Hi from the bonnie north

[sburrell]

Hi,

The name's Simon. Apple fan (but not "fanboi"). Just back from a period of travel and general transience (including a fantastic time on Canada's west coast, my new second home).

My first hi-fi was a vinyl-fed Naim Nait 2 bought from Russ Andrews in Edinburgh (now defunct, unfortunately—received a lot of wisdom there), bi-wired to stand-mounted B&W 600s and later M-S floorstanders. Deck was a Technics 1210SL-MK2 with a basic AT cartridge for music and Stanton 500AL for dance. Also had a fantastic Yamaha single cassette deck (people often asked if I was playing a CD) and a Rotel FM tuner. This all eventually went as my travelling days began.

EDIT@7:06pm: By the way, I forgot to mention the Manticore Mantra, a complicated full-suspension turntable I owned for about a year. The name alone makes it worth owning. Can't believe I forgot it!

Now renovating a flat and decided to try to renew the audiophile tendencies. Stanley Beresford recommend this forum to me when I had some questions about the 7520, and I decided the ambience and experience was up my alley. Hope I can fit in!

Looking forward to engaging with you all, receiving some hints and tips on tweaks and purchases and sharing what experience and knowledge I have.

Thanks for having me!

S.

EDIT: thanks to Marco for pointing out my incorrect use of "bonny" instead of "bonnie" in my thread's title.

[Ali Tait]

Hi Simon and welcome.Nice to have another member north of the border! I'm in Dunfermline myself.Are you in the Edinburgh area?

[sburrell]

Hi Ali,

Certainly am. I've been through to Dunfermline a few times too, I think most recently for a fireworks concert, in that large park you have. Would it've been Hallowe'en last year? I recall the local radio station was live at the event. Anyway, lovely town, and always raises a grin when you see the peacocks wandering along the high street! Beautiful birds.

Anyway, thanks for the welcome!

[Marco]

Hi Simon,

Welcome to AOS :)

I'm living in Wales now but I'm originally from Glasgow. Good to have another Scot here!

Hope you enjoy it here and get stuck into the discussions, matey :cool:

Marco.

[sburrell]

Hi Marco,

Thanks, boyo. *grin* Ah, Glasgow, home of the only official Apple Store in Scotland—so, I go through there quite often. Also, an excellent bunch of second-hand CD shops ("Missing" under Central Station and "Avalanche" up the steps from Queen Street Station)---CDs are seldom less than immaculate.

Are we all sharing the slight disappointment at our failure to get into the next World Cup? Ach, against Holland, chances were we'd lose…

[Ali Tait]

Aye,but it was glorious defeat! I though we played really well.

[Marco]

Hi Simon,

I love Glasgow and miss it a little. Wrexham is very different, but great in its own way!

I'll check out Missing and Avalanche next time I'm up. Do they sell second-hand vinyl? I'm more of an analogue man, as you can see from my title...! :eyebrows:

I must admit I haven't really followed Scotland's progress this time, mainly because I'm a bit disillusioned with the national side, and also because Scottish football is very rarely mentioned down here... It's all England this England that - don't get me started!! ;)

It's also a pisser that Setanta went bust, so I've lost contact with the SPL games until I renew it with SKY. But will Celtic TV ever come back, I wonder? :confused:

I'm also mainly interested in domestic football, with Celtic being my team since I was a wee boy :)

Marco.

P.S You do know that it should be 'bonnie' instead of 'bonny' north... ;)

[Ali Tait]

Well if in your search for new kit you fancy having a listen to various valve amps and electrostatic speakers,drop me a PM.You'd be welcome.

[sburrell]

@Marco:


I'll check out Missing and Avalanche next time I'm up. Do they sell second-hand vinyl? I'm more of an analogue man, as you can see from my title...!
Having been off the vinyl for quite some time now, I don't pay a great deal of attention, so I'm afraid I can't say for sure. My gut says, "No," though.

I must admit I haven't really followed Scotland's progress this time, mainly because I'm a bit disillusioned with the national side
I'm embarrassed to say that, despite mentioning the Holland match, I didn't actually watch it, for much the same reason you mention here. If they'd won I'd have been chuffed though.

