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Spectral Morn
04-06-2009, 17:41
On the 3rd of June Aquapiranha made his way to the remote location given via electronic means, and waited, but for what ? He did not know. At the appointed time he stepped from his hire car and found himself enveloped in a beam of bright yellow white light and moments later came face to face with the Dalek Supreme D L.

The hand shake was firm, the smile warm and friendly as both audio enthusiasts meet and so began a day of music listening and discussion...........

The really special thing about meeting Steve in the flesh rather than through the virtual, was that it helped me in my own mind to really embrace the fact that Art of Sound is as much about flesh and blood exchange as virtual. There are a few members that I have known from my time in the audio retailing trade who have joined AOS subsequent to my joining (back in November of last year), but this was my first chance to actually meet a fellow community member. Those of you who regularly meet other AOS members regularly, in your homes, at bake offs, or audio shows, treasure these times, as here on New Skaro this doesn't happen as much as I would like.

I love seeing and hearing other audio enthusiasts systems. To be invited into their inner audio sanctum, and for them to share the results of their audio journey, is a special thing and should never be underestimated. These visits can bring important new aspects to your and the visiting enthusiasts further journey. Much, however will depend on minds being open and being prepared to listen both to the system and the free exchange of information that happens during these special times. Many of the best system improvements happen then, with new insights being made that can be taken back and applied/tried in your own system later. However if I am truthful while I enjoy visiting and helping others I do find the visit of a fellow enthusiast to hear my own setup a slightly daunting thing. My system(as I suspect yours is also) is a very personnel expression of all that I/you have learned on the journey so far, and in away, it is as close to me and you baring our audio mojo as you can get. The sum of all I feel I have achieved is open to your scrutiny and potential critique. While secure in enjoying the type of reproduction offered by the components selected, to best serve the music I love...there is always an element of presenting your small child to the world....for the first time.

I am very happy with the sound of my system, it works well in the listening environment it is sited and while I am conscious that the rooms short comings are holding its ultimate potential back slightly, the compromises I have had to make still leave it reproducing music as I like. However Steve's visit came at a time when two key components were not in use and the overall system was not as full an expression of the sound reproduction that I normally listen to. There was a slight lack of depth to the sound stage in both systems as a direct result of soild state and hybrid amplification instead of full valve amplification....a future visit will cure this, as all my valve kit will be firing on full cylinders.

Normally my system comprises a Bat VK31SE pre-amplifier and a Bat VK75 power-amplifier both valve based items. During Steve's visit the amplification was being provided by a Chapter Audio Preface Signature pre-amplifier and a Chapter Audio Couplet power-amplifier.....solid state ummmm.

The interesting thing about Steve's visit other than meeting him was that in preparing for it and during it I had reinforced that my particular approach to system building for my self, has resulted in two systems that while comprising different components all arrive at a similar but not identical outcomes.

I don't listen to music particularly loudly (loud enough for the recordings own right level to happen and sometimes a bit louder) and both of my systems are excellent IMHO in reproducing music at any volume level. There is an effortless clarity and coherence that only grows bigger as the volume control goes up. Sadly many systems don't do this they just get brasher, or need to be played loud to have what I have at a much lower volume. The levels of clarity, detail and that oft abused word musicality represent the type of reproduction I am after. A reproduction that is just to the warmer side of neutral and to my ear sounds natural.

Steve arrived at about 10.45 and left at 20 past 4 in the afternoon...where did the time go ? We sat and chatted about music, audio, politics, our various lives and our particular ideas about what we want from an audio system. I was fascinated by Steve's plans for a new speaker project and how he intended to go about it (write up to come in the future). However we also listened to music, which was a fairly important element of the visit.

Downstairs system as it was during Steve's visit.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit008.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit001.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit009.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit010.jpg

Music played during the day included Thomas Dolby-Aliens ate my Buick, Dead Can Dance-Into the Labyrinth, early work by Filterlab, Yello – One Second, Y Kant Tori Read, Ian Shaw-Drawn To all Things the music of Joni Mitchell and Morcheeba-Dive Deep.
http://www35.tok2.com/home/naughtyoranges/thomas%20dolby%20-%20aliens%20ate%20my%20buick.jpghttp://shopbase.finetunes.net/shopserver/BinaryCacheServlet?albumid=1208885645747&datatype=fc300http://www.abella.de/cover/P0602498307588_1.jpg
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/s9398.jpghttp://ep.yimg.com/ip/I/yhst-10037162692846_2053_5548541http://www.sweetslyrics.com/poze/morcheeba_dive_deep.jpg

