montesquieu
18-01-2014, 23:34
The following still available:
Stanton T120 direct drive turntable and cartridge
I bought this rather cool direct drive turntable to archive some 78s and some other mono recordings, but ended up running it in my study with an Ortofon MC10 MkII moving coil cartridge, which it handled with aplomb. It's not quite a Technics 1210 (the arm isn't upgradeable in the same way, for example) but not all that far off. Three speeds 33, 45 and 78, pitch controls. Comes with a modestly decent Stanton MM cartridge to get you going. Boxed in original packaging. These were £244 new when available and its replacement is more than that. http://www.djkit.com/stanton/stanton-t120-turntable.html Looking for £110 collected, or plus £15 insured courier.
Longdog Audio one-off mono phono stage
May here will know Nick Gorham of Longdog Audio. For some years I've had the moving magnet version of his phono stage (list price around £2000) and it's been an absolute gem, used with an Audio Note Io and Kondo AN-S6C step-up and has satisfied me sufficiently that I've simply stopped looking at other phono stages.
I also had a separate setup for mono including an Esoteric Sound Re-equalizer, which comes after the phono stage, switches everything to Mono and tweaks the output to adjust for non-RIAA equalisation curves. For this set-up I asked Nick to make me a cut down, mono version of his phono stage, which he did. It has solid state rectification rather than the valve rectification of the original, but uses the same output stage (only in mono).
As well as an earth point this mono phono stage has twin RCA input (so that a normal armlead can be used in - this can accommodate one channel or two channel input eg from a vintage two-pin mono cartridge wired for only one channel, or a normal stereo or modern mono cartridge wired across both channels - the input is summed) and has two outputs to enable either output from one RCA to a mono setup, or double mono to a stereo setup. It has two tubes, a 12AX7 and 6072a, and has all the verve and musicality of its big brother.
I'm only selling it because I recently had my 'big' phono stage modified by Nick to feature two switchable inputs (from two arms or TTs), and two outputs, enabling one output to be routed directly to the preamp, and the other through the Re-Equalizer. This meets my mono needs directly in my main (now only) system. My study system is being wound up so this is now surplus to requirements. Looking for £275 collected for this - for mono this blows any dedicated mono phono stage I've heard vintage or modern out of the water. Plus £15 for insured courier.
Matched trio of JJ 300b valves
These were reportedly new three months ago when I bought my current 300b push-pull amplifier, part of a matched quad. Frustratingly I managed to knock one of the tubes, leading to a hairline crack and the vacuum giving out, so a near-new quad became a near-new trio. Going rate new for these is £78 or over £200, so how about £100 collected, or plus £12 special delivery.
Matched pair of Shuguang Black Treasure CV-181 (drop in for 6SN7)
Acquired with a single ended amp when I was playing with speaker choices, again these are reportedly little used (no more than 10 hours use in my care and were supposedly near-new before that). List on these is £100 each but there seem to be different grades around, some of them discounted. These are UK supplied and tested/matched. Looking for £80 for the pair collected, or plus £12 special delivery.
Below are all SOLD
Squeezebox Touch with Mark Grant Linear power supply
Very little used (only for Radio 4 really - I've never got with the streaming thing) Squeezebox Touch and remote control, with Mark Grant Linear power supply incorporating his S-booster (this was £110 if I recall correctly). The PSU definitely made a difference. Looking for £200 for the pair (works our roughly £150 for the SBT and £50 for the PSU). I'm fairly sure I have the original box somewhere. Plus £12 special delivery SOLD
Audio Technica AT150MLX
I sold this previously but it arrived at the buyer with a missing stylus tip, having been knocked off somehow in transit, so back it came. The new stylus has no more than 150 hours on it.
One of the finest moving magnet cartridges ever made and a serious step-up from just about any other MM cartridge short of an Audio Note IQ3. There's some nonsense out there on the web about it not being happy into standard MM 47kohms, well in my view it's just about perfect and into a valve phono stage is just heavenly - supremely musical and well-balanced. (And why on earth would AT, one the biggest makers of MM cartridges, make a mistake like that anyway let alone perpetuate it for nearly 20 years?). This uses the same cantilever and fine line stylus as the AT-OC9 moving coil and (having owned that as well) I'd take the AT150 any day.
UK List on these is now a cool £382, I'm looking for £145 collected, or + £9 for special delivery. I also have the exact Audio Technica alloy headshell recommended for this cartridge body which I'll throw in for an extra £15. SOLD
Pair of Ortofon T-5 'bullet' step-up transformers
Now surplus to requirements, a pair of Ortofon T-5 step-up transformers. According to the spec are suitable for most moving coil cartridges 2-40 ohm, convering the entire mainstream including Ortofon, Shelter, Lyra, Audio Technica, Dynavector, Denon, and loads of others. Not surprisingly I've found they worked particularly well with Ortofons (I used them in my study system with a little Ortofon MC10 MkII and you'd swear the pairing was something much more exotic). Once fairly cheap, these step-ups have gone through something of a re-appraisal over the years and a pair identical to these recently made £100 on ebay. I'm looking for £60 collected, or plus £9 for special delivery. Same as these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ortofon-T-5-Step-Up-MC-Transformer-/181287302966 SOLD
Matched pair of TJ Full Music 'globe' 2A3 valves
A lightly-used pair of TJ Full Music 'globe' 2A3 tubes, formerly used in my Puresound 2A3 amp (I'm keeping the other two tubes of the quad for preamp duty in my Tram2 DHT preamp). Recently tested strong and still matched. These are £104 each from HifiCollective, plus delivery. I'm looking for £100 for the pair collected, or plus £9 special delivery. SOLD
Stanton T120 direct drive turntable and cartridge
I bought this rather cool direct drive turntable to archive some 78s and some other mono recordings, but ended up running it in my study with an Ortofon MC10 MkII moving coil cartridge, which it handled with aplomb. It's not quite a Technics 1210 (the arm isn't upgradeable in the same way, for example) but not all that far off. Three speeds 33, 45 and 78, pitch controls. Comes with a modestly decent Stanton MM cartridge to get you going. Boxed in original packaging. These were £244 new when available and its replacement is more than that. http://www.djkit.com/stanton/stanton-t120-turntable.html Looking for £110 collected, or plus £15 insured courier.
