-hitting and neutral E.A.R.s!
Suggestions on a postcard.
By the way, I'm pleased to see the ubiquitous HiFi Dave of Radlett Audio here. His seemingly altruistic attempts to help any Tom, Dick or hifi Harry with their problems on P.F. never ceases to amaze. Hope he manages to increase the hours in a day to comment similarly on this forum.
POSTSCRIPT I've just auditioned an Art Audio Vinyl One phono stage, with rather poor and very puzzling results which are nothing to do with the inherent quality of this unit, I'm sure. Am working on the reasons why, and shall report after chatting to the manufacturer/designer next week.
Marco; I do have a few piccies, but can't find that sticky(?) that guides you through the process.
Beechwoods
12-04-2009, 10:23
Mike - the picture posting guide sticky is at the top of the 'Gallery' forum:
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2
Very interesting read by the way. Thank you.
The Grand Wazoo
12-04-2009, 11:05
Hi Mike,
In light of our previous discussion, I'm finding it interesting to see how your cartridge / step-up / head amp odysee is turning out - & it's obviously still not finished!
Mike Reed
12-04-2009, 12:02
Hi Mike,
In light of our previous discussion, I'm finding it interesting to see how your cartridge / step-up / head amp odysee is turning out - & it's obviously still not finished!
Less of an odyssey; more of a jungle trek with mosquitoes (paperwork and tax returns) and swamps (builders and other artisans) hindering progress.
Have eschewed the tranny and mm stage way and settled on the m.c. active stage route for simplicity; after all, there are enough of them! Have narrowed down the list to three or four, but still think a valved unit (but not a lush one) would interface with either the E.A.R.s or the solid state amplification route.
Time will tell.
THANKS, BEECHWOOD, for your comment and advice.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for posting your thoughts - interesting :)
To summarise, then, before drowsiness defeats the reader, the E.A.R. 509 mark 2 monoblocks improve on the Naim 135s in every aspect except possibly in the base. BOTH go down deep. BOTH have slam. The 135s, though, are drier, possibly go down deeper and are (slightly) quicker whereas the 509s have a fruitier, more organic base presentation.
The key question is which do you find yourself listening to music most with? This is usually the acid test of which amps are 'best'.
Oh and did you mean 'bass'? Tut tut, I'm surprised at you ;)
Have you worked out how to post pictures? If so, let's see 'em! :cool:
Marco.
Spectral Morn
13-04-2009, 09:49
Hi Mike
Welcome back. I must confess to finding your posts interesting. When I first joined back in Nov I had a trawl through the old AOS archives and read a fair bit that you said...anyway glad you have broken your long sleep.
Ear valve amps are very interesting designs. I for one rate Tim very highly and think his products are excellent. Its a pity however that they are not built to stock rather than to order as a large production scale might make them a bit cheaper.
I can also understand why a Solid State user would gravitate towards them. I for one like the way Tim uses valves.....however many don't, unfairly I feel.They fail to grasp why Tim does what he does and why. I know one guy I used to work for who very unfairly IMHO thinks they are a waste of space. His view is and I quote " Why use valves in a design, when the amps don't sound like valves ?" I disagree with this statement...he likes 300b and 2A3 valves fine and good designs using these valves are great but they lack grip and drive something Tim's amps don't. Valve amplifiers don't need to be soft and thick in the bass. Most of the magic is in the mid and can also be in the treble if designed right. Bass quality or lack there off is all in correct speaker to amplifier matching usually.
Your comment on 8 and 4 ohm taps are not that unusual. All common bass drivers are 4 ohm's therefore your speakers are more likely to be 5 or 6 ohm so the 4 ohm tap suits your Pro-acs better. In my opinion they are easy to get volume out off but harder to control right.
Nice choice Mike and some photos would be great.
Regards D S D L
Mike Reed
13-04-2009, 12:01
Dearie me!
Trust you to pick me up. I proof-read everything because I make sooooo many typos with my wavering one-finger skills, but I missed that one.
Back to bass, as they (don't) say!
