I have to say Mark, you really are taking this seriously! Hats off to you - but don't forget it's a marathon, not a sprint! :eyebrows: ;)
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I have to say Mark, you really are taking this seriously! Hats off to you - but don't forget it's a marathon, not a sprint! :eyebrows: ;)
Alex, what's going to be the ruling on "out of a skip" items, as i foresee loads of top quality gear being found in these big bins over the comming months:eyebrows:
Also the likes of components for upgrades, which can cost a bomb will suddenly turn up out of a loft or be donated by an old friend etc.:eyebrows:
Sorry to dump it on you but it's your baby Alex, i think a rule book should be drawn up ASAP.
OK, point taken! I don't think I realised it would be so competitive! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jac Hawk
I just enjoy fixing up old stuff. My spare room is looking a bit teaktastic at the moment with my recent acquisitions. I just got home with my other SP25, mounted in a rather lovely Fidelity radiogram sort of thing. Mine for the considerable sum of £9.99.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
I shall be declaring lubricants(for the hifi) and other bits and pieces, such as a gallon of teak oil and some sandpaper.
I am currently £17.50ish out of pocket for my amp, speakers and a turntabley sort of thing. I need a lot of the budget for a cartridge.
I shall try to sort some photos out soon of the bits and pieces and what I do with them.
Bought lovely old Heathkit speakers for 99p a few years back.
They are appreciated -I hope!! - every day by customers at my cafe, Royce Rolls Cafe in St Nicholas Market, Bristol, where I left them when I sold it and retired in 07.
forget the model name. Big 3 unit things.
Possibly the Heathkit equivalent of the KEF Concerto.Quote:
Originally Posted by hornucopia
wOw
THINGS HAVE MOVED ON, I read this when it was on page 1 and its 16 pages long now. Did any rules get drawn up, for instance can I donate some cables, reasonably priced of course, no point in using £1000 of speaker cables with a £100 system! I have a spare set of those belkin i/c's that frank was so impressed with also, so that is a fiver gone of the budget!
Would it be fairer to say £100 for amp/cd/speakers then cables and stands donated by anyone? Sorry if I am butting in, if not wanted no problemo.
Hi David, I need to sit down and finalise the rules, but all suggestions (like yours) still gratefully received.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mains Cables R Us
I'm already worrying about the logistics of people trying to arrive at Scalford with their systems on the day, and trying to squeeze them all into a room, and then how would they be judged? (Maybe each system would get a certain period of time, whoever heard it over that time would give the system a score, and then that is averaged? But then if only 1 person hears a system and thinks it is the bees knees, it wouldn't be very even...)
Oh, I should just mention that I did get as far as rule #1:
This is a FUN challenge, the overriding aim is for everyone to enjoy themselves, and not take it too seriously. In the event of any dispute or discrepency, please refer to Rule #1!
;)
I'll work on it further as soon as I can, but one other possibility is we could potentially organise a separate event for it, and make it a bit of an AoS get together - find a suitable town/village somewhere in the middle of the country near to a good pub! Rule #1 will definitely apply then! :)
I must have mis-understood because I thought it was a case of us buying components and assembling them on the day as a system, so for instance we spend the time up to the show scouring for items to put in the system say a cd player that punches well above its weight for good money, them some one else will have found an amp and speakers so instead of 20 people arriving with 20 systems the best items found by the AOS members will be worthy of inclusion in the system up to £100?
Maybe you misunderstood, maybe I didn't explain it very well! The idea is that each person spends £100 to build a system of their choice, but I did have it in mind that we would also end up doing some mixing and matching, which would be a really interesting exercise in experimenting with synergy in systems. But that then really leads us again to the issue of 20 people bringing 20 systems to Scalford... Oh I don't know - maybe this was a silly idea! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mains Cables R Us
With regards to the rules i propose the following......
- The £100 must be able to be accounted for by either a reciept or screen shot from ebay, so if you have a great amp but no proof of what it cost, then it's out.
- Equipment stands would not be considered part of the £100 system, but speakers, amp, cd player, cables and any sound enhancing mods would be.
- Only items purchased on or after the start date of this thread will be elligable for inclusion into the system.
- A formal entry would be needed, give a closing date for enteries, so that you know with plenty of time if it's possible to do it all on the day at Scalford, and the sort of room or rooms that will be needed.
- A panel of independent judges, say 3 people, mods or trade members who have donated a prize, who would listen to each system and award points on things like sound quality, and asthetics.
- As far as showing off his or her system, each competitor would be allowed to choose 3 pieces of music that they feel shows the full potential of their system.
Those are just a few ideas, i'm sure everyone has their own take on how it should be run, but it needs to be sorted ASAP...
Great - thanks Mike.
