500 members - a small but significant milestone!

[Steve Toy]

Thanks for those kind words Anthony.

At this point I'd like say that Anthony will be building a range of components that will bear the AOS brand name.

So far these include modified Chinese valve power amps, a prototype pre that I own but we are hoping to see the launch of the AOS mains filter in the near future.

I've not heard one of these but Marco has and will no doubt soon come along and tell us how it will benefit a system.

[Marco]

Peter,

There was a magazine that came out in the early 80s, might have been called the flat response, or something like that. I saw one or two issues. I believe that's where the flat earth malarkey started.

Ah yes, 'The Flat Response'. I've heard of it but never read it. I only got into 'serious' hi-fi around 1982 so the magazine passed me buy. I don't think I started reading hi-fi magazines seriously until the late 80s. Do you remember 'Hi-fi for Pleasure'? That one sticks in my mind, even though I think it was earlier, because there was always some rather cheesy soft porn on the cover! I seem to remember one issue featuring a rather slender female leg clad in fishnet stockings and a garter belt with some hi-end cartridges pinned onto it

It's only fair to say that many that broke away to join pfm have come a long way in their audio journey, some even have latest generation iPods!

Indeed. And it's now mainly a vehicle for Tony to sell his records. The 'focus' has changed somewhat from what it was originally. iPods are the spawn of the devil. I have never heard such a tinny sounding cacophony. Give me a Sony Walkman Pro, some proper headphones, playing music recorded from my system at home via a Nakamichi DR-10 on NOS TDK SA90s any day! I don’t do ear bleed, old chap.

In fact, you could point a finger at me and say, "he's still trapped in that flat earth mind set", I still post on the Naim forum and pfm. Although, since having the CDS3/555PS demo, my glasses have lost their pink tint. If it's a choice between beautiful sound and coherent music with less beautiful sound, I know what I'd choose. BTW, the Teccie is getting talked up over on pfm, and getting less flak now.

I've noticed! And it can only be a good thing. AOS has also helped in that regard as some of the discussions here on the Technics have spilled over onto pfm. The more it's mentioned, the more the message will spread about how bloody good it is and hopefully it will get people out of this ridiculous 'flat-earth' mentality which says that only Linns, Regas and their ilk can 'play the tune'.

I was never a mana maniac, tho'

That's the only thing you're missing out on, Peter! But even the most discerning of chaps sometimes misses a trick or two...

Marco.

[Marco]

Crikey some of this talk of furms takes me back. I was on the Naim forum around 99, I didn't own any Naim but the music section, especially the classical, was very good. I got told off for recommending a Magnum Dynalb tuner to someone in Canada, home of the great tuners. Next day a warning was on there stating the forum was for discussing Naim only, I never went back.

Good to see you dropping by again, Griffo! How are the Villa doing these days?

I joined the Naim forum a year later and lasted I think three years until I was banned for being a bad boy

Personally, I always found Richard Dane (the then Administrator - and I believe he's still there now) to be an ok guy, and I got away with murder, mainly I suppose because in those days I was spending tens of thousands of pounds on brand new Naim gear, building my system slowly up to CDS2/52/Supercap/135s! The 'new' guy Adam Meredith is apparently somewhat 'stricter' by all accounts, or perhaps it's a case of Naim changing their policies on the forum from the days when I posted there.

I also visited the factory and met Richard and Paul Stephenson. I had already met Doug Graham and Paul Darwin at shows, where we usually had a laugh about one thing and another, and from when Paul (who no longer works for Naim) used to pop into Acoustica in Chester where I used to help out on a Saturday.

My wife and I also got a full tour of the Naim factory one day, put up in a four-star hotel for the night, all paid for by Naim, and picked up in the evening at the hotel by Paul Stephenson in his S-class Mercedes and driven to his beautiful home to have dinner with his charming wife and family. She was an excellent cook and both she and Paul were great company. Later we retired to the lounge and listened to his system, which at the time consisted of a CDS3 (just released)/XPS2/552/3x NAP 500s driving active (bespoke) DBLs. That was rather nice! So as you will appreciate I have nothing but respect for Paul and the chaps at Naim

I tend to lurk here a little more. Not sure why but the way a certain other forum has been going I've stopped posting a lot there as well.

Well, as I said to Mick Parry yesterday, lurk less and post more! I always value your contributions as you tend to have a slightly different view to others, which I find refreshing.

For me music is always important but you go to a forum to also discuss the gear, which I have an interest in, the same way drivers can enjoy driving AND the car itself.

Without doubt we are first and foremost a hi-fi forum - we don't pretend to be anything else. The forum is set-up that way because we feel that the majority of people will participate more in discussions about hi-fi than music, even though they love music, too. Statistically on forums the figures bear this out. I know people here who've got fairly large music collections at home but yet have hardly posted once in the music room. It's the nature of the beast - quite simply there is often much more to talk about with hi-fi (if done properly). I myself would rather just listen to music than write about it. However I still contribute fairly regularly to the music room, which is developing nicely.

