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Filterlab
22-01-2008, 11:23
For me, two amplifiers stand out from the crowd. Both of these introduced the world of hi-fi to me, introducing a higher-end sound for budget cash:

Audiolab 8000A

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/Audiolab_8000A.jpg

Pioneer A400

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/Pioneer_A400.jpg


Speakers wise, my hi-fi life changed when I first heard a pair of Quad ESL 63s. At that point I knew I had to have a pair of electrostatics, the life in the vocals just knocked me sideways - gorgeous!

Quad ESL988

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/esl988.jpg

My first pair of real speakers and ones that convinced me I should get into hi-fi properly. Tannoy Mercury S Golds in 80s attire. :) Gorgeous weighty sound, perfect for synth bass lines and squelchy riffs.

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/Mercury-S.jpg

jimdgoulding
22-01-2008, 20:19
Listening to R&B on the radio. Music always did something for me. I began collecting at a very early age. My first bonafide rig consisted of a Yamaha CR-1000 reciever, a B&O turntable and B&O full range speakers. These days I have a dedicated listening room with two decks and a DAC with a transport, a tube line stage, two phono stages, and some self powered two way MTM monitors that can get it on! I’ve heard many systems that are better than mine in one way of another but the stage I’m getting can hang with any of them. And I got free admission every night.

Vinyl Grinder
23-01-2008, 01:41
Possibly the best deck i ever owned for Rock music (Might look like an oversized vintage Valve amp chassis.lol)

Brainwave of genius Ozzy Max Townshend of Townshend International, who studied acoustics at Cranfield Institute of Technology,developed the 'Rock' turntable,with a record platter filled with Granitan together with a viscous fluid-coupled magnesium head-shell & trough on 'Excalibur' arm (Recommended),was very unconventional, but gave amazing reproduction from vinyl topped off with 'Merlin' power supply & cartridge of you choice was a killer, believe me.Somehow the latest incarnation don't quite cut it..If i remember rightly some use to fit these troughs to ther Rega decks to great effect.

Rick O
24-01-2008, 09:24
I think I'm too young to have a classic change my life... unless you class the Scarlatti as a classic.

jandl100
24-01-2008, 09:57
I guess my direction changed significantly a year or so ago when on a whim I bought a pair of JBL L110 vintage monitors cheap on good ol' eBay (£150 with stands).

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/JBLL110.jpg

I had been living for just on 2 years with a pair of Kharma Ceramique 3 spkrs - the vintage JBLs just had so much more life - the "hifi" was less, but I enjoyed the music more! Mind you, I guess after 2 years I might just have been hankering for a change ;) But it did remind me there was more to sound reproduction than tonal neutrality and 3D imaging. Ya gotta capture the pizzazz of the music too! :D

Filterlab
25-01-2008, 22:38
Another little classic that seemed to set the hi-fi world on fire, the distinctly budget Mission 760s. Thousands adored them, I thought they sounded a bit pathetic, however I was comparing them to the Tannoys so it's understandable.

http://audiostereo.lukarnet.com/gfx/630000/635610_1.jpg

Filterlab
25-01-2008, 22:40
Then there's the equally diminutive but much more superior Acoustic Energy AE1s, re-introduced by popular demand in fact.

Still cute and still big sounding. :)

http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/images/AE1-Classic-big.jpg

Filterlab
25-01-2008, 22:42
A CD player to bring a step up in refinement for budget money, the Marantz CD63. Available in many (seemingly hundreds of) guises, the basic 63 was a natty player, this one is the KI Signature - a bit revved up!

http://www.zenn.com.sg/Marantz_CD63_KL_Sign.JPG

Filterlab
25-01-2008, 22:45
The ever popular Cyrus One amplifier. I picked an unused one up a couple of years ago for about £100, I used it fairly regularly and sold it on for more than I paid.

Brilliant and compact, more power than it's absurdly low suggested figure would lead one to imagine - a great neutral classic. :)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/285509474_cb30b7748f.jpg

Filterlab
25-01-2008, 22:47
Controversially, the Sondek (or LP12) was and is a huge hit. Whether Linn trade too heavily on it's past is debatable, but one thing's sure, it's a hit with many folk.

http://www.analogstereo.com/images/turntable/sondek_main.jpg

Filterlab
25-01-2008, 22:52
For those that couldn't stretch to an Arcam Delta (plus a Black Box!), Arcam brought out its more ideally priced CD players. Originally just called the Alpha, it went on to become a modded version (the plus) and then the Alpha 1.

Great players in their day - I had an Alpha 5+. :)

http://www.audioassembly.com/usatohifi/images/big/arcam.jpg

Vinyl Grinder
26-01-2008, 11:43
Controversially, the Sondek (or LP12) was and is a huge hit. Whether Linn trade too heavily on it's past is debatable, but one thing's sure, it's a hit with many folk.

http://www.analogstereo.com/images/turntable/sondek_main.jpg

I'll Keep the Grace but chuck the Linn in the bin..;)

Filterlab
26-01-2008, 21:09
I'll Keep the Grace but chuck the Linn in the bin..;)

You know what mate, after hearing an LP12 for the first time today, I couldn't agree with you more. It was completely destroyed by EVERY other turntable, and I mean completely!

Vinyl Grinder
27-01-2008, 03:54
You know what mate, after hearing an LP12 for the first time today, I couldn't agree with you more. It was completely destroyed by EVERY other turntable, and I mean completely!


Nothing suprising there then.I've been drilling it into peoples heads for years.:D

Marco
27-01-2008, 08:10
I'll Keep the Grace but chuck the Linn in the bin..;)

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'd keep the Grace, too :)

As for the LP12 vs. various other decks at the show, full report to follow!

Andr'e,

I heard a cartridge today that would blow your mind... The ZU-modified DL-103 (it was on an LP12, though ;)) but I heard enough today even in an unfamiliar system to conclude that it was very special indeed, and I suspect considerably better than the 103Pro. I shall be investigating further with one in my system shortly.

This is what I'm taking about:

http://www.vendur.no/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=439&osCsid=c1e7a128d63a7f5cdc93c8529c8bca71

Marco.

gninnam
28-01-2008, 18:20
My brother was the low-fi buff (Luxman amp and JVC turntable with some unknown speakers) but I enjoyed listening to 'da music (this is the late '70s):band:

Then, he moved out and bye bye went the music. Being a poor student all I could afford was a 'ghetto blaster' - think it was an Hitachi, but it was better than nothing....................

Well, a few years later, got a job, bought a car, then realised that I was missing the music, so I sold the car........:D

Went to a HiFi dealer in 1985, in Manchester and sampled a few setups and walked out with the following:

Haybrook HB1 speakers with Target stands.
Audiolab 8000A amp
Michell Syncro turntable (think it had a Rega arm and a Mission cartridge (!).
Got 10 metres of speaker cable thrown in, plus I bought a wall mounted turntable table.

