Hi all.
So, if you had to choose 3 bits of classic gear, what would you choose?
It could be something you own or owned, or something you hope to own one day.
Sent from my BBC Microcomputer 32K
Hi all.
So, if you had to choose 3 bits of classic gear, what would you choose?
It could be something you own or owned, or something you hope to own one day.
Sent from my BBC Microcomputer 32K
Ultrafide U500DC power amplifier - Croft Vitale )highly modified) - TRIO L-07D Turntable - Denon DL103C1 - Funk Firm Houdini - Lentek MC head amp - 15" Tannoy Monitor Gold Loudspeakers in Lockwood Major cabinets (From Trident Studios) - Tannoyista SPEC 3 Custom Crossovers - VanDamme Black Speaker Cable
Tannoyista.com - Audio Equipment Reviews
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2,039
I'm guy.
Rega ELA mk1
Linn LP12
I still have the above
Possibly and ADC XLM cartridge or Quad II’s (which i no longer have in working order), or perhaps Mission 710 speakers - apologies for indecision on third choice
LP12, Ittok (black), DV10X5, NVA Phono 2 (twin supply), NVAP50, Art Audio Quintet 15w power amp, NVA LS5 cable, Rega Ela mk1's.
Sony CDP XB930.
For me that's easy:
Quad 57 ESL speakers
I have been using them for the last 50 years, and despite their limitations, I'm unlikely to change them now.
Thorens 124/II turntable
Again I have used this turntable for over 50 years, and think so well of the design I bought two more (to use with different arms and cartridges).
The Decca Mk. VI cartridge
Also known as the Decca Gold, in general I prefer this model over the Decca V (also known as the Decca Blue). However I have to add this caveat: you have to find a good sample: Decca's quality control was atrocious, but with a good sample a Decca will present a sound that has a greater sense of life, attack and vivacity than virtually any other cartridge available today. Decca cartridges fitted with a fine line stylus profile are preferred, such as the rare Weintz parabolic or the Van Den Hul.
There are of course many other classic pieces of gear that
I use, but you asked to name three.
Barry
Good thread this.. I love a bit of classic kit.
Making great reading and Googling If I don't know.
Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
Garrard 301 turntable
Leak 3090 loudspeakers
B&O Beocenter 7007 music centre
Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.
Krell KSP-7B pre-amplifier
A lovely neutral and natural sounding pre, also very, very good onboard phono stage.
Krell KSA-80 power amp
One that is serviced and recapped is as good as new and built like a tank to last, loads of power, gives a wonderful spacious soundstage and lots of control, it just does it all very well.
Rockport Lyra loudspeaker
Having heard a pair if money was not a problem and I had a suitable room then it would have to be a pair of these, just breathtakingly good. Alternatively a high-end pair of Wilson Benesch speakers.
Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.
Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner
Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive
Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp
Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones
Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links
I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.
OK, three more classic pieces of kit I have used and still possess:
Radford STA15 Mk.III amplifier
A 15 watt/channel amplifier using EL34 output pentode valves. Like many British amplifiers of the time it is based on the Mullard 5-20, however thanks to the advice of audio theorist Dr Bailey the ECC83 phase splitter is replaced with an ECF82 for lower distortion.
The 25 watt/channel also shares the same valve line up, but the STA15 replaces the solid state rectifier for a GZ34 double diode. It is claimed this change creates a sweeter mid-range.
A perfect valve amplifier with which to drive Quad 57 speakers.
EMT XSD15 moving coil pickup
Not my first mc cartridge (that was an Ortofon SL15E), but the first which offered a truly believable portrayal of a musical performance. Used in either an SME 3009 or 3012 arm I used the cartridge for a few years, prompting me to buy a couple more fitted with Van den Hul stylii.
Mark Levinson ML-2 25W solid-state monoblock amplifiers
Again bought to drive my Quad 57 speakers, these American amplifiers are absolute behemoths. They are pure Class A designs, so draw constant current from the mains and are only about 25% efficient, which means what is not used by the speaker is dissipated as heat. They are thus big, heavy and run hot, very hot with concomitant reliability problems. I only used them for about a year because in the summer months the excess heat was overbearing. Many regard them to be the perfect amplifier for Quads and I can understand why.
Barry
Most of my system is getting on for classic status anyway
speakers are 23 years old
Pre-amp is 34 years old
Power amp is 30 years old.
Only the CD transport is new.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Location: Leics
Posts: 228
I'm David.
More of a Modern Classic I guess, but I'll weigh in with the Mark Levinson 390S CD player.
In the hope that it's life will be extended I use mine mainly as a DAC right now with Audiolab 6000 as transport, but every now and then I'll spin a disc on it and either way it sounds glorious.
Mark Levinson 390S CD / Audiolab 6000 CD transport / Croft 25RS Plus Preamp / Croft 7R mono Amps / Neat Ultimatum XLS Speakers