Up first was the very underrated Thomas Dolby and his album Aliens ate my Buick. I played the album on CD first and then afterwards on vinyl. After a few minutes of the vinyl playing, Steve turned to me and said that he really must get a turntable again. He was surprised by what he heard and once again had it confirmed for him that vinyl is better than CD. We discussed bass issues in vinyl replay as Budapest by Blimp played. The beautiful bass lines which make this song, strong and articulate even though this track is the last one on side 2...no end of side distortion issues. I played Dead Can Dance next also on vinyl and started with the track the Carnival is Over. Brendan Perry's warm soulful voice solid in the room and we where both transfixed by this wonderful song. Steve not knowing Dead Can Dance was impressed with their strange blend of the Gothic, Ethnic and Electronic music. A lot of music was played on vinyl but I also played SACD in the form of Ian Shaw as we ate lunch.

One thing that Steve commented on was the general silence of vinyl played on my SME Model 20 mk1, Graham Phantom, Ortofon 7500 cartridge combination. I joked about there being no record cleaning machine used.... Perhaps the stylus profile of this cart (and others I use) make this less critical than using more vintage cartridges, who's stylus profile, maybe make them more sensitive to dirt in the grooves ? Neither of us were sure about this, but regardless very little noise was heard during any of the albums played..

After lunch I asked Steve if he wanted to hear my upstairs setup, he did, so we ventured upstairs to the tiny room in which my second system lives. This time we listened to CD through the AMR CD77 and a Marantz CD7 using a CD copy of Dead Can Dance. After playing The Carnival is Over twice, once on both ,machines. Steve, like me preferred the AMR CD 77's rendering of this track. Like the down stairs system this one was also not quite as I normally have it. The BatVK300SE integrated amp is usually used as a pre-amplifier with a Music Reference RM200 but this is waiting repair; so the Bat was used as an integrated.

Upstairs system as it was during Steve's visit. I think these photos illustrate just how small this room is.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit011.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit012.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/Aquapiranhavisit013.jpg

While listening upstairs I asked Steve whether he thought my upstairs set up was like my downstairs one (a comment made by someone else on a previous visit) ...after thinking about it he said he felt it was. I explained to him the history of the room and how it was to have been my main listening room but that I had abandoned it as such when I had been unable to get the sound right. After setting up a system downstairs I had finally and more recently returned my attention to the tiny upstairs room (it would have been a shame if this room had become an unused audio store room, rather than a used listening room) and with the Ref 3A Dulcets speakers in that room the sound had finally begun to work, in my opinion as well as downstairs but with differences. Steve was impressed with the Dulcetes and the fact that they offered such a good sound from relatively small boxes. He likes speakers that do not use cross-overs (the Dulcetes have none). The amazing thing overall he felt was that it was possible to have fantastic sound in a tiny room. While there is a lack of weight and scale compared to the downstairs set up, in the upstairs room, the compromises are not as great as might be at first thought....this pleased me...success.

Back downstairs I played Tori Amos first album (not Little Earthquakes) but Y Kant Tori Read, an album Steve had never heard. I love this slice of late 80's AOR,Power Pop, Prog Rock...I don't understand why Tori doesn't ....oh well. Despite a little compression on the recording the sound was excellent and Tori's distinctive vocal style shone through. After this I played Yello-One Second again on vinyl.

Where does the time go ? Having along journey back home Steve left leaving me happy at having invited him down and in his opinions (which he will no doubt share on this thread) about both of my systems and how they sounded. It is nice to be able to share, knowledge, experience and passion for audio in person rather than over the Internet. I encourage all of you to do this yourselves and if you do it already, do it more....great stuff, let the community grow in the real world as much as it has in the virtual.


Regards D S D L

Primalsea
04-06-2009, 21:04
Hi, great write up and interesting as ever! Love the pics too. Whenever I see stacks of CD and records I just want to listen to them all to see what ones I haven't heard I might like.

Also very true about letting other people hear you system, its always a worry. But to be fair after a system has got to a certain age and a reasonable amount of money spent honing it, its likely to be good in any ones book.

Spectral Morn
04-06-2009, 21:55
Hi, great write up and interesting as ever! Love the pics too. Whenever I see stacks of CD and records I just want to listen to them all to see what ones I haven't heard I might like.

Also very true about letting other people hear you system, its always a worry. But to be fair after a system has got to a certain age and a reasonable amount of money spent honing it, its likely to be good in any ones book.

Hi Paul nice to see you back posting again...you have been missed.

I know what you mean about piles of records etc I too usually when good manners allow make a bee-line for the music collection of whoever I am visiting.