Thought it was the dogs and kept it for 10 years before the upgrades started.

Filterlab
29-01-2008, 14:22
...was a 'ghetto blaster' - think it was an Hitachi,....

I had an Hitachi portable before my hi-fi, real loud one. It had twin cassette decks and a five band EQ with a spectrum analyser and a proper volume wheel. Kicked butt!


...Heybrook HB1 speakers with Target stands.
Audiolab 8000A amp
Michell Syncro turntable ...

Great starter set up. Ahhh, the Audiolab 8000A - everyone's had one at some point. :D

greenhomeelectronics
30-01-2008, 22:12
Pioneer A400 - best value for money amp ever. My mate got hold of a shop damaged one ( he worked in the shop and may have had a hand in damaging it, me thinks) way back when they first came out. When he demo'd it to me it sent shivers down my spine, it might have been partly down to whatever speakers he had at the time but I still think the 400 is a giant killer.

john dolan
31-01-2008, 06:36
I bought a A400 when they first came out.It has been in use for 18 hours aday and still works perfectly.I also bought at the time a denon tu 260 l and mission 760 speakers and its all still singing after all these years.The amp is a true classic.

Andy831
31-01-2008, 20:15
Controversially, the Sondek (or LP12) was and is a huge hit. Whether Linn trade too heavily on it's past is debatable, but one thing's sure, it's a hit with many folk.

http://www.analogstereo.com/images/turntable/sondek_main.jpg

Blumming ek I cant believe how badly that LP12 is set up. It can`t be being used like that surely. The armboard is all over the shop. (nice arm though)

Rick O
04-02-2008, 00:45
I can't even say the LP12 changed my life, as when we had our LP12 it was older than I was. I'm sure it affected my life though, but it can't have changed it. ;)

Filterlab
06-02-2008, 22:55
Don't know the Kenwood 5020, although I have heard some Kenwood amps that have been very good indeed.

Vinyl Grinder
06-02-2008, 23:17
Don't know the Kenwood 5020, although I have heard some Kenwood amps that have been very good indeed.

Not that one rob..

jimdgoulding
07-02-2008, 03:08
Dyna gear and Dahlquist DQ 10's, but not together. Both showed me what could be.

sastusbulbas
07-02-2008, 03:20
Anyone remember early Nightingale Loudspeakers? Or large Dalesford/Kef kits?

Also a particular HK pre power, and a Rotel 1412 integrated, and a very small bright red Technics automatic turntable.

And my Kef R105.4

First ever thing though, a pair of small Wharfdales, I still remember spending hours watching those bass cones with rubber surrounds pumping in and oot.

Damn I have too many memories of old kit, the pro's and con's of living in Edinburgh at the height of the second hand shop extravaganza, just about every few weeks something got broke, bored with or replaced with something I liked better.
The days before ebay, where anything old or in teac wood finish went for cheap, before people knew what was worth what.

Memories......

I still liked the old Nightingale transmition line with a Kef B139, peerless mid (cupped rear) and Isophon tweeter on top in open bafles, and would like another mint Rotel RA-1412, even back then (late 80's if I remember) it was an expensive second hand purchase.

enbee23
07-02-2008, 10:52
For me, two amplifiers stand out from the crowd. Both of these introduced the world of hi-fi to me, introducing a higher-end sound for budget cash:

Audiolab 8000A

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/Audiolab_8000A.jpg

Pioneer A400

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/Pioneer_A400.jpg


Speakers wise, my hi-fi life changed when I first heard a pair of Quad ESL 63s. At that point I knew I had to have a pair of electrostatics, the life in the vocals just knocked me sideways - gorgeous!

Quad ESL988

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/esl988.jpg

My first pair of real speakers and ones that convinced me I should get into hi-fi properly. Tannoy Mercury S Golds in 80s attire. :) Gorgeous weighty sound, perfect for synth bass lines and squelchy riffs.

http://s560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/random_stuff/Mercury-S.jpg


My second pair of speakers were a pair of Mercury S exactly like that!

My first step onto the path of loudspeaker righteousness came a few years later with Rogers LS4a2. Just a smallish sealed two-way but they offered a hint of the classic "BBC monitor" sound which I followed up with several more Rogers (LS7t, LS5/8) and then a pair of Harbeth Compact7s which in many ways are still possibly the best balanced speaker I've had. Lovely things.

I resisted the lure of CD until 1992 when I jumped in at the deep end and bought a new Marantz CD-94 Mk2, one of the last in the country. It has made a good few "fancy" newer machines sound a bit stupid over the years and at the time was an absolute revelation.

Filterlab
07-02-2008, 11:33
My second pair of speakers were a pair of Mercury S exactly like that!

My first step onto the path of loudspeaker righteousness came a few years later with Rogers LS4a2. Just a smallish sealed two-way but they offered a hint of the classic "BBC monitor" sound which I followed up with several more Rogers (LS7t, LS5/8) and then a pair of Harbeth Compact7s which in many ways are still possibly the best balanced speaker I've had. Lovely things.

I resisted the lure of CD until 1992 when I jumped in at the deep end and bought a new Marantz CD-94 Mk2, one of the last in the country. It has made a good few "fancy" newer machines sound a bit stupid over the years and at the time was an absolute revelation.

CD-94 - what a machine! Wood sides as well, pure luxury. :)

The Mercs were grand, wish I'd kept them really just for the bass funk factor (I don't listen to funk, but I would if I had the Tannoys).

Vinyl Grinder
08-02-2008, 01:13
[QUOTE=enbee23;1320]
Just puzzled as to why there's a Musical Fidelity 'B1' stuck in the rack!

:confused:

Gromit
08-02-2008, 08:48
I heard a cartridge today that would blow your mind... The ZU-modified DL-103 (it was on an LP12, though ;)) but I heard enough today even in an unfamiliar system to conclude that it was very special indeed, and I suspect considerably better than the 103Pro. I shall be investigating further with one in my system shortly.

This is what I'm taking about:

http://www.vendur.no/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=439&osCsid=c1e7a128d63a7f5cdc93c8529c8bca71

Marco.

Ooooh...most interesting!! I shall also investigate further :)

I like the 'bottom to top sexy wet analog realism' in the description. :D

WikiBoy
08-02-2008, 10:13
1969 in an all night illicit West Indian drinking club at the back of a shop in West Green Road, Tottenham. Can of Red Stripe in one hand, smell of a good grass doing the rounds :D and goat curry and rice and peas on the bubble. Mad stoned Rastaman playing import early ska and old calypso and some Sam and Dave etc on beaten up 45's. System Garrard SP25 (unknown Cart) feeding (I think from my memory) a Linear Concord L50, driving an enormous marine ply open baffle fitted with Goodmans 18inch and Midax and Trebax horns. Brain shaking, even building shaking. BUT what music, not Hi-Fi, not clarity, but shear exuberant body moving noise, it would eat you, you had to become part of it.

