Sherwood
08-05-2016, 18:01
Hi,
I am now in the UK having spent the best part of the last 20 years working on development projects in tropical climes! During that time my classic hifi system was in long term storage including a large number of pristine vinyl albums (1000 ++). Clearly, vinyl is not suited to the dry air of the Namib Desert, nor the ultra humidity of Bangladesh (especially during the monsoon season). Likewise, the heat generated by my various valve electronics would have tipped the balance in my efforts to create a habitable living environment,notwithstanding industrial grade a/c units. Having now unpacked all the stuff that was in storage I have progressively been rediscovering my old hardware and software and comparing it to my current system which is a streaming based set up with a Cambridge CXN as the front end and a pair of Magneplanar 1.7s producing the sound. An Odyssey power amp is currently supplying the high current needed to drive the power hungry Maggies.
The old system performs as I remember it and puts a smile on my face as I hear my albums as I first heard them back in the 70s and beyond. My Linn Sondek with Rega RB100 arm performs well, though it would undoubtedly benefit from a service and possible re-build. My Croft Super Micro is as good as I remember it, though I am now using it as a line preamp alongside an EAR valve phono amp. My Art Audio Quintet still sounds marvellous, especially since it was refurbished and re-valved by the manufacture, and is the ideal amp to drive my 1979 Rogers LS3/5a speakers. I have also been rediscovering an Antique Sound Labs Integrated Valve amp that I bought around 8 years ago when I was temporarily back in the UK, but which joined the rest of the equipment in storage shortly after I bought it, when I went off to northern Vietnam. The latter is an EL84 based design that is reminiscent of the Rogers Cadet III that I bought second hand in the 80's but with more power and dynamics. The original, and hardly used valves got lost in storage so I recently bought a completely new valve set (matched quads). The performance of the latter unit is perhaps the biggest surprise of all. Out of curiosity I tried using it to drive the Maggies, a pairing that should not have worked at all. However, it sounded superb albeit at moderate listening levels. When paired with my LS3/5a speakers, the synergy was excellent, and one might easily be persuaded that the ASL amp was designed exclusively for the LS3/5a.
I am now in a quandary. Like many of this Forum's other members, I just have too much kit. Whilst I have a fondness for the old electronics I am hoping to return to the tropics and I am currently looking at some long term overseas assignments. The prospect of putting everything back in storage does not appeal,not least due the high costs of storage. I have now completed ripping my CD collection to lossless files and so I no longer face the high costs and inconvenience of shipping my cd out either. I can fit most of my music on a pair of 3tb drives (one a duplicate for safety as the process of ripping the cds was tortuous). When I next go overseas it will be with a streaming solid state system. The question is: what stays and what goes? I shall be debating that in the weeks ahead!
I am now in the UK having spent the best part of the last 20 years working on development projects in tropical climes! During that time my classic hifi system was in long term storage including a large number of pristine vinyl albums (1000 ++). Clearly, vinyl is not suited to the dry air of the Namib Desert, nor the ultra humidity of Bangladesh (especially during the monsoon season). Likewise, the heat generated by my various valve electronics would have tipped the balance in my efforts to create a habitable living environment,notwithstanding industrial grade a/c units. Having now unpacked all the stuff that was in storage I have progressively been rediscovering my old hardware and software and comparing it to my current system which is a streaming based set up with a Cambridge CXN as the front end and a pair of Magneplanar 1.7s producing the sound. An Odyssey power amp is currently supplying the high current needed to drive the power hungry Maggies.
The old system performs as I remember it and puts a smile on my face as I hear my albums as I first heard them back in the 70s and beyond. My Linn Sondek with Rega RB100 arm performs well, though it would undoubtedly benefit from a service and possible re-build. My Croft Super Micro is as good as I remember it, though I am now using it as a line preamp alongside an EAR valve phono amp. My Art Audio Quintet still sounds marvellous, especially since it was refurbished and re-valved by the manufacture, and is the ideal amp to drive my 1979 Rogers LS3/5a speakers. I have also been rediscovering an Antique Sound Labs Integrated Valve amp that I bought around 8 years ago when I was temporarily back in the UK, but which joined the rest of the equipment in storage shortly after I bought it, when I went off to northern Vietnam. The latter is an EL84 based design that is reminiscent of the Rogers Cadet III that I bought second hand in the 80's but with more power and dynamics. The original, and hardly used valves got lost in storage so I recently bought a completely new valve set (matched quads). The performance of the latter unit is perhaps the biggest surprise of all. Out of curiosity I tried using it to drive the Maggies, a pairing that should not have worked at all. However, it sounded superb albeit at moderate listening levels. When paired with my LS3/5a speakers, the synergy was excellent, and one might easily be persuaded that the ASL amp was designed exclusively for the LS3/5a.
I am now in a quandary. Like many of this Forum's other members, I just have too much kit. Whilst I have a fondness for the old electronics I am hoping to return to the tropics and I am currently looking at some long term overseas assignments. The prospect of putting everything back in storage does not appeal,not least due the high costs of storage. I have now completed ripping my CD collection to lossless files and so I no longer face the high costs and inconvenience of shipping my cd out either. I can fit most of my music on a pair of 3tb drives (one a duplicate for safety as the process of ripping the cds was tortuous). When I next go overseas it will be with a streaming solid state system. The question is: what stays and what goes? I shall be debating that in the weeks ahead!