I would say its more a case of whether they get what it is that you have put together. I think understanding where and on what part of the journey some one who visits is on and how they relate to where you are at, is the key to understanding. The same is also true for you when you visit. This information can help to explain the sound you are hearing....warts and all. A few months ago a very nice (slightly shy)chap who used to come and have nice talks with me about audio in the shop I managed, finally agreed to come and hear my system. After a relatively short period of listening he said "You know where your system is at is where I want to be"...." You have achieved what I am striving to get". He went away feeling inspired to keep on going. I know he felt a little tired on his path....worried about what to spend his money on. I visited him not long after, and I was able to help him, by offering a few simple set up changes. I managed to raise the performance of his setup by isolating his pre-amplifier....he was blown away by the improvement in sound by such a simple thing. It is moments like that, that I love....helping a fellow traveler get closer :)


Regards D S D L

Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
04-06-2009, 22:49
Hi Neil

Noticed you have a bit of kit from Audio Valve, what is it. I recognise the case work but not what the peice actually is. Enlighten me please.

I use to own an Audio Valve Sunilda phono stage, very nice as it was actually 2 independant phono stages in one box. You also got adjustable load and capacitance settings from front panel controls switches. Great as I was using 2 toneamrs on my TT at the time. Very nice gear, also used the Baldur 70 power amps for a long time.

Andy - SDDW

The Grand Wazoo
04-06-2009, 22:53
I know what you mean about piles of records etc I too usually when good manners allow make a bee-line for the music collection of whoever I am visiting.


In a minute I'll tell you about 'THE THEORY', but first you need to indulge me, so I can tell you a little story.............

.........Once upon a time I was a poor student, made even poorer by dint of the fact that I used to trawl the huge number of 2nd hand record shops of Brighton every spare living moment I had, spending money like water in the pursuit of vinyl oblivion and laying down the foundations of what I think is a pretty impressive record collection.

I hitched up to London one weekend to visit a friend - one of his college mates was holding a party on the Saturday night. We went early to set up the hi-fi & ensure there wasn't too much hooch left lying carelessly around for skinflint partygoers to yaffle.

The guy who was holding the party had a flatmate with an amazing record collection & we were supposed to be getting it all locked away safely away from the revellers in a small bedroom with a big (& new) lock on the door.

I twisted my ankle on one trip up the stairs with two boxes of reccies, & while lying there, writhing about on the top of the stairs in agony I caught sight of the spine of one of the records stacked in the bedroom.

There it was, half hanging out of a carrier bag - a mint copy of 'An Evening With Wildman Fischer' still in a cellophane wrapper. Next to it was a copy of 'Permanent Damage' by The GTO's.

Now, I don't know if you realise how special these albums are to Zappa-people, but believe me - they're the Holy Grail! Many Zappa fans would kill just to hold these albums, let alone to own them - or even just hear them!

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, & I spent the next couple of hours playing on the fact that I'd hurt myself, ficking through this guy's record collection, while every couple of minutes someone came upstairs with another stack of unbelievable booty!

Anyway, THE THEORY that I have regarding other peoples record & (for me)book collections is this:

You must look at what they own. It is an inbuilt instinct for humans to know what sort of music other humans enjoy. It is a means by which other music lovers (& everyone loves music) build up a picture of other people. It is exactly the same as dogs sniffing each other's backsides. The opportunity to have complete knowledge of another person's taste in music is a one off chance to probe into the most personal aspects of their life and personality.

Discuss............

Spectral Morn
04-06-2009, 22:58
Hi Neil

Noticed you have a bit of kit from Audio Valve, what is it. I recognise the case work but not what the peice actually is. Enlighten me please.

I use to own an Audio Valve Sunilda phono stage, very nice as it was actually 2 independant phono stages in one box. You also got adjustable load and capacitance settings from front panel controls switches. Great as I was using 2 toneamrs on my TT at the time. Very nice gear, also used the Baldur 70 power amps for a long time.

Andy - SDDW

Its the legendary RKV mk2 OTL headphone amplifier and the impedance matching box. Fantastic sound with my Grado RS1000 headphones. I have never tried it as an amplifier with speakers...not sure my Ref3A's would work. OTL's usually need a very efficient speaker if they are low powered as the RKV is. Might try it.

The RKV used to sit in the left side rack just above the Moon CDP's power supply....but I decided to move it so I can keep my Trough-Line tuner beside its decoder and with good ventilation. The design of the RKV makes it a nice item to have out on display anyway.


Regards D S D L

Mike
04-06-2009, 23:06
and found himself enveloped in a beam of bright yellow white light and moments later came face to face with the Dalek Supreme D L.

:scratch:

Spectral Morn
04-06-2009, 23:08
In a minute I'll tell you about 'THE THEORY',

Anyway, THE THEORY that I have regarding other peoples record & (for me)book collections is this:

You must look at what they own. It is an inbuilt instinct for humans to know what sort of music other humans enjoy. It is a means by which other music lovers (& everyone loves music) build up a picture of other people. It is exactly the same as dogs sniffing each other's backsides. The opportunity to have complete knowledge of another person's taste in music is a one off chance to probe into the most personal aspects of their life and personality.

