View Full Version : What's your big hi-fi regret ?
RobbieGong
10-05-2014, 14:01
Ever 'upgraded' only to hanker for what you had before ? Great at first listen, fatiguing over time ? Samely, have you ever missed out on a piece of kit you could have had ? What's your biggest hi-fi regret ?
Wakefield Turntables
10-05-2014, 14:06
Probably flogging my old Quad gear. It was my first "proper" hifi setup. The Quad 22L speakers were fantastic as were the Quad 77 pre and power amps.
istari_knight
10-05-2014, 14:09
Joining a hifi forum. Been forever chopping & changing ever since :rolleyes:
mr sneff
10-05-2014, 14:15
Joining a hifi forum. Been forever chopping & changing ever since :rolleyes:
:lol:
In chronological order
Buying an Aiwa midi-system instead of seperates
Buying some Studio Power MC200 speakers in 1990 as a graduation present to myself without realising they were a) crap and b) it would be ten years before I could afford to get something better
Selling my Kenwood linear tracking direct drive for fifty quid and buying a Phillips belt drive that was the very definition of crap. Even the dealer said it was crap before I bought it.
Selling a mint Leak TL10 with GEC KT61 valves for a hundred quid
Believing all the crap written in Hi-Fi magazines
Thinking fancy cables were an answer to my SQ issues
Buying used CD players like they were going out of fashion
Not discovering hi-fi forums until 2009
Not buying an RCM until 2010 despite first intending to get one in 1996
Not buying a Technics SL1200 until 2011 when I had first intended to get one in 1995
Not trying passive preamps until 2013 when I had intended to try them in 1999
Not getting some speakers with 15 inch bass drivers until 2014 when I had intended to get some in 1990
That's enough for now it's making me depressed ;)
MikeMusic
10-05-2014, 14:43
Missing out by not upgrading years sooner
I
Not buying a Technics SL1200 until 2011 when I had first intended to get one in 1995
Not trying passive preamps until 2013 when I had intended to try them in 1999
Not getting some speakers with 15 inch bass drivers until 2014 when I had intended to get some in 1990
Blimey! And I thought I was a procrastinator!
Not taking enough drugs.
Is that a regret or just a statement about your current situation?
Is that a regret or just a statement about your current situation?
It's a regret. I hear people get more out of music if they take drugs, and drugs don't take up as much room as hifi. I'm too old to start now.
It's a regret. I hear people get more out of music if they take drugs, and drugs don't take up as much room as hifi. I'm too old to start now.
I thought you were taking a degree in English Literature? An ideal time to dabble in pharmaceuticals since practically nothing is required of you except to read books and bullshit about them. I took full advantage when I did mine.:)
Although I gather that drugs nowadays, like everything else, ain't what they used to be.
walpurgis
10-05-2014, 15:09
Wasting money on luxuries like food and transport, instead of spending more on Hi-Fi. :lol:
Gordon Steadman
10-05-2014, 15:10
Storing my Garrard 301 in a landlord's garage only to find it had been cleared out when I went back for it. He 'didn't remember' seeing it when I confronted him.:steam:
Not hearing a valve amp sooner...
written them off as warm, wooly, vague and more trouble that they were worth.
Nope!
walpurgis
10-05-2014, 15:14
Not hearing a valve amp sooner...
written them off as warm, wooly, vague and more trouble that they were worth.
They can be!
Ammonite Audio
10-05-2014, 15:50
Selling my Epos ES14s for KEF Q35s - without doubt the worst speaker I have owned. Then, a few years down the line selling the LP12, which ushered in years of unnecessary expenditure and wasted time; at least until the TD124 came along.
Quite a few hi-fi regrets, mostly involving not knowing when to stick with something!
The biggest ones include:
Selling my Creek 4330R amplifier.
Selling my Arcam CD73T CD player.
Selling my Michell TecnoDec turntable.
My Biggest regret was not listening to vinyl for the last 28 years, feel I wasted so much time and effort trying to get CD to sound OK.
The Barbarian
10-05-2014, 16:30
Many.. Owned Garrard '301', '401' & Thorens 'TD124' motor units.. obviously long gone..
I thought you were taking a degree in English Literature? An ideal time to dabble in pharmaceuticals since practically nothing is required of you except to read books and bullshit about them. I took full advantage when I did mine.:)
Although I gather that drugs nowadays, like everything else, ain't what they used to be.
Yep, most of the best ones are now legal.... You wouldn't catch me anywhere near them though.
Compromising my piano and hi fi sound by placing the piano in-between my speakers. IDIOT.
Switching to cd and stopping buying vinyl in the 80s & 90s. At least I didn't dump my old vinyl.
Techno Commander
10-05-2014, 19:44
Not buying one of these when the opportunity arose.
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=18871&stc=1&d=1158960931
jandl100
10-05-2014, 20:32
Going back to vinyl 5 times. :brickwall:
I just never seem to learn that it's no good for me.
So much money wasted. :(
Initially spending to much money on cables
Getting a pair of Jamo 8 then spending loads trying to get it not sounding fatiguing
Buying Wilson Benesch speakers
Buying too many Turntables
I thought you were taking a degree in English Literature? An ideal time to dabble in pharmaceuticals since practically nothing is required of you except to read books and bullshit about them. I took full advantage when I did mine.:)
I got my first Eng Lit degree way back in the '70s. Even then I didn't take enough drugs.
I got my first Eng Lit degree way back in the '70s. Even then I didn't take enough drugs.
Sensing a recurring drugs theme to your posts..... :)
Wanna talk about it?
Obviously a deep thinker...
Best advice I've ever had? Every new Days a chance to do it different...
I got my first Eng Lit degree way back in the '70s. Even then I didn't take enough drugs.
Well at least you had some fun. If I had a time machine I'd go back no hesitation. Great times.
PaulStewart
10-05-2014, 21:03
Apart from not buying a complete set of Edith Piaf vinyl je ne regrette rien :lol:
Both buying too many things and so spreading my funds thin when something expensive and I've wanted for ages comes up.. and holding on to stuff that I'm not using rather than selling it on so that I don't have enough money for when something I really wanted comes up.
Loads of missed ebay opportunities, either for desirable kit or stupidly cheap kit.
Perhaps though - being a box swapper rather than just saving up for one mega system and just listening to the music instead!
Well at least you had some fun. If I had a time machine I'd go back no hesitation. Great times.
Indeed. The music wasn't bad, either.
SteveTheShadow
10-05-2014, 21:15
Buying hook line and sinker, into the flat earth bullshit and wasting most of the 80s 90s on crap sounding, overpriced garbage.
It so coloured my experience of vinyl that I still can't stand it and refuse to give it houseroom.
It's a regret. I hear people get more out of music if they take drugs, and drugs don't take up as much room as hifi. I'm too old to start now.
Rubbish! loads of blokes start taking drugs at your age!
They take statins, they take beta-blockers, they take insulin, they take Viagra........
RobbieGong
10-05-2014, 21:27
Rubbish! loads of blokes start taking drugs at your age!
They take statins, they take beta-blockers, they take insulin, they take Viagra........
Well at least ones worth taking.... :eek: :lol:
walpurgis
10-05-2014, 21:30
Well at least ones worth taking.... :eek: :lol:
Not if your blood pressure's up! :eyebrows:
Ninanina
10-05-2014, 21:36
Letting a pair of Klipsch La Scalas go just because I didn't have the space for them at the time... and they were a bargain at the time too :doh::doh:
Audio Al
10-05-2014, 22:31
My biggest regret
Not getting 6 numbers on the Lotto :D
Back in 2004, i found myself skint and in desperate need of funds, so I sold my Gyrodec and HUNDREDS of tasty lps ( Mo-Fi, Classic Records etc). Wish I'd been able to keep the records at least.
Swapping a stacked Quad esl 57 system for a single pair of Musical Fidelity MC4's.:steam:
The Grand Wazoo
10-05-2014, 23:43
Ouch, that must hurt!
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 06:07
Compromising my piano and hi fi sound by placing the piano in-between my speakers. IDIOT.
In my system, it just SOUNDS like my piano is between my speakers:eyebrows:
Biggest HiFi regret?
Other priorities eating up my upgrade budget.
Although I am happy with my modest system, when I see some of the speakers on offer 2nd hand I wish I could scratch that itch, and not end up in the divorce courts.
1. Not buying shed loads of vintage valve amps (and valves) in the 80s when they were out of favour and cheap as chips.
2. Letting my Croft/Harbeth set up go for reasons I'll never really understand ! Rectified now though
3. I love my home, but not having earned enough to buy a bigger one with a room for Quad 57s !
4. Nothing else, love this insane hobby and the people who surround it ;-)
Firebottle
11-05-2014, 06:55
!
4. Nothing else, love this insane hobby and the people who surround it ;-)
:grouphug::grouphug:
Not getting into valve amplification sooner.......
1) Disposing of not one but two of these and not having the faintest recollection of where they went.
https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/8jkEmnxHz3U/mqdefault.jpg
2) Not doing anything with one of these in the 30-odd years it lay in a drawer before I gave it back, especially since I now have just about enough DIY knowledge to make a workable preamp for it.
http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/gallery/image.php?mode=large&image_id=24918
3) Floggging my lovely Revox A77 20 years ago.
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 07:36
:grouphug::grouphug:
Not getting into valve amplification sooner.......
You seem to be making up for lost time:)
jandl100
11-05-2014, 07:37
Perhaps though - being a box swapper rather than just saving up for one mega system and just listening to the music instead!
What?!
NO !! - Heresy.
mr sneff
11-05-2014, 08:37
Selling a pair of original Tannoy Mercury (M20) speakers thinking that newer would be better. It started a whole series of upgrades, many of which could have been avoided if I'd sorted out the real problem - the room. The Tannoys had a nice warm sound and never caused any problems with brightness or listening fatigue, and the system, Arcam Alpha CD player, Pioneer A400 and the Tanoys was modest but enjoyable. The only other regret was that if I'd sorted the room out sooner I would have kept a Tube Technology Uniss amp, wonderful 3D imaging.
The Barbarian
11-05-2014, 08:39
Swapping a stacked Quad esl 57 system for a single pair of Musical Fidelity MC4's.:steam:
Ive heard some things in my time
Haselsh1
11-05-2014, 08:41
Looking back on all of the stuff I've gone through, my biggest regret would be selling my Alphason Sonata fitted with an Alphason HR100SMCS tonearm. I had that back around 1995 with various cartridges and it was one helluva turntable.
Biggest HiFi regret?
Other priorities eating up my upgrade budget.
Although I am happy with my modest system, when I see some of the speakers on offer 2nd hand I wish I could scratch that itch, and not end up in the divorce courts.
I guess I could reword this by saying:
My regret is not marrying someone who is interested in music as much as me.
I regret finding AoS in a way. I have spent a fortune since I first landed here, mostly on my SL1200. I have also rediscovered that CD does not sound too bad after all, after changing out my VDH cables for something decent.
I also regret that there are not enough hours in the day to enjoy my tunes.
Haselsh1
11-05-2014, 08:49
Of course going back even farther to 1984, my biggest regret was selling my Logic DM101 MkI with Syrinx PU2 tonearm which at the time sounded absolutely amazing. It had a Kiseki Blue cartridge on it and went into Naim pre/power amplification with QLN MkI loudspeakers. Wow...! I certainly miss those days.
Selling nearly my entire LP collection in the late 80's . . . dumber than dumb :doh:
Reading cable threads on Hi-Fi forums . . .
I also regret that there are not enough hours in the day to enjoy my tunes.
This, really, especially as I'm getting on a bit. I dug out some 'less frequently played' LPs yesterday and rediscovered some gems (also reminded myself why some had been unplayed for so long!)
Selling nearly my entire LP collection in the late 80's . . . dumber than dumb :doh:
That's one regret I don't have. Laziness has its advantages!
ell-tell
11-05-2014, 08:53
Having wasted years on the merry go round, when I should have gone ACTIVE!
That's one regret I don't have. Laziness has its advantages!
I wouldn't really play them that often, but I have forgotten what I had and some of the artwork would look nice framed on the wall. I won't ever be anything other than file based audio as my prime source, but some of those LPs had sentimental value which is now more apparent later in life. But digital done well to me is preferable to anything any turntable can produce as I hate the mere hint of a crackle, click, pop or rumble. I prefer my music to be presented with an inky black silent background and accurately ;)
jandl100
11-05-2014, 09:25
But digital done well to me is preferable to anything any turntable can produce as I hate the mere hint of a crackle, click, pop or rumble. I prefer my music to be presented with an inky black silent background and accurately ;)
Oh noooooooo ..... digital vs analog war #329 coming up :lol:
I wouldn't really play them that often, but I have forgotten what I had and some of the artwork would look nice framed on the wall. I won't ever be anything other than file based audio as my prime source, but some of those LPs had sentimental value which is now more apparent later in life. But digital done well to me is preferable to anything any turntable can produce as I hate the mere hint of a crackle, click, pop or rumble. I prefer my music to be presented with an inky black silent background and accurately ;)
I don't hear many crackles, clicks or pops with most of my records, though it's a PITA to have to get up off my fat arse to change sides, or skip any particularly bad tracks.
Oh noooooooo ..... digital vs analog war #329 coming up :lol:
Tis' only a preference and personal opinion Jerry, I also prefer brunettes to blondes, red wine to white, just a simple choice - some folk take it all too seriously and should listen to music and chill out with a glass of wine and a smile. Enjoy what you prefer ;)
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 10:04
Selling nearly my entire LP collection in the late 80's . . . dumber than dumb :doh:
Reading cable threads on Hi-Fi forums . . .
I almost did too. They had all been recorded onto CD....... but then I just couldn't do it (how could you?) . Which is why I now have three versions of everything!! (all the CDs are also on the Mac) It was once this was done that I stored the 301 and it got 'lost'...regrets, I've had a few:violin:
(how could you?)
Well I can be dumb occasionally and have a propensity for cutting off my nose to spite my face, but its mostly down to constant moving, which brings about clearing and sorting. I have moved home over 30 times in my life :eek:
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 12:00
Well I can be dumb occasionally and have a propensity for cutting off my nose to spite my face, but its mostly down to constant moving, which brings about clearing and sorting. I have moved home over 30 times in my life :eek:
Yeah, I know the feeling. For a long time it was upwards ever upwards. Then we made a little error of judgement and the graph turned vertical in the wrong direction. From 17 room Georgian mansion with a park out the back........ to a cupboard.
Space was a slight problem, hence the ditch the LPs plan. Quads stayed though and when it came down to it, I just shoved all the LPs under the bed as I just couldn't do it. Thats one of the reasons so many have shredded splines. The cats used to sleep under there too!!
I've moved 10 times and it certainly does help in weeding out the clutter. Never considered ditching the records though. When I moved here I didn't even have any furniture since I'd left it behind (i.e dumped it) two houses previously. Sleeping on the floor with the TV sat on a tea chest: that was fun. Then I realised I still had the key to the house with the furniture in so I went and got it back, fortunately no-one was living there at the time. 16 years on this house is now full up despite my best efforts. Found some amplifiers and a cd player in one of the kitchen cupboards the other day whilst looking for something else, didn't even realise I had them.
losenotaminute
11-05-2014, 12:34
I can't think of anything. Life is too short for regrets .....
I've moved 10 times and it certainly does help in weeding out the clutter. Never considered ditching the records though. When I moved here I didn't even have any furniture since I'd left it behind (i.e dumped it) two houses previously. Sleeping on the floor with the TV sat on a tea chest: that was fun. Then I realised I still had the key to the house with the furniture in so I went and got it back, fortunately no-one was living there at the time. 16 years on this house is now full up despite my best efforts. Found some amplifiers and a cd player in one of the kitchen cupboards the other day whilst looking for something else, didn't even realise I had them.
Leaving student accommodation aside, I've only moved house three times. When we moved to our current house, all our 'stuff' went into storage. With hindsight, we should have left most of it there. Now we'd need several removal vans to shift it.
dantheman91
11-05-2014, 14:38
None...........Keep the good stuff & sell the crap normally works :)
Found some amplifiers and a cd player in one of the kitchen cupboards the other day whilst looking for something else, didn't even realise I had them. :eek:
Kitchen cupboards should look like this :lol:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/kitchenbakingcupboard1_zpsc4475486.jpg
LOL I do have one cupboard that sort of looks like that. The others either have nothing in them or as I discovered the other day, hi-fi equipment. Oh and a broken desk lamp. My kitchen has a lot of cupboards.
:eek:
Kitchen cupboards should look like this :lol:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/kitchenbakingcupboard1_zpsc4475486.jpg
Good Lord Tim! - I can now see why you call yourself "Captain Tidy"
Actually it looks as though you are hovering on the verge of OCD, so perhaps you might consider giving yourself a less polite moniker? (;) ;) and :eyebrows:, just to show I only mean it in jest. :))
Biggest one for me is not being able to purchase Meadowlark speakers from the US administrator simply asked too much:(
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 15:45
:eek:
Kitchen cupboards should look like this :lol:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/kitchenbakingcupboard1_zpsc4475486.jpg
Oh good grief:drugs:
What?!
NO !! - Heresy.
Haha! Well you seem cut out for it and well organised - I just get the stuff and it sits for ages not really listened to because of the general disarray at my place.
Then I listen to the radio to some diverse eclectic mix of music and I wonder why I haven't got any of the electronica/P-funk/soul/classical/jazz/country etc etc that they've just played and suddenly amazed me with!
I can't think of anything. Life is too short for regrets .....
You need to spend some a lot more time thinking! Think man, think!
It looks as though you are hovering on the verge of OCD . . .
:lol: actually that's a Google Images find, my cupboards look nothing like that, just messin' with y'all ;)
Click the below link, it gets even worse - check out under her sink!
http://classicchichome.blogspot.co.uk/2012_09_01_archive.html
jandl100
11-05-2014, 16:09
Haha! Well you seem cut out for it and well organised - I just get the stuff and it sits for ages not really listened to because of the general disarray at my place.
Re: boxswapping.
Yep, I'm quite well organised. I generally keep it simple and just get one thing at a time - play with it for a while then start looking for the next toy to play with. :)
I don't really have a Want List as such - just whatever appeals from the classifieds or eBay at the time, or sometimes start looking based on forum comments, like with the recent Techie 1200 CDP saga.
jandl100
11-05-2014, 16:10
:lol: actually that's a Google Images find, my cupboards look nothing like that, just messin' with y'all ;)
Click the below link, it gets even worse - check out under her sink!
http://classicchichome.blogspot.co.uk/2012_09_01_archive.html
Do you realise what a relief that is?
I was just about to phone the men in white coats to tell them to pay you an early visit. ;)
Don't think I could put up with any woman who was that obsessively tidy! And she certainly wouldn't put up with my audio system, the piles of CDs and books.
The Grand Wazoo
11-05-2014, 16:16
That's not natural.
Look.....
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YLp-qIbl7XI/UGcQ0IPsKXI/AAAAAAAAGRc/c0JIrOrK5AU/s1600/kitchen+corner+cupboard+(1).JPG
...she's got woodworm in her cupboards and she's even trained them to be tidy.
Here's how most of us normal people live:
tuaagCguuLw
That's not natural.
Look.....
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YLp-qIbl7XI/UGcQ0IPsKXI/AAAAAAAAGRc/c0JIrOrK5AU/s1600/kitchen+corner+cupboard+(1).JPG
...she's got woodworm in her cupboards and she's even trained them to be tidy.
:lol:
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 16:24
:lol:
Oh I've got them holes too. It might take the odd excavator to find them though,
Fortunately, my wife and I are peas from the same pod, we like our home to look 'lived in'
The Barbarian
11-05-2014, 16:28
:eek:
Kitchen cupboards should look like this :lol:
Yep Tim that could be my Kitchen cupboard.. I go crazy when the wife does not line all the tin labels up too.
Oh, I also turn all the tins (what few I have, as I don't use much tinned food) so that the labels are facing me. The same for the jars of herbs and spices, but that's just plain common sense. :)
The Barbarian
11-05-2014, 16:45
Nothing to do with common sense with me im just a bit loopey in the head.
Oh, I also turn all the tins (what few I have, as I don't use much tinned food) so that the labels are facing me.
Hahaha, and you called me OCD - I don't even do that ;)
Mind you I don't have much tinned food either, various tuna, sardines, baked beans and some different pulses is about all.
Back to the OP, I also wish I still had my JR 149 speakers - that's it though, just my record collection (still have a hundred or so left) and the speakers, so not too many regrets.
dantheman91
11-05-2014, 17:23
My Dads List
Leak Stereo 20 with Varislope Pre
Thorens TD 124 MK2 with SME 3009
Pye Mozart HF 10 Mono Blocks
Quad II's x 4 Quad ESL 57's x 4
Tannoys various HPD's & Golds
HH Scott Valve Amplifier
Goldringg 88 X2 one with Original Lenco Arm The other with an SME 3012
Rogers LS7 & LS3/5a
Garrard 301 & Hadcock Tonearm
Rogers Cadet & 3
Pye mono blocks model number unknown
Quad 44 & 306
Pioneer Precision 300R Amps
Its a long list i know that much and that over a 10 year period theirs a lot more i suspect.
My Dads List
Leak Stereo 20 with Varislope Pre
Thorens TD 124 MK2 with SME 3009
Pye Mozart HF 10 Mono Blocks
Quad II's x 4 Quad ESL 57's x 4
Tannoys various HPD's & Golds
HH Scott Valve Amplifier
Rogers LS7 & LS3/5a
Garrard 301 & Hadcock Tonearm
Rogers Cadet & 3
Pye mono blocks model number unknown
Quad 44 & 306
Pioneer Precision 300R Amps
Its a long list i know that much and that over a 10 year period theirs a lot more i suspect.
Some good stuff there Dan.
dantheman91
11-05-2014, 17:40
Some good stuff there Dan.
There is Barry forgot about major one the SME 3012 Tonearm thats the biggest regret :(.
There is Barry forgot about major one the SME 3012 Tonearm thats the biggest regret :(.
On dear - I sympathise Dan.
Clothears
11-05-2014, 19:53
Deciding that I was fed up with all the faff associated with a vinyl set-up, selling off my lovely old Systemdek IIX TT, and regretting it almost immediately.
Even my wife said at the time "are you really sure?".
.
losenotaminute
12-05-2014, 12:25
You need to spend some a lot more time thinking! Think man, think!
OK, I'll try a bit harder.......
I've wrecked a new LP by dropping it while turning it over, does that count?
Oh, and I usually regret reading cable threads!
Lawrence
Passing over on a Revox G36 (aka 736) tape machine for £25.
Not going ahead with the purchase of a Studer C37 professional tape machine (the same type EMI used to record the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper").
Not buying an Ortofon S-15 TE cartridge on eBay for £200.
Not buying a Decca Mk. III head on eBay for £200.
Ever 'upgraded' only to hanker for what you had before ? Great at first listen, fatiguing over time ? Samely, have you ever missed out on a piece of kit you could have had ? What's your biggest hi-fi regret ?
Getting into it in the first place!
Having kids - my music room became a playroom for 10 years
Not coming across Art Audio 20 years ago
Taking a Longdog DAC out of the box this evening - not going to get much sleep and got a meeting in the City at 8am. It's really rather good. Jimbo take note, paired with a Zara Premium using n-serve, it's almost analogue and works a dream.
Selling a pair of Ruark talismans cheaply in the 90s and stupidly peeing the proceeds up the wall. Had I known how long it would take me to get speakers I enjoyed as much again I'd have never sold them.
No regrets at all it's been a great journey, and am very happy that I'm settling with components after listening to a lot of different stuff to find it.
