It's been a long time and the system is rather different.

[oldius]

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000949_zpsdgsfkbug.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000949_zpsdgsfkbug.jpg.html)

Sony TTS8000, Garrard 401, Nakamichi CA7 pre, Bryston BDA2 DAC, SBT, Nakamichi PA7 power and the Keith Monks.

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000951_zpsqeysvfd1.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000951_zpsqeysvfd1.jpg.html)

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000952_zpsszlfwjix.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000952_zpsszlfwjix.jpg.html)

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000953_zpsau6g2rdk.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000953_zpsau6g2rdk.jpg.html)

The view from the listening position. No fancy photos here but you get the gist.

[southall-1998]

Rega Planet...Good choice!

S.

[Idlewithnodrive]

Looks great Geoff. Very envious of that Sony TT.

[struth]

nice seat :)

[oldius]

The seat needs welding. I only have it there for sport as it collapses as soon as it's sat on!

[Tarzan]

The listening position looks great Geoff.:)

[struth]

I am on the look out for a nice big seat. My hip is killing me sitting on the couch lol...ment to say the gear aint half bad either....especially the Naks

[oldius]

I am on the look out for a nice big seat. My hip is killing me sitting on the couch lol...ment to say the gear aint half bad either....especially the Naks

The Nakamichi amps are superb Grant. A Nelson Pass design for Threshold, licensed by Nakamichi and £3k a piece in 1988. Top notch phono stage within with variable gain, loading and capacitance on external switches. I am reliably informed that Nakamichi used the 801's to voice the amps so they seem a superb match. They're fully serviced and re-capped too.

[DSJR]

I owned these amps (CA7 and PA5mk2 to be precise). The PA7 will be great for the 801's (I know them as well in comparison with KEF 105 and 'Briks of the period prior to single-speaker dem rooms), but I think you'd be very surprised by a preamp upgrade one day. I was bowled flat by an ARC SP9 and SP14 in direct comparison (fine cachet but equalled in sonics by cheaper preamps by Croft for example and this was 1989 or so). Blame hifi dave for it - I didn't believe him either ;)

[oldius]

What I discovered Dave was that in the size of the room that I now have the Nakamichi and 801 combination just works. I have tried various pre amps and phono stages but always come back to the CA7. I often think that other pre amps are more revealing and immediately impressive but if I keep listening I begin to appreciate that the CA7 reveals just as much but in a more subtle way.

[Macca]

Parquet floor. My favourite of all the floorings. :)

[jandl100]

Ooooo :drool: I've got the hots for that PA7 amp. :eek:

[WOStantonCS100]

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000951_zpsqeysvfd1.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000951_zpsqeysvfd1.jpg.html)

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000952_zpsszlfwjix.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000952_zpsszlfwjix.jpg.html)

A working TTS-8000 and a 401, very nice, very nice, indeed.

[take5]

Where is Bert. No picture of your room is complete without Bert. Bert is the main reason most of your visitors visit.

Looking good Geoff.

And yes, the Sony sounds as good as it looks. Difficult to compare with the Garrard as the 401 has a "better" arm and cartridge, but the Sony feels in the same league.

[oldius]

I need to try an SME IV or v on it to get an idea. The deck was very high end at launch. It runs silently with perfect speed and comes in a resonance free plinth. I want to keep it original but it would be nice to try another arm without the expense of having another arm board made.

[take5]

[QUOTE=oldius;646106]I need to try an SME IV or v on it to get an idea.

QUOTE]

Geoff, I think Bob has a 4 that Im sure he would lend for you to experiment.

[Ali Tait]

Very nice Geoff, here's my 401-

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/546/0f6r.jpg (http://imageshack.com/f/f60f6rj)

[Jimbo]

Very nice Geoff, here's my 401-

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/546/0f6r.jpg (http://imageshack.com/f/f60f6rj)

Hi Ali,

is your 401 in a slate plinth?