A defining moment for me when I realised that music and Hi-Fi were too different things. Every thing hifi then was designed to reproduce the human voice and an orchestra. For me it gave a purpose to my as then hobby to try and square the circle, I want that vibrance and life but I want the clarity as well.

enbee23
08-02-2008, 10:34
Just puzzled as to why there's a Musical Fidelity 'B1' stuck in the rack!

:confused:

It was my first amp. Had dragged it out of hibernation that day to see how it compared to the other amps on the rack.

enbee23
08-02-2008, 10:35
1969 in an all night illicit West Indian drinking club at the back of a shop in West Green Road, Tottenham. Can of Red Stripe in one hand, smell of a good grass doing the rounds :D and goat curry and rice and peas on the bubble. Mad stoned Rastaman playing import early ska and old calypso and some Sam and Dave etc on beaten up 45's. System Garrard SP25 (unknown Cart) feeding (I think from my memory) a Linear Concord L50, driving an enormous marine ply open baffle fitted with Goodmans 18inch and Midax and Trebax horns. Brain shaking, even building shaking. BUT what music, not Hi-Fi, not clarity, but shear exuberant body moving noise, it would eat you, you had to become part of it.

A defining moment for me when I realised that music and Hi-Fi were too different things. Every thing hifi then was designed to reproduce the human voice and an orchestra. For me it gave a purpose to my as then hobby to try and square the circle, I want that vibrance and life but I want the clarity as well.

Excellent. Do you think you've achieved that aim?

WikiBoy
08-02-2008, 11:24
Excellent. Do you think you've achieved that aim?

That is for others to judge not me. I would say yes no matter what, wouldn't I :rolleyes:

Gromit
08-02-2008, 12:44
Excellent. Do you think you've achieved that aim?

He's not done a bad job ;)

stupinder
24-03-2008, 08:36
My first bit of kit was hitachi seperates fed by a technichs sldl1 linear tracking tt.
This didn't last too long before i sold it and bought a Musical Fidelity The Preamp -really simple and classic design IMO - a Crimson electric stereo amp and a pair of wharfedale diamonds on set of homemade stands. Still had the Technics tt though.
fially saved up enough to buy a second hand LP12 but never had the money to buy an arm and cartridge. This lot all then got swapped for a pair of Technics 1210s which were fed into a 300 w a side pa amp which in turn fed a pair of 15" bass bins, a set of 2 x 12" mids and a set of piezo tweeters. This remained the house hifi 'til it got moved into my record shop.
Made do with Richer sounds Cambridge audio cd, amp and various speakers fo several years befor I happened across my current set up of MAjik, karik, keilidh (and an lp12, basik k9) for a price i really couldnt say no to. Sold the lp12, as i didnt have any vinyl anymore, for more than i paid for the whole lot and bought a Lk100 amp.
i have to say I really love the hifi I have at the moment. It allows me to listen to much more music than I have ever done previously. I know there are better hifis out there and one day i may get the box swapping bug but for the time being i'm more than happy to sit bac an listen to the music. That said I've just bought a Revolver Rebel tt from a really nice guy at another forum and can't wait for it to arrive - ive been out and bought a few seconhand bits of vinyl to feed it with.
Bit off topic all that really. I cant really isolate a bit of kit that changed the way i look at hifi/ listen to music. The MF The Preamp was iconic I think but the great big Sound System i had was also brilliant, if impractical and my present set up is also great. At the end of the day all the kit i've had has allowed me to listen to music in the way that I wanted to at a particular time in life.
I go on a bit don't I??:doh:

Mike Reed
24-03-2008, 19:11
marine ply open baffle fitted with Goodmans 18inch and Midax and Trebax horns. Brain shaking, even building shaking.

RICHARD,

I stand to be corrected, but having built that speaker system in the late sixties, but with chipboard rather than ply, I think you'll find the woofer was a 15 inch. Maybe they did an 18, but I can't recall it. I still have an odd midax horn, in box, in my loft somewhere; from all those years ago!

They went to college with me and did time as the disco speakers in the student hall. Happy days. Wish I could remember them!!!!!

The most life-changing system I ever heard was in '64/5, when I went round to a Maida Vale flat to buy a Jason valve amp to start a system.

The chap sat me down in from of Wharfedale W3s (then the biggest) and played The Grand March from 'Aida' from his Ortophon arm (and I can't remember the deck, etc.) Absolutely gobsmacked. Never looked back.

Neil McCauley
02-05-2008, 09:48
The Beveridge Model 2. I heard these in Chicago many years ago. Even today, I have never come across a more persuasive presentation of the original recorded live event than these. It had nothing to do with sound pressure level either. It had a full height horn driven by an electrostatic array with a 15" woofer per side. In plan view i.e looking down on the speakers there was a near perfect 180 degree distribution as a consequence in part of the very clever horn mouth shape. You sat between them, not in front of them. Heartbreakingly good, but not as heartbreaking as what happened to the designer. Read http://www.beveridge-audio.com/Technology.htm

http://www.beveridge-audio.com/g/White_Lacquered.gif

pure sound
02-05-2008, 10:24
I once heard a pair of Beveridge Model 2's at the home of Swedish TT/arm designer Peter Forsell. With regard to presenting a palpable & solid image they were extraordinary. I remember Louis Armstrong standing in the middle of the room between the two speakers which were on each side wall facing each other and it being possible to walk round him! They did have other shortcomings imho ie areas of colouration & also some dynamic limitations compared with the best horn systems but in terms of presenting a 3D picture they were indeed head & shoulders ahead of anything else I've heard.

These were the speakers that people like Frank Sinatra used at home!

griffo104
02-05-2008, 15:39
Not really owned much calssic gear - LP12 excluded, but the LP12 didn't have the impact on me it should have had. For me the Michell Mycro is the component which did it for me. My first turntable, bought from Midland Audio Exchange with a bonus from work and whim.

It showed me that all the people telling me that cd was superior to vinyl were just telling me lies, damn lies.

Rather stupidly, I ended up selling the Mycro, I finally ended up with an Orbe via an LP12 but I really wish I had kept that deck.

The other component was my Magnum Dynalb Ft101a tuner. Really showed how good analogue FM sound could be, a wonderful sounding source component when used in conjunction with Radio 3 can be as good as good a component as I've ever heard, incuding silly priced cd players and decent turntables as well.

Neither component would probably be regarded as a classic as such, but they certainly were to me.

