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Marco
20-04-2008, 12:30
Well I had a great day yesterday listening to some superb D.I.Y valve amps, speakers, and various bits of kit made by some talented individuals. It was extremely interesting and enlightening... :)

I will go into more detail later (or tomorrow) about what I heard, so in the meantime I would just like to say it was a pleasure meeting Mo, Nick, Ali, Steve, Neal, Al, Greg, Philip, Andrew, Dave the bass, and all the other guys :smoking:

It was nice day and great having a chat with everyone. I think I managed to hear pretty much everything from 9.30am until 10.30pm when I left!

The Sony DAC seemed to go down well, which was interesting, considering the highly critical (and rightly so) enthusiasts which were in attendance. Anyway I'll comment more on that stuff later.

Thanks for a great day, Steve (S), who orgainised the event. I will definitely be attending the next meeting.

Regards,
Marco.

Mike
20-04-2008, 13:12
Sounds like a good day!.... I really must get my ass along to one of these events, I've missed the last few. Why does work always seem to get in the way of everything? :(

NRG
20-04-2008, 13:21
Good to meet you as well Marco, glad you liked the event. I don't think there is an event the same as this, anywhere. I had to rush back so left early and really wanted to hear the DAC's...maybe next time.

Oh, and who says you need lots of watts to produce all the dynamics of modern recordings! :mental: :doh: :lolsign: 3w SET + Lowther panel 'speakers could pin you to the back wall in what was a large room. :scratch: How does that work! :eyebrows:

Mike I have you cable, will listen to it later in the week then send it to Ali.

Marco
20-04-2008, 13:43
Nice meeting you, too, Neal :)

Like you say, it was an interesting sesh. It's a pity you didn't hear the DACs. If I'd stayed today I would also like to have carried out some cable comparisons. It was interesting though that once the Transparents went it when my gear was demo'd they never came out again ;)

Incidentally, I discovered that Steve inadvertently connected up my Yaqin to Nick's speakers via the 4ohms rather than the 8ohms taps. I found this out later in the evening when I heard it sound, erm, 'rather different' though the same pair of speakers!! No wonder it didn't sound right before, and it didn't work with Steve's Lowthers :lol:

Marco.

Mike
20-04-2008, 14:38
Mike I have you cable, will listen to it later in the week then send it to Ali.

Jolly good!.... If you like it I'm quite happy to make you one if you supply a pair of RCA's, alternatively, I can send you some of the cable for you to knock one up yourself. I'm quite sure there's nothing I can teach you about using a soldering iron.;)

Cheers,
Mike.

Mammoth
21-04-2008, 10:50
Err, I don't want to dip my little fly in the ointment here, but re the cables, the lack of inclination to change might have had something to do with the fact that nobody could be bothered, on the basis than very few people at the meet really care tuppence about signal wire or speaker cables. You will have noticed the best sounding systems (which would blow most high-end commercial setups out of the water) were wired up with el cheapo Maplins / B&Q zip wire, coax or ring mains cable. Says it all really.

jcbrum
21-04-2008, 11:03
Well there's a novel view mammoth, tell us what you use please ? and welcome btw :)

Marco
21-04-2008, 11:30
Err, I don't want to dip my little fly in the ointment here, but re the cables, the lack of inclination to change might have had something to do with the fact that nobody could be bothered, on the basis than very few people at the meet really care tuppence about signal wire or speaker cables. You will have noticed the best sounding systems (which would blow most high-end commercial setups out of the water) were wired up with el cheapo Maplins / B&Q zip wire, coax or ring mains cable. Says it all really.


Hi Mammoth,

Welcome to the forum :)

So who are you - did I meet you at Owston?

Yes, of course you could be right, but I suspect the cables were influencing results to a degree. That's why I said that if I had stayed on the Sunday I would've liked to have done some (brief) cable comparisons just see if anyone could determine any differences. I certainly can in my system, and this applies to mains leads, too.