[DSJR]

What I discovered Dave was that in the size of the room that I now have the Nakamichi and 801 combination just works. I have tried various pre amps and phono stages but always come back to the CA7. I often think that other pre amps are more revealing and immediately impressive but if I keep listening I begin to appreciate that the CA7 reveals just as much but in a more subtle way.

The last thing I wanted to be is patronising in any way, but it took the likes of an ARC of the time (not one of the rosy-coloured ones that came before or after) to show me what 'I' wanted. The CA7 is superbly made and finished I absolutely agree and the sound NEVER irritates. Like I said, it was getting to know hifi Dave that did it all for me :lol:

By the way, I heard a later set of 801's (minus positec-style protection) at my mate's mastering room at Decca when they were at Belsize Road and the tape he was playing sounded harsh (big HH MOS-FET amp). he turned the stands on their sides so the mid/tweeter 'pod' was firing over the meter bridge and he thought the sound better too. He mastered the first Decca Marianne Faithful LP and eq'd the sound to be natural on 801's as they were originally sited. The finished disc he received bit his head off in the treble and this was the last time he eq'd a master tape unless absolutely necessary due to storage or whatever. Bringing this story more up to date, when B&W introduced the Matrix 801, my old friend was given his 'old' pair of 801's on permanent loan. I heard them at his gaff fed by a bigger model Denon AV receiver and they sounded really good and far better than I remember them in the mastering studio/room he had.

[Ali Tait]

Hi Ali,

is your 401 in a slate plinth?

Yes, a twin tier 30mm plinth.

[oldius]

Dave I didn't think your comments were patronising atall; we can all only ever talk about our own experiences!

I'm always happy to try new stuff so perhaps the next bake off I host shall be preamps.

I have heard a few 801's and I much prefer the earlier models which were a 'cost no object' design by John Bowers' team. The later ones were voiced to sound more modern but I find them harsher, particularly the diamond tweeter models but hey, I can't afford a pair anyway so it's all good!

[DSJR]

I heard the N801 first at a show in a huge room. No upper mids, which is a sort-of B&W trademark in many models. Although Abbey road has them, or had, I don't think they were liked overmuch. I also prefer the original 805/N805's as long as they're set high with the bass/mid units on axis and the tweeter above.

I've said before about us trying a QMI/Quatre Gain Cell. Bloody 'ell, we had the 801's tripping out, the overload lights on the KEF 105's blinking away and as well as hearing these two properly for the first time (all the power), I've NEVER heard early Isobariks sound as good as then with this amp driving them with 400WPC into 4 Ohms...

[Floyddroid]

Fabulous system. The 801'a are still a great speakers.
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000949_zpsdgsfkbug.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000949_zpsdgsfkbug.jpg.html)

Sony TTS8000, Garrard 401, Nakamichi CA7 pre, Bryston BDA2 DAC, SBT, Nakamichi PA7 power and the Keith Monks.

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000951_zpsqeysvfd1.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000951_zpsqeysvfd1.jpg.html)

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000952_zpsszlfwjix.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000952_zpsszlfwjix.jpg.html)

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/P1000953_zpsau6g2rdk.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/P1000953_zpsau6g2rdk.jpg.html)

The view from the listening position. No fancy photos here but you get the gist.

[oldius]

Abbey road has them as do emi classical

[oldius]

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/Technics%20x-1000_zps2wt76a51.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/Technics%20x-1000_zps2wt76a51.jpg.html)

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/oldius/sh-x1000-1-technics_zpsmhlywe6y.jpg (http://s805.photobucket.com/user/oldius/media/sh-x1000-1-technics_zpsmhlywe6y.jpg.html)

Here's my new DAC; seemed to go with the high end Japanese theme.
This was an absolute statement piece by Technics in the early 90's at somewhere around $10k! Though that's nice to know, what's nicer is the way it sounds, looks and is built.

[Macca]

Proper!

[petrat]

Looks stunning, Geoff.
Was trying to remember what MASH stood for ... Multi-stAge noise SHaping?
I remember the cheopo Technics players of the time sounding OK, rather more 'organic' than the Sony and Rotel competitors IIRC.