NEIL, Thanks for that. An interesting account of T. de P. and I didn't know he made everything to order; I thought it was only the Anniversary series, of which the last two (of 250) are rolling off the line now, I believe.
My ProAcs have ATC woofers and mids; I wasn't aware that their impedance took precedence over the crossover impedance; mind you, I'm not technical, despite building a few Heathkits and the like in my youth.
I'll have to wait for 'er indoors to post piccies (being a digital ejit).
Matter of interest; I need to site my 509s on wall shelves (2), but feel that it's not a good idea to put transformers near record-player motors (mine's AC) or carts., come to that.
MARCO Using your simple yardstick, the 135s will probably be kept as spares or more likely sold off, as they seem to have developed a cult following, with healthy take-up and prices too. Especially the pre-'92 Holden & Fischer tranny ones.
Pity I have to be so selective about turning the 509s on, though, as I've got the strong impression that six months of 10 hours a day will require new valves (although a brand new spare set accompanied the amps.)
To be fair to 135's, they do drift off spec over the years and if they've not been looked at after many years of 24/7 use (what tripe, to keep the bloody things on all the while 'cos they take hours to re-stabilise when turned back on...:( ) and if they've not had their pre-sets attended to they'll be way off by now, together with the hard-worked caps inside).
I love the 509's, but they do sound a bit warm and cuddly to me. I bought some Tube Technology Genesis mono's at the time instead of the 509's and have to report that if I'd bought the 509's instead I'd probably still have them today!!!!!!! The genesis' sounded much faster and more "alive" but ate their quads of EL34's in around a year. The PL's used in the EAR's were designed to give full output of a TV timebase at 15KHz or so for many years as line output valves, so are barely ticking over in the 509's.....
The best compromise if you ever have a few hundred to spare is to locate a good bolt-up NAP250, which has the musicality of the EAR's and a little more bass definition. It'll need re-capping though and possibly an Avondale, rather than a Naim service, if you understand where I'm coming from..
Next thing is to replace that hideously over-priced preamp of yours and replace it (with money left over I bet) with one of Tim's preamps ;) The 01 tuner could be replaced with a good vintage Accuphase whilst you're at it too.........
Regarding interconnects. In addition to Flashback, who do some good Naim-to-everything-else leads. have a look at Soundstable on eBay. His Van-Damme cables are well made and very reasonably priced I reckon. Not sure if Mark Grant sells DIN-Phono wires, which is why I haven't mentioned them. You really don't need to spend much more on wires, honestly, if everything else is working properly.
Spectral Morn
13-04-2009, 18:40
Dearie me!
NEIL, Thanks for that. An interesting account of T. de P. and I didn't know he made everything to order; I thought it was only the Anniversary series, of which the last two (of 250) are rolling off the line now, I believe.
Yes, as far as I know this is the case with the whole range now, except perhaps the entry level kit. I tried to order a phonostage from them a year or so ago and was quoted 8 weeks. I wasn't prepared to wait so I order a Bat phono stage instead. The laugh is it took about 8 weeks to come due to a shortage of capacitors.
My ProAcs have ATC woofers and mids; I wasn't aware that their impedance took precedence over the crossover impedance; mind you, I'm not technical, despite building a few Heathkits and the like in my youth.
I'll have to wait for 'er indoors to post piccies (being a digital ejit).
Matter of interest; I need to site my 509s on wall shelves (2), but feel that it's not a good idea to put transformers near record-player motors (mine's AC) or carts., come to that.
Yes keep the amps away from your phonostage TT the magnetic field put out by the 509's would interfere with vinyl playback. I can't wait to see the photos. I too used to be a bit ham fisted with the net etc but its actually quite easy when some one shows you how to do it.
Pity I have to be so selective about turning the 509s on, though, as I've got the strong impression that six months of 10 hours a day will require new valves (although a brand new spare set accompanied the amps.)
I don't think that would be the case Dave is spot on about the 509 valves origins and long life is assured on these. So use away without any fear.
Its funny how people perceive sound, I would not have classed the sound of the 509 as Dave has....oh well. Regardless they are very good, and yes an EAR pre would be a better choice than your Naim pre.