Longdog Audio one-off mono phono stage
May here will know Nick Gorham of Longdog Audio. For some years I've had the moving magnet version of his phono stage (list price around £2000) and it's been an absolute gem, used with an Audio Note Io and Kondo AN-S6C step-up and has satisfied me sufficiently that I've simply stopped looking at other phono stages.
I also had a separate setup for mono including an Esoteric Sound Re-equalizer, which comes after the phono stage, switches everything to Mono and tweaks the output to adjust for non-RIAA equalisation curves. For this set-up I asked Nick to make me a cut down, mono version of his phono stage, which he did. It has solid state rectification rather than the valve rectification of the original, but uses the same output stage (only in mono).
As well as an earth point this mono phono stage has twin RCA input (so that a normal armlead can be used in - this can accommodate one channel or two channel input eg from a vintage two-pin mono cartridge wired for only one channel, or a normal stereo or modern mono cartridge wired across both channels - the input is summed) and has two outputs to enable either output from one RCA to a mono setup, or double mono to a stereo setup. It has two tubes, a 12AX7 and 6072a, and has all the verve and musicality of its big brother.
I'm only selling it because I recently had my 'big' phono stage modified by Nick to feature two switchable inputs (from two arms or TTs), and two outputs, enabling one output to be routed directly to the preamp, and the other through the Re-Equalizer. This meets my mono needs directly in my main (now only) system. My study system is being wound up so this is now surplus to requirements. Looking for £275 collected for this - for mono this blows any dedicated mono phono stage I've heard vintage or modern out of the water. Plus £15 for insured courier.
Matched trio of JJ 300b valves
These were reportedly new three months ago when I bought my current 300b push-pull amplifier, part of a matched quad. Frustratingly I managed to knock one of the tubes, leading to a hairline crack and the vacuum giving out, so a near-new quad became a near-new trio. Going rate new for these is £78 or over £200, so how about £100 collected, or plus £12 special delivery.
Matched pair of Shuguang Black Treasure CV-181 (drop in for 6SN7)
Acquired with a single ended amp when I was playing with speaker choices, again these are reportedly little used (no more than 10 hours use in my care and were supposedly near-new before that). List on these is £100 each but there seem to be different grades around, some of them discounted. These are UK supplied and tested/matched. Looking for £80 for the pair collected, or plus £12 special delivery.
Below are all SOLD
Squeezebox Touch with Mark Grant Linear power supply
Very little used (only for Radio 4 really - I've never got with the streaming thing) Squeezebox Touch and remote control, with Mark Grant Linear power supply incorporating his S-booster (this was £110 if I recall correctly). The PSU definitely made a difference. Looking for £200 for the pair (works our roughly £150 for the SBT and £50 for the PSU). I'm fairly sure I have the original box somewhere. Plus £12 special delivery SOLD
Audio Technica AT150MLX
I sold this previously but it arrived at the buyer with a missing stylus tip, having been knocked off somehow in transit, so back it came. The new stylus has no more than 150 hours on it.
One of the finest moving magnet cartridges ever made and a serious step-up from just about any other MM cartridge short of an Audio Note IQ3. There's some nonsense out there on the web about it not being happy into standard MM 47kohms, well in my view it's just about perfect and into a valve phono stage is just heavenly - supremely musical and well-balanced. (And why on earth would AT, one the biggest makers of MM cartridges, make a mistake like that anyway let alone perpetuate it for nearly 20 years?). This uses the same cantilever and fine line stylus as the AT-OC9 moving coil and (having owned that as well) I'd take the AT150 any day.
UK List on these is now a cool £382, I'm looking for £145 collected, or + £9 for special delivery. I also have the exact Audio Technica alloy headshell recommended for this cartridge body which I'll throw in for an extra £15. SOLD
Pair of Ortofon T-5 'bullet' step-up transformers
Now surplus to requirements, a pair of Ortofon T-5 step-up transformers. According to the spec are suitable for most moving coil cartridges 2-40 ohm, convering the entire mainstream including Ortofon, Shelter, Lyra, Audio Technica, Dynavector, Denon, and loads of others. Not surprisingly I've found they worked particularly well with Ortofons (I used them in my study system with a little Ortofon MC10 MkII and you'd swear the pairing was something much more exotic). Once fairly cheap, these step-ups have gone through something of a re-appraisal over the years and a pair identical to these recently made £100 on ebay. I'm looking for £60 collected, or plus £9 for special delivery. Same as these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ortofon-T-5-Step-Up-MC-Transformer-/181287302966 SOLD
Matched pair of TJ Full Music 'globe' 2A3 valves
A lightly-used pair of TJ Full Music 'globe' 2A3 tubes, formerly used in my Puresound 2A3 amp (I'm keeping the other two tubes of the quad for preamp duty in my Tram2 DHT preamp). Recently tested strong and still matched. These are £104 each from HifiCollective, plus delivery. I'm looking for £100 for the pair collected, or plus £9 special delivery. SOLD