Mike
02-05-2008, 16:01
The Beveridge Model 2. I heard these in Chicago many years ago. Even today, I have never come across a more persuasive presentation of the original recorded live event than these. It had nothing to do with sound pressure level either. It had a full height horn driven by an electrostatic array with a 15" woofer per side. In plan view i.e looking down on the speakers there was a near perfect 180 degree distribution as a consequence in part of the very clever horn mouth shape. You sat between them, not in front of them. Heartbreakingly good, but not as heartbreaking as what happened to the designer. Read http://www.beveridge-audio.com/Technology.htm

http://www.beveridge-audio.com/g/White_Lacquered.gif

WOW! :mex: They look incredible!

I bet they wer NOT cheap.

What DID happen to Harold Beveridge?

Neil McCauley
02-05-2008, 17:11
Well ………. Here’s the story, or rather a small part of it. A while back after I sold my controlling interest in a software business (you can read about it here: http://www.stereonow.co.uk/history.html) and before starting Listen Carefully, the forerunner of Stereonow, I considered funding whatever it took to bring the Beveridge line back to the market.

I had no intention of mucking about with the design. My input, so I hoped, would be to contribute money, marketing and sales expertise (none of which they had at that time) and would leave all the technical know-how to the experts.

And so I embarked on a series of long phone conversations with one of sons of the late Mr. Harold Beveridge. In a nutshell, at some point Mr. B (the elder) was considering retiring and for safe keeping he placed in storage all the plans, schematics, patents, constructional know-how and everything else. Quite sensible. However, Mr B was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

My understanding is that this was a, if not the contributory factor in his death. Anyway, at some point prior to the death one if not both sons decided to resurrect the business with their dad’s help. Apparently at this point their dad was utterly unable to remember nor to describe where these assets were stored. To this day, they have never been recovered.

For me, this was a bit of a setback in terms of getting the company back up and running. Nevertheless Mr. B (junior) had anticipated this and was in the process of buying back a few of the 700 or so pairs in the USA to reverse engineer them. This was, as it turned out, very far from easy.

Rather than add stress to his frustration, I backed away with no animosity on either side. In fact I felt deeply privileged to have at least got closer to the heart, spirit and soul of arguably one if not the greatest loudspeaker system ever built.

As it turned out, I wasn’t the only person to have though of doing this and Mr. F of Absolute Sounds and a colleague of his from Sweden did apparently invest a serious amount of money in getting the pre-production sample built. It was not an easy path. There were, I believe, numerous technical obstacles. Again, apparently, these were resolved. One pair were built.

After that, my knowledge is hazy.

The impression I got was that the construction was very deeply and prohibitively labour intensive and was resolutely resistant to anything approaching batch production. Moreover the cost of packing necessary to protect this delicate mechanism for global transport, let alone the cost of transport made this a commercial unreality outside of the USA.

And that’s pretty much that, other than to say they are alive and I sincerely hope thriving in the USA. I wish them well.

Mike
02-05-2008, 17:32
My understanding is that this was a, if not the contributory factor in his death. Anyway, at some point prior to the death one if not both sons decided to resurrect the business with their dad’s help. Apparently at this point their dad was utterly unable to remember nor to describe where these assets were stored. To this day, they have never been recovered.

Blimey!!!

There are probably people out there right now, still searching for what could be regarded as the loudspeaker equivalent of 'The Holy Grail'.

Absolutely fascinating!

Neil McCauley
02-05-2008, 18:54
Actually, that a rather apt phrase – 'Holy Grail'.

Having been in and out of the industry over a few years, 32 in fact, I got to know a lot of people and from time to time, when they aren't on duty, they can be candid. The number of industry movers and shakers, who make equipment themselves and yet will readily agree that Beveridge made the greatest speakers probably of all time, are legion.

These include Ricardo F of Absolute Sounds, Helmut Brinkmann and I seem to recall Mr John Atkinson of Stereophile to name just 3. Truly Mr B was a man many years ahead of his time or indeed a gentleman ahead of his time.

He has, for a few of us, achieved audiophile immortality without resorting to hype, snake-oil, bullying, verbal thuggery or anything like that. Quite wonderful really.

DSJR
06-05-2008, 16:23
Hi all,

There were two systems (and the music played on them more importantly) which changed my life and brought about a 35 year career (God was it that long????) in the industry until fairly recently..

The first was in 1970, the Dad of a school-mate had a Garrard SP25 III with AT66 cart, a Metrosound ST20 amp and Wharfedale Dentons - magic to a thirteen year old, especially when Zep or Floyd were being blasted out..

The second one blew my socks off and I became a lifelong "EM" fan from then on thanks to Tangerine Dream - Lenco GL75/Shure M75 EJ, Armstrong 626 and, most importantly, JBL L26 "Decades." Those bloomin' JBL's had a bass that most UK speakers could only hint at, despite being one of their basic models and I've had a sneaky affection for the "JBL" sound ever since, even though the seventies ones could scream and bite your head off at the same time.....

I suppose my time with a late seventies "classic" Linn/naim system with 'briks should count for something, although my two years previously with a Radford valve pre and power and BC1's count for far more these days.

The highlight for me was a much missed pair of black lacquer ATC 100A's, which gave such total musical pleasure (and they weren't even the "SL" ones either), but impending marriage sorted them out - I grieve for them still twelve years later and their current owner rubs it in regularly.....

More recently, I've heard some lovely Tannoy Turnberry's, one of their smaller models. There's something about them that slowly draws you in and once your ears have got used to them they seem to disappear, always a good sign IMO.

alb
06-05-2008, 17:04
the Dad of a school-mate had a Garrard SP25 III with AT66 cart, a Metrosound ST20 amp and Wharfedale Dentons

That was posh.
When i was fifteen i had to make do with a Garrard 2025TC with ceramic cartridge, Amstrad 8000 amp and a pair of Elac full range drivers in home made cabs.(Couldn't afford to buy speakers).

Then i got a Connoisseur BD2. What an upgrade!
Mind you, i think anything would have been.:)

Filterlab
06-05-2008, 21:10
I heard a fantastic pair of Wharfedales back in the late eighties that blew my mind, they were the Coleridge Class C standmounts. I remember they were really very well made, super clean treble and startlingly clean midrange. Lean bass but I remember at the time thinking that it didn't really matter to me, maybe that's the first place I really found the type of sound that appealed to me.

I think they had ceramic dome tweeters if I remember correctly, there's not much on the web about them now though. I'd love to get hold of a pair even if it's just to take me back. :)

Can't even find a picture of them.

Marco
07-05-2008, 07:18
Wharfdale used to make some great speakers back then. I loved the original Diamonds - they were much better and more fun to listen to than the current models.

And what about some of the speakers Mission used to make in the 80s... Does anyone remember the Argonauts? They were veritable 'party' speakers of the highest order! :fingers:

Marco.

