"lack of passion is fatal"
Vinyl: Thorens TD-124mk2 / SME-312 Aluminium 'special' / SME M2-9R / STEREO: Etsuro Urushi Cobalt / Shure M3D / Ortofon SPU A95 / Cartridge Man Music Master / Shure - SC35C (US) / SAEC C3 MC MONO: Miyajima Zero B 0.7mil mono / Miyajima Premium 1.0 / Amps & SUTs: Radford STA25 mk3 / AD Audio 'Satchmo2' pre & LCR phono / Hashimoto HM-7 SUT / ETR-MONO SUT Digital: Audio Note 4.1 (with DAC5 upgrades) DAC / Roon / Tidal Speakers: Tannoy 12" MGs' in RFC custom 'Rutland' Cabinets with RFC crossovers / Tannoy ST-100 Super Tweeters Cables: LFD Grainless phono / RFC Mercury / Duelund DCA16GA tinned copper / Kimber 12TC / SW1X Audio Design USB-SPdif / Duelund DCA20GA interconnects / SW1X Audio SPDIF Aero 6 / Mains Power Conditioner / Box Furniture rack / Audiodesk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner / a very beautiful & understanding Wife!
It's a bit of an Aladdin's cave set up, I'm sure there are interesting bits and bobs, but the prices make one recoil.
I came out into the sunlight on my last visit pretty angry shaking my head and mumbling something obscene.
Although, of course it's ones prerogative as a business owner, to Charge Like a Wounded Rhino!! Not my scene.
That said, they are making a fist of it and have been there a long while, so clearly people do part with the hard earned.
"lack of passion is fatal"
Vinyl: Thorens TD-124mk2 / SME-312 Aluminium 'special' / SME M2-9R / STEREO: Etsuro Urushi Cobalt / Shure M3D / Ortofon SPU A95 / Cartridge Man Music Master / Shure - SC35C (US) / SAEC C3 MC MONO: Miyajima Zero B 0.7mil mono / Miyajima Premium 1.0 / Amps & SUTs: Radford STA25 mk3 / AD Audio 'Satchmo2' pre & LCR phono / Hashimoto HM-7 SUT / ETR-MONO SUT Digital: Audio Note 4.1 (with DAC5 upgrades) DAC / Roon / Tidal Speakers: Tannoy 12" MGs' in RFC custom 'Rutland' Cabinets with RFC crossovers / Tannoy ST-100 Super Tweeters Cables: LFD Grainless phono / RFC Mercury / Duelund DCA16GA tinned copper / Kimber 12TC / SW1X Audio Design USB-SPdif / Duelund DCA20GA interconnects / SW1X Audio SPDIF Aero 6 / Mains Power Conditioner / Box Furniture rack / Audiodesk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner / a very beautiful & understanding Wife!
Kinda goes with the TV advert really:- the aspirational aspect of life, no need to worry (or think too much) just use the 'plastic'.
I guess virtually everyone on here is a genuine hifi enthusiast, for all the right reasons and with a degree of sense. Whereas, the current 'trend' to be into vinyl is just a fad and therein lies a market that is happy to have the trappings and less worried about the cost, although possibly without the time to research, both in equal measure.
Their stuff could be back on the market when the next fashion kicks in.
Anyhow, apologies to Don for crashing his thread !
Last edited by Vinyl turner; 22-06-2018 at 09:59. Reason: punctuation !!
By coincidence I was there when they did one of the Barclaycard shoots. They asked me to leave (politely) as I was holding up the shoot.
Oh, over the years I have bought bits and bobs from them. Ben, the owner, is a mine of information and is flexible on pricing. But yes they seem to have gone overboard in the past few years with their pricing. Especially with high end good names (e.g. Tannoys) where the price sought can be 2 or 3 times what you can get them privately for.
Current: [P20] Roon/Tidal > Custom PC> Chevron Paradox NDF16 > Phast Pre > Neuro. 686 > Tannoy Berkley (RFC tweaks)
No worries about crashing...
I live just down the road from Audio Gold...I recall their original shop (many moons ago) was situated closer to the Clock Tower at Crouch End, North London. It was brimming with hifi Exotica....It was a close call to the beautiful Blue fronted Vintage Hifi shop in Bell St. London...Now, that place made me feel like a little boy in a sweet shop! I loved that shop...and the guy who ran it was a true gent! You'd go there with some kit, and the guy would swap for other kit ...with a little cash on top...we were spoilt..and just up the road from him closer to the main road was another Vintage Hifi shop...a miserable git ( I think he's still there) who wanted 2x more for the same kit...
Back to Audio Gold... their prices were more reasonable back in the day...since moving to a converted bank Barclays bank..(ironic) their prices are ridiculous.. but who are we to judge as we don't pay their rates and we don't pay their staff. I do believe in pile em High and sell them cheap ...I'd rather have throughput than sit on something for six months waiting for the right idiot big come along and buy it and ludicrous price.. ok add £50 above the going rate but not double or treble......leaves a sour bum note on the palate.. Rightly so, this shop is for people who are not familiar with hifi and people that are familiar with hifi would not go to that shop to buy..just look.
On that note I can close this thread as I have picked up (today) a pair of Super Gold Monitors sgm 12x that don't need refoaming... so thank you for your offer Jeff but I'll decline on this occasion! If anyone has any background knowledge/experience on these.. I'd like to know... this discussion might have to be moved to another forum.....Marcoooooooooooo
That's right..That's his name!....bloody hell...6 degrees of separation!
Cheers Geoff!
I knew Les of RTVC just up the road too. I expect he's still about, but Denys died many years ago.
Here's the spec for the SGM 12X. https://www.gearogs.com/gear/60484-tannoy-sgm-12x
The main difference between the 3149 driver in them and the 3128 unit in mine is the cone surround which is a foam roll, yours have the stiffer pleated fabric items.