Hello from Cumbria from a HiFi-returner

[andybee33]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to introduce myself - I'm Andy from Brampton in Cumbria and this site was recommended to me by some chaps from TZ-UK (an excellent watch forum).

Like many people I guess, I was quite into HiFi as a youth (but never had any money of course!) and then it took a back seat for a while with starting a family and what-have-you. Anyway, started to rediscover it all again recently and I'm re-living the mid-90s Britpop era as well as 70's rock, early metal, jazz and much else - I've quite eclectic tastes.

My system is a bit of a dog's breakfast at present having been 'upgraded' in a somewhat haphazard manner. I've got a Rega Planar 3 on an SRM/Tech sound isolation board with bearing upgrade (but running a dreadful Grado blue (or red, I can't remember) cartridge), a Cyrus 5 amp, an Arcam CD72 CD player and Monitor Audio Silver 5i speakers through QED Silver Anniversary biwire. The who thing sounds a bit 'thin', I have to say. I listen about 60:40 CD vs vinyl and would also like to add some decent ipod/digital capability.

Anyway, thanks for reading and hello!!

Andy

[Reid Malenfant]

Hi Andy, welcome to AoS :) I'll say it before anyone else does hopefully, get rid of the QED SA :eyebrows:

The Arcam CD72 sounds promising though :)

Other than that i hope you enjoy & benefit from your stay here, all the very best! :cool:

[DSJR]

Welcome from an ex-retailer who knew the SA cable only too well - IT'S CR@P!!!!!!!!!!! Try running it with the writing running from speaker back to the amp if you're not doing this already.

I'm not a huge fan of MA speakers either, except for the baby bronze models. So many modern speakers are "voiced" to sound "deeeetailed," get rave reviews in mags (one in particular) and natural tonality goes out the window.

I don't know your circumstances, but if you wish, have a look at speakers like vintage Rogers (LS7's), some vintage KEF's (old "C" series) and B&W's (DM2's and 4's are still affordable and well liked). Tonally, they'll be far friendlier and clearer I think and with a better cartridge, you'll still enjoy your vinyl and find CD rather better too I reckon.

[andybee33]

Hi Chaps,

Thanks for the welcome and the advice - much appreciated. Funny, I had some DNM Reson cable before the QED (but I broke it - being solid core) - and the QED always seemed a bit harsher - so it's interesting to hear that this is a known phenomenon.

I'm going to start small, I think. Maybe a Goldring 1006 Cartridge and/or an arm rewire (my P3 is 15 years old) and clearly some new speaker cable - any suggestions? Also, I have a Cambridge 640p phono stage which I suspect of not being too great. Would a Musical Fidelity V-lps be worthwhile?

Next, I'm fancying some speakers (although I know this isn't the traditional 'source first' approach!) - frankly, I've no idea where to start with these (but will check out the vintage suggestions above!) - everything has changed a lot, since I last looked!!

Cheers again, Andy

[DSJR]

CHANGE THE BLOODY SPEAKERS FFS!!!!!!!!!

Please do excuse me, but you're doing what so many people do in HiFi - look to change what ISN'T wrong and then chase their tails for years until they get themselves right again - been there and done it myself, so I do know what I'm on about - ask Hifi dave? :D

The Rega arm wires come in for major criticism in some parts, but the internal wires are good quality copper (Hitachi sourced I remember), the grey dumbell style exit wires are good too (and will make perfect interconnects when discarded from their prime function), although not posh enough for many... The re-wire (should you get it done although these wires will last decades more) should be done by a Rega trained person (Moth Marketing for the Incognito loom for starters), as you simply cannot just pull the old wires through attached to the replacements. HiFi Dave was telling me yesterday of the RB series arms he's had to return to rega because of bad re-wire jobs causing crackles and hums when the arm is moved.

The 1006 is a fine if slightly rough cartridge for the Planar 3 and we sold many of these in the 80's and early 90's. Twenty years on, my preference would be for an AT120E (not so lead-footed, musical sound and impeccable tracking ability), but it's up to you.

Get those squeakers replaced with a less good looking, but better sounding pair of boxes and most of your audio woes will disappear, I promise you :)

[andybee33]

:) Thanks for the very clear steer - it's exactly why I joined the forum, so it's very welcome ;)

Okay - I'll start with some new/old speakers and speaker cable - and prob. a cartridge and report back on how I get on!

If the system is still jarring my very nerves whenever I listen to something remotely jangly, I will weep!!

[Dingdong]

I'd happily recommend DM2's. I recently got a pair to replace my Linn Saras and the improvement was impressive. They usually go for not a lot on ebay.

[Tim]

Get those squeakers replaced with a less good looking, but better sounding pair of boxes and most of your audio woes will disappear, I promise you :)
100% agree and this is from a current Monitor Audio owner - I was chasing my tail until I realised I had got it totally wrong and the 'oh so gorgeous' pieces of furniture were the cause of my dissatisfaction. They are really beautiful cabinets, that cannot be denied, but the sound sets my teeth on edge now. If I hadn't come here myself I would have made a very expensive mistake and been very disappointed/broke :(

But you have come to the right place Andy, don't rush in just yet, read the forum content and visit here often, listen to as much gear as you can and then you should realise the MA's need to go first together with the QED SA.

