View Full Version : So what did Santa bring you this Christmas - any nice audio goodies?
As the title says - did anyone here get any nice audio goodies for Christmas, such as LPs, CDs, or even hardware?
I have to confess this year our presents to one another were non-audio related: jewellery and perfume for elle, and clothing pour moi.
I did buy a few CDs from a charity shop - one of which I found I already have when I got home! (:doh:)
I got nothing audio-related. No wait, I got nothing at all - except 4 white Hugo Boss t-shirts off my brother. Which I forgot to bring home with me.
Three watches, rum and some puzzles
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20251230/cf14b7625ef3267fb48afd7a8a4f69ef.jpg
Pete The Cat
30-12-2025, 15:23
Propaganda 'A Secret Wish' LP.
Back in the day I had it on cassette, which was then replaced by CD.
I felt it was time to fill the obvious gap in my life and asked Santa for a vinyl copy.
Pigmy Pony
30-12-2025, 16:20
I got nothing audio-related. No wait, I got nothing at all - except 4 white Hugo Boss t-shirts off my brother. Which I forgot to bring home with me.
I've got something for you, but you'll have to wait till the New Year :)
Pigmy Pony
30-12-2025, 16:27
Not a lot this year, as Anita and me decided our new telly was our gift to ourselves.
Ummagumma on vinyl.
Yello "The Eye" on CD.
Billie Eilish "When we all fall asleep, where do we go?" on CD.
And that's it. Oh, and a woolly hat, which actually does affect the tonal balance of my kit when worn indoors. So maybe that counts.
Might be a bit more music heading my way come Thursday, no idea what.
Ali Tait
30-12-2025, 16:32
Was before Christmas, but I did get a PS Audio Powerplant 10 for £500. Bargain!
Might be a bit more music heading my way come Thursday, no idea what.
Will Thursday be your birthday? :)
I've got something for you, but you'll have to wait till the New Year :)
Exciting!
Was before Christmas, but I did get a PS Audio Powerplant 10 for £500. Bargain!
https://media1.tenor.com/m/lBPGdhDqxJcAAAAC/keanu-reeves-whoa.gif
A 2nd spendy purple Dutch i2s cable to hook up the CD Transport
(having figured out i2s was better than usb on my Dac)
Be here in about 4 weeks, so yeah, happy Christmas Me.
I've got something for you, but you'll have to wait till the New Year :)
Calling it…
6 Pack of Elmo socks
Wakefield Turntables
30-12-2025, 19:52
Some more vinyl. I did buy a pair of Falcon gold badge LS3/5a's in September, do they count?
Pigmy Pony
30-12-2025, 20:03
Will Thursday be your birthday? :)
That it is, I'll be 68 years young :) Only downside is that come midnight I get a barrage of pissed New Year revellers wishing me happy birthday and expecting a reply :( Actually these days not so much a barrage, more like a couple.
Pigmy Pony
30-12-2025, 20:07
Calling it…
6 Pack of Elmo socks
Bloody hell, do you think I'm made of money? More likely a six pack of Polo mints :)
Bloody hell, do you think I'm made of money? More likely a six pack of Polo mints :)
Thought I'd be doing well there for a minute, socks and that.
Firebottle
30-12-2025, 20:31
I'm treating myself to some new hardware, it's an itch I have to scratch.
Ordering it tomorrow but will be 2-3 weeks before it arrives.
That it is, I'll be 68 years young :) Only downside is that come midnight I get a barrage of pissed New Year revellers wishing me happy birthday and expecting a reply :( Actually these days not so much a barrage, more like a couple.
You will get an automated Birthday greeting from the Forum on the day: no jingles, no singing, just silent plain text. :rolleyes:
I'm treating myself to some new hardware, it's an itch I have to scratch.
Ordering it tomorrow but will be 2-3 weeks before it arrives.
Oh…
watching with interest!