Filterlab
07-05-2008, 08:26
I had a pair of Mission 782s in Rosewood a long while back. I remember they were proper wood rather than faced chipboard and had a lovely weighty sound. Can't remember for the life of where I got them, I do know that the chap I sold them to still uses them and loves them.

A picture, but not my pair:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/525676930_e7a498d48a_b.jpg

Filterlab
07-05-2008, 08:27
And who could forget the rather 'in your face' 753s? More drivers than a chinese taxi firm.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/523782886_682a1bc134_b.jpg

Marco
07-05-2008, 08:39
I had a pair of Mission 782s in Rosewood a long while back. I remember they were proper wood rather than faced chipboard and had a lovely weighty sound. Can't remember for the life of where I got them, I do know that the chap I sold them to still uses them and loves them.

A picture, but not my pair:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/525676930_e7a498d48a_b.jpg

Now that's what I call 'computer speakers' and a 'computer audio' set-up! :respect:

None of yer puny little ADM9 shit ;)

I love the 753s, too. All that stuff was from an era when Mission made 'proper' speakers. This is another example of what I mean when I say how much genuine progress have we made with hi-fi, in terms of pure sound quality, in the last 20-odd years?

I know what my answer is!

Marco.

Filterlab
07-05-2008, 09:38
I know what my answer is!

Yep, not much really. :)

Nowadays proper wood speakers seem to be an exception rather than a rule, and as for sound there seems to be a lot of shrill and thin sounding components out there. However there are still gems to be found and the second hand market is the place to find the real hi-fi.

AlanB
07-05-2008, 15:39
When I first heard and eventually owned the Quad ESL63 it was a life changing experience. Why did I get remarried and the Quads had to go? Did I love the Quads more than my wife? Close call guys!!

The Grand Wazoo
10-05-2008, 11:24
My Radford STA15 Mk2 power amp.

The reason it changed my life is that it made me realise a few things about hifi. - I'll explain......

Just prior to hearing this thing I had been to see Neil Young. I'd seen louder and heavier bands plenty of times before, but when I heard (and felt) the sheer power that was being produced by him and his incredible, messy feedback drenched but beautiful guitar playing, I came to a conclusion about hifi. You do not stand the slightest chance of even coming close to recreating 1 percent of that experience in your home. You can recreate the notes and sounds in pretty much the same place, but you will never get the same feeling as you do from that sort of live experience.

Now, I don't mind telling you that this threw me into a bit of a spin! I almost gave up with progressing my system.

Then I heard the Radford..........and with that came Realisation No. 2.
New and more expensive is not necessarily better, price is not directly proportional to quality and there are some things that the old guys had pretty much nailed down way back when.

I began to accept that, for rock and big orchestral music you can make a pretty fair approximation of the sounds but not the feeling. But it's still possible to make the hairs on the back of your neck crackle and send a shiver down your spine. Smaller scale music, of course is another pan of peche.

These two experiences together conspired to me completely changing tack with my philosophy on hifi. I ended up with kit making sounds that were good enough for the main components to stay reasonably constant for far longer periods - usually changes became evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

I combined the Radford at various times with SD Acoustics OBS (open baffle), the Audio Research SP8, and as a midrange amp with Levinson gear on the bass and treble. I still own the Radford and SD's but moved to a much bigger room, so the Levinsons are biamping some big Mirage M3Si's. The Radford still does it's stuff elsewhere.

BajaGringo
26-05-2008, 00:34
It was in the mid to late 70's when I put together a rig to include:

Pioneer SX1250
Pioneer CTF9191
Pioneer PL530
Pioneer HOM100's

I was never to look at audio gear the same after that. Took most of the Navy pay I was earning back then for a year to pay off that system. Best money ever spent. Well, that and my first divorce lawyer, but that's another story...

Jay
26-05-2008, 14:14
Easy question, it was an old Fisher console full of Mullard valves. Like a lot of people, I had followed the path of technology to compact discs and lightweight, black plastic amplification. I'll never forget the day that I dragged that tired old Fisher home, warmed it up, and started an LP. It actually gave me goose bumps to hear the music, real music, like I hadn't heard in 35 years. Since that day I have spent nearly every free hour in the pursuit of valve audio nirvana. I've learned a lot and made some progress to that end, but I'm sure the "dream" will keep me busy for the remainder. :)

Marco
27-05-2008, 13:58
I'll never forget the day that I dragged that tired old Fisher home, warmed it up, and started an LP. It actually gave me goose bumps to hear the music, real music, like I hadn't heard in 35 years. Since that day I have spent nearly every free hour in the pursuit of valve audio nirvana.


Nice one, Jay :smoking:

I feel the same way about my valve stuff. It make you wonder how much *genuine* progress, in terms of absolute sound quality, has been made with audio equipment in the last, say, 25 years?

I often hear vintage equipment spank the pants off of modern gear, and valve kit is a valid case in point - yet the uninitiated think it is outdated distortion-filled crap. What bollocks! I guess we can leave them to their computers, iPods and suchlike, whilst we revel in the beautiful music reproduced by our valve equipment with a very smug grin on our faces :eyebrows:

Marco.

Prince of Darkness
27-05-2008, 15:31
I often hear vintage equipment spank the pants off of modern gear, and valve kit is a valid case in point - yet the uninitiated think it is outdated distortion-filled crap.

Of course the reality is that valves produce less distortion than any type of transistor, but with transistors a lot more feedback can be used than with valves. The use of excessive levels of feedback is very efficient at hiding distortion. Unfortunately, it can also be very effective at hiding an important part of the music.:ner:

Jay
27-05-2008, 21:25
I often hear vintage equipment spank the pants off of modern gear, and valve kit is a valid case in point -
Marco.



I do quite a bit of "old commercial amp" overhauling for friends, which is really neat because it allows me to hear lots of different things. Last weekend I completed a Sherwood Mono 6L6 amp and matching tuner for a guy, and of course had to listen to it for a couple days. It was absolutely fantastic. I felt as though I was in the DJ booth at the radio station. The announcers words were just so lifelike, and the music was...............well, musical. I actually caught myself looking over my shoulder a couple of times to make sure no one was behind me.;)

Marco
28-05-2008, 07:40
Of course the reality is that valves produce less distortion than any type of transistor, but with transistors a lot more feedback can be used than with valves. The use of excessive levels of feedback is very efficient at hiding distortion. Unfortunately, it can also be very effective at hiding an important part of the music.


Excellent point, Kevin. The mistake which gets made is that there are many types of distortion - the 'solid-state' boys just lump it all under the category of 'bad', so to them it must be hidden or removed. But some forms of distortion are naturally present within musical information; remove them and the resultant sound is somewhat 'sterile' and artificial. It's a bit like Diet Coke: pleasant enough in its own right but not quite as satisfying as the real thing!