Discuss............

I agree in part (sniffing bums not). For me it is about knowing what kind of music/books/films make people tick and also the possibility of seeing something new...something you don't have (can I borrow that please) and it gives you topics for talk.

I find it soul destroying going to minimal houses(no books/music/art/movies) with no personality people.....

My bits and bobs are keys to knowing me and are part of my personality. Chris I suspect you would like my home...a bit bohemian and full of books/music/art/movies etc.


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
04-06-2009, 23:20
I agree in part (sniffing bums not).

Neil, I'm not being flippant or vulgar about this....don't you think that the way dogs have sniffing each others bums is the way they gain a unique insight into who & what each other are all about. It's as natural to them as it is to us to shake hands or smile when we meet? Surely it's no different to when we examine each others stuff.

But the music we love is somehow very personal & intimate to each individual ..........just like a dog's bum is to a dog!!!!!

Spectral Morn
04-06-2009, 23:25
Neil, I'm not being flippant or vulgar about this....don't you think that the way dogs have sniffing each others bums is the way they gain a unique insight into who & what each other are all about. It's as natural to them as it is to us to shake hands or smile when we meet? Surely it's no different to when we examine each others stuff.

But the music we love is somehow very personal & intimate to each individual ..........just like a dog's bum is to a dog!!!!!

Not being a dog or knowing much about dogs.... I really don't know what the bum sniffing thing is about(surely dog sent/roaming/hunting land marking is via urine not shit).....at least humans don't have to grab each other via the throats or role onto our backs....or do we:scratch::lol: Being a Dalek its all about the colour of the case work:lol::lol::lolsign:;)


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
04-06-2009, 23:33
Not being a dog or knowing much about dogs.... I really don't know what the bum sniffing thing is about(surely dog sent/roaming/hunting land marking is via urine not shit).....at least humans don't have to grab each other via the throats or role onto our backs....or do we:scratch::lol: Being a Dalek its all about the colour of the case work:lol::lol::lolsign:;)


But with dogs it's not just about urine and faecal matter.........they have a little something extra of their own:

Whenever your dog urinates or defecates, the anal glands receive a small amount of pressure, and a tiny bit of the fluid is released, along with your dog's custom blended scent. Your dog can also express a little of his personal essence when he meets a fellow canine. Have you ever noticed that when two dogs meet, they often raise their tails on high alert? This action applies the pressure to the dog anal glands, and this leads to the traditional butt sniffing we humans cannot seem to fathom. However, to our dogs this behavior is as normal as shaking hands when you meet someone new. By sniffing, the dogs learn to identify each other by their scents. Equate it with exchanging business cards, and you have the idea.

If you're alarmed at this point about all this expressing going on, don't be. Remember that a dog's sense of smell is light years beyond our own, so the amount of the actual expressions are minute, and you'll likely never smell anything yourself unless your dog develops an anal gland infection.

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Dog_Anal_Glands

(Ha-ha, I bet you didn't think this thread was gonna go in this direction when you were typing the original post, did you!!!?)

Spectral Morn
04-06-2009, 23:37
Nope ! but its interesting. Another case of AOS continental thread drift :lol::lol:

However among some in the audio enthusiasts arena it is about mines bigger than yours (willy waving). A few years ago an article in 6 moons, written by one of the Asian reviewers stated that this approach of one up manship was rife among many in the audio spheres he moved in. Sad really when its about this rather than better access to the music.

I am a bit of a collector;):lol: hoarder so my collection isn't about ego...just a bit of harmless fun....and you never know when something will be useful;). Since starting to write reviews I have found all of my collection of gear very useful to unlock what the items I have written about can do. Thats my excuse and I am sticking to it.


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
04-06-2009, 23:51
It's OK for dogs, but I really hope the next time you meet someone from AoS, you're not going to do it 'doggy style'.

Mind, if you could do it, I suppose a Dalek would probably give out a little squirt of 3-in-1!!

Barry
04-06-2009, 23:56
(Ha-ha, I bet you didn't think this thread was gonna go in this direction when you were typing the original post, did you!!!?)

Neither did I but it's fascinating reading! All I was going to say was that, Neil, I'm very impressed by the sheer size of your music collection. Your upstairs room, is a bit like one of mine, full of disused hi-fi gear, piles of books, cassettes and, in my case, a load of electronic junk left over from my days working in electronics research.