Regards D S D L
Mike Reed
13-04-2009, 19:00
To be fair to 135's, they do drift off spec over the years and if they've not been looked at after many years of 24/7 use (what tripe, to keep the bloody things on all the while 'cos they take hours to re-stabilise when turned back on...:( ) and if they've not had their pre-sets attended to they'll be way off by now, together with the hard-worked caps inside).
Mine have always been 24/7 powered (as everything else) (a) because I had immediate access to music or whatever at odd times of the day (being retired), and (b) because I firmly believe that electronics benefit from being kept at a stable warm temperature; not least that Naim recommended 24/7 powering, I believe. Surely caps. deteriorate from being discharged and powered up, NOT kept full.
I love the 509's, but they do sound a bit warm and cuddly to me. I bought some Tube Technology Genesis mono's at the time instead of the 509's and have to report that if I'd bought the 509's instead I'd probably still have them today!!!!!!! The genesis' sounded much faster and more "alive" but ate their quads of EL34's in around a year. The PL's used in the EAR's were designed to give full output of a TV timebase at 15KHz or so for many years as line output valves, so are barely ticking over in the 509's.....
Cuddly, the 509s ARE NOT! Assuming by cuddly you mean lush (!!!@***!), and there's not that difference between the two, except that my C/B 135s are slightly drier and more restricted (because of their output?).
The best compromise if you ever have a few hundred to spare is to locate a good bolt-up NAP250, which has the musicality of the EAR's and a little more bass definition. It'll need re-capping though and possibly an Avondale, rather than a Naim service, if you understand where I'm coming from..
Had a bolt-on 160 once, but not for long. I have a friend who cannot entertain Kiendal (???) caps and other Avondale mods, though I have no experience.
Next thing is to replace that hideously over-priced preamp of yours and replace it (with money left over I bet) with one of Tim's preamps ;) The 01 tuner could be replaced with a good vintage Accuphase whilst you're at it too.......
Having had five Naim pres. over the past generation, I am utterly convinced (as are all high-end Naim users who have 'put pen to paper') by the 552's superiority. Sundry reviews (American, mostly) equate it with similarly priced upmarket American pres. (Hovland, e.g.) Maybe it's overpriced. That's irrelevant: it IS a top-notch piece of kit, despite its being a little too complex for my taste..
Regarding interconnects. In addition to Flashback, who do some good Naim-to-everything-else leads. have a look at Soundstable on eBay. His Van-Damme cables are well made and very reasonably priced I reckon. Not sure if Mark Grant sells DIN-Phono wires, which is why I haven't mentioned them. You really don't need to spend much more on wires, honestly, if everything else is working properly.
509s exhibiting many fine qualities with my botched-up Naim i/cs, but hope soon to replace with Anthem 1s to see how far (or not) they can bring more musicality to my system.
Sure there are other top class tuners, including some valved ones (Marantz, e.g.)l but the 01 IS, and will remain, one of the world's most musical, with the requisite high-powered antenna.
Mike Reed
13-04-2009, 19:11
How the hell do you encapsulate quotes? My answers to DSJR are a real dog's dinner and difficult to differentiate.
Please improve my learning curve, folks!
Spectral Morn
13-04-2009, 19:27
How the hell do you encapsulate quotes? My answers to DSJR are a real dog's dinner and difficult to differentiate.
Please improve my learning curve, folks!
Hi Mike
Easy you do this. I am spacing it so its doesn't quote so you can see it [ Q U O T E ] The dog sat on the mat [/ Q U O T E ] but no spacing in the quote bits inside the brackets. You will get this
The dog sat on the mat
Or you can highlight what you want to quote, and use the quote tool the last item which is yellow with writing on it. This is part of the tools at the top of the box you write in for answering a thread/placing a post. Hope I have explained it right.
Regards D S D L
Mike Reed
13-04-2009, 21:32
Very much appreciated, Neil.
At the moment it's all heathen Greek, but tomorrow, by the cold light of day, it may make more sense to my pathetically analogue brain.
The Grand Wazoo
13-04-2009, 21:46
Very much appreciated, Neil.