When I go to the next meeting I'll bring some 'different' mains leads with me and do a little test. I also want to bring my Sony transport with the DAC this time, and also my Spendors to see what kind of sound they produce with S.E.Ts. Nick seems quite keen on this idea.

Did you get to hear the DAC comparison?

Marco.

lurcher
21-04-2008, 11:30
Well, when was changing between the various DACs it seemed sensible to just replace the one thing, so the cable I used each time, was the cable that was there when we started. Not saying thats a positive or negative comment about any particular cable, just that it never occured to me.

Marco
21-04-2008, 11:32
If there's time, Nick, we can try some comparisons next time :)

I think it would be good to see what happens. If the D.I.Y cables are as good or even better than the Transparents then it's a compliment to those who made them.

I wonder how many of the guys are going to try building a Sony DAS-R1? :smoking:

Marco.

lurcher
21-04-2008, 11:38
I think it would be good to see what happens. If the D.I.Y cables are as good or even better than the Transparents then it's a compliment to those who made them.

Personally I don't think its a case of the DIY stuff being "better", but the difference that can be made by changing a cap (let alone a valve, transformer or circuit design) far outshadows that of a cable (IMHO), so its not something that gets thought about much.

Marco
21-04-2008, 11:45
Yes I totally agree. Component upgrades will always have more of a fundamental and significant impact. But it's also vital not to 'hobble' the signal being transferred from box to box, and to the speakers, otherwise the sonic effect of the cap, valve, or whatever, will be diluted ;)

It seems a bit of a shame to effect a valuable component upgrade only for the improved signal to be strangled further down the chain. I'm not saying that's necessarily what's happening with D.I.Y cables but it would be interesting to hear what difference, if any, the Transparents made to the systems demonstrated.

Marco.

Mammoth
21-04-2008, 14:09
Yeah, we met briefly, I'm Scott -nice to meet you. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for more than a few minutes of the DAC comparisons. Family taxi duties I'm afraid.

What Nick observes above, especially the 'it never occured to me' part is basically what I was pointing out. Not an especially novel view, just that wire doesn't really tend to be a factor in the 'important things' list of most of the people at the Owston meet. It's probably a different mentality because the majority of us are DIYers.

Look at it this way, in very generalised terms. Many (most?) commercial hifi buyers / listeners have a bit of a problem: once they have their gear, they're stuck with it, unless they can afford to sell it on & buy something 'better' (whatever that means). Typically, they don't know all that much about the internals of whatever the component in question happens to be, and if they did, they usually wouldn't know what to do to adjust things to their requirements. So, even if warranty issues didn't arise, they can't rip the thing open, and affect changes. As such, they have to look to other things, such as wire, to try to tailor the system to their needs. Fair enough? A DIYer of the type who's progressed so far as to designing their own speakers, amps etc., OTOH, despite often being looked down upon, actually has certain advantages: they usually know more about the technical side of the equipment (or, if it's something they don't specialise in, they'll know someone else who does) and can either build something specifically tailored to their requirements, or make some adjustments to achieve that end. Although not an invariable rule, they rarely worry about things like wire, because they don't actually need to -major changes can be achieved via other means, and the comparatively subtle affects (if any in their particular system) of wire are either swamped, or completely negated from the off. It's basically two completely different approaches & mindsets.

Agreed about not hobbling the signal, & you certainly need to make sure your interconnects are fit for the purpose of transfering the signal from one component to another. Fortunately, it's not a very demanding job electrically, or we'd all be in trouble, commercial & DIYers alike. ;^)

Ali Tait
21-04-2008, 18:37
Hi All,
It was good to meet you Marco,glad you enjoyed the meet.I would say your DAC was one of the star performers,but then it should be given what you've spent on it! What did you think of some of the DIY efforts? I reckon some ran yours extremely close,not bad when you consider that most cost far less than a tenth of the price of yours! Regarding the cables,it just doesn't occur to us to try different ones,we just use what is there.After all,the majority of listening was carried out with my cheapo Gotham Swiss speaker cables- bought new off fleabay for 30 quid.Nick and Scott were right in what they said,and I would also add that a meet such as that is no place for really critical listening,what with a large amount of people milling around and conversations going on in the background,so it would be difficult to pick out the very subtle changes cables make.
It would be good if you brought your speakers next time,to give us a good idea of what good (and expensive!) commercial speakers are capable of.
So what did you think of the amps you heard? Any stand out for you?