Most of all good luck, have fun and trust your ears not a (sponsored) Hi-Fi magazine :)
(oh and welcome to AoS :doh: forgot that bit.....)

[Jac Hawk]

Welcome to the AOS Andy, as far as yer speaker cables are concerned, i'm using Belkin Pure A/V, it sounds a damned sight better than the QED, it's cheap too
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200552651358&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Elvis's last movement]

I'd happily recommend DM2's. I recently got a pair to replace my Linn Saras and the improvement was impressive. They usually go for not a lot on ebay.

I thought Linn Saras were the dogs goolies from the brief listening session I had back in the early 80s....the song I listened to amongst others was Cat Stevens Longer Boats....

[Dingdong]

I thought Linn Saras were the dogs goolies from the brief listening session I had back in the early 80s....the song I listened to amongst others was Cat Stevens Longer Boats....

The Saras are very good and I was quite happy with them, although I'm sure someone will be along to moan about the midband and them being a bitch to drive.
I only got the DM2's as part of my 'Cheap as chips challenge' system. I put them in my main system and they sounded pretty bloody amazing.
They do come up from time to time on ebay for very little money and they are a bit of a bargain in my opinion.

[synsei]

Welcome to the AOS Andy, as far as yer speaker cables are concerned, i'm using Belkin Pure A/V, it sounds a damned sight better than the QED, it's cheap too
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200552651358&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I second what Mike said... Belkin are on a bit of a roll at the moment. Check out their Pure AV Silver inter-connects (the white clad cables, not the grey ones). These are stunning IC's which are true giant killers. Check out ebay for sellers and don't be put off by the ultra cheap price, they sound better than some IC's that cost many hundreds of pounds (I speak from experience)... ;)

Oh, and welcome to AoS Andy... :cool:

[andybee33]

Hey chaps, thanks for the cable tips. I'll certainly check out the Belkin stuff - I'm a big fan of 'giant killer' sort of kit - must be my 'born in Yorkshire/bred in Scotland' fiscal tendencies :)

best,

Andy

[Alex_UK]

Welcome aboard, Andy. Dave DSJR is my personal hifi Guru - although I've still not paid his consultancy bill yet :eyebrows: and he does indeed know what he is talking about... (To be fair to others, they have also been very helpful and offered similar advice.)

I joined the Forum with QED SA speaker cable which I thought must be good as it was more expensive than the standard stuff... I replaced it with something much cheaper, and it was much better...

I also used a pair of modern speakers, voiced accordingly (Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo 3 floorstanders) which had rave reviews from the magazines and I thought sounded great. Then I went to the Scalford enthusiast hifi show and realised I didn't have a hifi at all!

A pair of 28 year old Spendor SP1's changed all that - gone was the "boom & tizz" and one note bass, replaced with clarity, three dimensional sound stage and separation and detail that I never knew existed in most of my albums. Source equipment (especially digital) has come a long long way in the last decade, but I'm afraid in a lot of cases, speakers haven't.

Anyway, we'll stop picking on you soon! :lol:

Enjoy the forum - I can (almost) guarantee you will end up spending money you didn't think you would on both kit and music, but you'll improve the listening experience monumentally I suspect... ;)

[WAD62]

Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to introduce myself - I'm Andy from Brampton in Cumbria


How's it going Andy? Not often you bump into another Bramptonite, are you originally from there or have you moved there more recently?
:cool:

[Tim]

Enjoy the forum - I can (almost) guarantee you will end up spending money you didn't think you would on both kit and music, but you'll improve the listening experience monumentally I suspect... ;)
I have managed quite nicely on here Andy, as Alex has pointed out - lots more music and already my system is evolving.......... I found it helps having one of these in the garden too :)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HUGvSlFrEaI/TEjRHHCGhLI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Lp4uJPJUIr8/s320/MoneyTree2.jpg

:cool:

[andybee33]

Hi Chaps,

Firstly (to WAD62), I've been here for 4 years (Clifton, Penrith prior to that) and lots of places previously. Are you still here?!! Crikey - small world...

Thanks for all the welcoming comments folks. Yep, I'm now absolutely dying to replace my speakers. I dug up an old (but decentish) set of headphones last night and plugged them into my amp and even that made a huge difference (none of that tiring bright intense midrange and tizzy treble) so the speakers/cables are top of the suspect list... :)

I'm trying to compile a shortlist of possible speakers (with some modern and vintage options - max budget £600 or so - but less is better of course!) so any suggestions appreciated.