Weirdly enough when I was younger I read a review of Royd's Sorcerers & thought "when I can afford a proper HiFi I'll get some of these", but didn't actually use any until around 15yrs later... Now I have 4x classic pairs (Sapphire MK1, Minstrel, Sorcerer "SE" & RR3) surrounded by equipment significantly more expensive. It's gotten me back to not thinking about the HiFi, which is a very tricky thing to do IMHO when you develop the taste for "good sound".
EDIT: actually an LFD DAC3 did go for under £750 when they retailed for £3.5k over a decade ago. UltraAnalog DAC, independent transformer windings for all important power supplies etc. I regret not putting in a lowball max bid & would probably have got it. Would have loved to have tried it! Thing that got me nervous was the reliability of those big old discrete / chip-based DAC "modules" that are the D20400A.
istari_knight
14-05-2014, 16:39
No regrets at all it's been a great journey, and am very happy that I'm settling with components after listening to a lot of different stuff to find it.
Weirdly enough when I was younger I read a review of Royd's Sorcerers & thought "when I can afford a proper HiFi I'll get some of these", but didn't actually use any until around 15yrs later... Now I have 4x classic pairs (Sapphire MK1, Minstrel, Sorcerer "SE" & RR3) surrounded by equipment significantly more expensive. It's gotten me back to not thinking about the HiFi, which is a very tricky thing to do IMHO when you develop the taste for "good sound".
EDIT: actually an LFD DAC3 did go for under £750 when they retailed for £3.5k over a decade ago. UltraAnalog DAC, independent transformer windings for all important power supplies etc. I regret not putting in a lowball max bid & would probably have got it. Would have loved to have tried it! Thing that got me nervous was the reliability of those big old discrete / chip-based DAC "modules" that are the D20400A.
Wouldn't mind seeing your Royd collection Neil, do you have a gallery thread ?
For me it would be in my early years of HIfi when I sold my Whafedale Diamond II speakers for a pair of Rega Kyte (because I thought they looked the business) and they were attrocious sounding with my Audiolab 8000a and Marantz CD65IISE CD Player... shrill, bright, sibilant... just attrocious...
Next would probably be when I threw away my Dual 601 turntable, rather than making the effort to repair it and giving away all of my vinyl to my Dad... I have them all back now as I bought them back off of him and his Linn Sondek turntable but that was a tiresome exercise.
Finally would be when I decided in my wisdom (or lack there of) to give away my Audiolab 8000a... I would have loved to have kept that for my second system :(
The Black Adder
15-05-2014, 14:16
I sold my Densen DM-10 about 5 years ago. loved that integrated... great sound. Should have kept it for the other system really. Ho-Hum!
Wouldn't mind seeing your Royd collection Neil, do you have a gallery thread ?
I'll get some pics sorted and let you know. :)
Selling my Sonus Faber Guarneri Homages and buying Wilson System Vs 15 years ago, my system lost its soul and I've never had that back since.
fiddlemaker
22-05-2014, 12:06
Allowing the misinformation about Decca cartridges to put me off trying one until very recently.
Only two things really ....
1. Not having enough money years ago to upgrade when i should have done.... and
2. Only 'discovering' the Audio Origami PU7 arm earlier this year ....... superb piece of kit.
C'est la vie.
:rolleyes:
walpurgis
22-05-2014, 16:52
Allowing the misinformation about Decca cartridges to put me off trying one until very recently.
Oh yes, that's a good one! Many people are wary about Deccas, I don't know why, because I've had about a dozen and no bother at all, apart from a tie string on a 4RC I broke myself. Decca Special Products, as it was back then replaced it for me and serviced the cartridge for peanuts.
Anybody who's not tried a Decca, should! It's one of those 'revelation' moments in Hi-Fi. Nothing else is like it.
Floyddroid
26-05-2014, 19:56
Too many
None, I dont think....its all a journey, and full of surprises...
Putting my Technics SP10/SME 3009 in a skip when I didn't have room for it in my car when moving house.
Gordon Steadman
27-05-2014, 15:43
Putting my Technics SP10/SME 3009 in a skip when I didn't have room for it in my car when moving house.
WOT:eek:
Why the hell did you need the bed?:mental:
Putting my Technics SP10/SME 3009 in a skip when I didn't have room for it in my car when moving house.
I think I feel faint...... :eek:
I think I feel faint...... :eek:
Me too when I look at what they sell for these days. I had had the SME, which I bought new for about £25, since I was a student - I first used it with a Connoisseur BD1. The SP10 I bought for £12 from the scrap man at Garrard. It had been the evaluation unit, and after measurement and costing had been lurking in R&D.
I'm not sure if this counts a 'hi-fi' regret, but still, just one really: Not taking better care of the first few hundred or so records that I acquired during my 'early years' of vinyl playback - I hadn't grown up with the format, but got into it in a big way in my early 20s, but clearly I wasn't sufficiently diligent when it came to record preservation, and now I'm suffering the consequences :(
Selling my PD-95. Mind you 10 years great service and getting £400 more than I paid makes me smile.