At the moment it's all heathen Greek, but tomorrow, by the cold light of day, it may make more sense to my pathetically analogue brain.
......or you can click the quote button on the bottom right corner of the posting that you want to quote from. Then chop out the bits you don't want.
Spectral Morn
13-04-2009, 22:05
Indeed Chris....I forgot about that.
Regards D S D L
oh for gawds sake, just play some bloomin' music through your system. That'll make EVERYTHING clear :D
I really do regard the 509's as warm and cuddly sounding. In fact, most of the EAR range seems to do this, although I've never heard the big "male jewellery" stuff (Tim's own description I remember reading once in a rare interview). Our fellow poster, my mate HiFi Dave, has a long history with EAR and the integrated 899 has a lovely sound. He was also brave enough to leave the thing heating up his listening room when we went out to lunch last year on one of my "royal visits..."
Apparently, the thing with EAR products is that if they work from new, they'll stay that way for many many years without trouble. I believe there was only one major failure that Dave told me about, and that was a foot screw having too long a thread and touching something it shouldn't have done.......
By the way, the 135's in good fettle sound more like a bolt-up 250 with balls than the CB250 which replaced the bolt-up version to my ears. my favourite old Naim power amps are the 135's, bolt up 250 and 120 and the Nait mk1. Actually quite sweet toned and almost nothing like the hard-as-nails middle range products they made.....
Anthem 1 interconnects? Are these Chord Co.? if so, I can almost guarantee the Flashback ones may be better, or similar standard for 1/10th the money. Remember the dealer makes over half the retail price of these cables as profit (the "margin" used to be 60%).......
135s are great amps. I got one of the last pairs made before they were discontinued (2002/3, I can't remember?) and lived happily with them for years with a 52/supercap and CDS2/XPS2 before getting some ECS monoblocks and then beginning my foray into the wonderful world of bottles :)
I'm not sure though, other than for reasons of sentimentality and 'romance', if there is anything more special about the sound of earlier versions. In general in those days (I'm not so sure now, though), whatever equipment Naim made that was most recent was the best as they would automatically upgrade equipment and install new superior components whenever they became available without announcing it.
Consequently, it was usually the latest examples of particular components which sounded the best. Compare an early 'olive' NAP250, for example, to one of the last ones made before the 250-2 was released as part of the 'Reference Range' and you will hear quite a big difference. 'Chrome bumper' stuff is different because it has a 'classic' sound with a cult following, and a rather rather 'valve-like' presentation in comparison to the 'olive' range.
EAR 509s do have quite a laid-back sound (or "warm & cuddly"), if by "laid-back" one means a carefully judged sonic balance with no over-emphasis on any part of the frequency range.
Consequently, the results obtained will largely depend on the sonic signature of the partnering system, particularly the preamp and speakers. 509s should be used with a revealing, tonally neutral (perhaps slightly forward sounding) preamp, and loudspeakers which allow one an 'open window' onto the music. EAR's own preamps, unsurprisingly, are a good match as they have been designed with their power amps in mind (think 'system synergy' here).
Quad electrostatics, horns, or any high quality open baffle design would be a great match in terms of loudspeakers. Avoid inefficient 'box' designs with complex crossovers and odd impedance dips, and/or a warm, bass-rich, balance, or the results will be thick and 'tubby' with a 'bloom' enveloping the music.
Also, the use of high quality NOS valves helps enormously with 509s. The new stock versions supplied are ok but seek out some top-notch NOS versions and the rewards are significant :smoking:
Marco.
Spectral Morn
14-04-2009, 08:16
The EAR509 amps I heard on the end of a Klyne pre and phono stage, Michell Orbe, SME5 arm (can't remember the cart) with Ref 3a Venna speakers would not be what I would describe as warm and cuddly, nor would any of the other EAR amps I have heard. Very open, detailed and fast and being just slightly to the warmer side of neutral would IMHO be closer to my experience. This compared to other types and makes of valve amplifiers.
I was talking to my wife about this (boring her more like!....:lolsign:) and she suggested that some sort of standard definition of sound terms might be helpful. I agree, but as everyone hears things differently/and set ups/rooms etc effect this too, how could that standard be achieved ? Description of perceived sound is to a degree, very nebulous and relies on the experience level of the listener and his or her ability to describe sound.