In the meantime, I've already bought a Beresford Caiman DAC (to use with my iMac/Airport Express - so a new source). Gosh, I'll be in the poorhouse soon!! :)

Andy

[WAD62]

Hi Chaps,

Firstly (to WAD62), I've been here for 4 years (Clifton, Penrith prior to that) and lots of places previously. Are you still here?!! Crikey - small world...



Hi Andy, I've been down in the Midlands for a while, I went to school in Brampton, the school no longer exists so that probably dates me a bit, and moved away from the area in the early eighties...it's a small town so I probably know your neighbours...or their parents ;)

Welcome aboard :)

[Tim]

I'm trying to compile a shortlist of possible speakers (with some modern and vintage options - max budget £600 or so - but less is better of course!) so any suggestions appreciated.
I'm not sure what your room is like or if they are still available, but these are a very capable and musical speaker that will be snapped up soon. They will need stands, but for the money I reckon you would be very pleased (if not amazed) with the results?

Harbeth HL-P3ES 2 Speakers Mint (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10860)

[DSJR]

+1..

P.S. The Caiman with Gator is extremely pleasant sounding and a well used one, given 15 minutes from "cold," just disappears from the scene, allowing the music through - and that's good in my book.

[andybee33]

I'm not sure what your room is like or if they are still available, but these are a very capable and musical speaker that will be snapped up soon. They will need stands, but for the money I reckon you would be very pleased (if not amazed) with the results?

Harbeth HL-P3ES 2 Speakers Mint (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10860)

Wowsers! Those are gorgeous. I've been doing some web-based research since I saw you post and they seem to be a bit of a classic - in more esoteric circles than I'm used to.

My only concerns are (a) won't they hugely outclass my sources and amp and (b) will they need very expensive stands - as they are already at the upper end of my budget.

Cheers :)

[DSJR]

Just BUY THEM!!!

They don't need fancy amps to work well, as they're not sonically balanced on a knife-edge as so many "HiFi" products are. The loading isn't vicious, so the amp won't have to work hard. Of course, a better amp will enable them to flesh out the soundstage, but they WON'T sound horrid with a T-Amp for example..

Stands? Any half decent stands around 20 - 24" high should do. The recommended Something Solid open frame ones are around £200 from memory and not to everyone's tastes, but I've heard them on all sorts of semi-rigid concoctions and they've never let me down, so don't worry.

[Alex_UK]

Yep - I'd echo that - buy 'em! You'll easily pick up a cheap pair of stands on ebay if you're not too worried about them being brand new and beautiful (got my 16" ones for 99p, and just round the corner) - you can always budget to buy something more elegant in a month or two once the finances have settled. (I reckon they'd look nice perched on a pair of Atacama SE24's which you'd easily get for under £50 - considerably less on a good day.)

Thing is, you can't really lose - speakers like those will always be desirable - if you find you don't like them, or if you do like them but want to upgrade to something even better after a while - you'll lose virtually nothing, and may even make a small profit if you're lucky.

[Tim]

Wowsers! Those are gorgeous. I've been doing some web-based research since I saw you post and they seem to be a bit of a classic - in more esoteric circles than I'm used to.

My only concerns are (a) won't they hugely outclass my sources and amp and (b) will they need very expensive stands - as they are already at the upper end of my budget.

Cheers :)
point a) not at all, they are designed not to be fussy
Harbeth speakers will work with any normal grade, audiophile or regular grade amplifier that is performing within its original specification. That's from Alan Shaw at Harbeth.

point b) again, not at all - but better stands could be considered later on when funds allow, again from Alan Shaw
Harbeth speakers do not need exotic stands. You can use wooden stands or metal or plastic stands. We use them all through development and critical listening. Distrust rumours that 'Harbeth's only work with 'xyz stands'. It is entirely your free choice, what takes your fancy, fits in with your furnishings and budget. If all you have available to get you going is something as basic as the IKEA plant pot stands (even used during the design of the Compact 7ES3 - see picture) or house bricks or telephone directories. The key point is to raise the tweeter to about ear level.

This is a handy guide to Harbeth speakers where you can find the above; http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/showthread.php?373

Now there are folk who will dispute some of the above, but I think most agree the speakers are as you rightly state 'classics'. Harbeth hardly come up for sale as owners tend to hang on to them for years, but if you have been doing research I think you are discovering this? And as Alex says, it's a bit of a win, win situation, as you can try them and move them on if you don't like them - I'll wager if you buy them, they'll be around for awhile ;)

At the end of the day, despite what anyone says here (and I'm somebody only a bit ahead of where you are now, so don't take anything I say as gospel), what matters is what suits you and your ears, in your room on your budget with your own personal domestic considerations - but as Dave has so eloquently put..... Just BUY THEM!!! :lolsign:

[andybee33]

Chaps - thanks for all the useful comments and links.

I've just mailed John to say I'll take them! :)

Gosh, I'm excited.

Will keep you posted on how I get on with them...

[Alex_UK]

:yay: :clap:

When I said this forum would cost ya, I didn't think it would be quite so quick! :lol:

I'm sure you will love them - do let us know how you get on. :)