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Thread: Nice Surprises. Equipment that sounded way better than expected!

  1. #41
    Join Date: Aug 2008

    Location: Suffolk, UK

    Posts: 1,473
    I'm Paul.

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    Quote Originally Posted by southall-1998 View Post
    Are your ones from the 90's era?

    S.
    No, sadly these were the 2nd edition that were built more cheaply. But they were still very impressive none the less.
    ~Paul~

  2. #42
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,786
    I'm Martin.

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    Back in about 1993 I was 'between' speakers so I needed a stopgap. Most of you will not know or recall but back in about '92 Argos had a very short-lived dalliance with selling audio separates. It didn't go well, unsurprisingly and they ended up selling them in their shops for less than half price.

    So I was in there getting something else (and I hate Argos, the only shop where you have to queue twice) and noticed they had these speakers for just £60:



    Wharfedale CRS3.

    They are not just good for the price, they are outstandingly good (for a small speaker). And I mean 'hear the rivets on the cymbals' good. Yes, even with a plastic tweeter that probably cost Wharfedale 50p each bought in bulk.

    No-one who heard them believed that I bought them from Argos. And when I told them the price they just thought it was a wind-up.

    There was a whole range of them but I've never heard or even seen the larger ones. What Hi-Fi did not like them (often a good sign in itself), but Hi-Fi Choice had them in a multi-speaker blind test behind their curtain and they scored highly across the board.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  3. #43
    Join Date: Sep 2017

    Location: Dublin

    Posts: 506
    I'm Pavel.

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    Dual 1019. I didn’t expect much, but now I think it’s a formidable turntable.

  4. #44
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shovel_Knight View Post
    Dual 1019. I didn’t expect much, but now I think it’s a formidable turntable.
    Agree! Looks are very plain but the performance is not at all. (Tonearm in particular is far better than looks would suggest).

  5. #45
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: South Beds, UK

    Posts: 1,950
    I'm Mike.

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    Agree on the Dual 1019.

    I'm still surprised at how good the Technics SL-7 is, or more accurately, the EPC202C cart.

    My Hero Celan 300's - from my cold dead hands etc.

    Likewise, the Doge6 CDP, a fantastic player, indeed.
    Less bling, more integrity ©Spenagio

  6. #46
    Join Date: Sep 2017

    Location: Dublin

    Posts: 506
    I'm Pavel.

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    Original Heco Celans are super nice. I missed a pair on eBay recently.

  7. #47
    Join Date: Dec 2017

    Location: South Africa

    Posts: 13
    I'm Brian.

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    Boston HD7, bought them to try out and I’m blown away.. lacking in the top and bottom a bit but the voicing of the midrange is so addictive, vocals are the most impressive though and the staging. They’ve actually made me decide Im going to hunt for a few of those special old but cheap speakers.

    I’ve just bought a pair of Mission 751 as I hear they are also very special, hopefully they arrive tomorrow, next on the list is a pair of Arcam Delta 2 speakers and then if I ever find a pair in my country I’d love the Epos ES11..

  8. #48
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: Bournemouth

    Posts: 5,266
    I'm Dan.

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    Amazing the little things just bought a pair of Wharfedale Diamond III for £10 and they just blew me away...

    Keepers for sure.....
    Amplifier & Graphic EQ
    Kenwood A65 with GE 850 Graphic EQ
    CD Transport & DAC & PSU
    Marantz 6005 , Beresford Caiman , Paul Hynes SR4
    Loudspeakers
    Wharfedale Diamond 9.0

  9. #49
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

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    My pro art monos. Great value and sound pretty good in a simple setup like mine.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

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    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

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  10. #50
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Southampton, United Kingdom

    Posts: 619
    I'm Paul.

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    Anyone mentioned JBL Control Ones yet ??

    I bought some for my kitchen when I had it remodelled a couple of years ago, to replace the sh*thouse boxes that came with a Sony DAB mini-system I'd put in there.
    I mainly listen to talkSPORT in that room, but if I'm cooking properly I'll put a CD on and get funky while I'm doing it and I'm always astonished by how good they are, especially in smaller rooms.
    I've got mine high up in the corners on brackets that point slightly downwards.

    Whenever I'm playing Subbuteo with my mates, it's in the kitchen and I use a laptop for the scoreboard and a loop of crowd sounds through it that lasts exactly five minutes (that's how long each half usually is) with a really loud air horn precisely one minute from the end to give both players a sense of urgency.
    Turn it up and it's like being at a real ground
    Linn Sondek LP12, Ittok, AT-F7
    Schiit Mani MK1 Phono Pre-Amp
    Nobsound NS-08P Bluetooth pre-amp
    Marantz CD5004 CD Player
    Pure DAB tuner
    2 x Meridian 205 monoblock power amps
    Tannoy T225 "Mayfair" speakers
    www.paulridgeblog.com

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