PetRat HiFi

[Reffc]

Lovely set up Peter. I have a soft spot for Canterbury speakers, just not the room for them! That Garrard looks particularly nice. Great choice of arm/cart to go with it. I'll bet the Tannoys sound great with that EAR driving them?

[petrat]

Can I ask what is the box second from top, just below your EAR amplifier?

It is a Japanese preamp, the Aurieges L from Shindo Laboratories. Apparently, Ken Shindo is a wine enthusiast, and names all his amps after fine French wines. Although it is his lowest model, to my ears it is, by far, the star of the show in my system. I am totally in love with it, and can only imagine how good the four 'better' models in the Shindo preamp line-up must sound. Shindo is rare in Europe as there are no dealers here, but is popular in USA. I was lucky and got this one privately from an enthusiast in Israel.

[petrat]

I have a soft spot for Canterbury speakers, just not the room for them! I'll bet the Tannoys sound great with that EAR driving them?

Hi Paul!

I first fell in love with Tannoys when my Dad took me to the Harrogate show in the seventies, and, to be honest, at every show since I always seem to end up staying in the Tannoy room more than most. So, when I got the chance to buy a new pair at trade price, it took me about no time to talk myself into the purchase. Wonderfully, my wife encouraged me too!

What the photos don't show is that the Canterburys are actually in a modest sized room at the moment ... a converted garage ... they were plonked down there temporarily when I got them in order to run them in for a few weeks. Then the plan was to move them into the main living which is 40x15 feet, but more than a year later I haven't got round to it yet, partly because the living room shares a wall with the neighbours, whereas the garage room is isolated and means I can rock-out late at night. But mainly because they sound really good in the garage room ... probably because it is a well damped, irregular shaped, concrete floored space. I used to see photos of Japanese and Hong Kong systems with Canterburys in tiny rooms, listening near-field, and think that it couldn't possibly work ... but it really does! What I need to make, though, are some plinths /risers to get the tweeters up to ear level. Mind you, they are already a bit visually overpowering, so not sure raising them another 18 inches wouldn't make them loom over the listening chair a bit too much.

The EAR534 replaced a pair of the 509 mono blocks, which I owned for years, using them to drive a pair of longtime-cherished NEAT MFS standmounters. I have used quite a bit of EAR kit over the years and really rate their power amps. For some reason, the 509s were not such a great match with the Canterburys, but the 534 works nicely. Mind you, the 509s were about 30 years old, so maybe not at their best.

[Rowlf]

It is a Japanese preamp, the Aurieges L from Shindo Laboratories. Apparently, Ken Shindo is a wine enthusiast, and names all his amps after fine French wines. Although it is his lowest model, to my ears it is, by far, the star of the show in my system. I am totally in love with it, and can only imagine how good the four 'better' models in the Shindo preamp line-up must sound. Shindo is rare in Europe as there are no dealers here, but is popular in USA. I was lucky and got this one privately from an enthusiast in Israel.

Thanks Peter. You have got a gem in your hand indeed. You should bring it to the AOS show if possible and it would be a treat for all of us!

Like most Japanese amps, they are hard to find in Europe mainly because of import taxes making them unattractive. It is a shame really as they bring a different proposition to the world of audiophile.

The only time I've heard a Shindo was in Hong Kong.

[petrat]

A few changes since last year. The previous turntables have gone and been consolidated into (what I think is) a good upgrade ... a Platine Verdier.




The tonearm situation has also changed, with both an Audio Note Arm 3 and a SME M2-12R in residence. The former is fitted with an Io1, and the SME is either a SPU Spirit or my Koetsu Black Goldline. The SUT is currently an Audio-Note AN-S2L.




The other major change was getting my hands on a Shindo Monbrison, which has replaced the Shindo Aurieges line preamp and the Leben RS-30EQ phonostage.

[chelsea]

very very nice peter.

[Marco]

A few changes since last year. The previous turntables have gone and been consolidated into (what I think is) a good upgrade ... a Verdier Platine.




The tonearm situation has also changed, with both an Audio Note Arm 3 and a SME M2-12R in residence. The former is fitted with an Io1, and the SME is either a SPU Spirit or my Koetsu Black Goldline. The SUT is currently an Audio-Note AN-S2L.

Wonderful stuff, Peter!

The PV is one of my favourite turntables - it's a wonderfully musical sounding device. One could call it a 'proper belt-drive T/T'...

Enjoy!

Marco.

[The Black Adder]

Aye.. bloody luvlie! - You have taste my friend!

[Floyddroid]

Gorgeous stuff.

A few changes since last year. The previous turntables have gone and been consolidated into (what I think is) a good upgrade ... a Platine Verdier.




The tonearm situation has also changed, with both an Audio Note Arm 3 and a SME M2-12R in residence. The former is fitted with an Io1, and the SME is either a SPU Spirit or my Koetsu Black Goldline. The SUT is currently an Audio-Note AN-S2L.




The other major change was getting my hands on a Shindo Monbrison, which has replaced the Shindo Aurieges line preamp and the Leben RS-30EQ phonostage.

[Barry]

Just love that SME M2-12R arm.