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frenchmonkeys
03-12-2011, 22:08
Hi all,

New to this site and giving greeting as requested.

I live in Bristol, UK.

Hifi - ever changing. Probably my favourite equipment was based around a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista amp and QLN Avantgarde Signature speakers on Kudos S50 stands. All cabling was pure silver which I made myself after being disappointed with Kimber offerings which cost thousands between them. I also rewired the speakers with silver as well - it was a significant improvement. I sold it a decade ago when I went travelling for 7 years, and my budget is considerably more humble these days.

I've just sold my baby Krell amp, and I'm taking an interest in vintage kit now - I have several vintage amps coming, and I'm looking forward to fixing and tweaking. I think my main interest in vintage kit is the ritual - there's more to it than just hearing the music, there's a fondness for the process that was lost with digital sources. Perhaps it's just a mixture of sentimentality, a desire to try the equipment I lusted after as a teenager and could never afford, and the pleasure of restoring things. We'll see. I will still use digital sources - most of my music is now stored electronically on NAS. though I haven't had a turntable in about 20 years, I never parted with my modest record collection, and I'm looking forward to revisiting some old friends.

My musical tastes are fairly eclectic. I still love the tunes I grew up with in England in the seventies and eighties (including a few somewhat embarrassing choices that remain an occasional guilty pleasure), and with the exception of R&B, I listen to music from almost every genre I could put a name to. I've also developed a taste for music from other cultures - chiefly South Pacific, India, China, Russia, Spain, and France, but many others are also represented, both traditional and contemporary.

I've not yet found a system that suits everything - one system might suit classical well, but just not really let go with hard rock. Another might sound great with dance music, but fail to reveal the warmth of jazz. If I could afford it, I'd have about half a dozen hifis in dedicated listening rooms, each attuned to different styles of music. Instead I have one average sized listening room which also serves as my lounge and dining room - I don't have the luxury of managing the space purely for music appreciation. Still, I get to play with different options and enjoy doing it.

I currently work as an IT contractor, photographer, and graphic designer. For fun I like to travel, scuba dive, take photos, read, watch movies, and of course, listen to music and tinker with hifi...

So that's me in a nutshell. Looking forward to talking to other people who enjoy music and hifi, receiving advice, and giving it if I can.

TTFN

keiths
03-12-2011, 22:46
A warm welcome to AoS from me. :wave:

Hope you enjoy it here.

Spectral Morn
04-12-2011, 01:27
Welcome to AOS Andrew


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
04-12-2011, 01:36
Hi Andrew,
Here's a warm welcome to AoS from me too. Interesting taste in music you have there.
Cheers

John
04-12-2011, 06:45
HI Andrew
Welcome to AOS
Nice intro
Do feel free to post your work on the vintage amps I think a few of us would be interested in this
You maybe suprised just how good your vinyl sounds with a decent TT

frenchmonkeys
04-12-2011, 09:26
Thanks everyone.

I'd love to hear what a good vinyl system has to offer - I've never heard a decent audiophile TT before - well, not one matched by other components of similar quality anyway.

I'd be happy to display/discuss any work done on tweaking - I'm certain there are others here with far more knowledge and experience than I, and I'd love to hear their opinions.

I think I'm going to like it here. :)

TTFN

Reid Malenfant
04-12-2011, 16:57
Hi Andrew, an excellent introduction :) Welcome to AoS from me to by the way.

With such a wide range of music & interest in tinkering with stuff I'm sure you'll soon feel at home here ;)

You didn't happen to sell a KSA50 did you? I saw one go for crazy money just the other day on ebay :eyebrows: I have seen a pair of KMA100 go cheaper...

All the best to you & I hope you enjoy your stay.

frenchmonkeys
04-12-2011, 17:41
Thanks, it's already been fruitful. I've been dissuaded from buying a Rotel RP-3000 in favour of something belt-driven - hunting...

KSA50 - nah, think more baby, less Krell - it was a KAV300i. It was an interesting taste of the brand, but it didn't suit me, and nothing else in the range comes into my budget at present. Another reason to head vintage-ward.

I find ebay isn't such a good place to buy hifi these days - especially something that has a couple of nice reviews that are easily googled (which is almost everything). I still use ebay, but bargains are hard to find now. Of course, that makes it a good place to sell...

I'm going to try car boot sales next year - I've heard a few people have found good deals that way, either to keep or sell on and pop a few more beans in the hifi pot. Having said that, I've only been to a car boot sale once before, and I confess I didn't enjoy the experience. The only things I was interested in buying belonged to sellers who were clearly dreaming of wealth beyond imagining when they decided how much they wanted for the items they were having a pop at selling before sending to the tip.

TTFN

Reid Malenfant
04-12-2011, 17:48
Good luck at car boots, I have picked up some very high quality kit from some of them & for peanuts ;) Just don't look too interested & haggle or the seller might suspect something :eyebrows:

I picked up a fully working Akai GXC 760D dual capstan 3 head cassette deck for 50p after beating the guy down from £1 :D

frenchmonkeys
04-12-2011, 21:33
Heh, heh. Now *that's* the kind of deal I'm looking for...

Alex_UK
07-12-2011, 00:01
Welcome from me too, great intro - enjoy AoS. :)