Whenever I'm invited into a person's home for the first time, I always try to look at their book collection if I can. It's easier to read the spines of books than those of CDs. Not sure if I agree with you about people who have minimalist tastes. That alone tells you something about the person; and when I feel that all the books, records and CDs are about to take over, I envy the simple yet elegant style of a traditional Japanese dwelling.

Barry

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 00:02
Neither did I but it's fascinating reading! All I was going to say was that, Neil, I'm very impressed by the sheer size of your music collection. Your upstairs room, is a bit like one of mine, full of disused hi-fi gear, piles of books, cassettes and, in my case, a load of electronic junk left over from my days working in electronics research.

Whenever I'm invited into a person's home for the first time, I always try to look at their book collection if I can. It's easier to read the spines of books than those of CDs. Not sure if agree with you about people who have minimalist tastes. That alone tells you something about the person; and when I feel that all the books, records and CDs are about to take over, I envy the simple yet elegant style of a traditional Japanese dwelling.

Barry

While there are those who can be genuine about being minimal I think for a number of its followers its a fad and not genuine. I could not, nor would I want to go with out my collections.... with the Japanese its a lot about clever storage.....and perhaps quality over quantity.....but what happens when nearly everything is quality :confused:;)

I agree books are easier.....


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
05-06-2009, 00:05
While there are those who can be genuine about being minimal I think for a number of its followers its a fad and not genuine. I could not, nor would I want to go with out my collections.... with the Japanese its a lot about clever storage.....and perhaps quality over quantity.....but what happens when nearly everything is quality :confused:;)

I agree books are easier.....


There's just no getting around it: Guys've gotta own ........stuff

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 00:13
There's just no getting around it: Guys've gotta own ........stuff

Sorry pushed the wrong button :doh:

You sound like my wife, come to think of it most women say things like that "Boys and their toys etc" But our stuff isn't essential unlike shoes, handbags etc...

Chris are you sure its not Christine.....(I think we've done that one before:lol::lol::lol::lol:)


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
05-06-2009, 06:50
I'm not sure how to take that, Neil!

Marco
05-06-2009, 07:19
Haha, *only* on AOS! :lol:

Anyway, I'm glad you guys had a good time, but I'm a bit worried that Steve hasn't 'emerged' yet...

Has Daphne (a.k.a 'Neil') locked him in her secret dungeon where he's being subjected to unspeakable things, like sniffing the contents of Daphne's dirty laundry basket and shnortling the aromatic tang of lightly-widdled bloomers, or is he still recovering from the psychological trauma of witnessing the (unforgettable) sight of Daphne in full flow shimmying around in her flannelette nightie to Boney M?

The plot thickens...

Marco.

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 08:41
Neither did I but it's fascinating reading! All I was going to say was that, Neil, I'm very impressed by the sheer size of your music collection. Your upstairs room, is a bit like one of mine, full of disused hi-fi gear, piles of books, cassettes and, in my case, a load of electronic junk left over from my days working in electronics research.

Barry

That upstairs room of yours sounds very interesting.....all sorts of hidden treasures no doubt. Junk....I would strongly doubt that.


Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 08:43
Haha, *only* on AOS! :lol:

Anyway, I'm glad you guys had a good time, but I'm a bit worried that Steve hasn't 'emerged' yet...

Has Daphne (a.k.a 'Neil') locked him in her secret dungeon where he's being subjected to unspeakable things, like sniffing the contents of Daphne's dirty laundry basket and shnortling the aromatic tang of lightly-widdled bloomers, or is he still recovering from the psychological trauma of witnessing the (unforgettable) sight of Daphne in full flow shimmying around in her flannelette nightie to Boney M?

The plot thickens...

Marco.

I take it your wife is aware of your BDSM CD fantasies Marco ;) :lol::lol::lol:

Steve's gathering his thoughts and felt that a longer response to my write up was more appropriate than a short one.......plus he is on holiday at the moment...



Regards D S D L

Marco
05-06-2009, 09:16
Hehehe... Oh we have our own dungeon for 'games' :eyebrows: ;)

Marco.

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 09:26
Hehehe... Oh we have our own dungeon for 'games' :eyebrows: ;)

Marco.


To much info there....:lol: In a Gate lodge house impressive.....;):lol::lol::lol::lol: thick walls....;)


Regards D S D L

PS HI Steve as you can see thread drift has occurred...

Marco
05-06-2009, 09:46
In Marco's den, no-one can hear you screammmmmmmmmmmmm...

Yes we'd better return to the hi-fi and music chat, Daphne, or our members will think they've accidentally clicked on the naughty bit of their Favourites List :eek:

:oops:

:bum:

:exactly:

Marco.

aquapiranha
05-06-2009, 10:05
Well I may have enough time now to write a decent and proper response to Neil's very concise appraisal of my visit!