BTW,I picked up your Alabama 3 cd.PM me and I'll post it back to you.I've been giving it a few spins.It's growing on me!

Regards,Ali

Marco
21-04-2008, 22:04
Hi Scott and Ali,

I'll get back to you tomorrow. In the meantime here are some links to video shots of the Owston meeting:

http://www.zippyvideos.com/8931863017548906/owston_2008_1/

http://www.zippyvideos.com/9454170897548956/owston_2008_2/

I'm in there somewhere, but it's only very briefly. A 'special prize' goes to anyone who identifies me correctly :eyebrows:

Obviously people who know me already need not apply!

Marco.

Ian Walker
21-04-2008, 22:46
Got it....Your the one with the long white hair and beard!

I hope the prize is extra Shhpesh....

lurcher
21-04-2008, 22:50
Now, you should know better Ian :-)

Marco
21-04-2008, 22:52
Oh indeed so, Belinda. I'm off to get Billy to trim me white wig :lol:

Marco.

Cotlake
21-04-2008, 23:10
Hi Marco,

Good to meet you on Saturday. You were so intent on listening you didn't move away from the sound stage so we had little time to converse socially and consequently I never bought you that drink I'd promised you elsewhere.

Some stuff to get your head around following on from what you've experienced.

1. Your DAC was well received because it has 1541A Crown chips which in the DIY world are well regarded and now a rare aquisition. Many of us would like to own this chip for our own applications.

2. Your obsession with cable and interconnects is a classic example of how you have been sucked in by the marketing within the industry. Hook up/interconnect wires are where the most money is made. Nearly all of it is a total marketing con and You need to get your head around that deception. That is why at Owston you witnessed no individual getting worried about what wire was used (apart from you and then you got concerned about directionality which for us was bollocks). We've all worked out what works. The variety is unimportant. Cables used at our meets are top performers whatever the recipe and be sure they cost about three and sixpence to make. Sign up to the conclusion. What the individual components in a system does is the base line. Cables are a ancillary addition but they do nothing to improve sound if your basic units are not right. I was cruel to you at the time stating that the cost of build of my amp was less than you paid for a couple of lengths of wire, however think this through. I'm not knocking you personally but rather suggesting that you've been conned by the industry marketing as I once also was. Now I see the light and I'd very much like you to realise what I have.

3. Better sounds (assuming that is what you are after) can be had at a fraction of commercial prices, you can tune to meet your own specific and environmental listening needs and without doubt produce the ultimate listening system within your own home. On Saturday you heard some systems not in the best listening environment however sounding very good. If you replicated that in your home you would be gobsmacked. You'd be further gobsmacked when realising the cost was peanuts compared with the commercial con prices.

4. I understand this forum is well represented by commercial Hi-Fi companies. I'm probably being a bit of a loose cannon in the circumstance but without doubt, most of the companies are conning the average hi-fi punter. To overcome that, a little bit of research into DIY will bring dividends and the serious will not be put off from the learning curve. I was a total novice but dipped my toe in. I've learnt alot but have very much more to learn. Regardless, I've simplistically learnt enough to stay safe and build very seriously authentically sounding kit at the fraction of the over the counter price. Way to go if you have the intuition.

Best wishes,

Greg

jcbrum
22-04-2008, 08:16
Well said Greg, you should stay around.
:interesting::clap:

Ashley James
22-04-2008, 08:57
As a manufacturer I don't object to what you're saying at all Greg. We're supposed to have economies of scale and to be able to do innovative things Amateurs can't to persuade them to part with their money. Trouble is that lots of hi fi enthusiasts appear to enjoy being suckers and paying through the nose for all sorts of bullshit and then when we come along with something fairly priced, we suffer all sorts of attacks!

