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Thread: mostly Croft

  1. #1
    Join Date: Feb 2012

    Location: Estonia

    Posts: 145
    I'm ahto.

    Default mostly Croft

    I've been a very incidental poster over the years, being mostly a browser by nature. seeing as a short burst of posting activity seems to have netted me signature privileges and an upgrade from "new member" to "member," however, the time seems to have come to take things to a new level. what better way to do that I suppose than to offer up a few photos of my system (taken with an iPad, so don't expect too much).

    sometime in the previous decade I became aware of the existence of Croft. liked what I saw and read. I'd bought a full set of Alchemist Kraken boxes in 2001 and got sucked into the hobby slowly. my first Croft piece was a Vitale preamp, at some point I acquired a Series 7. then a Micro 25. between the Vitale and Micro 25 came a Fletcher 0.3, which got fleshed out with a Cartridge Man Conductor tonearm and a Music Maker III (I'd had a Rega P3 previously). then I bought a Leak Troughline III GTA (featuring the non-audiophile version of the Graham Tricker decoder). then my last piece of Alchemist, the APD9 CD player, got replaced by a Wadia 121 DAC & a Vecteur D-2.2 transport (which I swapped for my now redundant AudioMods V tonearm).

    then a big step forward last year: saw a Mega Micro II on ebay which failed to sell. contacted the seller, secured it, had it sent to Glenn Croft, invested quite a bit of money into its overhaul. a couple of months later bought a 7R and sent it along with my Series 7 to be upgraded into 7R monos. also bought a pair of Usher Mini Dancer 2 DMDs just before I got the 7Rs (had Opera Quintas before). they go low, they go high, they do credit to the valvey midrange.

    there's an ineffable allure to playing your music through bespoke equipment. Glenn Croft is everything I've read people say he is and then some more. I've also had some incredibly pleasant experiences communicating with Len Gregory, Jeff Spall, John Wright (& there are others).

    end of story.

    well OK there's been a fair bit of tube rolling going on at all times. I like what I have in the various machines right now (Brimar & Philips Miniwatt NOS ECC83s, Tung-Sol black plate & Philips ECG NOS 12BH7As, not to mention the Mullards in the TLIII & mostly Mullards in the Mega Micro II PSU).

    these days I mostly listen to FM radio. the uncompressed sound coming through a total of 30 valves is something to behold even without a Galaxie aerial. but the party pieces are well-recorded 45 RPM singles played at full blast, which have yet to fail to produce a silly grin on the face of whoever's sat in the listening seat.

    to pictures:

    the system (the planks have warped, but all the heavy DIY wood has brought a serious improvement to the sound. i'm looking at replacing the planks with 300 year old oak. seriously.):


    the Croft Mega Micro II preamp section


    inside the preamp:


    inside the Croft Mega Micro II PSU (12 valves all told...)


    the 7R monos side by side


    inside one of the 7R monos


    the turntable & the tone arm:


    the tuner:


    the transport:


    one of the speakers (the white streaks are specks of dust in a beam of sunlight. really):


    forgot the DAC, but it looks the same as all Wadia 121s. mine sits on tennis balls.

    OK, a bonus pic with the DAC in it:
    Last edited by eksiil; 18-10-2016 at 17:59.
    Lenco L75 in a very heavy plinth /Hadcock 228 /London Decca Blue /Croft SMA IV Octal with separate 2020 PSU/ Croft 7R monos /Harbeth SHL5

    Fletcher .3 /Hadcock 228 / Denon 103R/ Croft HeadAmp /Croft Mega Micro II (2015) /Croft Series 5 MkIi /Markaudio SOTA Cesti B

    Leak Troughline III GTA / Vecteur D-2.2 / Wadia 121 / Katana, Isolator & RPi /RFC & AntiCable

  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Great stuff... love the tom fletcher and the use of old hardwood is great.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
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  3. #3
    Join Date: Feb 2012

    Location: Estonia

    Posts: 145
    I'm ahto.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    Great stuff... love the tom fletcher and the use of old hardwood is great.
    very much obliged. also very glad to be on this forum. I should have got all this out of my system much sooner
    Lenco L75 in a very heavy plinth /Hadcock 228 /London Decca Blue /Croft SMA IV Octal with separate 2020 PSU/ Croft 7R monos /Harbeth SHL5

    Fletcher .3 /Hadcock 228 / Denon 103R/ Croft HeadAmp /Croft Mega Micro II (2015) /Croft Series 5 MkIi /Markaudio SOTA Cesti B

    Leak Troughline III GTA / Vecteur D-2.2 / Wadia 121 / Katana, Isolator & RPi /RFC & AntiCable

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jul 2011

    Location: Northamptonshire

    Posts: 1,914
    I'm Peter.

