The End Is Near

[The Barbarian]

Well ive had a massive re think & best of all a massive clear out this week. Sold up just about all my ''Desirable'' items which leaves me with the budget stuff ive had for donkies years. Ive decided to put a no frills system together with what i kept back.

What a performance but i managed to bodge up this space

Where the speakers are in the corners they will be gone soon for more record shelving.I don't use them so the big ones will be sold, keeping the totty ones..

How i got it laid out im in two minds whether to use the A&R 'A60'/'T21' or swap for the Trio 'KA2000a'/'KT1000a' i also have the matching Reel To Reel for that cassette deck, i may aswell get that out, plonk it on top of the cassette deck. This is basically how it will be, just ad a few more granite platforms some new wires, jobs a good un. Pictures on the wall at the back & ofc a nice chill out lamp..Im almost going insain with Hi-Fi so thought i best draw the line & take action before i end up in the nut house.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/HI-FI.001.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/HI-FI.001.jpg.html)

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/HI-FI.002.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/HI-FI.002.jpg.html)

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/HI-FI.003.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/HI-FI.003.jpg.html)

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/HI-FI.004.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/HI-FI.004.jpg.html)

Quite funny really as it's pretty much the same system i had in 1983. :lol:

[Gazjam]

Some nice vintage kit there mate. :)

[Barry]

Still not clear if this is your main system, or your second system. Anyway good luck with it André.

Must congratulate you on using stiff transparent outer sleeves to keep your LP covers in pristine condition. Is that part of your record collection, or all of it?

If what you have just shown is not your main system, of what does your main sysrem comprise? I hope it contains a Quad amp! :) Talking of which, I was sad to read you had recently sold a Quad 33/ 2x 50E combination - I would have liked to have bought it from you. :(

[struth]

full circle andre a!d bet it sounds good too. love the akai

[The Barbarian]

Still not clear if this is your main system, or your second system. Anyway good luck with it André.

Must congratulate you on using stiff transparent outer sleeves to keep your LP covers in pristine condition. Is that part of your record collection, or all of it?

If what you have just shown is not your main system, of what does your main sysrem comprise? I hope it contains a Quad amp! :) Talking of which, I was sad to read you had recently sold a Quad 33/ 2x 50E combination - I would have liked to have bought it from you. :(

Hi Barry
Na im done with Hi-Fi. This is my main system im happy with how it sounds tbh. I got shut of pretty much everything. Sold near on 2,000 LP's over the last year or so. The LP's on the left are all i have kept back. The ones on the right are 12" Singles that i have cleaned so far, new poly linners & poly sleeves. I have around another 1,200 12" singles to clean :eek: but no space for them untill i make some more storage.. Only issue i can see me having is i have a short list of around another 1,000 12" singles i want, im praying i can house them all :(

[Gordon Steadman]

Hi Barry
Na im done with Hi-Fi. This is my main system im happy with how it sounds tbh. I got shut of pretty much everything. Sold near on 2,000 LP's over the last year or so. The LP's on the left are all i have kept back. The ones on the right are 12" Singles that i have cleaned so far, new poly linners & poly sleeves. I have around another 1,200 12" singles to clean :eek: but no space for them untill i make some more storage.. Only issue i can see me having is i have a short list of around another 1,000 12" singles i want, im praying i can house them all :(

I reckon the stuff you have there is going to sound 95% as good as 'hi-fi'. It is hi-fi though, what you really need is a nice Philips all in one with a double cassette deck and 5 CD juke box. Only then can you really say you've left it all behind. Add a Crossley record player and you are there.

As I said elsewhere, I get just about as much pleasure from my 'lesser' systems that I do from the main rig. The music is still the same after all.

I would probably use the Trio amp and tuner, they seem to suit the look of the rest better much as I like the A60s.

[The Barbarian]

Ok Gordon that's one vote for the Trio's. I do actually prefer the sound of the Phono stage to the one in the A60.

[Gazjam]

full circle andre a!d bet it sounds good too. love the akai

Me too...VU meters, real ones!

[Ali Tait]

That turntable is a work of art mate.

[Marco]

Just a quickie, dude, as I’ll comment more later…. What kind are the speakers (both pairs), Castles, perhaps? We could also do with a breakdown/list of all the kit (including arm and cart on the T/T), for those of us who aren’t quite as ‘au fait’ with the identity of some vintage gear as you are… ;)

It all looks good, though!

