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Thread: What kit did you aspire to own when you were young and poor?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,737
    I'm Martin.

    Default What kit did you aspire to own when you were young and poor?

    When you were a youth, if you can think back that far, say 18-21, what was your aspirational system?

    If you were anything like me it was a load of stuff you'd seen in the magazines but never heard. And would probably never be able to afford.


    This was my dream system age about 21, just out of college, broke, unemployed and unemployable:

    Linn Sondek LP12 - A mate had one and I thought it was great. I didn't know anything about arms and carts then so best leave that. Don't know much more now.

    Nakamichi Dragon - All those buttons! Have actually heard one since and it was excellent.

    Pioneer PD91 CD player - Another slice of flagship Jap action

    Big Sony ES amp. Not bothered exactly which model but must have Gibraltar chassis and large rotary volume knob.

    JBL L100 'Century' Loudspeakers - other than the LP12 the only other component I had actually heard at the time, mate's dad had some.

    I wonder if it would make a pretty good system even today?









    Current Lash Up:

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

  2. #2
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: Southall, West London

    Posts: 51,621
    I'm Geoff.

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    After a false step or two (thanks Mr. Sugar ), the first system I put together that produced something sort of resembling Hi-Fi was a Garrard SP25 III with Goldring G800 and Japanese Olson amp driving home made speakers with Eagle FR65 full range drivers.

    I was realistic and didn't really lust after stuff I couldn't afford and concentrated on what was at a stretch within a reachable budget and I actually lusted after a Thorens TD150 with Audio Technica AT-1005 Mk.II arm and ADC 10E Mk.IV cart, to be used with a Ferrograph F307 or Cambridge P50 amp and Tannoy speakers.

    I bought it! Got the F307, not the P50. The F307 played up and was replaced by a Rotel RA-611 that sounded excellent. The AT arm was replaced by a Decca International and the ADC was replaced by a Decca London. The speakers remained as Tannoy IIILZ's for quite a few years. I loved it and didn't really set my sights higher for a long time.

    I'd still like another TD150 actually.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,775
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    At the age of 16, 17 my hi-fi asperations were influenced by the father of a school chum of mine, who had what I then regarded as a wonderful system:

    Collaro 2020 turntable fitted with a Garrard TP13A arm (cartridge unknown, but probably a Shure (M44-5 ?)), a Grundig tape machine (again model unknown) feeding a Leak Stereo 20 poweramp with Leak Varislope preamp. The speakers were Wharfedale SFB3s (sand filled baffles).

    At age 18 I acquired my first system: a Garrard SP25/II with Shure M3D cartridge and a pair of home-built Mullard 5-10 amplifiers, feeding a pair of home-built speakers following a Wharfedale design (an approximately 1.5 cu ft distributed rear port enclosure using the Wharefedale RS8DD driver).

    At that time (1968) my asperation was to have a Garrard 401/SME 3009 combination with Shure M55E cartridge, Leak solid-state amplifier (probably the Stereo 30), keeping the speakers unchanged. Later that asperation was changed to include a Cambridge P50 amplifier (which looked so 'cool' in the slim line case, as well as receiving favourable reviews).

    In 1970, frustrated by the difficulty I was having in obtaining a Garrard 401 (or a Goldring G99) turntable, I acquired a Collaro 2020 (a sort of 'poor man's 301') virtually for free, removed the decidedly inferior arm and fitted an SME with Shure M55E cartridge. This remained in place until 1972 when I acquired a Thorens TD124/II, to which I fitted the SME and Shure combination. I toyed with the idea of obtaining a pair of Lowther PM6A drivers and fitting them into a pair of Lowther 'Ideal Baffles', as the first step to building a pair of Lowther Acousta folded horn enclosures; but this didn't last for long, as in 1974, I bought a pair of Quad ESLs (now know as 57s).


    Of all those items, the Quads, the Thorens and the SME are still in use.

    Happy Days!
    Barry

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    After a false step or two (thanks Mr. Sugar ), the first system I put together that produced something sort of resembling Hi-Fi was a Garrard SP25 III with Goldring G800 and Japanese Olson amp driving home made speakers with Eagle FR65 full range drivers.

    I was realistic and didn't really lust after stuff I couldn't afford and concentrated on what was at a stretch within a reachable budget and I actually lusted after a Thorens TD150 with Audio Technica AT-1005 Mk.II arm and ADC 10E Mk.IV cart, to be used with a Ferrograph F307 or Cambridge P50 amp and Tannoy speakers.

    I bought it! Got the F307, not the P50. The F307 played up and was replaced by a Rotel RA-611 that sounded excellent. The AT arm was replaced by a Decca International and the ADC was replaced by a Decca London. The speakers remained as Tannoy IIILZ's for quite a few years. I loved it and didn't really set my sights higher for a long time.

    I'd still like another TD150 actually.
    still got a ferrograph f307 upstairs. lovely old amp
    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 -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “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.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: Southall, West London

    Posts: 51,621
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    still got a ferrograph f307 upstairs. lovely old amp
    I ended up going through two new ones. The first hummed badly and was returned and replaced, the second one was just the same, so that went back and I opted for the Rotel RA-611 amp instead. That served me flawlessly for years and sounded better too.

  6. #6
    Join Date: May 2011

    Location: Torquay

    Posts: 2,719
    I'm Craig.

    Default

    A Thorens TD 150
    Leak Stereo 30 +
    And a pair of Lowther PM 6 speakers.
    Mainly because my mum had a friend that stored this same outfit at our house, as he’d recently moved and had no room for it.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    Bluesound Node 2i
    Audio Analogue Pucinni SE
    B&W DM607 s2
    Chord Shawline X speaker cable
    Klotz ic’s

  7. #7
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Always wanted a nice B&O system. Never did or will now but at least got a cart lol
    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 -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “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.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  8. #8
    Join Date: Apr 2008

    Location: Warrington

    Posts: 3,451
    I'm Neil.

    Default

    Full Linn Klimax system. Oh how times change...
    Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jun 2015

    Location: London/Durham

    Posts: 6,861
    I'm Lawrence.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    Always wanted a nice B&O system. Never did or will now but at least got a cart lol
    Why say never will?

    Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lawrence001 View Post
    Why say never will?

    Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
    Just not going to happen now or very unlikely.

    Quality gear and a design icon
    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 -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “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.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

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