And if you want top quality cables at fair prices, why not speak to Ian Hartnell at www.actionhardware.co.uk he's been supplying the trade for years and will happily make whatever ever you need for a sensible price.

Nowhere in the World are prices more ridiculous than the UK. The other day I found that you could buy a huge and heavy (75 kilos?) Krell KSA300 in the States for the price of an add on power supply for one of the UK's top hi enders, whose amps produce very little power or current by comparison.

Ash

Marco
22-04-2008, 09:49
Hi Greg,

Welcome to the forum - it's nice to see you here.

I much appreciate the contributions of Scott and you, and all the other guys who've joined from audio-talk. The electronics knowledge you possess can only enhance the reputation of the forum as a resource for valuable information, so please offer your input on discussions whenever you feel it appropriate. Scott's knowledge of loudspeaker design is I believe is up there with the best :)

I learned a lot from attending the meeting on Saturday. It was an education, and something which one would simply not have access to under normal circumstances. I will definitely be attending the next one, so you can buy me that beer then :lolsign:

Regarding cables, my views are already very well known so there's no need to repeat them here. I'll bring some more with me next time and we can do a cable test and see what happens. I totally agree with Scott and you that the D.I.Y route is where it's at in terms of achieving the highest sound-per-pound value from a hi-fi system. I've got nothing against dealers, but with the way my system is now I no longer need to use them, and therefore my days of buying mass-market commercial products are over.

Now if only someone could teach me to use a soldering iron! :eyebrows:

Marco.

P.S All we need now is Philip and Dave the Bass to join the party ;)

Ashley James
22-04-2008, 09:53
We'll include a lesson in soldering when you visit us Marco.

Ash

NRG
22-04-2008, 10:00
...
P.S All we need now is Philip and Dave the Bass to join the party ;)

What! You like Vera Lynn as well! ;) :lolsign:

Whilst on the subject of cables, I've had a quick ear full of Mike's cable and can't tell the difference between it and my 12cm length of free CT100 off-cut the Sky installer monkey left with me earlier in the year...

I'll give it more time later this week, no cigar yet though.

Marco
22-04-2008, 10:14
We'll include a lesson in soldering when you visit us Marco.


Great - I'll look forward to it. I'll be in a position then to join the loose wires in your head which prevent you from hearing hi-fi properly ;)

Marco.

Marco
22-04-2008, 10:17
What! You like Vera Lynn as well! ;) :lolsign:

Whilst on the subject of cables, I've had a quick ear full of Mike's cable and can't tell the difference between it and my 12cm length of free CT100 off-cut the Sky installer monkey left with me earlier in the year...

I'll give it more time later this week, no cigar yet though.


Is that who was responsible for playing the 'sing-along-a-max'-style stuff on Saturday? :lol:

Keep us posted with the cable results. I won't be surprised if you don't hear a difference, though.

Marco.

SPS
22-04-2008, 10:47
my take on the dac comparison..

the berisford with the supplied wall wart was clearly the worst performer of the 'test'
that was an eye opener for me as it was my dac..
all where tested with my amp and speakers (2 watt sets and open baffles)
so i was familiar with the sound of the system too

since coming home i have the berisford on a battery supply.. things have improved but how close to the others?
all the other dacs where very close in my view, and a personal perference/ long term test would come would be needed in my veiw..
but again.. in my view, they where close.. so close i found judging some of them apart difficult...

it was not the differences we heard when swapping over amps

after hearing them all, would be to build al newals cs8416 into valve output..

more from a cost vs quality veiw point though..it was close enough to me, and the output stage may improve further with a pair of the old triodes in there....

one thing i have learnt with any veiw on hifi .. its usually easy to be proved wrong..
just like the cable debate.. i could tell the difference in my solid state days
but now i dont use solid state, feedback, crossovers, low eff speakers..

well the kit has changed abit...

could I get an improvement with some 'proper' cables ?.. maybe.. the ones i have tried in the past, i've not been able to 'really' tell.. its been that close.. so i havn't bothered..

i'm glad to be over upgraditus.... i just am happy collecting old hifi..
as i recall.. upgraditus was cheaper

steve

Marco
22-04-2008, 11:31
Good write-up, Steve.

