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Thread: MeBob's System - for upgrade.

  1. #61
    Join Date: Jun 2010

    Location: Liverpool, UK.

    Posts: 1,228
    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by meBob View Post
    Hello Geoff,

    Thanks again for the listen and a very pleasant evening with yourself and Burt!

    "The biggest surprise, for him, is that forty year old gear can sound quite good!".

    Slightly understated there Geoff, I'd say "can sound superbly good!" myself!
    Hopefully it helped. Thanks for the compliment.

    Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
    Main system: Sony TTS8000; AT1010; Audio Technica Art1; The Lentek; Cambridge 851n, Yamaha NS1000.
    System 2 - SBT; Technics SH-X1000 DAC; Denon PMA-850

  2. #62
    Join Date: Jun 2010

    Location: Liverpool, UK.

    Posts: 1,228
    I'm Geoff.

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    The system you seemed to enjoy the most was a traditional BBC style. There will be many experienced voices here who would be able to point you in the direction of similarly voiced speakers to the Kef Reference 103 that you heard. I would have thought that, within your budget, speakers from companies like Kef, Ruark and Castle would give you the sound that you enjoy.

    Perhaps recommendations for similarly voiced bookshelf designs could begin here.
    Main system: Sony TTS8000; AT1010; Audio Technica Art1; The Lentek; Cambridge 851n, Yamaha NS1000.
    System 2 - SBT; Technics SH-X1000 DAC; Denon PMA-850

  3. #63
    Join Date: Aug 2017

    Location: Liverpool, Merseyside, England

    Posts: 150
    I'm Rob.

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    Geoff,

    Yes it all helped.

    And I have to add to the list of things I've learnt, simply that I've now experienced a top notch HiFi and now have a benchmark to work from (that's not of the Richersound variety).

    Slightly warmer seems to be where I can do the longer listening sessions, but I wouln't want to lose too much detail in the the pursuit of easy listening. There's probably a compromise or line of best fit to be accepted at some point.

  4. #64
    Join Date: Aug 2017

    Location: Liverpool, Merseyside, England

    Posts: 150
    I'm Rob.

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    Hello Zoidburg & Andy831,

    Where does my system go from here?

    I've been playing about with large towels and blankets, pinning them to my walls in different positions etc, the room looks quite a sight. To my ears though there is an improvement, I feel the bass has improved and in general it just seems clearer at higher volume levels.

    I will be doing a permanent DIY replacement very soon, something with a bit more class.

    With the room's acoustics more helpful to my system, I'll take Geoff's recommendation and either try different speakers with my amp or a different amp with my speakers, I think at point I'll have a decent idea how my speakers and amp rate and where I'm going.

    A slight nudge to the warm (and some detail) would be nice.

  5. #65
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

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    It sounds like you've had a few positive experiences! It's great that Geoff was able to expose you to so much variety. And now you can see what quality products properly matched can achieve. And seems you've made a few friends in the process? I've always been a lone wolf of audio, among my friends and acquaintances, none are into high end stereo. A few fellow musicians have some Japanese gear that does quite well really, but still sets firmly in the mid fi camp.

    But your experiences remind me much of my own, going and listening to proper systems that placed musicians right in the room! And I have spend many years, and much money, trying to duplicate their success. And the comment about old gear, yes it's very true. Those holographic presentations I experienced back in the mid '80's, and all of this new and far more expensive gear has not impressed me any more than what I heard back then. We certainly weren't listening to crap back then! Sure there are a few areas where science has moved forward, but speaker design, and amp design have not surpassed what was possible way back then. And now I can afford that ultra high priced stuff from the '80's! On the used market.

    And your experiments in room treatments are most enlightening! I just hung a wall hanging quilt on the wall directly behind the listening seat, in my listening room. I haven't scrutinized it a lot, but it does seem to help tame both booming and ringing just a bit.

    But I've never owned a stereo thinking, "This is the last one I'll ever need". It has always fallen slightly short of my hopes and dreams, and while I may love my present stereo and play it often. The idea that I could do better lingers in the back of my mind. So, we keep tweaking and trading up, and gaining ground in small to tiny increments, and my system evolves. Oh I may think I'm there! Then visit somewhere like Geoff's and suddenly I'm in the mood to upgrade. That feeling you have now. That idea that what you've heard is better than what you own, and you want to move toward that better sound, for some of us that sensation never goes away, and there in lies the difference between being a Hi fi nut, and having Audiophilia. The later being a mental disorder of sorts. Somewhere between lust and paranoia, the urge to upgrade never goes away. But either way, it sounds like you are well on your way to the Hi End!


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  6. #66
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Out on the wild and windy moors Lancs / Yorks Border

    Posts: 592
    I'm Andy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by meBob View Post
    Hello Zoidburg & Andy831,

    Where does my system go from here?

    A slight nudge to the warm (and some detail) would be nice.
    Keep your wallet firmly closed for now and keep listening to as many different systems you can, until you have a firm understanding of what your trying to achieve. Beg and borrow as much kit as you can to try out in your own room with the kit you already own, but keep the wallet shut for now! the time will come soon enough when your wallet is permanently empty and your scratting around wondering what you can sell to fund the next upgrade.