Selling my Audionote otto se and replacing with some shit Exposure pre and power. God I was stupid to do that.
Anthony K
07-07-2014, 01:41
I regret not buying more lp's when I started collecting music in the early 80's.
I tended to buy a lot of singles and years later heard the albums that they came from, unfortunately for me a number of the albums were long out of press and fetched silly money on the second hand market.
What's my big hifi regret?
Not being satisfied with a seventy quid supermarket mini-system and an i-phone, like everyone else I know. :rolleyes:
The Barbarian
07-07-2014, 18:10
Another regret spending money on the specialist Hi-Fi in the 80's i did. My records never sounded any good on any equipment i bought. If i were using the gear i have now back then i would have never ever sold all my old records.
spendorman
07-07-2014, 22:42
Selling an immaculate pair of Tannoy 15 Ohm 12" DC Silvers and crossovers in beautiful cabinets for £150
The Barbarian
08-07-2014, 07:02
O i dunno
:sofa:
It Cost How Much!?!
14-07-2014, 09:20
Not buying 100 boxed LS3/5a's (Goodmans brand) from Laskey's when they were having a sale and priced them at £199 a pair to shift them on. Today a boxed new pair would be £800+, damn.
Also, selling my minty Townshend Rock Reference (mk1) with Excalibre arm and Dynavector 17D2. Should have kept it. I replaced it with a Michell Gyro SE/Rega RB900 and it was never the same. And selling my Transparent Reference XL speaker cables to buy my wifes car a new clutch (£1,800 bill for a Shogun).
Not buying 100 boxed LS3/5a's (Goodmans brand) from Laskey's when they were having a sale and priced them at £199 a pair to shift them on. Today a boxed new pair would be £800+, damn.
Also, selling my minty Townshend Rock Reference (mk1) with Excalibre arm and Dynavector 17D2. Should have kept it. I replaced it with a Michell Gyro SE/Rega RB900 and it was never the same. And selling my Transparent Reference XL speaker cables to buy my wifes car a new clutch (£1,800 bill for a Shogun).
Yes - it's always a bit of a bugger when you don't have the odd £10,000 in your pocket when you see a bargain like that!
The Black Adder
14-07-2014, 17:19
Not sure if I've ever really made a huge mistake in regards to sonics but I'd say the B&W CM7 speakers were a very weak sounding speaker, no real bottom and the mids were a bit shy of any realism. They look great though.
So far: (as much as I can remember)
Denon D-250 - Good sound and a well made midi system
Musical Fidelity (the cylindrical series) A2, A-200 Mono's etc. Also the X-Tone and valve buffers - All good really, a bit glassy but fine
Quad valve pre (the modern one) - Nice pre, great sound but lots of transformer hum
NVA A80's, NVA A40's and NVA pre, NVA LS5, LS3, LS2, NVA Sound cords, NVA Cube speakers. - All great sounding kit apart from the cubes, they just didn't do it for me.
Monitor Audio BR5 speakers - great, very good little towers.
Radford valve amp - Very nice indeed (now andrews. Rextons)
Raysonic CD128 - Great cd player but not very reliable in my experience
Michell Gyro SE - Loved it... great TT
Chord 1035 and others like SPM 600 - Great amps... very good.
Pioneer PD-91 - Yes... I'd have one again.
DALI Helicon 800 MKII - Loved these speakers.
Harbeth SHL5's - Magnificent
Audio Note OTO PP - Lovely amp
Densen -DM-10 - Great classic amp.
Leak TL12 mono's - No guts but nice sound.
Quad II's modded by Glenn Croft - Great amps but not enough guts for me.
Tannoy Monitor Gold 12" and 15" - In current system
Tube distinctions KT120 amp - wooooooow!!!
there is more but all in all pretty good journey so far.
Tube distinctions KT120 amp - wooooooow!!!
Lol... When did you get to hear one? :)
Marco.
The Black Adder
14-07-2014, 18:16
not a copper of course... lol - but one day.
hifinutt
14-07-2014, 18:40
selling my music first baby reference
walpurgis
14-07-2014, 20:11
Selling my last (5th) pair of Tannoy Eatons.
Another regret spending money on the specialist Hi-Fi in the 80's i did. My records never sounded any good on any equipment i bought. If i were using the gear i have now back then i would have never ever sold all my old records.
just about sums it up for me too andre, never really appreciated vinyl with my old system (Naim) so 30 odd years of collecting ended up in a skip. With the system I run now I so wished I had all those records back.
just about sums it up for me too andre, never really appreciated vinyl with my old system (Naim) so 30 odd years of collecting ended up in a skip. With the system I run now I so wished I had all those records back.
:eek: :eek:
One of my hifi regrets is selling my ProAc Response 2S Loudspeakers and Target R2 stands:doh: One of the most enjoyable speakers l have owned, with bass too!:(
Having children.