The only one I'm not sure on is the "Equipment Stands" one - I think it would make sense for a main equipment stand to be in place for everyone to use, but I'm not so sure on speaker stands given that the height and design is so particular to each speaker, and of course, some may opt for flooorstanders on the basis that this then negates the need for stands in the first place.
Anyone else like to suggest any rules, please?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jac Hawk
That was what i was thinking mate, a "supplied" rack but speaker stands are down to the individual and not included in the £100, also folks may want a dedicated TT stand or isolation platform.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
As the original suggested rules said that stands were to be included I have already invested in a rack and speaker stands. I think they should be included in the £100.
Yeah, I think you're right Mark - probably provide a bog-standard wooden table or whatever is available in the room, and leave people to invest in a rack if they want to gain the benefits (and from their budget of course.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dingdong
I was thinking more on space at the venue, think of it this way, 20 entries = 20 seperate racks and 20 sets of stands, where the fcuk are they going to be stored, far better have one stand and a TT isolation table, and 4 or 5 sets of speaker stands that the entrants can choose from, now i realise that mark has spent money, but honestly can you imagine how long its going to take for each competitor to set up his or her system from scratch, much easier and quicker for everyone to use the same rack and have like i said 4 or 5 sets of stands that the competitors can use.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
Alex(UK), did you get my email about the bits I have? Not sure I want to take part in exhibiting myself on this (I only need some cheapo speakers to make a set or two up myself...), but the offer's there;)
I'm happy to donate my £5 hifi rack for the challenge then if that suits everybody. It's the one I had a Scalford. I found it sounded best with a crate of beer on the bottom shelf:)
Great, i can bring a couple of sets of stands, one set of spiked Atacama SE stands, they are roughly 24 inches in height so great for small speakers, and a set of spiked Mordaunt Short adjustables.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dingdong
Can i ask what this topic is now about :lolsign:
the south american fruit bat i think :scratch:Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
ok i just lost the will to live by page 2 :D
I did, thanks Dave, not yet got round to replying yet (mental day entertaining family) but I have to be careful - I don't want to be accused of insider trading! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by DSJR
I have 17 amps but can't spare one..When you picking the RAMbo's up Alex ? :)
:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
Not had a response back from the seller, but I'm down there week after next if he can wait until then, if not, I'll make a special trip - rather not though at £1.35 a gallon and a car that does 30mpg! Lucky I removed postage/collection costs from the rules! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre
I reckon I've got about £40ish to spend on a cartridge. My ideas so far are for the obvious AT95e. But would something like a second hand Shure M75 with a replacement stylus be a better option? Any other ideas are most welcome.
Arm is mediumish in mass and is made from a lovely bit of Afromosia and ally.
Hi,
I have a spare Grado prestige black, almost new...£28.00 posted
Nigel
Hi Nigel,
Consider it sold. No need to post. I need to arrange to pop over and pick up your other Dm2's sometime. The pair I have have been given a scrub with a brillo pad and a few goings over with teak oil and they have come up quite well.
They sound pretty bloody good as well.
Thanks
Mark
Hi Mark,
I will contact you and arrange something.
Nigel
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWNX:IT
Just cleaned the nasty old grease off it and fiddled with the auto mechanism and it seems to work.
I've hooked up an old M95ED and it is producing some rather decent sound.
Brilliant purchaseQuote:
Originally Posted by Dingdong
Mine was rather more expensive, but hopefully will work out ok once I finally unpack it.
Is the Lab 80 good for 1.5g then? I've been pondering which cartridge to fit, and settled on the M55E as a possibility.
For anyone else wanting a cheap-as-chips vinyl spinner from the likes of Garrard, there are loads of SP25's on fleabay of various ages and conditions. Not the quietest running by any means, but with a Pickering V15-EV, Stanton 500V3, Ortofon OM Pro or Shure M44, they're safe enough, if not really modern-standard HiFi in all honesty. The AP76 comes up quite often and once the Garrard-Glue is removed and the auto trip is spotless, it's actually quite good with modern AT's, the Shure M97XE and I suspect most other "magnetics" tracking at 1.5 - 1.75g or so. A tragedy that Garrard's tolerances were so sloppy by this time.
There is a small weight in the headshell of mine. Couldn't tell you how heavy as I'd have to take it apart again. It seems to be made for the headshell and is attached by the cartridge screws. I set the force with my Shure balance thingummy and it works well. I tried to balance it up without the weight, but I couldn't bring the weight far enough forward.
I still get the tiniest bit of rumble that can be heard on the start and end of records. So far, and I only picked it up yesterday afternoon I'm preferring it to my TD160/3009II/VST-V.
I've got a couple of SP25's. One for 99p. The platter seems a bit lightweight to me. But I don't really know much.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
I very nearly took a gamble on this yesterday. I got outbid near the end.
Could have been a huge bargain, or a beaten up old SP25. I'll never know.
