Hello

[Magna Audio]

Hello,
Been around on Zerogain & PF for a while.

Have / tried lots in my journey. Recently got back in my vinyl as is the fashion:-)

Likes: I own.
Big speakers - esp Tannoy's (must build a pair of GRF (back loaded horns)
Benchmark Dac1
Beresford 7510 6/4
DPA Enlightenment dac
KT88 class A tube amps
Homemade interconnects and TNT U-Byte2 speaker cables
Dynavector P75, AT 33-PTG, Rega RB250 with all L.O. mods
TVC (has to have remote control vol though;-)
Stax phones

Likes I've heard:
Avantgarde Duo horn speakers with twin 12" subs (Still felt the big Tannoy's have it on precision impact though).
Ear Acute Valve CDP (not gold bling version:-) - not much to choose between this and the DPA or Benchmark though.
VPI turntable
20W SET valve amps
Silk TVC
Music First TVC

Dislikes:
Shouty over forward / forced presentations
Music that is TOO loud
Overpriced bling

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Steve


Welcome to AOS :)

Nice set up you should post some pictures in the Gallery section, we all like looking at nice systems.


regards D S D L

[Beechwoods]

Hello Steve, and Welcome!

I'd be interested to hear more about your Stax heahphones. The electrostatics were legendary in their time. I'd love to find a pair to try out :)

And excellent taste in speakers, I might add.

[Marco]

Hi Steve,

A very warm welcome to AOS. I hope you enjoy it here - you seem to be settling in nicely :)

Marco.

[Magna Audio]

Aww thanks guys - feel all warm and cosy now:)

The Stax are great. I bought them 2nd hand from a Zerogainer.
I went to listen to them first at his place and that's where I came across
the Avantgarde Duo's and Ear CDP, VPI and SET amps - brilliant sound stage.
We hit it off and I went back armed with Beresford 7510 6/4 and Benchmark to his place to bake these off against the Ear.
Very interesting. The Ear and DPA were so close you could not tell which was which on the material we used. The Dac1 had a different presentation but very nice. The 7510 was most easily picked out of the crowd. Nothing wrong with it really - esp in that company. It sounded a little less open and defined the sound stage not quite as impressive.

I bought the Stax - very clean sound in the all important vocal / higher frequencies. More bass than I would have imagined.
It is the Stax SRM-310 Solid State Energiser and basic SR-202 phones - still better than Slee/HD650 or Slee / AT-W1000's IMO.
I also bought the DPA off him. That is the cleanest most musical sounding Dac I have heard thus far on my journey.

Here's some pics of my system and a write up on the amp project - you have to expand the pic to read it. i must update as Dac wise I have moved on from the Beresford to Benchmark Dac1 and then DPA Enlightenment and now more vinyl focused - one day a Michell perhaps...

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/535523301vfXSDn

Pics of the Tannoy's
http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/567380820eCZQqu

and the wife loving all 15" of them :)
http://family.webshots.com/album/568269923DqehxZ

Here's a link to the Tube amp technical wiki the project leader wrote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valve_audio_amplifier_-_technical#Biasing

[DSJR]

I had a set of Stax SRX III/SRD 7? for my twenty first birthday, a million years ago now. I listened too loud on a Radford valve amp that was getting tired and this encouraged the Tinnitus I now suffer from :(

Just before I sold them on, ten years later (why did I do that?) I heard them on a better amp with little ringing and they sounded lovely.......

Why do we do this? When I look at the lovely equipment I've had and sold (I'm still trying to get back a Garrad 401 plus arm, plinth and Michel brush [no Dust-Bug marks on this one] I was *given* twenty years ago. I didn't have the space for it and a mate said he'd store it with his huge collection of gear. It's disappeared into the infinite vista's of his castoffs in storage and he denies he ever saw it - he's honest and I expect it'll turn up one day.......).......