Jay,

Old tuners are simply wonderful. I love some of the big Jap stuff from the 70s (e.g. Yamaha's CT7000) and the likes of the Day-Sequerra. This is one area where IMO almost no advances have been made in terms of sound quality. Modern DAB tuners sound shit compared to 'classic' analogue tuners - the only modern tuner that gets near their level of performance is the Magnum Dynalab, but then you're paying big time for it!

Marco.

Spectral Morn
11-11-2008, 00:02
Hi guys

These are the ones that sent me spinning in the direction I am now. The kit that unlocked my music and sent me to audio heaven.

Marantz CD 94 mk2

Audio Innovations S500

Pro-ac Super Tablets

I know these aren't really old,but they date back to when I first got into audio, about 19 years ago.
I rapidly upgraded within about a year and a bit from a Rotel 820 amp to an Audio Innovations S300 and then the 500 which I used for about 10 years before I next upgraded

The CDP was all Marantz starting with a 273se to a 65mk2 se, 85 and then the CD 94 mk2.

The pro-ac's lasted through all these changes(originally I started with Celestion Ditton speakers, can't remember which ones. Very small bookshelf)

Anyway thats what I started with. Still have most of the above( I do like to keep stuff).

Of vintage stuff I use day to day The Leak Troughline 2 tuner and EAR decoder are amazing.

Regards D S D L

Filterlab
11-11-2008, 11:05
...Pro-ac Super Tablets...

Excellent speakers, I love ProAc stuff. :)

Spectral Morn
11-11-2008, 11:59
Hi

Yes the Super Tablets were and still are amazing(no bass to speak of), but the midrange, focus and their ability to vanish totally. To this day I still haven't found anything that quite sounds this way. The sound I have now is vastly better than back then but memory is a funny thing, there are times when I think sometimes I am not better off. However I know if I put everything back together from then that what I have now will be so much better. But your early experiences with audio are so special that it leaves a massive mark on everything which follows. Evey thing was so fresh, so new, so virginal. All the crap that hangs on to us now was absent. It was all about the music. It still should be but is it?

Regards D S D L

Filterlab
11-11-2008, 12:11
Indeed, I often wonder if I'd have been happy sticking with my Creek 4140S3 and my Tannoy Mercury Gold S speakers and my mains cable for speaker cable. :) Times were simpler then, my first source was a Sony tapedeck - cracking it was!

Spectral Morn
11-11-2008, 19:02
I still have the kit I had and all the cables. Maybe I should wire it all back up and see how it sounds. The only problem is the room I had then is not the same now. This system and all its bits and bobs were put together to suit a room. I tuned the system to the room. When I got married and moved to where I am now the sound was no where near as good.

The room I tried was nearly the same in size but the materials it was made of were not. In fact this room was actually better(not as resonant) but that original set up was like a highly tuned musical instrument. System and room one.
Several years of set up and adjustment made for a fantastic set up. Customers who used to come to my house for a listen were always blown away by how good a system could sound in a small room.

Regards D S D L

Beechwoods
11-11-2008, 19:40
Meddle by Pink Floyd :)

John
12-11-2008, 08:04
i guess the 401 on a slatedeck changed my views upside down I moved away from being a belt man as just loved the way the 401 allows the music to flow through

Spectral Morn
13-11-2008, 12:14
I think everyone will agree this is a classic around for 25 years plus.

I remember the first time I saw one on the front cover off a magazine called New hi-fi Sounds. I said that I would get one, one day which I did.

A joker in the place I worked in back then once presented me with an Absolute sounds point of sales hard board picture of a mk3 Delphi. He thought this was funny as he had wound me up for awhile. Would you like A Delphi etc etc. I had the last laugh though as he sold me his mk4 a year latter. The TT he got in my opinion did not sound as good.

Anyway I have had it and loved it ever since.:)

Regards D S D L

shane
13-11-2008, 12:55
Lecson AC1/AP3.

Having only heard crap Japanese amps or Quad, Leak and Armstrong's early SS efforts (this would be about 1975), these amps were the first I'd come across that sounded instantly and hugely different from anything I'd heard before, and showed that speakers weren't necessarily the most important part of a system. Still think it's the best looking amp ever as well.

Lecson HL1.

This strange corner-horn device arrived in the shop one day, again around 1975. From the floor below, I was convinced that a live band was playing upstairs, despite the deeply unlikely fact that the band in question was Led Zeppelin, who were not known for impromptu appearances in small Devon hifi shops. After a diet of small British speakers from the likes of Wharfedale, Celestion and Monitor Audio, they were a real eye-opener on different approaches to music making. Horribly coloured but enormous fun, like most commercial horns.

Filterlab
13-11-2008, 14:31
The Lecson AC1/AP3:

http://i.cinenow.net/booth-images-l/29/visite-usine-meridian-history-meridian-lecson-ac1-ap1-preamplifier-power-amplifier-29003.jpg

Funny, I always thought this was a Boothroyd Stuart design, then I found out that it was Meridian Lecson. :)

i_should_coco
13-11-2008, 16:29
Owning Quad ESL57s made me realise that I didn't much like electrostatics! :sofa:

Certainly changed my hifi life realising that!

Filterlab
13-11-2008, 16:31
Well they're not for everyone Pete. I had some and went back to dynamic boxes. :)

i_should_coco
13-11-2008, 16:35
Well they're not for everyone Pete. I had some and went back to dynamic boxes. :)

Wow! I was expecting to get reamed a new one by all the people who love them. It's rare to find them being criticised - that last thing I was expecting was someone to agree with me! :doh:

Ali Tait
13-11-2008, 19:15
Ok,I'll ream you.They're bloody great!! :lolsign:

Well certainly the ones I have now are far better than '57's.

i_should_coco
13-11-2008, 19:23
Ok,I'll ream you.They're bloody great!! :lolsign:

Well certainly the ones I have now are far better than '57's.

Ah, but this threda was for vintage! Unfortunately, I like my music to have some dynamics and drama, hence my preference for things like Vitavox S2s. :)

purite audio
13-11-2008, 19:37
No top no bass, distort like mad ,dull as ditchwater imho ( not S2's ).

Filterlab
13-11-2008, 19:50
No top no bass, distort like mad ,dull as ditchwater imho ( not S2's ).

That's a pretty good sum up (in my opinion), the later ones were a lot better though. My MLs were good but not crisp enough for my ears.

i_should_coco
13-11-2008, 19:57
Hmmm... Mine certainly didn't sound dull or distorted, just lacking in oomph. They do beam horribly, though and the treble disappears anywhere but the sweet spot. Having said that, my pair were well maintained. Often the treble panels get damaged through arcing when over-driven and this makes them sound dull. They also fizz and buzz if the dust covering is loose or damaged (window film and a hair-dryer will fix that).

