PetRat HiFi

[Gazjam]

I don't know what the name of the font lettering is that Marantz used on their fascias back then but it's uniquely elegant. I used to gaze longingly at their ads in hi-fi mags in the late 70s.

Pete

Thought it just me that did that....

[struth]

Its of the Metropolis family fonts, of which there are about a 1000 or so.

[Gazjam]

This'll work.
http://www.studiodilena.com/en/marantz-font.html

[Idlewithnodrive]

Nice second system Peter. All quality "iconic" components.I bet that sounds really sweet.

Been after a decent PM-4 myself for quite a long while, having heard one a few times and liking them whatever they are driving.

[rigger67]

I don't know what the name of the font lettering is that Marantz used on their fascias back then but it's uniquely elegant. I used to gaze longingly at their ads in hi-fi mags in the late 70s.

Pete

Apparently, the logo was a hand-drawn derivative of the rather art deco font, Metropolis, which looks a bit like Broadway to me :
http://fontsinuse.com/typefaces/23744/metropolis

[petrat]

Nice second system Peter. All quality "iconic" components.I bet that sounds really sweet.

Been after a decent PM-4 myself for quite a long while, having heard one a few times and liking them whatever they are driving.

Yes, Mike, I've been liking it very much. Never really been a fan of Marantz amps in general, and I was expecting this one to be a bit gutless in the 'Class A' mode, but it has excellent drive, and is really performing at quite a high standard. Similar specs to a modern Sugden A21, but I think better! Certainly, it runs cooler, and the phonostage is better.

[petrat]

That looks like a fun second system Peter. I have been tempted myself to get a second system .....

Of course, it would be fun to put an old rosewood cabineted Luxman system (just like the one that I had when I was 20) in the basement of our new house........

Go for it, Don ... it is great fun! While our aging buddies are now (finally) able to buy the motorbikes they craved as teenagers, we'll be out buying up that high-end 70s/80s Japanese hifi we drooled over back then

[petrat]

The new little Tannoys are running in nicely, and I've been pleasantly surprised. I picked them up half-price in a 'Black Friday' sale deal, and they seem nicely balanced and a good deal more lively than I'd expect from a 6 inch driver in a small box. There seems to be quite a bit of sensible design and technology at work here. The specs and an interesting cross-section diagram are in the brochure, which can be downloaded from the website ...

http://www.tannoy.com/lifestyle/prod...volution-XT-6/

[walpurgis]

I should think they sound rather nice Peter. They are bound to image well.

I'm wondering if the drivers are a development of the ICT dual coaxial/dual concentric unit originally marketed by Goodmans and later taken on by Tannoy. They are certainly different to the dual magnet tulip waveguide types.

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/loudspea...inal-part.html

[petrat]

Interesting, Geoff! These Tannoy drivers do look very similar to the ICTs, with (apparently) Tannoy claiming improvements in the tweeter 'dome' shape (a torus) and waveguide profiling.

I've never been too impressed with speaker manufacturers who take mass-produced, cheap 'off the shelf' OEM drivers, stick them in a (computer simulated) little ported box (total cost, tens of pounds) and sell them for hundreds or thousands of pounds. However, I must say that these seem to be a much more thought-through, with some considerable investment in the speaker unit manufacturing if nothing else. Certainly, there doesn't seem to be any sign of cost-cutting ... an example being the magnets, which are pretty substantial for a small speaker.