The SP25 mk1 and 2 used a solid cast 10.5" approx top platter on top of the pressed driving platter from the Autoslim donor. The result was an increased flywheel effect, slightly less rumble and a posher, more "laboratory" look ;) The lab 80 has a full sized solid casting I think, which is obviously better. Most of the "autoslim" Garrards went over to a 10.5" steel platter riveted to the inner by the late 60's.
The SP25mk3 onwards had an aluminium top-platter on top of the driving platter, but there may have been refinements in the motor to suit. Certainly, the performance was at least as good as the earlier ones and the arm linkages underneath had been improved.
I lost touch with these after the 125SB, a belt driven version with flimsy arm (which had lower friction than ever) and felt the GT55P to show everything good and bad about the brand by the mid 70's - gritty controls but good potential in the basic design still not fully realised. It was around this time I discovered the utter joys of the Dual 1229, which out-performed all the Garrards by a substantial margin. This led on to finding the lovely late 60's Dual 1019, which is still a lovely item to own and use.
Just got a good one :eyebrows: Pre & power amp in one, i can sort this :)
wow - gives you a lot of budget for source, speakers and cables, Mark! :eek:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reid Malenfant
As you can see Alex i'm going to be building speakers :rolleyes: Not again :doh:Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
If i can find a decent set of reasonably sized bass drivers i can use the power amp in that receiver to power them. I can stuff the active crossover in the receiver & use a couple of the input sockets as pre outs for mid & treble ;) Here are the £13.98 tweeters btw :lol: They still haven't arrived yet but i have no doubt they will...
So far it looks like i have spent £15.18, but i still have to sort PSUs for the HY60 power amps & factor in the costs of MDF, glue, screws etc :scratch:
Ah well, plenty of time yet :eyebrows:
Wow. That's £5.30 cheaper than my amp. I mustn't have tried hard enough. Good luck with the repair. I managed to fix mine for nowt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reid Malenfant
My Garrard is coming along nicely. It's lost its auto mechanism now and I've spent a bit of time polishing and cleaning the bearing and added an earth wire.
I'm surprised i was only the second bidder tbh :scratch: You should have seen my face light up when i realised the other person bidding was a n00b to ebay with 2 feedbacks :D I guess he/she knows what sniping is about now even though i do it manually - stuff using a program :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dingdong
I should imagine that's about how much this will cost to fix even if the transformer is stuffed or all the output transistors :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dingdong
Good luck & nice work with the record deck, me, i'm going the CD route ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reid Malenfant
I did cd in my £55 system at Scalford. I thought I might try something different. I have an idea for a pc based system using an old pc I was given and a touchscreen monitor that was getting thrown out as the psu had blown. It's a bit drawing board at the moment. Will see how it goes.
I found a pair of Project speaker stands in the loft. I'm happy to donate these for everybody to use along with my £5 rack if that suits.
A little something that might enter the fray ;)
Loadsa money left still :cool:
:lolsign: That amp just arrived ;) Mains fuse was blown so fitted the spare that was in the holder on the combined IEC/fuse mains connector &....
:rave: :mex:
Chuffed :cool:
Boxed as new with instructions & the outer box as well :champagne:
Nice one. That's a lot of watts for not a lot of money. It sometimes amazes me that people don't think of simple stuff like fuses. But his loss and all that...
Good grief........ now that's what I call a bargain :stalks:Quote:
Originally Posted by Reid Malenfant
Well tbh i don't think the seller spotted it ;) It was a combined IEC input with a fuseholder built in & it didn't say "fuse" on the fuseholder :rolleyes: Obviously i knew what it was as soon as i saw it as i have seen it all before :eyebrows:
I just levered it out, removed the blown fuse & fitted the spare that happened to be in part of it :lolsign:
Yep, bargain & i bet it doesn't sound bad either as it's not a piece of junk like some PA amps :)
Just noticed that it says AC Input & fuse printed just below it on the back panel... Ah well... No idea how it was missed then :scratch:
You have to laugh at this from his listing description;
:doh: feel a bit sorry for him really, especially as he seemed to like it!Quote:
Could be useful for spare parts or someone electrically minded who knows how to repair these things.
Ah, yes Tim in a way i agree ;) However for every one that loses some sellers gain :rolleyes: the Receiver i bought/won previously arrived in super condition, but with the whole power amplifier section missing :steam:Quote:
Originally Posted by GreatGig
Having looked carefully at the item condition for "spares or repair" it appears that bits can be missing & it's still ok :steam:
So i got a pre amp with 200W PSU for £1.20, i actually wanted to get the whole thing working minus the radio :rolleyes:
Bit of a disappointment but there you go, win some, lose some..
E2A:- i haven't bothered finding out if it works yet either, so other things might be duff!
Did you look inside the box to see if anything is there?