Once obsessed DIY addict who lazied into computer/headphones, wanting to get back!

[Detosx]

Hello from Scotland!

My Hi-Fi has been in mothballs for maybe a decade, now, approximately. I got into the habit of headphones and active speakers plugged into the back of my computers and iPod Touch. So, I feel like a bit of an imposter, here, but for reasons that I will touch on, here, I want to get back into Hi-Fi.

I started out building my own turntables, or rather I started with a Trio KB1033B, stripped the poor thing down and rebuilt it, rewiring cartridge headshells, being completely blown away how much of a difference small changes could make, something that I had dismissed before, rewiring tonearms, the Trio one, a Rega RB250, experimenting with my grandfather's old Garrard 401, despite a lot of ridicule from the Hi-Fi stores when I would lug the giant in to compare. On the 401 sat a blue-green 'Platter Matter', though I regretted not buying 'Le Mat', which to my ears sounded better. I used a rubber device meant for holding reel-to-reel tapes onto vertical reel-to-reel players, as a record clamp. I fitted the Garrard with a Rega RB300 tonearm. I rewired KEF Coda loudspeakers, made my own loudspeaker stands. Etc. I had fun with cartridges from Nagaoka(sp?) and ADC. I tweaked cassette decks. Oh, tape hiss. Oh, wow and flutter. Oh, philips screwdriver and adjusting the head to tape alignment for cassettes recorded on different equipment.

I found CDs initially disappointing, though I worked in a store that sold them, albeit I worked in the stockroom and so wasn't outright lying to people to try and sell product. Thankfully the CD players improved over time, in many ways. Good times, really. I stuck with a basic JVC amplifier because I was on a tight budget. I just now took my old Monitor Audio R352 loudspeakers out of mothballs and need a new amplifier, having given the JVC amplifier away to charity, having though I would just stick with computer and headphones. Oops. I have an old Rega Planar 3 turntable, which I used just because it had a small footprint than the Garrard. I am very pitch sensitive, so being able to adjust the pitch on the Garrard was thrilling, when my grandfather gave it to me, with a mono valve amplifier with a wonderful warm 'acoustic' tone.

Then, a couple years back, I bought some Beyer Dynamic DT990 and AKG 702 headphones in a sale - realising full well that my old GA-Z77MX-D3H-TH motherboard wouldn't power them, at 600ohms. What to do. What to buy. The headphones are still in their boxes. I am still on a tight budget. I have thought about upgrading my computer, getting a motherboard with the new ALC 1220 codec and built in - and apparently 'audiophile' - headphone amp but... it would be nice to have a decent amplifier, with a headphone input! I take it it's still the case that receivers don't sound nearly as good as a dedicated Hi-FI amp, or at least that's what I seem to be reading.

So, hello! It has been a while, I am rusty and probably got some of those model numbers wrong but... thoughts welcome.

[Ali Tait]

Great intro! Welcome. Have a 401 and a Lenco 75 myself. Whereabouts are you based?

[Detosx]

Thanks! I'm in Edinburgh. I need to service my 401, new idler wheel, springs (at one point I replaced the springs with rubber bands that perished, was trying to dampen out vibrations. I also made the terrible mistake of spray painting parts of it. I should strip it down, send it off to be powder coat painted. I have this restless habit of tweaking and modifying. At the moment, I am reading through amplifier reviews, wondering if I have the ability to make my own.

[alphaGT]

Hello Andrew! Yes a great intro, you'll get along fine with this lot. That Planar 3 is a nice 'table that should be very easy to get up and running, if it's not already. Today we have the ability to buy used gear online that we didn't have before. Even used phono cartridges are very affordable. And of course easy to find the parts and instructions for fixing things up.

On eBay and elsewhere you'll find loads of tube amp kits, full sized kits, tiny kits and headphone amp kits especially for just a small price. Your AKG's would smoke with a good tube headphone amp! In the good way, not the bad way hopefully. Small DAC's will allow you to use your computer and iPod to drive your primitive final stages, again great prices these days. And the world is open for DIY tweakers there! No end to it, several here use the Raspberry Pi, which is way over my head, no limit as to how deep you can get without spending the farm. Great gear for sale here too, a nice solid state or tube amp to drive those R352's, and many speakers pop up for sale often as well. You are in great company with guys who can and will help, looking forward to your posts!


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[walpurgis]

Hi Andrew. Welcome to AOS.

There's loads of info here about getting the best sound from a computer. Have a browse through the Digital Expressions section.

And chat with members about the direction you want to take your system in. There's lots of good advice and opinion available.


Enjoy the forum,
Geoff.

[Barry]

Welcome to AoS Andrew,

Yes, great introduction!

Enjoy the Forum
Barry

[Detosx]

What a great welcome, I was feeling like a bit of an imposter and you have all made me feel at home. Thank you for that.

I worry that my old obsession will glue me to the used market and Hi-Fi model names that I used to lust over, when newer kit might have moved on a bit. I still dream of building my own reasonably up-to-date Linn Sondek from spares (though lack of a pitch control would probably drive me up the wall).

Now, where to start posting!

[walpurgis]

I worry that my old obsession will glue me to the used market and Hi-Fi model names that I used to lust over

Nothing wrong with that. It's what many of us do. Vintage and 'classic' gear is very popular with members. Deservedly so too.