Stefaan
27-05-2011, 21:41
Before I got interested in computers, I was interested in audio; after all, it was the high-tech of the sixties. What really got the ball rolling was me receiving a Philips electronics experimentation box. I ended up designing (well, sort of) my own radio and re-inventing printed circuit boards in the process (I carved tracks in a cedar plank and filled them with solder. I was 11 at the time :) ). I became an avid reader of Elektor, followed correspondence courses on electronics (selected the one that had you build a tube amplifier as course work) and by the time I got married, I had a "HiFi" system composed of two humongeous black loudspeakers demonstrating my iffy woodworking skills, a decent homebrew Class A amplifier, a pre-amp, a Lenco L78 turntable, and a Philips reel-to-reel tape deck (I wanted a Revox A77, but it was far too expensive :( ). Before the L78, I had a Garrard Zero 100, but the mechanism was so fiddly that it often returned the arm to the arm-rest before the record was finished. So I returned it to whence it came.
Then I discovered computers, built an ELF kit, bought a TRS-80, and made a career out of being a programmer and system administrator.
I guess I've always been interested more in music (I play the piano and the bass tuba) than equipment per se, and because most of my hobby budget was now going to computers, I settled down with decent Technics components (an SU-V45X amp, ST-600 tuner, cassette deck), Infinity RS-1000 bookshelf speakers, and a Philips AF 877 turntable (I wanted a Thorens, but the store only had the Philips in stock). A bit later, I got hold of a Philips CD100, the first ever CD player, and boy, did it sound spectacular, especially in 1987!
In the nineties I replaced the CD100 with a Technics SL-PG100A CD player, and the RS-1000 speakers with two Infinity Reference 1i (not as nice as the RS-1000, but I was more concerned with size than quality). Things settled down during the noughties, with one exception when I had to replace my turntable. For old time's sake, I got a Dual CS505-4 with an OM-20 cartridge. There's much better to be had, but (for me at least) vinyl is as much about memories as about sound quality, and my Dual reminds me of my father loading a stack of 78rpms (Handel's Messiah with Adrian Boult) on his Dual 1015, and me listening and watching the disk changer in action.
In early 2011, we decided to remodel the living area, and this rekindled my interest in audio equipment. After a bit of research, I splurged out on a Yamaha RX-V667 A/V receiver (with phono input), a couple of Infinity Primus 360 (a steal at €130 delivered, thanks Amazon!) and a Philips BDP3100 Blu-ray player. I kept the old Infinity 1i as back speakers. I still use the SL-PG100A to play CDs.
The new setup sounds incredibly good. Maybe not audiophile quality, but music to my ears :). Talking about music, my tastes are pretty eclectic and range from Renaissance to Rock. Favourites are (in no particular order) Gottschalk, Ravel, Dizzy Gillespie, John Adams, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, Hummel, Mozart, Brassens and Glass. I like discovering lesser known composers and works, especially romantic piano concertos.
Then I discovered computers, built an ELF kit, bought a TRS-80, and made a career out of being a programmer and system administrator.
I guess I've always been interested more in music (I play the piano and the bass tuba) than equipment per se, and because most of my hobby budget was now going to computers, I settled down with decent Technics components (an SU-V45X amp, ST-600 tuner, cassette deck), Infinity RS-1000 bookshelf speakers, and a Philips AF 877 turntable (I wanted a Thorens, but the store only had the Philips in stock). A bit later, I got hold of a Philips CD100, the first ever CD player, and boy, did it sound spectacular, especially in 1987!
In the nineties I replaced the CD100 with a Technics SL-PG100A CD player, and the RS-1000 speakers with two Infinity Reference 1i (not as nice as the RS-1000, but I was more concerned with size than quality). Things settled down during the noughties, with one exception when I had to replace my turntable. For old time's sake, I got a Dual CS505-4 with an OM-20 cartridge. There's much better to be had, but (for me at least) vinyl is as much about memories as about sound quality, and my Dual reminds me of my father loading a stack of 78rpms (Handel's Messiah with Adrian Boult) on his Dual 1015, and me listening and watching the disk changer in action.
In early 2011, we decided to remodel the living area, and this rekindled my interest in audio equipment. After a bit of research, I splurged out on a Yamaha RX-V667 A/V receiver (with phono input), a couple of Infinity Primus 360 (a steal at €130 delivered, thanks Amazon!) and a Philips BDP3100 Blu-ray player. I kept the old Infinity 1i as back speakers. I still use the SL-PG100A to play CDs.
The new setup sounds incredibly good. Maybe not audiophile quality, but music to my ears :). Talking about music, my tastes are pretty eclectic and range from Renaissance to Rock. Favourites are (in no particular order) Gottschalk, Ravel, Dizzy Gillespie, John Adams, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, Hummel, Mozart, Brassens and Glass. I like discovering lesser known composers and works, especially romantic piano concertos.