Pigmy Pony
30-12-2025, 22:37
You will get an automated Birthday greeting from the Forum on the day: no jingles, no singing, just silent plain text. :rolleyes:
And I will treasure it always. Well until the next day when it will be someone else's turn :)
Ali Tait
31-12-2025, 09:41
https://media1.tenor.com/m/lBPGdhDqxJcAAAAC/keanu-reeves-whoa.gif
I know, less than a tenth of the original retail. In perfect nick too. Mostly wanted it to drop my mains voltage- frequently over 250 here. Was getting some mechanical noise from my phono stage and preamp, both valve. Dropping the volts to 230 has solved that. Hasn't done any harm to SQ either. :-)
Not audio related, but it does make a sound - a “gluggle jug” - as the name implies, it glugs when you use it. (Plus a set of stacking fish glasses.)
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20251231/b905491df2ef7977fe37465aa79172cf.jpg
I know, less than a tenth of the original retail. In perfect nick too. Mostly wanted it to drop my mains voltage- frequently over 250 here. Was getting some mechanical noise from my phono stage and preamp, both valve. Dropping the volts to 230 has solved that. Hasn't done any harm to SQ either. :-)
The voltage in the UK is 230V +10/-6 %, or 216 - 253V. The latter tolerance band is to allow the distribution system and the equipment it powers to remain at 240V. It is not that unusual for the the UK voltage to be 250V; according to the display on the mains conditioner I use with the TV, it often reads close to 250, though I have no idea of the accuracy.
In China the voltage is 220V. There were a lot of reports of early Chinese electrical products failing after a short time when used in the UK, presumably due to overvoltage. I assume that newer Chinese made audio items are now more robust and can take the higher voltage.
The voltage in the UK is 230V +10/-6 %, or 216 - 253V. The latter tolerance band is to allow the distribution system and the equipment it powers to remain at 240V. It is not that unusual for the the UK voltage to be 250V; according to the display on the mains conditioner I use with the TV, it often reads close to 250, though I have no idea of the accuracy.
In China the voltage is 220V. There were a lot of reports of early Chinese electrical products failing after a short time when used in the UK, presumably due to overvoltage. I assume that newer Chinese made audio items are now more robust and can take the higher voltage.
Voltage in China will also vary greatly depending on location and time of day. I wouldn't be surprised if they have much greater variations than we do.
As with any country's products there is properly designed and engineered equipment, and tat. And some points in between. Buy cheap buy twice regardless of where it was made.
In China it is 220V +/- 10%, so actually a little worse than here in the UK. However the nominal voltage in China is still 20V lower than that of the UK.
I can remember when things like amplifiers used to have a mains voltage selector (usually mounted on the mains transformer) to allow for the various different voltages we had before the creation of the national grid distribution network.
Firebottle
03-01-2026, 19:51
Oh…
watching with interest!
Well I have just collected a new piece of hardware, completely unrelated to the one I have ordered :doh:
Although I don't have lots of money to throw at hifi these days, I am keeping a watching brief as I am sure a lot do.
The Fosi Audio ZD3 Dac peaked my interest. Most new Dac's have amazing specifications these days and I was wondering 'how does it sound though?
A line from a review I found struck a chord 'It is indeed eagerly truthful, but it is absolutely not without a personality on its own.'
I suppose there will always be that combination of Dac chip, filter implementation and Op-amp characteristics that make the 'personality' just referred to.
Fosi actually offer op-amp rolling as the output chips are socketed on purpose.
https://www.avsforum.com/attachments/new-1-jpg.3693994/?auto=webp&fit=bounds&format=pjgp&height=1920&optimize=high&width=1920
Well what do you know? There was a used one near me and I bagged it for £110, well chuffed.
Only had a short time with it but it does sound well sorted.
In comparison to the SMSL D300 I was using the D300 sounds dry, the ZD3 gives a more enjoyable sound.
The supplied PSU is a switching wall wart so the performance will definitely improve when i get my hands on an LPSU.
Will post more when I have had the opportunity of other comparisons.
Well I have just collected a new piece of hardware, completely unrelated to the one I have ordered :doh:
Although I don't have lots of money to throw at hifi these days, I am keeping a watching brief as I am sure a lot do.
The Fosi Audio ZD3 Dac peaked my interest. Most new Dac's have amazing specifications these days and I was wondering 'how does it sound though?
A line from a review I found struck a chord 'It is indeed eagerly truthful, but it is absolutely not without a personality on its own.'
