prsjnb
14-04-2013, 13:22
Have been lurking, and learning, from the safety of the undergrowth for a while now and felt it was about time I declared my interest.
I have been interested in music and its reproduction in the home for almost as long as I can remember. The initial stimulus came from my father's love of Jazz (be-bop, swing, big band and the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Maxine Sullivan) and the influence of my elder sister who introduced me to ska/reggae and the black American music scene of the late 60s and early 70s. As I grew older my tastes widened to include electronica, folk, new wave, selected rock/pop music, R&B and the early music and classical repertoire. In fact, the only genres of music I have found real difficulty engaging with to any significant extent are opera and country and western.
My fascination with the home reproduction chain began when my father was given a Rogers Cadet III amp with matching tuner and a pair of home-made floorstanding speakers with a single, full-range, drive unit in each.
Over the years I have chopped and changed and made the usual error of paying too much attention to the Hi-Fi press, not difficult in the 70s when there were many more magazines to read, and made my fair share of pecuniary blunders: for example, dumping the Cadet III in favour of a Trio 'best buy' transistor amp with champagne fascia, buying a Dual CS-604 in preference to Thorens TD160 with SME arm because I'd read that direct-drive was so superior to belt-drive and buying a pair of Linn Helix loudspeakers despite having auditioned them before hand!
Eventually, however, I realised that it was the music that mattered and began to develop a more pragmatic attitude to the selection and acquisition of ancillaries. My current set-up has served me well for many years and comprises an Heybrook TT2 (purchased new in 1983 and subsequently upgraded with the improved 'cast' sub-chassis by Heybrook), Musical Fidelity X-LP and X-PSU, Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD and matching tuner, Musical Fidelity A1001 dual-mono integrated amplifier (soon to be refurbished/upgraded by John Sampson) and bi-wired KEF Reference Series 1 loudspeakers. Apart from the QED Silver Genesis speaker cables, all the mains cables and interconnects are home made using cable purchased from Campaign Audio Design.
My most recent acquisition is a an original Pro-ject 1 Xpression TT which I have modified and upgraded (new motor suspension pack and s/h speed box) and is currently giving sterling service whilst I complete the upgrading, modification and refurbishment of my Heybrook TT-2 (Jelco SA-250ST with Hugo's excellent custom arm pillar, Denon DL-110 and a custom made cable from the wonderfully helpful Yannis at Back-Promo).
I hope the above fulfils my joining obligation and serves to shed light on my reasons for wanting to become an active member of the Art of Sound forum.
Regards to you all,
Jon.
Shadow of The Ridgeway, Wiltshire, U.K.
I have been interested in music and its reproduction in the home for almost as long as I can remember. The initial stimulus came from my father's love of Jazz (be-bop, swing, big band and the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Maxine Sullivan) and the influence of my elder sister who introduced me to ska/reggae and the black American music scene of the late 60s and early 70s. As I grew older my tastes widened to include electronica, folk, new wave, selected rock/pop music, R&B and the early music and classical repertoire. In fact, the only genres of music I have found real difficulty engaging with to any significant extent are opera and country and western.
My fascination with the home reproduction chain began when my father was given a Rogers Cadet III amp with matching tuner and a pair of home-made floorstanding speakers with a single, full-range, drive unit in each.
Over the years I have chopped and changed and made the usual error of paying too much attention to the Hi-Fi press, not difficult in the 70s when there were many more magazines to read, and made my fair share of pecuniary blunders: for example, dumping the Cadet III in favour of a Trio 'best buy' transistor amp with champagne fascia, buying a Dual CS-604 in preference to Thorens TD160 with SME arm because I'd read that direct-drive was so superior to belt-drive and buying a pair of Linn Helix loudspeakers despite having auditioned them before hand!
Eventually, however, I realised that it was the music that mattered and began to develop a more pragmatic attitude to the selection and acquisition of ancillaries. My current set-up has served me well for many years and comprises an Heybrook TT2 (purchased new in 1983 and subsequently upgraded with the improved 'cast' sub-chassis by Heybrook), Musical Fidelity X-LP and X-PSU, Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD and matching tuner, Musical Fidelity A1001 dual-mono integrated amplifier (soon to be refurbished/upgraded by John Sampson) and bi-wired KEF Reference Series 1 loudspeakers. Apart from the QED Silver Genesis speaker cables, all the mains cables and interconnects are home made using cable purchased from Campaign Audio Design.
My most recent acquisition is a an original Pro-ject 1 Xpression TT which I have modified and upgraded (new motor suspension pack and s/h speed box) and is currently giving sterling service whilst I complete the upgrading, modification and refurbishment of my Heybrook TT-2 (Jelco SA-250ST with Hugo's excellent custom arm pillar, Denon DL-110 and a custom made cable from the wonderfully helpful Yannis at Back-Promo).
I hope the above fulfils my joining obligation and serves to shed light on my reasons for wanting to become an active member of the Art of Sound forum.
Regards to you all,
Jon.
Shadow of The Ridgeway, Wiltshire, U.K.