My music room became a playroom for 10 years, and heaven knows how much electricity I consumed having my Primare amp on standby for them to grow up.
But I love them dearly.
selling my Dali suite 2.8 floorstanders.
icehockeyboy
18-07-2014, 23:57
Probs said this in a similar thread, but there's a couple of regrets....selling a Thorens TD 160 mk 11/SME 3009s2/Shure V15/2 FAAAAAAAAR too cheaply!
And secondly, parting with my Classe CP 47.5 pre amp/ Lyngdorf SDA 2175 combo.
As good as the integrated SDAi 2175 is, it's not as good as the pre and power combination.
Actually, add selling on my Thorens TD125 SME 3009 TT/arm as well. :(
Buying a pair of tough-to-drive Roksan Darius speakers (albeit heavenly sounding), unwittingly plugging them in to high capacitance Electrofluidic 20/20 cables and plugging them into my speakers' unconventional and non-standard, shunt-capped external X-overs and plugging those into high capacitance Townsend Isolda speaker cables and plugging those into an unstable Avondale amplifier with no DC protection circuit….
...And then switching it all on.
In fact, if I'd tried to find a more incompatible set of audio electronics I'd have been hard pressed to a manage it. God it sounded sensational… until it all went BANG.
The result: a destroyed amp, fried x-overs, written-off drivers and lunched tweeters. And this month, after 10 months and a £2000 build bill, I've got it all back working properly again, but using an amp designed to drive my speakers properly this time (Parasound A21).
You see, having touched on a perfect sound, I couldn't bear not to get it back. The R&D journey has been tortuous, involving a cast of what feels like thousands, but now I've cracked it, I'm loving every second. Should I have just chucked it all in the skip? Economically, certainly. But do I regret not doing so? Certainly not.
Sometimes you just have to commit. And believe that the final result will be worth it.
(Incidentally, I might just write the speaker-rebuild up, because it does flag-up the whole issue of when to bail and when to spend. And significant AOS forum members helped me along the way. I'll do that as soon as the speakers are finished. Not quite there yet. I am experimenting with cables…)
kininigin
20-07-2014, 10:23
Not getting the system i have now sooner!
Lending a friend my lenco who then decided to put it in his garage during winter when he was decorating. Results were a destroyed deck.rusted to buggery.ggrrrr.
Need to scratch that itch sometime soon....
allthingsanalogue
05-09-2014, 06:16
Buying a top spec (at the time in 2001) LINN LP12, then buying a Orbe and not realising the true potential of an SL1210 until 3 years later!
Not realising for too long :-
New is not necessarily better.
New may simply be a change of style and under the bonnet nothing (much) has changed. Take the Marantz CD63SE for example. The SE (I believe) simply consisted of an additional internal brace across the case.
Tweaking with "boutique" and expensive caps, resistors etc may give you the sound you think you are looking for, or in the first flush "the emperors new clothes" syndrome, but after a few years can you tell that it is really better?
Being a music nut from about age 11 I was always more interested in the music, but as I got older I spent far too much time listening to the system, changing cables etc and chasing my tail.
Biggest regret, not buying vintage gear sooner!
spendorman
05-09-2014, 10:14
Not realising for too long :-
New is not necessarily better.
New may simply be a change of style and under the bonnet nothing (much) has changed. Take the Marantz CD63SE for example. The SE (I believe) simply consisted of an additional internal brace across the case.
Tweaking with "boutique" and expensive caps, resistors etc may give you the sound you think you are looking for, or in the first flush "the emperors new clothes" syndrome, but after a few years can you tell that it is really better?
Being a music nut from about age 11 I was always more interested in the music, but as I got older I spent far too much time listening to the system, changing cables etc and chasing my tail.
Biggest regret, not buying vintage gear sooner!
I have a beaten up Williamson mono amp built by my uncle in early days at the original Rogers factory. It has the Partridge transformers, mostly original components and valves. It is probably the best sounding amplifier that I have had/have. The next best, (to my ears is) an immaculate Radford STA25 III, closely followed by Quad II's.
Just a shame that I don't have a matching Williamson.
These days, I'm a bit scared to tun the Williamson on because of electrical safety, and exploding components!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5057/5479499564_9f85ce8b91_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/9mcSjq)DSCF1822 (Medium) (https://flic.kr/p/9mcSjq) by A60man (https://www.flickr.com/people/41679262@N02/), on Flickr
Thetiminator
05-09-2014, 12:17
Getting married. Severely reduces available funds for hi-fi.
Not worth it :doh:
Floyddroid
05-09-2014, 14:02
F..k!
I think I feel faint...... :eek:
Getting married. Severely reduces available funds for hi-fi.
Not worth it :doh:
Ha ha ha, not to mention having to colour match veneers into the decor because someone refused to have the speakers built into the wall and the HiFi hidden in a designer cabinet.
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