Ali Tait
13-11-2008, 20:10
Agreed about the beaming on 57's.I find my ER Audio pair much better in this respect.

combwork
25-11-2008, 22:17
When I coupled a pair of Lowther PM7's to an old Decca 'Sterogram' (early stereo record player). The Decca had an 8 valve amp, fully overhauled by Phil Taylor. Ok, with the amplifier under the turntable it ran horribly hot, but to my ears, and a surprising number of people who heard it, it was really something. Decca and Lowthers are long gone, but it started me on an interesting road.

fraser.
27-12-2008, 00:27
I guess the first 'real' bit of hi-fi that i bought was some B&O beovox S-80s for about £20. Big, heavy, 3 way boxes which outperformed any of the nice looking speakers i'd had up to that point- B&W etc etc...

Taught me that technology isn't necesarily moving in the right direction :)

DSJR
27-12-2008, 22:15
You should have bought some 3800's or 5702's, better than those phasey old S80's by a country mile :)

I'm currently using some re-vamped Spendor BC2's I originally sold to a mate's Dad back in 1974. The foam grille "cushions" have long perished and the bass/mid units had to be replaced with newer ones, but the sound (with more damping in the cabs and officially re-tuned ports) is lovely and I'm playing acoustic music again...

fraser.
29-12-2008, 12:32
Don't slag the S-80s, they rawk!! :upyours:

Mine were a bit rough aswell, i had to get get all new capacitors and foam grills, but they are still a lovely looking and sounding pair. I'm holding onto mine until they become collector's items... only a matter of time lol

Elvis's last movement
13-01-2009, 22:39
Quad esl57 + QuadIIs. Once I'd got them home I was up half the night marvelling at the sound. Superb!!!

Bought without listening to either - £300 for both items 15 years ago.

Yiangos
14-01-2009, 12:20
Not that it sounded bad but it was a pain to set it up and keep it that way,was when i replaced a Linn Sondek lp12 with a Kenwood l-07d.

Haselsh1
16-01-2009, 09:24
For me, it had to be my Logic DM101 with Syrinx PU2 tonearm and Denon DL160 cartridge. I was around twenty three at the time and very lucky to be able to afford such a thing. It went into a Naim 42/snaps/110 amplifier and QLN Mk1 speakers. I loved this system and the Logic only went to make way for CD... how bloody stupid was I...???

theophile
01-02-2009, 06:07
It has been like a trip down memory lane,reading the posts in this thread.
I've heard quite a few of the products mentioned(not the Beveridges).

Probably one of the pivotal moments in Hi-Fi for me,was getting my Altec Valencias home from the Salvation Army Store,unhooking my ProAc Tablette EBTs and firing-up the Altecs.The Altecs took about a day to come to life,but the ProAcs(which I'd happily owned for 15 years)were retired from that very day.
The Altecs still grace my system(albeit in diy active form).

The best sounding component I've ever owned is the Yamaha GT 2000 turntable.

DSJR
01-02-2009, 12:39
I may have mentioned it before, but the first real musical epiphany I had was listening to Tangerine Dream's "Phaedra" on a GL75/M75-EJ, Armstrong 626 receiver and JBL L26's. The system weren't bad for the times but the music was unbelievable. I've never been the same since and get goosebumps every time I play that album, so huge was the life change it brought about...........................

pentode10
02-02-2009, 19:21
Has to be a pair of Leak TL12+ for £40 fom Watts Radio in Somerton in the 80s.
This started my return to valves and I've never looked back.

Andy.

kalozois100
03-02-2009, 17:58
Great reading folks!!!!!!

My audio revelation was in 1991 when i bought a package of LP 12, with akito arm and k9, linn intek amp, and a pair of linn helix speakers with their stands. I have had them since and didn't see any reason to divorce from them ( unlike my first wife!!!!:doh:) and so we have faithfully been together for 18 years spending at least a couple of hours together a day.:) Very romantic don't you think? - and valentines day just around the corner. :kiss::kiss:

My audio nightmare was in 1998 and doing national service for 6 months and being without my sound system but instead listening to a crappy portable cd player!!!!!:doh::uhho: ..............

Then i caught the 5.1 channel bug and bought a yamaha av amp . I couldn't stand the sound from it so after a while I reverted back to 2 channel home cinema sound.

My next revelation was last year buying a TC-7510....... at last a could cope with listening to a cd.........
......... until i saw and joined this forum.......... and now i await the TC-7510 with mod 21 part 1 and 2...............

Darren
29-03-2009, 20:55
That yamaha GT 2000 looks stunning Theophile. Where did you find it?

theophile
29-03-2009, 21:09
That yamaha GT 2000 looks stunning Theophile. Where did you find it?
I imported it into Australia from Japan.It is a 100Volt model(Japanese standard).
It sounds brilliant,moreso since I recently sat it atop 8 Clearaudio Magix mag-lev footers. :idea:

pulsestudio
05-04-2009, 10:22
Blumming ek I cant believe how badly that LP12 is set up. It can`t be being used like that surely. The armboard is all over the shop. (nice arm though)

Totally agree, that deck is a typical example of so many that are out there, and this is why too many folk diss the LP12, I have serviced and set-up a few LP12's for friends and their reports and findings on their newly fettled LP12's have simply blown them away, and yes I still have their mails if you want further proof, put quite simply the LP12 is a classic TT, and one that when set-up by a competent dealer/enthusiast will outperform most of its rivals, yes there are several current worthy contenders around that offer a totaly different approach and performance but this is not to take anything away from a true classic, albeit with its own forboyles.
LP12/Ekos/Cirkus'd/Armageddon user and devotee.

Starburst
10-06-2009, 01:07
Aged 14 and way back then I had a life changing experience. My first smoke of a joint whilst hearing Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' on the first real hifi I'd ever heard. (Thorens TD160, Quad 33/405, ESL 63s). Things have never been the same since.

I don't think my LP12 changed my life. It sort of sat there quietly getting on with it's job. Too relaxed to create a deep impression. It's the sort of deck you don't notice. After 19 house moves mine does want a proper set up but my arm board has never got as skewed as the one in that photo.

As for life changing kit.
I first heard Acoustic Energy AE1s in 1987 and had a vivid impression of that sound lodged in my brain for nearly 20 years until I could afford to buy a pair. It was worth the wait, I find them remarkable.

EAR 802 pre amp. I stumbled upon this at a bargain price very recently. Believe it or not it's my first brush with tubes. I'm smitten. It's a glorious piece of kit.

Soundhaspriority
12-10-2009, 02:56
Since I used to pop round to all the dealers in town and change my gear with every new moon, I have a lot of memories of a lot of good gear that came and went in my life. Including the 8000A (my amp had a grey faceplate, however). It never did anything for me. These are some that did:

Nytech 252:

http://www.audiogold.co.uk/catalogue/images/NYTECH-CA-252%202.JPG

JPW AP-3:

http://www.gz008.cn/uploads/userup/0807/2223163343S.jpg

Sugden Connoisseur BD-2:

http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/206/b113as.jpg

webby
22-11-2009, 12:51
For me it was the Audiolab 8000a I bought 2nd hand back in the early 90's. Soon as I picked it up I knew it was a serious bit of gear. It's a hefty beast. I've still got it somewhere but I use an 8000S now.