Dog sniffing aside, I was greeted with a very warm welcome by Neil - always a good sign, and this itself always puts me at ease.

Pleasantries done, I had my first look at the equipment Neil uses to listen to his large and dare I say it meandering and varied music collection. It always pleases me to see a person has a nice collection of music, ie. what it is all about, and not just a few choice albums to go with the flash hifi!!

I will not try to list all of the equipment in use as Neil has already done so in his first post, but sufice to say that the gear he was using was obviously of high quality, but further than that is was srt up with an atention to detail I have rarely seen. I will add though that this was the first time I have seen the Gallo Reference speakers in the flesh and I was surprised by their relativly dimunitive stature, as it always seemed when I had seen them in photos that they were going to be about 5 feet tall! When the music was playing however, I was struck by the free flowing musical quality of these speakers, very very musical and I could see myself sitting in front of them for hours listening to album after album! Also, the "small" size puts the drivers EXACTLY where they need to be, creating a palpable vista in front of the listener, with various parts of the band locked into their own space within a rock solid image...me likey!!

The Moon CD player is truly a beast, and with an off board power supply is obviously a no compromise design, and this was bourne out by it's sound. A small point but I especially liked the large easy to read red LED display too. As good as this player is (and believe me it is) even it could not compete with the SME, which frankly was in another league! I hope Neil doesn't mind this comparison, I did have the impression that he agreed with me on this. The other point that I mentioned to Neil, was just how quiet the vinyl was, and by this I mean you could almost have been listening to a CD such was the lack of noise and quietness between tracks...but of course the SME to me sounded much more musical, and this "silence" was not at the expense of any clarity or detail, the msic just flowing....

One this to mention, the BAT phono stage is truly a huge beast, and if you would like to see a mix of exotic components and incredible build quality in one place, I suggest you take the lid off one if you get the chance!

Upstairs was yet another voyage of discovery for me! More beautiful, lovingly crafted gear all ell set up with care and attention to detail. I was immediatly struck by the AMR CD, which I had read about but never seen. It is a lovely thing to behold, easily the nicest looking single component I have seen and also built like a brick outhouse! We listened to it together with the BAT amp and the truly remarkable Reference 3A speakers, which worked brillianlt in this room that is smaller than the one downstairs. I could live with either of these systems forever, both of them very very musically satisifying, and both the product of so much care and attention to system matching and set up by Neil.

So I had a great day, Neil is a very nice genuine and honest person, who will give you a frank and unbiased opinion on anything from music or hifi to politics. His knowledge of music and hifi is encyclopaedic, and I am sure he has forgotten more than I will ever know. So thanks Neil, I hope we can do it agian!!

I am not a journalist by any stretch, and I hope this short response gives enough credit to Neil and enough of an idea of the day I had to everyone else.

Thanks Neil!

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 12:35
Hi Steve

I very much enjoyed your visit and we must do it again next time you are on New Skaro.

Thank you for the positive write up of your visit.


Regards D S D L

Primalsea
05-06-2009, 19:20
Hi Neil, glad you missed me!!:)

All I can say is if you have quality stuff and you don't have to sell it for funds keep it if you can!

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 20:56
:scratch:

Hi Mike

Its called setting the scene......:lol: I thought it was a neat way of starting the write up as Steve arrived in the bright early morning light. I just put a slight Sci-Fi spin on things...


Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn
05-06-2009, 21:03
Hi Neil, glad you missed me!!:)

All I can say is if you have quality stuff and you don't have to sell it for funds keep it if you can!

Hi Paul

Yes you where missed, very much so....now your back keep up the good work.


Thats the plan. Thankfully my personal circumstances should shield me from having to do that. My wife is in a good job and all our outgoings were based on one wage just in case (I have lost my job before, twice)...my wife and I are cautious about finances etc so things should be okay. However loosing my job...being made redundant hurt very badly......I better not say anything more...got to bite my tongue and remember I don't want to loose my reference. Thanks for the concern.


Regards D S D L

Joe
06-06-2009, 10:06
Neither did I but it's fascinating reading! All I was going to say was that, Neil, I'm very impressed by the sheer size of your music collection. Your upstairs room, is a bit like one of mine, full of disused hi-fi gear, piles of books, cassettes and, in my case, a load of electronic junk left over from my days working in electronics research.

Whenever I'm invited into a person's home for the first time, I always try to look at their book collection if I can. It's easier to read the spines of books than those of CDs. Not sure if I agree with you about people who have minimalist tastes. That alone tells you something about the person; and when I feel that all the books, records and CDs are about to take over, I envy the simple yet elegant style of a traditional Japanese dwelling.

