PetRat HiFi

[petrat]

With SPU Spirit fitted ...

[montesquieu]

Peter very kindly came down today with some of his kit in the car for a bit of a listen at Chateau Montesquieu.

We had a bit of a blast of my system as-is before we put in his two Shindo preamps. The Music First MkII TVC is a cracking bit of kit but it's not quite as happy with the Radford STA100 as it was with previous power amps so I was really keen to hear what a quality tube preamp would do to the system.

We started with the Auriges, which in my setup was utterly transformative. (It's now here on loan ). I had anticipated that a good valve pre would have a big impact and so it proved .. but the Shindo way of doing things does seem to fit my setup really well. In the Aurorasound Vida and the Radford STA100 I have robust, detail-oriented (but still very musical) kit. The Shindo just adds a bit of fairy dust in between. (Sorry to get technical here).

We tried the Monbrison as well - which was definitely more on the refined side - but for me, in this setup the Auriges was actually preferable. Hard to say in hifi terms what it did but suddenly there was just more musical feel.

I had a bit of frustration with some cartridge hum which of course I fixed within minutes of Peter's departure (isnt that always the way?) but in general all three Miyajima cartridges (Shilabe, Zero mono and Premium 78) acquitted themselves pretty well, considering I had to stop using the SUT till I'd figured out what was up - generally speaking the MM input (+SUT) on the VIDA is a shade better than going straight into the MC input.

I was very nervous about Peter's feedback given he owns current model Canterburys, a holy grail speaker of mine if out of reach at their price bracket - I'm pretty proud of my 'reborn vintage' Canterburys but there's been over 30 years of Tannoy development between HPDs and current Canterburys and the best part of 50 years since the corner design was first put out there. Anyway he was gracious enough to suggest the sound was pretty close, apart perhaps from tighter bass in the new ones - nice to hear even if he was being polite!

Finally we gave his EAR 534 a blast ... I was also nervous of this as I'm a fan and previous owner of quite a bit of EAR gear ... interestingly there was little to choose between the EAR and the Radford STA100, both are just about perfect for this purpose. Interestingly the Music First was much happer with the EAR (which I guess backs up TdP's decision to make the integrated version of it just a passive pot with switches on the front of the standard power amp.) Must be something about its impedance characteristics that like the TCV in front.

Anyway a fun afternoon, long trip for Peter down from Northampton but I'm very glad he made it.

[User211]

I know it is academic given the price point but have either of you heard the Tannoy Kingdom Royals with a decent valve amp?

I spent some time with some Thrax amps and an MSB DAC in a room at Silverstone at decent volume levels without interruption. Got lucky managing that but suffice to say they can be fantastic with the right kit. That seemed to be the right kit

[petrat]

Thanks to Tom for welcoming me to his lovely home. His summary of the day captures what we did with the kit, but doesn't indicate the most memorable thing for me ... the music, which when informed by Tom's in-depth knowledge, meant I came away with a much greater understanding of, and curiosity about, J S Bach and Schubert in particular. He should run music appreciation courses

The other lasting memory will be how impressed I was with Tom's vinyl front-end, which IMO would take some beating. This is the first time I've heard a properly-fettled TD124. We also listened to both stereo and mono Miyajima cartridges, which are very, very good ... and I reckon the Hashimoto SUTs waiting in the wings will only improve things further. Not much more to add, other than to agree that the Radford ST100, with KT90s, seems just about perfect for the Tannoys. Regarding our two generations of Tannoys, differences in rooms, and the fact that I listen to mine near-field, made speaker comparisons difficult, but the fact I immediately felt 'at home' with the Tom's new/old Canterburys' presentation probably indicates any differences are at the margins. Lovely cabinets, too. Finally, I understand Tom has another mystery pre-amp in preparation, so it'll be interesting to see how that compares once it appears.

Justin ... yes, I have heard the big Tannoys at Whittlebury, and was suitably impressed. Spent ages in that room. A big room makes all the difference, doesn't it? That, and the fact I had a nice pint of beer in my hands ....

[petrat]

Finally we gave his EAR 534 a blast ... I was also nervous of this as I'm a fan and previous owner of quite a bit of EAR gear ... interestingly there was little to choose between the EAR and the Radford STA100, both are just about perfect for this purpose. Interestingly the Music First was much happer with the EAR (which I guess backs up TdP's decision to make the integrated version of it just a passive pot with switches on the front of the standard power amp.) Must be something about its impedance characteristics that likes the TCV in front.

Well, this had to be investigated further!

Tom kindly sent his Music First Audio MK2 full-width pre across to me, and I duly gave it a good run in my system, replacing the regular Shindo.

First impressions were wholly positive when used with my Rega Isis Valve. How do you describe something that is, to all intents and purposes, transparent? I'd owned a MK1 some years ago, and found it rather 'lightweight' and lacking in bass on a range of the ss amplifiers I used at the time. Either the EAR is a better match or/and the larger transformers in this MFA have improved it, but clearly it is now very good indeed. It has all the audiophile boxes ticked ... detailed, huge sound stage, transparent and dynamic, extended frequency extremes, tonally well-balanced. Being transformer-based, it also isolates ground loops, resulting in a useful reduction in background hum in my high gain / high sensitivity set-up.

Changing the source to a stand-alone LCR phono-stage that I had on loan was less successful, though. Conclusion was that the ss phono-stage wasn't really driving the MFA in the same way that the valve output of the Isis was doing. In many ways the combo worked well (detail and soundstage), but lacked a bit of drive and suffered from a slightly 'thin' tone, maybe indicating a system mismatch, rather than inherent problems with the components?