However, as you were standing at the side wall away from the speakers throughout the DAC test (I think) I'm not surprised you couldn't hear many differences ;)

I think the Beresford is excellent value for money and punches well above its weight, but to my ears was quite clearly outclassed by most of the other DACs demonstrated. It sounded crude and 'hi-fi-like' compared to the best. I've got no doubt though that it sounds much better on the battery supply. It's still a bargain and has no right to sound as good as it does.

I tried as much as possible not to be biased when listening to the Sony, but the highly positive comments from others around me confirmed my own thoughts. As such in my opinion the outcome was thus:

1) Sony DAS-R1
2) Al's D.I.Y valve-based DAC
3) DPA 'Enlightenment' 3-box affair.
4) Cambridge Audio DAC
5) Phil's valve D.I.Y job & Beresford.
6) The respective DACs in various budget DVD players.

If there were any others I can't remember!

Differences, as you say, were by and large subtle, certainly between the top three, which I felt simply made more sense of the dire Eurythmics recording, however the quality of the Sony's bass and the way it underpinned the music giving it a sense of purpose was to my ears lacking in the other DACs.

Marco.

P.S The valves you sold me are great and make quite a big improvement - cheers :smoking:

Mammoth
22-04-2008, 11:41
Hi Greg, good to see you mate. :^) Couldn't agree more.

Hmm. Looks like you're starting to heading in a good direction Marco. That's one of the reasons meets like Owston are useful -people are exposed to what might be for them a radically different approach & they can see & hear the benefits, even if not under optimal conditions.

Another debate about wire might seem a bit superfluous, but you might find these well worth a read:
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm Roger Russell, before his retirement, worked for McIntosh -he designed their speaker systems. Like 'em or no, which is really a matter of taste, that pretty much says it all.

http://sound.westhost.com/cables.htm Rod Elliott is a well-known electrical engineer with over 30 years of experience, used to own a studio he designed & built, & known for his rather 'forthright' approach.

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/allContents?b_start:int=0 2 pages worth of excellent articles on the subject, complete with detailed measurements, from electrical engineers & researchers who actually take a scientific approach to things.

Nick
22-04-2008, 12:44
Well said Greg, you should stay around.
:interesting::clap:

I wouldn't get too excited yet JC. I didn't see much evidence of Macbook servers or tiny active speakers in those videos. :lolsign:

Nick

Nick
22-04-2008, 13:01
Fascinating insight into a world that not many of us, I'm guessing, see that much. I appreciate the guys expertise in their respective fields but I do detect a lot of the "we know best" attitude in Greg's and Mammoth's posts that others in the forum would be bombarded for expounding. ;)

I think the DIY guys do have the advantage over the manufacturers in being able to tailor their systems in a more personal way. However that doesn't necessarily make them better than a commercially built product in all cases.

My wife viewed the video with raised eyebrows and that "no way in our living room" smile. :)

SolidState
22-04-2008, 13:16
Hi Nick,

I've in the past been involved with the hifi industry at a manufacturer and distributor level and have had the fortune of listening to a very wide variety of high end kit.

I can honestly vouch that what i've heard from the DIY commnunity outclasses the commercial kit in sound quality. This is why I went the DIY route, and believe me when i say that for me money is not objection for parts selections for my gear. If I need to spend something high on some component and I know it will bring sound quality benefits, I will.

Now no way i'm suggesting someone who has just started out in DIY will automatically have a system that will better some of the commercial offerings.

Marco
22-04-2008, 13:39
I wouldn't get too excited yet JC. I didn't see much evidence of Macbook servers or tiny active speakers in those videos. :lolsign:


Hahahahahahahahahaha... :D

Regarding your other point, Nick, I understand where you're coming from. I don't entirely agree with Scott and Greg about cables but I feel their slant on audio is very interesting and will add something different and positive to the forum.