I do find it somewhat 'restrictive' in a discussion sense posting on which albums I've bought and what I'm listening to today; and writing a critical appraisal about a piece of music is not something which comes effortlessly or naturally to me in the way for example I can write about hi-fi. I guess that I just don't find 'intellectual' discussions about music particularly stimulatng, so the sort of stuff you referred to liking on the Naim forum would probably have made my eyes glaze over. *But* that most certainly does not mean that I love hi-fi more than music (I listen to music on average for 7-8 hours a day!); merely that I find the former makes for discussions which for me are more challenging and diverse. It's the various methodologies of assembling a hi-fi system, and people's differing views on this, that I find most intriguing. If such discussions are correctly facilitated and policed properly by administrators, as we believe we do, then it makes for an interesting and diverse hi-fi forum.

This place seems quite relaxed but then wait until others come and spoil the party.

Like Rob says, it simply won't happen. We are and always will be 100% focussed on ensuring that there is a fun, friendly and relaxed atmosphere on AOS. It is a primarly part of our ethos.

Of course due to forums I have a nice DD deck waiting for me in november, not a Technics yet but the price is right, which is going to be turned in to a very nice mono deck for my olde classical records.

If it wasn't for forums I wouldn't even think of doing something like that.

Aha, so the chief Linn 'bouncy' man is now a turncoat?

I knew you'd see the light one day, dude, hehe... Have you still got your LP12? What DD did you buy - go on, spill the beans!

If you want to keep a forum doing what it should do then remember, it's about personal experience, likes, dislikes and discussing them - never lose a passion for something that's enjoyable. It's not about how something measures.

Sounds like good advice, mate!

Marco.

[griffo104]

Aha, so the chief Linn 'bouncy' man is now a turncoat?

I knew you'd see the light one day, dude, hehe... Have you still got your LP12? What DD did you buy - go on, spill the beans!

Hi Marco, Well I'm still in the bouncy world of turntables, the LP12 changed in to a Michell Orbe SE, a deck I prefer in pretty much every possible way. Listen to records without a bit of bounce ? Not sure I could do that

I have, over the last couple of years, gathered quite a nice collection of mono claissical records, some very nice Columbia,hmv and Decca, all in superb condition. It seems a waste not to treat these with the respect they deserve, and they deserve a lot.

I've decided not just to get another cart for the deck as that means continually swapping carts but to get a 2nd deck. I didn't see the point in getting a belt drive or suspended deck so decided to go for a DD deck to have a play for myself - something different. I will be purchasing a Sony deck in November, can't remember the model number off the top of my head, but the seller has sent me photos of it and it's in excellent condition and the price is right. I'll be getting a mono cart from Japan via a website and will mean that for about £200 I'll have a 2nd deck for mono records.

If I get on with the DD deck then I may well consider going for more expensive option of a KAB 1210.

After all you can never have too many turntables

As for Mana, I was, again, on the Mana forum not long after they started it. I purchased a Mana reference wall shelf from them, not long before their move to north wales if I remember correctly. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with especially when they found out what deck I was using and that it was my first deck (a Michell Mycro). I found the later reaction on the forums towards them in some places completely unwarranted and I was very sad to see the way they went in the end. I think one forum even changed their software to filter out the word Mana.

I do sometimes wonder why some people join and post on a hifi forum.

[Marco]

Griffo,

Hi Marco, Well I'm still in the bouncy world of turntables, the LP12 changed in to a Michell Orbe SE, a deck I prefer in pretty much every possible way. Listen to records without a bit of bounce ? Not sure I could do that

Old habits die hard, eh?

I have, over the last couple of years, gathered quite a nice collection of mono claissical records, some very nice Columbia,hmv and Decca, all in superb condition. It seems a waste not to treat these with the respect they deserve, and they deserve a lot.

As have I, but not classical stuff, mainly Jazz and music from the 50s like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Shirley Bassey, Connie Francis, etc. I find not only the packaging and artwork superb (I love all the rather humorous information about 'how to play a record' on the sleeves - and the sleeves are usually all properly lined) but the quality of the vinyl itself, and most of all the quality of the recordings. It may be mono, but it sounds superb! The DL-103 Pro is a great cartridge for reproducing these types of albums, as is the Ortofon SPU.

I've decided not just to get another cart for the deck as that means continually swapping carts but to get a 2nd deck. I didn't see the point in getting a belt drive or suspended deck so decided to go for a DD deck to have a play for myself - something different.