Marco.

[The Barbarian]

A&R Cambridge Ltd 'A60' Intergrated Amplifier + 'T21' FM Tuner

Trio 'KA2000a' Intergrated Amplifier + 'KT1000a' AM/FM Tuner

Undecided on which combo to use!

J.A.Michell 'Focus One' Turntable... SME 3009 S2, Improved Pick-Up Arm...Shure 'M95HE' Cartridge... Slate Audio Acrylic Mat... J.A.Michell Tufnol Clamp...DIY Sorbothane sandwich Aluminium foot extensions to replace the original sprung foot.

A 1978 Akai 'GXC-706D' This a virtually brand new machine i bought as a New Old Stock machine. The manufacturers seal was still on the box. Ive used this machine for approx 10 hours.

Large Loudspeakers: Castle Acoustics Ltd 'Conway' Mk.I.. 3 Way Loudspeakers. Paper cones/Soft Dome tweeters.. Highly Efficient ported design.

Small Loudspeakers: Castle Acoustics Ltd 'Richmond' Mk.I.. 2 Way Loudspeakers. Paper cones/Soft Dome tweeters..Highly Efficient ported design.

I don't intend keeping the Large ones.

Headsets Are top secret

....................

I had three Ferrograph 'F307' amplifiers untill the other day, i still have one, i also have a J.A.Michell 'Syncro' Mk.1 Turntable that ive just fitted an SME pattern Acrylic armboard to. i might swap these in at some point..

[Marco]

Cheers, dude - good stuff! When you are ready to sell the bigger Castles give me a shout, as I might be interested ;)

Marco.

[DarrenHW]

Cheers, dude - good stuff! When you are ready to sell the bigger Castles give me a shout, as I might be interested ;)

Marco.

Your beat me to it!

[The Barbarian]

:hmm: :D

[walpurgis]

Ok Gordon that's one vote for the Trio's. I do actually prefer the sound of the Phono stage to the one in the A60.

I'd use the Trios rather than the Cambridge gear. I know what each sounds like and the KA-1000a in particular is superb sounding, nicer and more lucid than the A60 in my view.

[Marco]

Your beat me to it!

Yes, *but* I might be considering letting my Celestion 66s go! Know anyone who might be interested? ;)

Marco.

[walpurgis]

Oooh. You won't have any shortage of interested parties for those Marco.

[struth]

Their mine[emoji12] [emoji375]

[Marco]

Didn’t think you were looking for shpeekaz?

Marco.

[Idlewithnodrive]

I know very well the sentiment of being 'done with hi-fi'.

Ever since I picked up my vintage Sony amp, my entire system just seemed to gel. Fantastic synergy; every Album and CD just seems to suck you in. Definitely a case of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Haven't changed anything in months, just bought more and more music. Yep, done with hi-fi, bring on the music.

Love it.

[The Barbarian]

That's it & the heaps of gear i just hoard i sold helps finance all the records i need..

[DarrenHW]

Yes, *but* I might be considering letting my Celestion 66s go! Know anyone who might be interested? ;)

Marco.

No, can't think of anyone .... :whistle:


Didn’t think you were looking for shpeekaz?

Marco.

Who me? I'm not but the Castle's are intriguing.

[The Barbarian]

Even more so that model used Wharfdale based 8" Bass units.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/speakers/castle-conway-speakers/113109522

[Marco]

Who me? I'm not but the Castle's are intriguing.

On that occasion I was talking to Grant :)

Should I keep you in mind though if I’m selling the 66s?

Marco.

[struth]

Didn’t think you were looking for shpeekaz?

Marco.

Couldn't afford your kit mate.:)

[Audio Advent]

Must congratulate you on using stiff transparent outer sleeves to keep your LP covers in pristine condition.

Very Japanese style. You buy them like that over there, very often all at least near mint too.

[jandl100]

Hey, well done, Andr'e, I think you've found The Way that is right for you.

Forget obsessing about the frigging hifi, it was obviously doing your head in, just keep the music you want and enjoy. :thumbsup:

P.S. - I'd keep the Trio gear rather than the A&R, too. ;)

[The Barbarian]

Ive been listerning to these amplifiers side by side for over a fortnight now. I just can't decide. The Trio is bright & i have to turn it up quite a bit for headphone listerning. the A&R sound clear but smoothe,no brightness at all.. drives the phones at lowish levels too. However i still have the Phono stage to rebuild in the Trio & it could do with some new PSU caps.

