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Thread: Cool Old Kit You Never Heard Of

  1. #151
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony View Post
    How would you say the Revox sounds and operates compared to modern players Barry? Are they reliable? Are the parts readily available? I would imagine back when it was made there wasn't much variation in the way they worked. Either Sony- or Philips-based, though I stand to be corrected.
    The C221 uses a Philips CDM-4/19 swing-arm laser disc mechanism. Not surprising that a Swiss/German company would use a disc reader made by another European manufacturer.

    The performance of the C221 was very good, but it did have a number of quirks when it came to use in a domestic setting:
    (a) as intended for broadcast use, it will only play the track selected and no other.
    (b) to override this setting, some of the unwanted features need to be switched off.
    (c) to maintain the removed features setting configuration, the player has to be kept switched on, and to do this a CD disc has to be left in the drawer.
    Finally the player is fussy about the discs it plays: it can get upset with CD-R discs.

    One of the reasons I chose it, despite its quirks, was it was a professional studio player and hence expected to be reliable, and it had XLR balanced outputs.

    I changed it to a Mark Levinson ML390 as it was an ambition of mine to have a complete Levinson system (apart from the speakers), and I was starling to tire of the above listed quirks with the C221.
    Barry

  2. #152
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

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    Not old, and I have heard of it, my ultimate 'science lab' amp:



    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.

  3. #153
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

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    Wouldn't knock this back either...



    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.

  4. #154
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 38,004
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Not old, and I have heard of it, my ultimate 'science lab' amp:



    Marco.
    The knobs look cheap and plastic in my view. Certainly not professional looking. I like the provision of three phono inputs, but don't know how their input impedance are set.

    Still given the name of the unit and the three phono inputs, it would go well with my three Thorens 124/II decks!
    Last edited by Barry; 27-09-2026 at 11:35.
    Barry

  5. #155
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 38,004
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Wouldn't knock this back either...



    Marco.
    Much better - the 19" rack fittings make it look professional, but unless the inputs and outputs are balanced XLR type (except of course the PHONO inputs), it is not really a piece of professional kit that would be used in a broadcast studio.
    Barry

  6. #156
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,829
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    The knobs look cheap and plastic in my view. Certainly not professional looking. I like the provision of three phono inputs, but don't know how their input impedance are set.

    Still given the name of the unit and the three phono inputs, it would go well with my three Thorens 124/II decks!
    Yeah, I agree about the knobs, but I just love the overall stying of it. Perhaps not professional looking, but I think quite 'lab like'.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.

  7. #157
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,673
    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Not old, and I have heard of it, my ultimate 'science lab' amp:



    Marco.
    I like that. Seen it before somewhere and seem to recall it was supposed to be a bit special.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  8. #158
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,829
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    Much better - the 19" rack fittings make it look professional, but unless the inputs and outputs are balanced XLR type (except of course the PHONO inputs), it is not really a piece of professional kit that would be used in a broadcast studio.
    I think the inputs and outputs were XLR. I also think it was all valve, which appeals to me, and it's reputedly good sounding.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.

  9. #159
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,829
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    I like that. Seen it before somewhere and seem to recall it was supposed to be a bit special.
    Indeed...

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.

  10. #160
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 38,004
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Re the Thöress preamp:

    All Thöress audio products are made in Germany, and all use valve technology and 'point to point' circuitry (that is no PCBs). To quote from the manufacturer:

    Hand made in limited quantity by Reinhard Thöress in Germany. All NOS tube: Preamplifier and Phono amplifier, hard-wired triode amps with hand-wound transformers.


    The construction looks impeccable, as can be seen from the following photos:





    And they get a good review from TNT Audio: https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A2RS...bSTjpMkGy_lHI-

    Although I like the look of the style of the rotary controls, they do look cheap, and certainly out of place on a piece of kit costing €8,200.
    Barry

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