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    Lovely system .. I particularly like the turntable/arm/cartridge

    I'm curious as to how an Estonian ended up with such a 'British' system?

  5. #5
    Join Date: Feb 2012

    Location: Estonia

    Posts: 145
    I'm ahto.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by petrat View Post
    Lovely system .. I particularly like the turntable/arm/cartridge

    I'm curious as to how an Estonian ended up with such a 'British' system?
    many thanks for the kind words.

    if I had to provide one single reason then it'd have to be ease of communication with the hifi "greats." personal touch is a great persuader.
    Lenco L75 in a very heavy plinth /Hadcock 228 /London Decca Blue /Croft SMA IV Octal with separate 2020 PSU/ Croft 7R monos /Harbeth SHL5

    Fletcher .3 /Hadcock 228 / Denon 103R/ Croft HeadAmp /Croft Mega Micro II (2015) /Croft Series 5 MkIi /Markaudio SOTA Cesti B

    Leak Troughline III GTA / Vecteur D-2.2 / Wadia 121 / Katana, Isolator & RPi /RFC & AntiCable

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jul 2011

    Location: Northamptonshire

    Posts: 1,914
    I'm Peter.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by eksiil View Post
    many thanks for the kind words.

    if I had to provide one single reason then it'd have to be ease of communication with the hifi "greats." personal touch is a great persuader.
    Well you certainly picked three of the best in Len Gregory, Tom Fletcher and Glenn Croft, that's for sure!

  7. #7
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,772
    I'm Martin.

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    Really great system and a great write-up.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: Derbyshire

    Posts: 9,228
    I'm Josie.

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    Lovely system. I just know that system will sound superb.

    I just love the rack... that is smashing

    Thanks for posting
    Ultrafide U500DC power amplifier - Croft Vitale )highly modified) - TRIO L-07D Turntable - Denon DL103C1 - Funk Firm Houdini - Lentek MC head amp - 15" Tannoy Monitor Gold Loudspeakers in Lockwood Major cabinets (From Trident Studios) - Tannoyista SPEC 3 Custom Crossovers - VanDamme Black Speaker Cable


    Tannoyista.com

    Facebook

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Birmingham

    Posts: 6,772
    I'm James.

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    A man after my own heart. Fantastic stuff and I am sure it sounds stunning. The very solid equipment supports are great and I am sure the massive size of the wood helps with damping?

    Have you thought of sticking a Decca cartridge on that Deck?
    Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702

    Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2

  10. #10
    Join Date: Feb 2012

    Location: Estonia

    Posts: 145
    I'm ahto.

    Default

    many thanks again for all the kind comments.

    the rack does make a difference. there's a palpable firmness to the sound (everything is anchored in its own place against a very dark background is the closest I think I can get to putting it into words) that wasn't there before I installed it (the timber weighs some 50 kilos all told). horses for courses though, especially given the admittedly low WAF factor.

    in terms of the writeup -- I used to be a journalist, so there may be an unfair advantage in it somewhere.

    re trying a Decca -- I had one (a Classic rebuilt by John Wright). I never got round to installing it though because (1) the MM3 is so satisfying with what I usually listen to & (2) having it preyed on mind a little, like having a Ferrari in your garage -- nice to have, but reputedly a fearsome effort to drive. so I sold it untried (needed the funds). still regret it. it remains an itch unscratched.
    Last edited by eksiil; 18-10-2016 at 19:18.
    Lenco L75 in a very heavy plinth /Hadcock 228 /London Decca Blue /Croft SMA IV Octal with separate 2020 PSU/ Croft 7R monos /Harbeth SHL5

    Fletcher .3 /Hadcock 228 / Denon 103R/ Croft HeadAmp /Croft Mega Micro II (2015) /Croft Series 5 MkIi /Markaudio SOTA Cesti B

    Leak Troughline III GTA / Vecteur D-2.2 / Wadia 121 / Katana, Isolator & RPi /RFC & AntiCable

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