Regards D S D L
I totally agree, Neil. However, in the wrong system, 509s CAN sound "warm and cuddly" for reasons I have described above :)
Marco.
Spectral Morn
14-04-2009, 08:48
I totally agree, Neil. However, in the wrong system, 509s CAN sound "warm and cuddly" for reasons I have described above :)
Marco.
Good Morning Marco.
Did you have a good Easter ?
Thanks for the above...its always interesting to establish if one hears the same/similar to others....i.e. yourself in this case.
Regards D S D L
Mike Reed
14-04-2009, 11:23
Firstly, CHRIS (stuff the 'quote' thing for now!!!), thanks, but that's exactly what I do/did, and you can see the result. Maybe I should put 'quote' at the beginning and end of each passage I wish to illuminate to get the encapsulation.
NEIL, I think your description of the 509s in my system matches my own findings perfectly, fast(ish), neutral(ish) and with a perfectly adequate soundstage width; roughly the same as my C/B 135s.
With the Greenhome Electrics Audioquest i/cs on my CDP the bass (BASS, Marco!) is prodigious (nice!), but somebody said these i/cs were 'warm'. Guess my Chord Sigs. are almost the opposite. Happy medium, anybody?
DAVE Thanks for info. re. Anthem ones, but (if the deal comes to fruition) these are cheap enough to experiment with against my Naim DIY ones.
Yes, I have received pearls of wisdom from the other Dave (Wren) in the past and partly because of his niche experience of Naim and E.A.R., value his opinion highly.
MARCO, I didn't realise you had your previous Naim system so long; with which speakers, I wonder.
Still working on piccies.
Mike Reed
14-04-2009, 11:29
MARCO, received wisdom (received by me, that is) has it that tube rolling does bugger all to 509s. Is this suggestion borne of personal or passed-on experience?
The Grand Wazoo
14-04-2009, 12:07
Mike,
This quoting thing's not hard, honest!
1) Copy & paste what you want to quote.
2) Highlight it
3) Click on the yellow speech bubble in the top part of the box you're typing in.
4) Job done!
135s are great amps. I got one of the last pairs made before they were discontinued (2002/3, I can't remember?) and lived happily with them for years with a 52/supercap and CDS2/XPS2 before getting some ECS monoblocks and then beginning my foray into the wonderful world of bottles :)
I'm not sure though, other than for reasons of sentimentality and 'romance', if there is anything more special about the sound of earlier versions. In general in those days (I'm not so sure now, though), whatever equipment Naim made that was most recent was the best as they would automatically upgrade equipment and install new superior components whenever they became available without announcing it.
Consequently, it was usually the latest examples of particular components which sounded the best. Compare an early 'olive' NAP250, for example, to one of the last ones made before the 250-2 was released as part of the 'Reference Range' and you will hear quite a big difference. 'Chrome bumper' stuff is different because it has a 'classic' sound with a cult following, and a rather rather 'valve-like' presentation in comparison to the 'olive' range.
EAR 509s do have quite a laid-back sound (or "warm & cuddly"), if by "laid-back" one means a carefully judged sonic balance with no over-emphasis on any part of the frequency range.
Marco.
Hey Marco, CB Naim's usually take your fillings out - they did when new and got better for a year or two until they drifted out of spec and went all harsh again. From new, the *later* Olive stuff was much better than any CB stuff (although a good service on CB amps transformed them) and I still have distict memories of how much better a stone cold 180 was back in '94 or thereabouts than our six month old 24/7 run 250, which had to go back to the factory to be re-setup.
The most valve-like of the Naim amps were the bolt-up 250 and 120 of the seventies and a Nait mk1 and well fettled pair of 135's weren't bad either. All the others were as hard and harsh toned as nails, but so many call this "excitement."