Barry

In our house, the books have already taken over. This is partly because my wife works in a library and feels obliged to 'adopt' many of the books that would otherwise be pulped.

In terms of 'stuff' I have two complete hifi systems plus various bits and bobs. I've sold/given away plenty of things though, and this summer we're aiming to have a huge clear-out, though perhaps Japanese minimalism will a step too far!

Barry
07-06-2009, 15:54
......... However if I am truthful while I enjoy visiting and helping others I do find the visit of a fellow enthusiast to hear my own setup a slightly daunting thing. My system(as I suspect yours is also) is a very personnel expression of all that I/you have learned on the journey so far, and in away, it is as close to me and you baring our audio mojo as you can get. The sum of all I feel I have achieved is open to your scrutiny and potential critique. While secure in enjoying the type of reproduction offered by the components selected, to best serve the music I love...there is always an element of presenting your small child to the world....for the first time.
.........



Neil, I know exactly how you feel. Whilst at the end of the day one can always say: 'Sod it, I like it and that's all that matters', it's nice to know that you haven't gone wildely wrong and that other listeners like your system.

Many years ago I knew someone who built harpsichords as a hobby, knew a lot about classical music and was enthusiastic about using equipment noted for their 'musicality'. He didn't use Linn/Naim gear but had a Rega deck and, I think, Meridian electronics with large bookshelf speakers, whose name I forget but were of suitable provenance. All this gear adheared to the tenants of the Linn-Naim school and espoused a different philosophy to my Quad gear. Anyway, he and his wife came round for dinner and to hear my system, and like you, I was slightly apprehensive. Most of the time we just commented on the recordings but at one point he did, with a certain amount of enthusiasm, say : 'Well you are certainly not offending my ears'. This comment is sufficiently ambigious that you could say that he was damming my system with faint praise, but I took it as compliment.

Similarly, I often hear my friend's systems, with the danger that I might come back to my system and be dissapointed. In all cases however, I am reminded of the strengths of their system (usually much better and deeper bass), but also hear other aspects which are not quite to my tastes. Again, we do very little talking about the gear but just get on and enjoy the music. Upon returning to my system, I am reminded of its strengths and weakness, but there is rarely a feeling of dissatisfaction, and if there is it is short lived.

Barry

Barry
07-06-2009, 16:08
In our house, the books have already taken over. This is partly because my wife works in a library and feels obliged to 'adopt' many of the books that would otherwise be pulped.

In terms of 'stuff' I have two complete hifi systems plus various bits and bobs. I've sold/given away plenty of things though, and this summer we're aiming to have a huge clear-out, though perhaps Japanese minimalism will a step too far!

Hello Joe,

I fully understand - I hate to see books being thrown out and often buy, for a song, books that my local library are selling off. Sometimes I find one or two CDs going as well. I really need to put up about 40' of shelving to get the books off the floor and I have about 6' worth of sci-fi books I have yet to read (pace Neil).

We all have a certain clutter tolerance level, I am always on the threshold of mine! Fortunately my listening room (if that doesn't sound too pretentious) is somewhat larger than 12 tatami in size.

Barry

Spectral Morn
07-06-2009, 16:58
Hello Joe,

I fully understand - I hate to see books being thrown out and often buy, for a song, books that my local library are selling off. Sometimes I find one or two CDs going as well. I really need to put up about 40' of shelving to get the books off the floor and I have about 6' worth of sci-fi books I have yet to read (pace Neil).

We all have a certain clutter tolerance level, I am always on the threshold of mine! Fortunately my listening room (if that doesn't sound too pretentious) is somewhat larger then 12 tatami in size.

Barry

I have a wall of books at the top of our stairs (I have to get some sort of bookcase) getting to any is problematic as it is very carefully stacked so as not to fall. Mixture of theology, thrillers and Sci-Fi. What kind of writers of Sci-Fi do you like Barry ?

As to thresholds of clutter I am passed mine...or should I say really that our house has reached its limit. I just can't find room for much more. I get most of my books out of S/H and Charity shops (picked up the hard back Of Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks [a new James Bond novel] for 50p yesterday...unread in mint condition.


Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn
07-06-2009, 17:03
Neil, I know exactly how you feel. Whilst at the end of the day one can always say: 'Sod it, I like it and that's all that matters', it's is nice to know that you haven't gone wildy wrong and that other listeners like your system.

Many years ago I knew someone who built harpsichords as a hobby, knew a lot about classical music and was enthusiastic about using equipment noted for their 'musicality'. He didn't use Linn/Naim gear but had a Rega deck and, I think, Meridian electronics with large bookshelf speakers, whose name I forget but were of suitable provenance. All this gear adhered to the tenants of the Linn-Naim school and espoused a different philosophy to my Quad gear. Anyway, he and his wife came round for dinner and to hear my system, and like you, I was slightly apprehensive. Most of the time we just commented on the recordings but at one point he did, with a certain amount of enthusiasm, say : 'Well you are certainly not offending my ears'. This comment is sufficiently ambigious that you could say that he was damming my system with faint praise, but I took it as compliment.