I'm also mainly interested in domestic football, with Celtic being my team since I was a wee boy
Didn't you just beat Hibs last week? My parents have season tickets to Easter Road. I think they said it was a good game.

P.S You do know that it should be 'bonnie' instead of 'bonny' north...
Crikey, I think you have me there. I am a Scot, though—really. Hoots mon, shoogle ma sporran, etc.! *grin*

@Ali: Unfortunately, I've recently started haemorrhaging money as a result of the renovation. I think if I buy anything next, though, it'll be another DAC for the second hifi, for A/V purposes. Electrostatics have always interested me, though. May ask for a demo some time in the future, if you'd be up for it?

[Beechwoods]

Thanks for having me!

You're welcome, I'm glad you decided to drop by!


thanks to Marco for pointing out my incorrect use of "bonny" instead of "bonnie" in my thread's title.

He does that. We humour him!

Enjoy the forum Simon.

[Ali Tait]

Certainly! Why not just come round with some of your favourite cd's and we'll have a few drams and enjoy the tunes... :)

[Marco]

He does that. We humour him!


Haha, now fixed! :lolsign:

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

Welcome Simon - wow, big influx of joiners lately - word must be getting around what a great place this is to be :) Have fun.

[sburrell]

Just noticed I'm supposed to offer a list of my preferred music. Well, in the order in which they come to mind:

The Prodigy :gig: - ("Music For The Jilted Generation"'s Narcotic Suite still takes me wonderful places; "Experience" always makes me smile with its cheeky rhythms and infectious effects. Saw these guys live at T In The Park, I was still dancing on the train home.:dance:)
Ry Cooder - ("Chicken Skin Music"'s Chloe is fantastic, and Yellow Roses is pure ballad heaven; "Bop Till You Drop"'s Down In Hollywood is great fun; "Paradise and Lunch" - heck, I love this just for the cover!)
Audioslave/Foo Fighters/30 Seconds To Mars are great examples of modern rock---raw, grinding heaven.:rock:
Funk, such as the found on the "Mojo Club Presents Dancefloor Jazz" collections, and "The Sound Gallery, Vol.1"
Thomas Newman (but not "Jarhead")
James, and Tim Booth's collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti
Jean Michel Jarre
Oh, and how could I forget The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Little Feat and Steve Forbert! My dad had the greatest collection of vinyl as I grew up, and these last three became my favourites.
I've been getting into my 80's stuff, such as early Prince, New Order, Pet Shop Boys. Must pick up some Depeche Mode.
Talking Heads, "Naked" and "Little Creatures".
Latino Jazz.
And, a final recommendation, a particular song by Spiritualized, called "Out Of Sight":wow:. 6 minutes long and seems far too short.

Oh, did I use enough smileys? ;)

[Alex_UK]

I've been getting into my 80's stuff, such as early Prince, New Order, Pet Shop Boys. Must pick up some Depeche Mode.


Do we deduce from this that you weren't old enough first time round, and you're a mere whippersnapper, or were you completely off your face and the decade managed to somehow pass you by? :eyebrows:

As someone who wasn't completely off his tits at the time, being a teenager in the 80s was great - I was a big Depeche Mode fan, with the majority of their early stuff on 7" vinyl. Spotify is where you want to head - loads of their stuff on there - they remain great IMO - some classic albums over the years, but I'd advise trying them chronologically (starting with Speak & Spell) to see how they developed from there.

[Marco]

Yay - another 80s boy! Welcome to da club :gig:

There are too many prog/classic rock/'hippy shit' fans on here!! ;)

I do like that stuff too, but it's not the 'be all and end all' that some people would have you believe. Simon, check this thread out. It should bring back some happy memories and probably a few giggles:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3481

Enjoy!

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Simon

Welcome to the forum....would have welcomed you earlier but I am just back from Scotland. Great country, great people and IMHO the most beautiful place in the world. I would move there tomorrow but alas my wife is a home bird so NI is where we sit....for now anyway;)

Russ Andrews in Edinburgh was a nice shop, bit Linn, Naim for me, but nice lay out and interesting, unlike Hi-Fi( what Hi-Fi?) Corner in Rose Street...heck they used to have Meridian and a good trade in section ....not anymore Bose and Tv's:doh: I always call in with Graham at Retro reproductions always interesting kit there.