My view is that we can ALL learn from each other's experiences; anyone who doesn't think so is a fool.

Marco.

Mammoth
22-04-2008, 13:40
Agreed about the diy aspect Nick. Works for & against, & I'm not for one second suggesting that diy kit is automatically superior to commercial gear (sometimes is, sometimes isn't -depends on the quality of the design, build, components & context), but exactly as you described: you typically have more flexibility to tailor things, which certainly has its uses.

Think I know best? Me? You must be kidding mate. ;) The day that happens is the day I loose the will to live. My original post above was actually longer, but I edited most of it out almost straight away on the basis that none of you need me to go on about technicalities, considering the fact that you all understand them far better than I do.

Then again, the nonsense many commercial wire companies put out, is one of the few things that really irritates me, because they frequently use lies or half-truths to separate people from their money, and I get depressed when I see that. For e.g., a current favourite touted by a number of these companies is the notion that speaker cables resonate in the audio band. The claims about the frequencies affected vary, but the mean appears to be ~2KHz. Thing is (& you of all people don't need me to say this), it's complete nonsense. Anyone with a basic knowledge of RLC lumped element analysis can figure that out. Using the same, Audioholics have an excellent article on their site illustrating that a 50ft length of ordinary 10ga zip wire doesn't begin to resonate until over 2mHz. Take the length down to 12ft, & resonance is up to ~8.5mHz. The mega-price wire companies who claim otherwise either don't understand basic physics (they're certainly not exempt from it, whatever they like to claim without providing any proof whatsoever), are outright liars, or both.

Nick
22-04-2008, 13:46
Hahahahahahahahahaha... :D

Regarding your other point, Nick, I understand where you're coming from. I don't entirely agree with Scott and Greg about cables but I feel their slant on audio is very interesting and will add something different and positive to the forum.

My view is that we can ALL learn from each other's experiences; anyone who doesn't think so is a fool.

Marco.

I agree with that Marco. Other points of view are always interesting whether agreed with or not.

BTW I'm going to side with you on the cables issue :)

Nick

lurcher
22-04-2008, 15:05
I wouldn't get too excited yet JC. I didn't see much evidence of Macbook servers or tiny active speakers in those videos. :lolsign:

Nick

Actually, there was a mac there providing storage for a squeezebox (sb3). And there were another two modified (and recased) squezeboxes.

Marco
22-04-2008, 15:33
Yep, but most of the listening was done on T/Ts and DVD players through DACs :)

I know Mo was pissed off though that he didn't get a chance to hear his Squeezebox with my DAS-R1.

Marco.

Nick
22-04-2008, 15:33
Actually, there was a mac there providing storage for a squeezebox (sb3). And there were another two modified (and recased) squezeboxes.

Like I said not much evidence :)

Mike
22-04-2008, 15:48
What! You like Vera Lynn as well! ;) :lolsign:

Whilst on the subject of cables, I've had a quick ear full of Mike's cable and can't tell the difference between it and my 12cm length of free CT100 off-cut the Sky installer monkey left with me earlier in the year...

I'll give it more time later this week, no cigar yet though.

Neil,

You are hearing exactly what I expect you to hear! ;)

Marco
22-04-2008, 16:04
Indeed. He needs my Transparent cable to compare it to, or something else of similar quality, otherwise there will be next to bugger all difference! I doubt I could tell the difference between your cable and what Neal uses either :eyebrows:

;)

Marco.

Mike
22-04-2008, 16:23
Quite so.

However. YOU were the one who put a 'price' of around a hundred quid on it! :ner:


:lolsign:

anthonyTD
22-04-2008, 16:26
Yep, but most of the listening was done on T/Ts and DVD players through DACs :)

I know Mo was pissed off though that he didn't get a chance to hear his Squeezebox with my DAS-R1.

Marco.

i think i would like to come along to the next one of these events!;)

Marco
22-04-2008, 17:06
Quite so.

