Hello from Strasbourg

[Frog-n-Oatcakes]

The day is mine!

Greetings from Strasbourg.

[Marco]

Hi Ritchie,

Welcome to AoS

Short and sweet, eh! What system have you got and what music do you like to listen to?

Marco.

[Frog-n-Oatcakes]

I am a vintage fanatic.

It began 20 years ago whilst I ate oatcakes and listened to my fathers tricked out Wharfedale system. He fuelled the mania that was about to ensue.

Now I have my own system...I have a strong preference towards vintage and broadcast equipment, especially Japanese equipment. I have owned almost all of the large Japanese direct drives, EMT's and Micro Seiki turntables, except the Onkyo PX-100. I had Thorens Reference serial number 2 for a while, then serial number 65. I currently have a Pioneer P3 and a few other beauties...and always searching for more.

From a digital point of view I am currently demoing an Accuphase DP-700, although it still cannot beat my japanese YAL YFD-18 18bit dac. Over the years I have owned most of the Accuphase cd players, CEC and a Philips LHH2000. My quest finally ended recently as I purchased the first broadcast cd player ever produced by Sony, only a handful exist. It has a console and seperate computer system and was sold to me by the president of the national recording and tv production company in Tokyo, like the guy behind Silbatone, he is a fanatic about vintage.

Amplification, I have tried most. I feel that I could and should do more to explore the DIY side and build my own. I have had big Accuphase monos, Berning OTL, Jadis, Leben, Shindo and McIntosh. I am venturing more into Vfet and SIT based amplifiers...on that note I acquired a Technics SE-A1, Yamaha C-1, B-1 and B-2. I believe that the early Yamaha Vfet designs, if slightly modified, could be very promising and blast away a Berning with ease.

Speakers...I leapfrogged many speakers to go for gold early on. I started with big Infinity speakers, Dynaudio Confidence 5 (I bought 3 pairs of these wonders), then Proac, Merlin VSM, all the Yamaha NS series...then TAD 2402. The TAD speakers emboddied most of what I wanted in a speaker. I now plan to make a DIY active speaker, probably a horn design.

Personally I am involved with audio on a professional level, along with agriculture, engineering and even bee keeping. I just develop passions and they become business. Engineer originally by profession, I worked for the EU as a kid developing robotics systems.

Err...thats it.

Edit...no it isn't. Music, I love all types of music, electronica, classical, jazz and rock. I am a rocker at heart I guess although I am moving into classical and big band.

[Rare Bird]

Hi Richie
Welcome. Good English btw

[Frog-n-Oatcakes]

Thats because I am from Stoke on Trent originally.

Hi Richie
Welcome. Good English btw

[Rare Bird]

I knew it

[Marco]

Stoke on Trent....Strasbourg..... Much of a muchness, really (if you're drunk).

I think there was also a clue in the name "Ritchie"!

Marco.

P.S Lovely part of France, btw.

[Rare Bird]

Tis.

Alsatian

[Frog-n-Oatcakes]

Ooop-laaaa (Alsatian)

Thanks for the warm welcome. How did my cunning disguise fail me?

[Marco]

Hehehe... So what do you prefer, Richie, Les vins d'Alsace or Kronenbourg?

Marco.