One other thing Marco, Naim's components were normally chosen on costs, not quality (I was witness to this one) and if any component was changed it was because this batch were at a better price. The supply caps were of top quality, but apparently spoiled the long term mix as they were run very hard in terms of supply voltage (40V for a 37V rail), whereas a higher voltage rating may have extended their life a little more. I'm no engineer to confirm or deny if this would help, but my Crowns use 30V rails and 40V supply caps, which are still within spec after 35 years..... I've replaced them anyway.
Of course the 509's should give out what comes in and this they do very well IMO, but there is still a gentle organic warmth (warm and cuddly to me) there, reminding you of the "valvey nature" of the beasts. If you really want to hear valves "doing" solid state, try Graff amps. they're so lean toned you wonder where all the warmth went...
I still think Mr Reed should try an EAR preamp and save some money on the sale of his 552. My view, but well intentioned nonetheless.
Spectral Morn
14-04-2009, 13:27
Firstly, CHRIS (stuff the 'quote' thing for now!!!), thanks, but that's exactly what I do/did, and you can see the result. Maybe I should put 'quote' at the beginning and end of each passage I wish to illuminate to get the encapsulation.
NEIL, I think your description of the 509s in my system matches my own findings perfectly, fast(ish), neutral(ish) and with a perfectly adequate soundstage width; roughly the same as my C/B 135s.
With the Greenhome Electrics Audioquest i/cs on my CDP the bass (BASS, Marco!) is prodigious (nice!), but somebody said these i/cs were 'warm'. Guess my Chord Sigs. are almost the opposite. Happy medium, anybody?
Still working on piccies.
Hi Mike QUOTING
Yes this is what you should do.....
Try this place [QUOTE] in front of the item you want to keep and the same at the end but add / this in front of the Q. You must use block capitals, for the lettering. Highlight what you don't want to keep and hit delete. That gets rid of the writing you don't want to keep.
As to cables see if you can borrow some Atlas cables. IMHO they sit between the two extremes you mention above. Various prices just decide which price point you want to try. I am not sure about custom termination Din but you could ring them and ask. John Carrack of Atlas is a nice guy and a gentleman IMHO/E. The cables must be got through a dealer though.
Regards D S D L
Mike Reed
14-04-2009, 16:53
The most valve-like of the Naim amps were the bolt-up 250 and 120 of the seventies and a Nait mk1 and well fettled pair of 135's weren't bad either. All the others were as hard and harsh toned as nails, but so many call this "excitement."
Never heard of the 120; why amp was that? I started with a 42/110. Guess it depends upon speakers used as to whether Naim amps are 'hard', but even on Isobariks only the tweetrs 9SEAS?) were a bit brittle.
If you really want to hear valves "doing" solid state, try Graff amps. they're so lean toned you wonder where all the warmth went...
I've heard other things about Graff, but not that they're gruff.
I still think Mr Reed should try an EAR preamp and save some money on the sale of his 552. My view, but well intentioned nonetheless.
How formal can you get? Wondered who you meant at first!!!!! Mike, please!
As I made a bad purchase two years ago, my 552 will only 'recoup' my outlay after a few more years. Anyway, as Marco said, it's certainly a good match for the 509s, with the bonus of giving me a little more leeway on the volume control, to good sonic effect. Symbiotic? I think so. Sure, I'll jump at the chance to try E.A.R.'s TOP pre., and I'm sure it would be MOST acceptable, but using my 552 has both practical and, to me at the moment, no adverse affects
NEIL/CHRIS Here's trying the slash/quotes method (agog with anticipation)
Mike,
I've now altered the quoted text above in your post so that it works properly. To see what you need to do in future, click 'Edit' on your post #26 above and you'll see the layout in the reply box that's needed for quoted text to appear. Simply copy the procedure yourself next time, as shown :)
Marco.
Mike Reed
14-04-2009, 19:03
Thanks, MARCO,
Now alles klar (all is clear). It really WAS simple; just needs a teacher?
Commiserations to all good-minded souls having to contend with a crappy student!!!!
No worries, Mike. It's just a matter of getting the "[]" "[/]" in the correct positions with the text in between :)
I'll comment more on the hi-fi aspect of the thread later. I'm busy listening to some new albums on vinyl at the moment.
Marco.
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