However. YOU were the one who put a 'price' of around a hundred quid on it! :ner:

:lolsign:


Yes, and all it means is that Neal's existing cable is also as good as one available commercially for £100! ;)

Anthony,

I'm sure you would be most welcome. You could stay at mine for a bit if you wanted and then go from there. It's a fair old treck direct from where you are.

Marco.

lurcher
22-04-2008, 17:30
i think i would like to come along to the next one of these events!

You would be more than welcome.

Mike
22-04-2008, 18:18
Yes, and all it means is that Neal's existing cable is also as good as one available commercially for £100! ;)

Yeah!... But the 'wire' part in both is probably worth about eight pence. :lolsign:

What does that tell you about "available commercially" eh? eh? :eyebrows:

Mike
22-04-2008, 18:22
It's a fair old treck direct from where you are.

I belive there's a similar event held at Witham from time to time, is that any closer?

Marco
22-04-2008, 18:42
Yeah!... But the 'wire' part in both is probably worth about eight pence. :lolsign:

What does that tell you about "available commercially" eh? eh? :eyebrows:

Yep it's a minefield, mate. You need to have the experience to know what you're buying. I had to 'kiss a few frogs', so to speak, before finding the Transparent.

I agree, most commercially available cables are a rip-off, but the best ones, such as those from Transparent, amongst a small group of others, in my experience offer genuinely superior performance to any D.I.Y cable I've heard so far. I'm open-minded and willing to listen to others, though! The trouble is most people give up at the frog stage and then arrive at certain conclusions, or don't even get as far as that ;)

Marco.

Mike
22-04-2008, 19:04
Yep it's a minefield, mate. You need to have the experience to know what you're buying. I had to 'kiss a few frogs', so to speak, before finding the Transparent.

I agree, most commercially available cables are a rip-off, but the best ones, such as those from Transparent, amongst a small group of others, in my experience offer genuinely superior performance to any D.I.Y cable I've heard so far. I'm open-minded and willing to listen to others, though! The trouble is most people give up at the frog stage and then arrive at certain conclusions, or don't even get as far as that ;)

Marco.

Do you use Transparent's analogue I/C's Marco?..... I feel another experiment coming on soon! :exactly:

ATB,
Mike.

Marco
22-04-2008, 19:10
Yes indeedy, and mains leads and speaker cable... Experiment away! :)

Marco.

Mike
22-04-2008, 19:16
All in good time old bean.... Bigger fish to fry ATM ;)

anthonyTD
22-04-2008, 20:00
Yes, and all it means is that Neal's existing cable is also as good as one available commercially for £100! ;)

Anthony,

I'm sure you would be most welcome. You could stay at mine for a bit if you wanted and then go from there. It's a fair old treck direct from where you are.

Marco.
sounds good,
and thanks marco for your kind offer, we will have a chat about it.
anthony...;):)

anthonyTD
22-04-2008, 20:02
You would be more than welcome.

thanks...;):)

Ashley James
22-04-2008, 20:58
Have a look at this video as found by JC, it is quite fascinating.

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://paillard.claude.free.fr/&langpair=fr%257Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Mike
22-04-2008, 21:01
That's that mad French fella making his own valves innit? Impressive stuff!

:gig:

anthonyTD
22-04-2008, 21:04
Have a look at this video as found by JC, it is quite fascinating.

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://paillard.claude.free.fr/&langpair=fr%257Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

ash,
if you have seen my site, you would have seen this, as there is a link on the first page to it, has been for a while now, good though ehh...;)

Marco
22-04-2008, 23:21
Some more pics from Owston here:

http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=637&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

For those interested you'll see my Croft preamp, Yaqin, and the inside of my Sony DAC :)

Thanks to Simon on audio-talk for the excellent pictures.

Marco.

Ian Walker
23-04-2008, 06:33
i think i would like to come along to the next one of these events!


Me too and i'll even help carry that BIG COPPER AMP!.

Now, you should know better Ian :-)
Teeheee sos Nick just couldnt resist.

Dave the bass
28-08-2008, 14:10
P.S All we need now is Philip and Dave the Bass to join the party ;)

Hi!

Better late than never I s'pose:)

DTB