Hello Forum members. I'm Dave and can't quite understand how I've not been on this Forum before!
I've been into music and audio for most of my 50 plus years, which started when my late father had a 'proper' hifi system when we lived in the Middle East. It was all Japanese kit (Akai reel to reel, Sansui amps and speakers in lovely wood with wood grilles...those were the days eh!...and a turntable which make I can't recall, but also from the Orient). He played mainly classical music for hours. My elder brother then introduced me to rock and blues, genres I have stuck with pretty much since (although I never got into Captain Beefheart and Zappa that dominated hi LP collection). So my musical tastes tend mostly towards MOR, but I do like small ensemble classical, folk and what I term 'tuneful' jazz.
Over the years my equipment has evolved. I started with a Rega Planar 3 with Ultra tonearm feeding Mordant Short speakers through an obscure integrated amp (called a Reference). Moved on to a Pink Triangle PT Too with Syrinx PU3 and Decca Supergold (awesome dynamics!) feeding Myst pre/power into a succession of bookshelf speakers, the best by far being Heybrook HB2's. Then I upgraded to an Audiomeca J1 with Goldmund T3F arm and Benz Reference into a Tom Evans Groove (now upgraded several times internally to Groove Plus with separate PS), feeing a Jadis JPL (a honey) into Acoustat 2+2 electrostatic monoliths with their own 'active' tube amps. Awesome sound (IMHO) but speakers reached the ceiling and were ultimately a compromise too far. So with a few iterations I now have an Audiomeca Belladonna turntable with Septum arm (not a great name to be honest!) with the Benz Reference cartridge and still with the upgraded Groove. These feed a Pass Aleph P pre and Pass Aleph 2 monoblock power amps into Martin Logan CLS IIz's and a ML Descent subwoofer. I also use an Accuphase DP-77 SACD player.
As of today though things are in flux as my very understanding wife and I are planning early retirement to warmer climes than the UK. So the speakers and amps are to go. I have yet to finalise what to replace them with that sounds good and is domestically acceptable... current thinking is Sonus Fabers (Guarneri's or some such) fed by a hefty stereo amp, possibly integrated. The source gear will likely stay as is.
I'm looking forward to being a member of this Forum, and am happy to feed back any advice if people look at my audio gear history and have questions. Cheers, (and remember to listen to the whole of a track or preferably side of an LP and not just 10 second bursts!)