Smart move - I approve wholeheartedly! You never know, you might end up preferring it to your Orbe! Stranger things have happened in these parts as the Techy, for example, has retired (or has been instrumental in retiring) certain Garrard 401s, LP12s and Spacedecks

I will be purchasing a Sony deck in November, can't remember the model number off the top of my head, but the seller has sent me photos of it and it's in excellent condition and the price is right.

Can you post the photos here in our Analogue Art section so we can have a look? I'm sure this would be of great interest to our members. There are quite a few D/D lovers here!

I'll be getting a mono cart from Japan via a website and will mean that for about £200 I'll have a 2nd deck for mono records.

Is this the cartridge you mean:

http://www.audiocubes2.com/product/D...Cartridge.html

It's what I'll probably end up buying for my mono records because I realise that the stereo 103 isn't doing them justice. Secretly though I'd much prefer one of these:

http://www.coolgales.com/store/cart....ng=ortofon+spu

If I get on with the DD deck then I may well consider going for more expensive option of a KAB 1210.

After all you can never have too many turntables

Too right, mate! You must pop by sometime and listen to mine.

As for Mana, I was, again, on the Mana forum not long after they started it. I purchased a Mana reference wall shelf from them, not long before their move to north wales if I remember correctly. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with especially when they found out what deck I was using and that it was my first deck (a Michell Mycro). I found the later reaction on the forums towards them in some places completely unwarranted and I was very sad to see the way they went in the end. I think one forum even changed their software to filter out the word Mana.

Knowing the facts of the situation and the people involved I could go into great detail on this matter, but this isn't really the time or place.

I do sometimes wonder why some people join and post on a hifi forum.

Some people think that it's 'fun' to wind others up, and don't take hi-fi forums seriously, which I guess is fine to an extent. Trouble is, people all have different temperaments and when you press the wrong buttons with folk who have a rather volatile temper, all hell can and does break loose! I guess the fact is for 'fun' if you keep on poking a Rottweiler with a stick then eventually it'll bite back with more than likely unfortunate consequences...

Like you, I don't know why people can't just use audio forums for their intended purpose and respect other people's opinion even if it isn't their own, giving others the due courtesy they deserve. Surely that's not difficult is it? If everyone adopted this simple policy there would be no aggro on forums!

Marco.

[Peter Stockwell]

iPods are the spawn of the devil. I have never heard such a tinny sounding cacophony. Give me a Sony Walkman Pro, some proper headphones, playing music recorded from my system at home via a Nakamichi DR-10 on NOS TDK SA90s any day! I don’t do ear bleed, old chap.

You'll be saying you can't beat 78s through valve amplfication into a klipschorn next !

You'll tell me I'm deaf. I don't find my iPods, even if the file being played back is 128Kbps AAC, tinny sounding cacophony. I've used my vintage Sony MDR-7's on the iPod shuffle and it sounds rather pleasant. I normally use the Shure E2C, or which I had custom ear moulds made, It sounds fine to me and means that I can transport 700+ tunes with me on long trips using the iPod touch. I also use a 5G ipod in the car, using 256 Kbps vbr AAC, and I can get roughly 4000 tunes on the road too.

Tapes take up too much damn space!

No oil rigs in our lounge

cheers

[Peter Stockwell]

I'd order the extra memory to be built in to the iMac, for the slightly higher price you're guaranteed operating stability and compatibility. This is not the case with the HD though, Freecom are the pick of the crop for quality hard drives at the moment.

The only question I have with respect to the 20" macs is the graphics card.

Over the base iMac you get 1Gb extra memory and a 320Gb drive. Since neither 250Gb nor 320Gb is either enough or secure enough that's a wash for me, and I have a drobo now which can be expanded up over 4Gb with todays available drives.

4GB of 800Mhz RAM can be had for 68€. So I really don't see the point of buying the higher spec iMac. I was tempted by the lesser of the 24" iMacs but that's been nixxed by Mrs user34, saves a load of cash too.

cheers

[Filterlab]

...iPods are the spawn of the devil. I have never heard such a tinny sounding cacophony...

I think you'd be surprised if you heard an iPod owned by an audiophile, with decent set-up an iPod can play very well indeed. Have a listen to one using lossless files and decent headphones and it'd give a Sony Walkman a big run for it's money, in fact it'd beat it hands down for playback stability. Also the output stage of the iPod has been improved immensely over the generations (a big jump in the 5th gen video versions) and the internal amplifiers have been beefed up to drive larger cans. If the iPod had a digital output I'd love to hook it up to my DAC and critically listen, I bet it would be very good indeed.

[Filterlab]

The only question I have with respect to the 20" macs is the graphics card.

Why, do you need a good graphics card to listen to music?

[Peter Stockwell]

Why, do you need a good graphics card to listen to music?

Duh ! You got me there!

I don't do games either. So that looks like the question answered.

cheers