    Andy
    Analogue
    401 / PU7 / AT33ev
    Longdog Audio Quartz turntable PSU
    Longdog Audio MCJ1 - Prototype Phonostage
    Digital
    Innuos Zen Mini Mk 3
    Topping D50s
    Caiman Seg & Dorado
    Cambridge CXC
    Amps
    Tron Seven Linestage
    Bel Canto Set 40 or Nick Gorham built 300B Set Monoblocks
    Speakers
    Tannoy GRF Memory.
    Tannoy ST100.

  7. #67
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Out on the wild and windy moors Lancs / Yorks Border

    Posts: 592
    I'm Andy.

    Default

    Rob

    Are your speakers positioned on a shelf or on stands? You never mentioned stands on your introduction of your system. If its the former, do you have space to try them on stands?

    I have a spare set of stands you can have, which will give you an idea of what using speakers on a stand brings to the party.

    Andy
    Analogue
    401 / PU7 / AT33ev
    Longdog Audio Quartz turntable PSU
    Longdog Audio MCJ1 - Prototype Phonostage
    Digital
    Innuos Zen Mini Mk 3
    Topping D50s
    Caiman Seg & Dorado
    Cambridge CXC
    Amps
    Tron Seven Linestage
    Bel Canto Set 40 or Nick Gorham built 300B Set Monoblocks
    Speakers
    Tannoy GRF Memory.
    Tannoy ST100.

  8. #68
    Join Date: Aug 2017

    Location: Liverpool, Merseyside, England

    Posts: 150
    I'm Rob.

    Default

    Hello alphaGT

    Yes it was a positive experience at Geoff's.

    Firstly, I was exposed to what 'Quality sound' is. The change over to Kef reference speakers but still using the same amp, surprised me how differently the system sounded compared to the previous two sets of speakers, this rammed home that I really need to start listening to what's being said.

    I've mentioned that I had a little bit of a brightness problem and I spent time reading on the What Hifi site about the latest amps and speakers and very nearly pulled the trigger on the Rega Elex r amp (£1000), it had five stars and was well reviewed. There was a little voice in my head asked the question what if it's not the amp? What if it's the source? I then started looking at DACS and the Beresford that was heavily linked to this site and came close to buying that.

    Basically, I had to admit to myself I'm clueless where the problem is, seen this site and there does seem to be more than one or two knowledgeable and helpful people on this site and here I am!

    The absorption treatment with my room, has I feel improved things, but it's just a few blankets and a towel. I have a more permanent solution in mind and it will be cheap at about £40 and I think look OK (I'm not to bad with DIY). I'll get this done as soon as possible, the room looks ridiculous with blankets and towels hanging up. There's a link below to what I'll do, there's almost a comedy element to this video, but it's worth watching all the way through, the science he's using is reasonable and he does a comparison at the end with professional studio foam.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABvTWSxOes

    "But I've never owned a stereo thinking, "This is the last one I'll ever need""
    I'm at the budget end an I've had 3 amps and 4 sets of speakers! This could become addictive when the sound gets better?

  9. #69
    Join Date: Aug 2017

    Location: Liverpool, Merseyside, England

    Posts: 150
    I'm Rob.

    Default

    Andy831,

    The wallet will stay closed, that trip to Geoff's has given me some direction.

    One of my speakers is on a shelf and the other is on top of an old broken technics amp which is on top of set of draws. The placements is not ideal and I suspect there maybe a few on this site grimacing when they read of this.

    To accommodate stands it would mean a radical rearrangement of furniture. Also I often sit at a desk with the speakers at the right height and position for listening whilst at that desk, stands would have to go to the sides of the desk and would be probably too low. This would probably adversly effect the path of sound waves (I feel?).

    There's also the extremely curious and sticky fingered 5 year old boy we have in the house, I'd fully expect to hear thud at some point and I'd immediately know what that thud was.

    I do feel I'm missing something by not having stands, especially now that I've listened to Geoff's hifi.

    I'm very grateful for the offer, but I just can't see how I would accommodate them?

  10. #70
    Join Date: Aug 2017

    Location: Liverpool, Merseyside, England

    Posts: 150
    I'm Rob.

    Default Hiatus & anti-inflammatories

    Hello All,

    I’ve been wanting to do some follow up on my system blog for some time but have not been in a position to actually do it, due to a couple of comical and completely unwanted events that happened to me.

    I very badly twisted my ankle while jogging and suffered some ligament damage, the hospital recommended to keep my weight off it for 2 weeks and some physio. That didn’t seem so bad, I settled down to 2 weeks of TV, movies and music and treated it like holiday.

    Here’s where the fun really starts...

    At the end of the two weeks with my ankle usable again, I had work around the house to do, I had a completely overgrown large back garden, it hadn’t been mowed for a couple of weeks before my ankle and now with 1 months summer growth, I got the mower out. While out there I attended to a tree root that was pushing up a patio paving flag or at least I tried to. Bent over levered the flag up, grabbed hold of it and that was the end of my efforts, my first ever slipped disc said hello (and the last I hope).

    I can only presume my body had stiffened up after doing absolutely nothing for 2 weeks?

    I’ve never been out of action for so long and I have to say the last 5 weeks have been something of a bottomless pit of self pity, I’m self employed and have watched nearly 2 months income float down stream past me. I have not been in a very communicative frame of mind.

    I certainly though, don’t want to take the knowledge and help of others without putting something into the pot myself. And now that I’m moving in the right direction again and have made some big changes to my kit, I’ll do a post on this very shortly.

    Rob

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