Regards D S D L

[sburrell]

Welcome to the forum....would have welcomed you earlier but I am just back from Scotland. Great country, great people and IMHO the most beautiful place in the world. I would move there tomorrow but alas my wife is a home bird so NI is where we sit....for now anyway;)
Scotland certainly has its moments, that's for sure---Aberdeenshire especially. Pity Edinburgh is no longer one of them for the time being. Grr, tram works…:steam:

Russ Andrews in Edinburgh was a nice shop, bit Linn, Naim for me, but nice lay out and interesting, unlike Hi-Fi( what Hi-Fi?) Corner in Rose Street...heck they used to have Meridian and a good trade in section ....not anymore Bose and Tv's:doh: I always call in with Graham at Retro reproductions always interesting kit there.
It was Graham that sold me the Manticore Mantra and the Denon POA-F100. I could spend hours in there just looking at the old kit, but I feel a bit out of place. People spend and trade in the high hundreds/low thousands in there, and I'm a budget laddie.

Anyway, thanks for the welcome! From the Dalek Supreme him/itself---golly! ;)

[Marco]

Hi Simon,

Have you checked out the 80s music thread yet I linked to earlier? :)

Marco.

[sburrell]

Hi Marco,

Working my way through it. Lot of stuff there! So far I've enjoyed a bit of Kate Bush ("Heathcliff, it's mee, I'm Kathee!"), being hit with a Rhythm Stick and Ballroom Blitz. One thing Glam Rock tells me is that charts these days is full of people taking themselves far too seriously! *whistles four ascending notes, one descending* I'm Lovin' It! Oh, who was that doing, "I Feel Love"? Stunner! Was that Donna Summer?

I'm composing a reply to Alex_UK as we speak, but I keep getting signed out of the forum so I'm doing it in a plain text editor and I'll paste it in later.

[sburrell]

Do we deduce from this that you weren't old enough first time round, and you're a mere whippersnapper, or were you completely off your face and the decade managed to somehow pass you by? :eyebrows:
Haha. Actually, I guess I didn't hit my teens until the 90s, though I do recall a wee bit of 80s stuff because of a friend downstairs who was 5 years older. He introduced (subjected?) me to the Pet Shop Boys (lots by these guys), Depeche Mode, The The (crumbs, Infected! Must get hold of that again!) and one tune I remember clearly is Crockett's Theme from Miami Vice. Around the same time I was only buying jokey wee 7''s like The Firm's Star Trekkin' (still makes me smile and chuckle!).
When the 90s rolled in I started buying Dance, mostly, with faves being Acid Folk's Perlexer (a thumping beat accompanied by bagpipes), Ultrasonic's Annihilating Rhythm, the cheesy house stuff only Scots seemed to listen to (The Time Frequency (TTF) or anything on the Steppin' Out Records label, anyone?), and The Prodigy, whose stuff I consider to be the sonic equivalent of a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. I wasn't completely absorbed, though, and also picked up Arrested Development's debut album, Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales (my favourite at the time, especially Seven Days) and Paul Weller's Wild Wood 7''. Other than that I was listening to Little Feat's Oh Atlanta, Rock 'n' Roll Doctor and (occasionally) Day At The Races.
My parents had a business in the 80s where music played a big part, so I was introduced to Bill Withers, E.L.O., Bilitis, some classical, 1930's jazz (Puttin' On The Ritz, Stormy Weather, etc.)---that's the stuff that springs immediately to mind.

I'll expand as time and third-party interest permit. It's really nice to have this opportunity to think back on all the stuff I used to enjoy but have forgotten or neglected. Eventually, I'll get round to adding to the Choons From Ya Yoof thread.

[Alex_UK]

I keep getting signed out of the forum so I'm doing it in a plain text editor and I'll paste it in later.

Not a bad plan to do that anyway sometimes, but if you tick the box when you sign in ("Remember Me" I think) it will stop kicking you out (worked for me anyway.)