Similarly, I often hear my friends systems, with the danger that I might come back to my system and be dissapointed. In all cases however I am reminded of the strengths of their system (usually much better and deeper bass), but also hear other aspects which are not to quite to my tastes. Again, we do very little talking about the gear but just get on and enjoy the music. Upon return to my system, I am reminded of its strengths and weakness, but there is rarely a feeling of dissatisfaction, and if there is it is short lived.

Barry

To be honest and I am not wanting to sound cocky or anything, but I rarely if ever come back feeling my system is worse that those I have heard elsewhere. Only once in awhile do I hear a system that is as good but arrived at in a different way.

I think as an audio professional the worst thing was going out to a problem system and finding it was awful having to say so as diplomatically as possible and then finding away to sort it out....I was always diplomatic but it was hard sometimes to find the right words....:doh:


Regards D S D L

Barry
07-06-2009, 17:48
I have a wall of books at the top of our stairs (I have to get some sort of bookcase) getting to any is problematic as it is very carefully stacked so as not to fall. Mixture of theology, thrillers and Sci-Fi. What kind of writers of Sci-Fi do you like Barry ?

As to thresholds of clutter I am passed mine...or should I say really that our house has reached its limit. I just can't find room for much more.

Regards D S D L

Rather like my taste in music I have very wide tastes in literature: the classics (Herodutus, Homer, Vigil etc.), modern stuff (Umberto Eco etc.), 'holiday' reading found in airport departure lounges (Amy Tan etc.), travelogues, humour (Spike Milligan), books on comparative religion, philosophy and ethics, factual books on ancient civilisations and medieval history and of course sci-fi.

Of the latter I used to read a lot of Arthur Clarke, Asimov, van Voght, Heinlein and Stansilav Lem. I like space opera: Frank Herbert, Bradbury and Ursula Le Guinn and Anne McCaffrey; although I am a little wary of some fantasy authors. (I have been spoilt by Tolkein). These days my tastes now tend towards the philosophical and psychological: I love P K Dick, Eric Frank Russell and the short novels of Ray Bradbury and Connie Willis. I also like the sci-fi humor books of Toby Frost; continuing the thread started by Douglas Adams and Grant and Naylor's 'Red Dwarf'.

Barry

Spectral Morn
07-06-2009, 18:46
Rather like my taste in music I have very wide tastes in literature: the classics (Herodutus, Homer, Vigil etc.), modern stuff (Umberto Eco etc.), 'holiday' reading found in airport departure lounges (Amy Tan etc.), travelogues, humour (Spike Milligan), books on comparative religion, philosophy and ethics, factual books on ancient civilisations and medieval history and of course sci-fi.

Of the latter I used to read a lot of Arthur Clarke, Asimov, van Voght, Heinlein and Stansilav Lem. I like space opera: Frank Herbert, Bradbury and Ursula Le Guinn and Anne McCaffrey; although I am a little wary of some fantasy authors. (I have been spoilt by Tolkein). These days my tastes now tend towards the philosophical and psychological: I love P K Dick, Eric Frank Russell and the short novels of Ray Bradbury and Connie Willis. I also like the sci-fi humor books of Toby Frost; continuing the thread started by Douglas Adams and Grant and Naylor's 'Red Dwarf'.

Barry

I would love a good rumage through your book collection sounds very interesting as is your music collection also I would imagine. I know what you mean about modern Fantasy...way to derivative of older work. I like most of the writers you mention. Very sad that Arthur C Clarke has gone now...I love Child Hoods End, the Rama books to name a few. I am reading his last two books at the present time and well so far they are not up to standard IMHO.


Regards D S D L

Joe
07-06-2009, 21:20
Hello Joe,

I fully understand - I hate to see books being thrown out and often buy, for a song, books that my local library are selling off. Sometimes I find one or two CDs going as well. I really need to put up about 40' of shelving to get the books off the floor and I have about 6' worth of sci-fi books I have yet to read (pace Neil).

We all have a certain clutter tolerance level, I am always on the threshold of mine! Fortunately my listening room (if that doesn't sound too pretentious) is somewhat larger than 12 tatami in size.

Barry

It's not helped by the fact that the house contains three English graduates and (out of term time) one English undergraduate, so we have multiple copies of many books (three copies of Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility, for example).

Most people gazing at the acres of bookshelves say 'Have you read all of those?' Actually I've read most of them several times!