This system at the end of the day is about small no frills. Gone are the 10" open Reel machines. I was gonna use an Akai '4000' but decided to keep the Uher 'Variocord 263' what i love about these apart from Tank like construction is the heads are built into a block that just pulls away, no need to re align, you want a 2Trk block just slip off the 4trk slip on the 2trk & vice versa..

Im just in the middle of Modifying a Uher 'Royal De-Lux' foot assembly that will give the machine a larger footprint & allow me to tilt the machine back at an angle..

T8D0nbvyvOM

[The Barbarian]

Here just need re finishing, a direct fit onto the machine, Got em from germany for about 3.00Euro

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/Uher%20Feet.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/Uher%20Feet.jpg.html)

[WOStantonCS100]

Another vote for the Trio gear. :)

[Barry]

Even more so that model used Wharfdale based 8" Bass units.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/speakers/castle-conway-speakers/113109522

If they use the Wharfedale RS8/DD, I would agree. I built my first pair of speakers using them: a 1.5cu ft distributed-port enclosure also designed by Wharfedale.

[Barry]

Ive been listerning to these amplifiers side by side for over a fortnight now. I just can't decide. The Trio is bright & i have to turn it up quite a bit for headphone listerning. the A&R sound clear but smoothe,no brightness at all.. drives the phones at lowish levels too. However i still have the Phono stage to rebuild in the Trio & it could do with some new PSU caps.

This system at the end of the day is about small no frills. Gone are the 10" open Reel machines. I was gonna use an Akai '4000' but decided to keep the Uher 'Variocord 263' what i love about these apart from Tank like construction is the heads are built into a block that just pulls away, no need to re align, you want a 2Trk block just slip off the 4trk slip on the 2trk & vice versa..

Im just in the middle of Modifying a Uher 'Royal De-Lux' foot assembly that will give the machine a larger footprint & allow me to tilt the machine back at an angle..

T8D0nbvyvOM

Aye, Uher made some excellent machines. I had a Uher 4000 Report portable machine at one time.

You will be better off ditching the Akai 4000 (a much over-estimated machine in my opinion) and keeping the Uher.

[The Barbarian]

That's what i have done Barry.. However i wish id had kept my Tandberg '6000x' to do an A/B against the UHER..Not to worry tho..

[Beobloke]

A&R or the Trios? What happened to your beloved Ferrograph F307?!

Vote-wise, I'd go for the A&Rs, personally, as I've always had a soft spot for them. Mind you, given your admirable perfectionism, I'm surprised you've got a black amplifier with a teak tuner! :D

[The Barbarian]

A&R or the Trios? What happened to your beloved Ferrograph F307?!

Vote-wise, I'd go for the A&Rs, personally, as I've always had a soft spot for them. Mind you, given your admirable perfectionism, I'm surprised you've got a black amplifier with a teak tuner! :D

Don't worry that was bugging me. I don't intend using the 'Tuner anyway so that will be out of the equation. The answer tho is i bought that 'A60' around 1982/83 from Moorgate Acoustics everything i had including the Heybrook 'HB-1' were black. The 'T21' was not available at the time, by the time i did buy the 'T21' my speakers had changed to Teak cabinets. I bought the 'T21' with Teak sleeve & was going to buy a matching sleeve for the amp from A&R but never got around to it..

My beloved 'F307' you mean all three of them. One went to a very well known Loudspeakers manufacturer MD. the other two i sold on E-Bay. I did not pick on the little chickens i just intended selling everything i had but like you had a soft spot for the 'A60'..I don't regret getting shut of everything with exception to my mint Logic 'DM101'/Syrinx 'PU-2' However i love my Michell 'Focus One' dearly which was the keeper..

Thanks for the feedback everyone voting for the Trio 'KA2000A' :scratch: but im afraid the 'A60' is the keeper.

However if anyone has a A&R 'A60AP' + 'SA60' id be interested in that.

[Beobloke]

My beloved 'F307' you mean all three of them. One went to a very well known Loudspeakers manufacturer MD.

I bet I can guess who that was. He has designs on my ADC Accutrac 4000 as well... :D