More recently, my Dynaudio Audience 42's. A fantastic little speaker for the money. I can't afford the 52se's!

The Grand Wazoo
28-02-2011, 01:16
From The Grave

Come on then boys & girls - time to revisit this thread!

MartinT
28-02-2011, 05:21
Cambridge R40 transmission line speakers started me down the road of true hi-fi, powered from self-built electronics. With the classic KEF combination of B139, B110 and T27 drivers. They sounded gorgeous and kept me going for all my student and early independent years. A friend was still running them up to about a year ago with the original drivers still working.

Rare Bird
28-02-2011, 05:58
Funny, I always thought this was a Boothroyd Stuart design, then I found out that it was Meridian Lecson. :)

it was but then you found out wrong, forget the Meridian bit ;)

Tim
28-02-2011, 19:41
My defining musical and Hi-Fi moment was when I got my first real turntable, the Pioneer PL12D and playing my second LP purchase, which was Dark Side of the Moon. Previous to this I had to beg, borrow and steal my parents Dansette mono record player. Having my own 'high-end' Hi-Fi in my room was pure ecstasy (high end for me in those days was a PL12D!).

I wish I still had it really, just for the nostalgia and I don't think anything since then, has had such an impact as venturing into the world of music from the privacy of my own room.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/pl12d.jpg

Welder
28-02-2011, 21:52
First Long Player I bought.
I bought it in the year of its release.
I sold it two years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_the_Beginning
Its always been the music for me. The kit is just a tool.

Jac Hawk
01-03-2011, 00:32
What got me into HiFi was my dads cast offs, an old Leak amp and some wharfedales, but it was when i 1st saw his TD160 and SME 3009 set up and all fabulous looking, then i heard it, WOW it blew my frikin socks off, 5 years later i had one of my very own, and the rest they say..............

Ergoline
01-03-2011, 04:11
This is a great thread! I've had a blast reading through everyone's stories.

There's one experience I had when I was seven or eight at my Grandfather's house that I'll never forget. I wish I had more details on the system, but my memory isn't the best (also, at that age, Power Rangers were relevant to my life. Hi-fi gear, not so much:))

He had a beastly Onkyo Receiver that was twice as wide as me (and probably heavier). I haven't the slightest idea of the model, but it had a silver face and an amber light-up radio display. The speakers were Bose 601s (gasp!). They were floor standing units with a grill on the front and the top of the speaker, and my Grandfather had them positioned in the corners of the room.

http://audio-database.com/BOSE/speaker/601.JPG

I've been playing the piano since I was six, and at this point I wasn't too good at it, but I knew what a real piano sounded like. My Magnavox boombox at home certainly didn't sound like a real piano. My Grandfather played a CD that I still have today on a multi-disc changer (could have been a Teac, but I'm not sure; my Grandfather had a lot of electronics). The disc was called "Beruhmte Klavier Sonaten" (Beethoven Piano Sonatas) by Dubravka Tomsic on the Pilz label, CD 160 203. I sat down on his tacky old-school couch and he put on the first movement of the "Pathetique" Sonata and cranked the Onkyo.

At first, I was just stunned by the volume and scale of the output. The piano sounded like a huge carnivore, and it was full, rich, and deliciously dynamic. :stalks: I believe my limited vocabulary at the time only allowed me to express "sweet dude!," but I remember the sound vividly. It sounded like I was ten feet away from a concert grand.

I'm sure that if I assembled this identical system today, it wouldn't be the best sound I ever heard. But it was one of the most eye-opening hi-fi experiences of my life. :)

Neil McCauley
05-03-2011, 10:01
For me it was twin mono Levinson ML6a preamps into the Meridian 107 power amp into Spendor BC3s. Signal source was Radio 3 via my Trio KT-917 tuner.

You can read a bit of background here > http://stereonow.blogspot.com/p/february.html

It brought tears to my eyes for all the right reasons.

DSJR
05-03-2011, 15:41
Tee Vee Sound in Hemel Hempstead in the mid 60's with Garrard 401 in one window corner and a Decca tonearm in the other (why were they separate?????)

The Garrard SP25 turntable, which still looks the business in mk1 and mk2 form today I think, closely followed by an uncle's 4HF, which I was given in dire ex-loft condition some years ago :(.

The Decca Auto Deccalian "88" record player (one of the best of the type I understand) which entertained me so much in my infancy and childhood.

Lastly, the one system which was proper budget hifi for the times and changed my musical leanings forever - SP25mk3/AT66 into metrosound ST20 amp and Wharfedale Denton II's. This setup belonged to a school-mate's Dad and I first heard so many early 70's "prog" LP's on it..

Macca
06-03-2011, 12:03
Buying a Denon PMA 250 mk 1 UKSE - the first decent amp I owned after many old Rank Era Leaks, Eagle, Fisher, Prinzsound (remember them?). I have never owned or heard an amp that was more open, clear and sweet in the mid and top - tight and tuneful in the bass, it's only foible was a slightly lean bass.

You know that feling when you set up for the first time, play something and think 'my god that is so good it is untrue. You don't really believe what you are hearing until someone else hears it and says 'wow!' and you know it is not just you.

Not sure what it was about that amp that made it so fantastic but I notice no-one seems to mention them any more? Maybe it is my memory making things rosy but I don't think so. When it packed in I bought the Mk 2 brand new - so disapointing it was just like any other budget integrated. The magic was gone.

I would love to get hold of one or even get the circuit diagram and have one built. I would put money down that it would blow away most contempory SS amps.

DSJR
06-03-2011, 13:03
I'll Keep the Grace but chuck the Linn in the bin..;)

I wouldn't. It's got to be better than a Thorens TD150 (it is) and the Grace NEVER upset the bass either.

In fact it's the Grace 707 which is out of its league these days as it was designed for high compliance cartridges with Shibata type styli - (Grace "Quadmaster") ;)


P.S. Didn't realise how old this thread is and the post I was referring to above. Old LP12's if like my original one will have loose plinth blocks (a totall sonic disaster if this is so), worn main bearings (they do wear and noticably more than Thorens' bearings), the plywood arm board which always boings in the bass (not a huge issue with SME's and Grace 707's but still there).

A TD150 looks an even better bet, as there's little to fracture or wear out, despite the engineering not being so detailed apart from the main bearing.



I quite forgot the first CD player which totally bowled me away and is still good for a couple of grand today IMO -

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/CDM-22007.jpg