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply - I thought I was right about the 80's being retro for you - and as Marco said, good to have another non-hippie aboard ;) - though you'll soon find yourself drifting into it once you see common names on the forum. Can't say I'm a big Prodigy "fan" (i.e never seen them live or know much about them) but I like their music and have bought all bar the latest album over the years - I like a lot of dance acts that have been around a bit - Faithless, Chemical Brothers, Appollo 440, Primal Scream, BT, Groove Armada, Underworld, Leftfield, Massive Attack etc - so it's not all Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yazoo OMD and Human League - though definitely check out them if you like your 80's synth stuff. Happy days!

[aquapiranha]

Hi Simon!

[sburrell]

Hi Aquapiranha!

Ok, that's a freaky avatar. :wow:

Alex_UK, I haven't bought The Prodigy's latest album yet either, doesn't seem to have to the same variety as the previous ones. As for 80's synth stuff, Visage's Fade To Grey has to be one of the best! God, I wish I had more money available, this forum's going to be sending me to Amazon more often than I can afford.
Like the updated pic, btw. Cute! :)

[Alex_UK]

Hi Aquapiranha!
Ok, that's a freaky avatar. :wow:


That's not an avatar, Steve really looks like that so they say... be afraid, be very afraid!



God, I wish I had more money available, this forum's going to be sending me to Amazon more often than I can afford.


I've posted somewhere else on here that my first credit card bill since joining this forum nearly all Amazon purchases, was over £400! I counted up last night, and I think it was 53 albums since joining at the beginning of August - Gulp! So, I've subscribed to Spotify premium - £10 a month, and a lot of what I bought is on there - and a lot of what you are looking for will be too (no, I don't have any shares, wish I did!) The free service isn't as good quality, and you get a short ad every 4 or 5 songs but it is brilliant for checking out stuff before you buy it.



Like the updated pic, btw. Cute!

Shucks, cheers! I think so, but I am rather biased!

New one to follow later...

[Marco]

That's not an avatar, Steve really looks like that so they say... be afraid, be very afraid!


Steve is one of my lurrvvlies, plucked from the confines of behind my little white door..... I'll be in later to throw you a bone, my shweety........MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.............. :eyebrows: :eyebrows: :mad:

Marco.

[aquapiranha]

Steve is one of my lurrvvlies, plucked from the confines of behind my little white door..... I'll be in later to throw you a bone, my shweety........MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.............. :eyebrows: :eyebrows: :mad:

Marco.

Careful, remember what happened last time... I was going to use this one...

584

[sburrell]

Jimney Cricket, Steve! If it wasn't for the mitigating effect of Alex_UK's wee bairn appearing to guzzle a can of wife-beater, I'd be hard-pressed not to avoid this thread altogether :wow:. It looks like something rejected as being too scary for the movie adaptation of Silent Hill. ;) Mind you, at least it's clearly a created graphic, whereas that doll obviously exists somewhere (in your house?) I'd get the heebie-jeebies whenever I walked past it. *shiver*

[aquapiranha]

Haha! I love Silent Hill. I put it on for my son to watch it when he was 15 but he said it was too scary! I just got the images off the web. there is something inherently scary about china dolls I think, I remember as a child my mum watching a horror movie where a man was forced to have a shave with cut-throat razors by some marauding china dolls that had come to life... clowns too, some people have really issues when it comes to scary clowns.

better view, check out the peepers!http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/scary.jpg

[Alex_UK]

A lot of dolls are indeed very creepy, and don't start me on clowns, evil, twisted spawns of the devil's trumpet! And the there's that Chucky... *shudder*

[Spectral Morn]

A lot of dolls are indeed very creepy, and don't start me on clowns, evil, twisted spawns of the devil's trumpet! And the there's that Chucky... *shudder*

But they turned Chucky into a joke. Poltergeist and the clown doll under the bed AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! They're here.


Regards D S D L

[Barry]

Welcome to AoS Simon.

Trust you don't find my 'avetar' malevolent. Don't believe a word Marco says, we are a friendly bunch here. :eyebrows:

Regards

[sburrell]

Welcome to AoS Simon.
Thanks! Nice to be here.:)


Trust you don't find my 'avetar' malevolent.
Hmm, that depends. Who is it—Buddha, Krishna? :scratch:


Don't believe a word Marco says, we are a friendly bunch here. :eyebrows:
Certainly seem to be! :)