I suppose there will always be that combination of Dac chip, filter implementation and Op-amp characteristics that make the 'personality' just referred to.
Fosi actually offer op-amp rolling as the output chips are socketed on purpose.
https://www.avsforum.com/attachments/new-1-jpg.3693994/?auto=webp&fit=bounds&format=pjgp&height=1920&optimize=high&width=1920
Well what do you know? There was a used one near me and I bagged it for £110, well chuffed.
Only had a short time with it but it does sound well sorted.
In comparison to the SMSL D300 I was using the D300 sounds dry, the ZD3 gives a more enjoyable sound.
The supplied PSU is a switching wall wart so the performance will definitely improve when i get my hands on an LPSU.
Will post more when I have had the opportunity of other comparisons.
Nice one Alan, is that a Wiim I see further down the photo? Thought of getting the Fosi ZA3 amp myself as another back up!
i have had a look at these as well, as I'm interested in a half-width unit that is also finished in black. Sadly the Fossi DAC does not have a headphone socket, which is what my TEAC has (but it's a silver colour!).
Firebottle
03-01-2026, 20:49
Nice one Alan, is that a Wiim I see further down the photo? Thought of getting the Fosi ZA3 amp myself as another back up!
Not my picture James..
Ali Tait
03-01-2026, 20:57
The voltage in the UK is 230V +10/-6 %, or 216 - 253V. The latter tolerance band is to allow the distribution system and the equipment it powers to remain at 240V. It is not that unusual for the the UK voltage to be 250V; according to the display on the mains conditioner I use with the TV, it often reads close to 250, though I have no idea of the accuracy.
In China the voltage is 220V. There were a lot of reports of early Chinese electrical products failing after a short time when used in the UK, presumably due to overvoltage. I assume that newer Chinese made audio items are now more robust and can take the higher voltage.
Yes I'm aware, have spent the last 40 years building things that connect to the grid. :-)
Was getting a fair bit of mechanical noise from my Modwright phono and Graaf preamp. Dialled back to 230v, all is quiet.
Today i noted the display on my mains conditioner read 231V and a little later it read 234V; a bit better than 250V.
Not my picture James..
:thumbsup:
I swapped out my Chang Hong A5U projector for a Hisense PX3 Pro. I did this after multiple visits to Currys to look at real 100 inch televisions i.e. Hisense U8, LG QNED86, Samsung QN90F.
The Samsung was easily the most acceptable but at £6K a bit more than I wanted to spend.
The PX3 Pro was £1599 from Richer Sounds with a 6 year guarantee. I bought it unseen. Really wanted a Nexigo Aurora II but it is apparently unreliable and costs £900 more with no decent warranty with return to the States if it goes wrong.
There has been a big leap in UST performance since I bought the Chang Hong. So for the £1599 outlay I am very happy indeed.
I also ordered a completely new set of output transistors for one of my Accuphase M-60 power amps. If that goes OK I will do the same for my other monoblock.
Also ordered a AIYIMA T20 Vacuum Tube Preamplifier just to play around with:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwdfS6c
dave2010
06-01-2026, 09:19
I bought a present for the living room - Cambridge Audio Streamer - CXN100 - mentioned elsewhere.
I'm still trying to figure it out, but the audio quality through the speakers seems very good on good digital data streams.
The SQ does depend on the stream though, and while some are now actually high bit rate with more bits/sample and FLAC, some are still pretty abysmal low level mp3 or equivalent DAB data levels.
Using tablets or phones as controllers is both a good thing, and a curse.
For some it would be a blessing - but it could be a total pain if a flat battery on a phone meant that it became hard to listen to one's favourite channel.
Also, as with video, differentiating between Live broadcasts and On Demand broadcasts can be a concern - and I've not figured that out yet.
The BBC iPlayer is one of the best interfaces for end users - though I still wonder if the data rates are different for the on demand streams.
As an example of the kind of issue, I found a high bit rate stream from France Musique and listened to some electronic music.
I then noticed that the Marriage of Figaro had been scheduled the day before, and tried to access that.
So far I've not been able to - and I don't even know if it's possible - it may be, but maybe not.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.