Finally, moving back to the regular Shindo preamp added a 'weight' and a coherence that ultimately gave a less 'hi-fi' presentation than the MFA ... different, but not necessarily better. I'll be keeping the Shindo, as I love its way with music, and it has a super phonostage built in, but the MFA did get me thinking. Anyway, any doubts and dilemmas were taken out of my hands, as Tom wanted the MFA back so he could continue his own preamp deliberations ... blessed relief ...'Option Anxiety' has now subsided!

So, I would whole-heartedly suggest trying a Music First Audio pre with any of the EAR power amps or integrateds derived from the same design as the 534 (890, 834, 8L6, 899).

No pictures, but Tom's is same as this, but in black ... http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread...C-preamplifier

Highly recommended!

[montesquieu]

Well, this had to be investigated further!

Tom kindly sent his Music First Audio MK2 full-width pre across to me, and I duly gave it a good run in my system, replacing the regular Shindo.

First impressions were wholly positive when used with my Rega Isis Valve. How do you describe something that is, to all intents and purposes, transparent? I'd owned a MK1 some years ago, and found it rather 'lightweight' and lacking in bass on a range of the ss amplifiers I used at the time. Either the EAR is a better match or/and the larger transformers in this MFA have improved it, but clearly it is now very good indeed. It has all the audiophile boxes ticked ... detailed, huge sound stage, transparent and dynamic, extended frequency extremes, tonally well-balanced. Being transformer-based, it also isolates ground loops, resulting in a useful reduction in background hum in my high gain / high sensitivity set-up.

Changing the source to a stand-alone LCR phono-stage that I had on loan was less successful, though. Conclusion was that the ss phono-stage wasn't really driving the MFA in the same way that the valve output of the Isis was doing. In many ways the combo worked well (detail and soundstage), but lacked a bit of drive and suffered from a slightly 'thin' tone, maybe indicating a system mismatch, rather than inherent problems with the components?

Finally, moving back to the regular Shindo preamp added a 'weight' and a coherence that ultimately gave a less 'hi-fi' presentation than the MFA ... different, but not necessarily better. I'll be keeping the Shindo, as I love its way with music, and it has a super phonostage built in, but the MFA did get me thinking. Anyway, any doubts and dilemmas were taken out of my hands, as Tom wanted the MFA back so he could continue his own preamp deliberations ... blessed relief ...'Option Anxiety' has now subsided!

So, I would whole-heartedly suggest trying a Music First Audio pre with any of the EAR power amps or integrateds derived from the same design as the 534 (890, 834, 8L6, 899).

No pictures, but Tom's is same as this, but in black ... http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread...C-preamplifier

Highly recommended!

An interesting rider to this - I have similar reservations about the MF and my current phono stage (Aurorasound Vida) which was not an ideal match with the MF ... with my AN DAC the MF sounds wonderful. I suspect it's simply the Vida doesn't get along with passive preamps. Putting in Peter's Shindo Aurigies L in my system in the MF's place, it came back to life again.

The MF is a very special bit of kit, it's clear though that it (and for that matter the Vida) need some care in matching.

[petrat]

I am particularly enjoying my new SPU, which is the 95th Anniversary model. It has the traditional eliptical stylus and aluminium cantilever, but a much stiffer / complex frame results in more detail, but still retaining the SPU 'solid sound'. Works very nicely on the SME M2-12R too.





The SPU Spirit, on the other hand, delivers a more traditional 'SPU sound' ... really weighty and energetic.

[Marco]

Interesting, Peter. There is definitely a marked difference between the sound of all the SPUs, with the further up the range you go, the more detailed and ‘modern’ they sound, which depending on tastes and system balance, can be a good, or not so good thing.

“Weighty and energetic”, however, is a good way of describing the essence of the ‘SPU sound’, and those traits are exemplified particularly in the vintage models. For me, going from a brand new SPU Royal GM MKII, to an original 1959 SPU-G/T, was somewhat of a culture shock, as well as a valuable learning curve!

Marco.

[petrat]

Interesting, Peter. There is definitely a marked difference between the sound of all the SPUs, with the further up the range you go, the more detailed and ‘modern’ they sound, which depending on tastes and system balance, can be a good, or not so good thing.

Marco.

Yes, Marco, but maybe the difference is that the A95 doesn't use that 'fussy' Shibata / Replicant profile stylus, getting its extra detail from its enhanced structural integrity rather than using a sharp chisel to gouge the grooves

While no cartridge is everything to everyone, the A95 certainly seems to tread a brilliant middle path. Mind you, at this price, it should be bloody good!

http://ortofon.com/hifi/products/car...th-anniversary

[Marco]

Yes, Marco, but maybe the difference is that the A95 doesn't use that 'fussy' Shibata / Replicant profile stylus, getting its extra detail from its enhanced structural integrity rather than using a sharp chisel to gouge the grooves

That’s an interesting, a possibly valid point. The most important thing is that you like the A95 for what it does, musically.

While no cartridge is everything to everyone, the A95 certainly seems to tread a brilliant middle path. Mind you, at this price, it should be bloody good!

http://ortofon.com/hifi/products/car...th-anniversary

Unfortunately, price is no guarantee these days for quality or satisfaction. As you know, I had the (then) top-of-the-range Royal, and as much as I enjoyed it, I’m enjoying the vintage SPU-G/T (with built-in JS SUTs) MUCH more!

Marco.