You can catch him on the Wam + pfm (I think)
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Location: Chichester, West Sussex UK
Posts: 368
I'm John.
You can catch him on the Wam + pfm (I think)
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Money may not make me happy.
But it helps me afford the kind of misery I prefer.
SYSTEM 1:
Analogue.
Brinkmann Bardo / 12" OL Enterprise Mk4 / Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum /BigBottle mk3 /MFA Baby Reference Pre/Nord One UP SE NC500M/Martin Logan Summit
Digital.
Docet Lector CDP-7TL mkiii/Pimped Bluesound Node2 + BOTW SBooster Lps/ Pimped Mk1 Jolida Fx Glass DAC.
Wires etc.
Audioplan Musicable ICs & TQ Black ll SC, assorted branded kettle leads.
Target TT shelf & Alphason 5 shelf rack.
Power Inspired AG1500S mains regen.
SYSTEM 2: Back to the 80s.
Garrard 401, RB250, A&R P77Mg / Mk1 Marantz CD63 SE / Sony TC-FX150 / Sansui T500L / Cambridge Audio C50 + 2x A50 as bridged monos (mid 80s Stan Curtis's design) / or KEF 104ab/ Original 80s Monster Cable IC, DNM SC / Target 5 shelf rack.
SPARE KIT:
A&R E77Mg
Ortofon 2M Silver + Blue stylus
Philips CD600
Arcam Alpha 8P
Pro-Ject DacBox S FL
CCA
FiiO Taishan
Heybrook HB1 S2
Q Acoustics 3050
CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /
CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 47
I'm Zander.
Thank you.
CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 47
I'm Zander.
I have spent a few days reading all of Ollie's posts in the trade section and had an incognito roam around audio addicts too.
I sent him a message last night and asked about the longevity of the product, after-sales support and ongoing component availability.
Knowing that small manufacturers rarely keep stock of spare parts, this was of grave concern to me.
He responded within minutes, which is a good sign. I left the DM exchange feeling quite confident of there being support, should I need it. Has anyone ever had to send anything bought from Bigbottle back for repair? What was the outcome?
I read a post from Reffc (The Tannoy guy @RFC I think) that he sent his there after his DIY attempt was problematic and when it came back it was better than ever.
But he is a dealer and I am always cautious about their public experiences.
Any feedback of the actual experience of dealing with Bigbottle Audio would be a great help. The Sound Quality can really only be determined by the listener's ear, so whilst it's good to hear the positive reaction to the unit, I am now more interested in the customer experience.
You'll be OK dealing with Oliver, he's keen and young(ish ) and I'm sure he'll keep stocks of components. He's also mates with Firebottle (Alan) , who should also be able to find any parts needed and seems willing to take on servicing etc. Not sure quite why Oliver doesn't contribute here any more, but I guess his own forum keeps him busy.
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
Well from personal experience I can only say positive things. First of all Oli is a top chap. Very responsive as you say and I believe him wholeheartedly when he says that if any problems were to arise he would do anything he can to help. I think the only thing that could go wrong really is a component failure of some sort ,which is out of his hands and could happen in any piece of equipment anywhere. The other thing is valve failure. if either of these things happen it’s a cheap fix replacing a resistor or capacitor or whatever it may be. He uses top class parts throughout so I think that would be a rare case. The circuit is tried and tested and has been around a few years now to know wether there would be anything of major concern. The latest MK3 version with FET boards upgrade has really taken this thing on into the big leagues .
I also know that Alan (mr firebottle and chief designer) would also likely be available to help should you need it as he puts his reputation (which is stellar i might add) on the line with his products . Alan is well know round here for his excellent work and always willing to help out, even with equipment that is not his own. This is the second one of his great phonostages I have owned and I’ve not had a single problem with any.
I sent my first one back for an upgrade 3 years ago now and it’s still going strong . The new one has performed flawlessly for months now. It’s stunning !!!! Seriously stunning
I think the RFC problem was one of personal error and not the phonostage itself if I remember rightly, and he was also initially trying to put the EI transformer in the same box as the phono board which is a big no no and hindered the performance. He sent it back to Oli who sorted it , and it went back performing better or at least as good as the Tron , which is another excellent stage.
Honestly if you want about 3 grands worth of retail performance for about 1200 quid then it’s an absolute no brainer. If you’re handy you can build one yourself for much less but Oli really goes to town with sifting bags and bags of bits for a no compromise ultra matching of all components for perfect channel balance and increased performance.
Worse thing that could happen is something small, insignificant and easily fixable fails sometime down the line (potentially years) and it will cost you postage to send it back and the price of a part to fix. I think the most expensive single thing in it is well under 50 quid. I’ve no doubt oli/alan would be first in the queue but if they both somehow managed to disappear in a puff of smoke one of the many other clever electronics guys around here would help sort it for you for relative peanuts. All you’d have to do is ask.
For me it’s a non issue and the performance was worth the educated gamble I took. I trusted many of the other guys on the forums judgment as they’ve been around the block with these things and EVERY person had glowing reviews of the newest version. Alan personally told me that it would easily see off my Whest and he was right. I knew within ten minutes that my Whest 2.2 would be finding a new home and that is considered by many to be the best sub 2k phono around .
Anyway that’s my 2p worth. I hope you make a decision soon and find a nice suitable phono. Good luck
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CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /