Site Owner/Administrator
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK
Posts: 110,532
I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.
I'm not surprised, Martin! Good valve amps 'flesh out' their presentation, particularly that glorious midrange, and add weight to the bass, making them sound less 'frigid' than they do with some solid-state amps.
It would be interesting to know if Dave heard any of the LS3/5as he mentioned earlier with quality toobs
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.
Senior Member
Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,481
I'm Alex.
My 15 Ohm Chartwell LS3/5a do seem to work very nicely with Radford STA25 IIIOriginally Posted by Marco
I'm not surprised, Martin! Good valve amps 'flesh out' their presentation, particularly that glorious midrange, and add weight to the bass, making them sound less 'frigid' than they do with some solid-state amps.
It would be interesting to know if Dave heard any of the LS3/5as he mentioned earlier with quality toobs
Marco.
Spendorman
Site Owner/Administrator
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK
Posts: 110,532
I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.
And there we have it.... And I doubt the Beeb would've used them with toobs 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.
Trade: Magazine Journalist
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 3,689
I'm Adam.
Well, I've just bought some PROPER back-breaking valve gear from eBay and only just down the road from me.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RIGONDA-BO...item2eb6db4ba9
This will now form the basis of my new reviewing reference system, if I can tear myself away from playing with the auto tuning......
Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.
Drunken Administrator
Location: Staffordshire, England
Posts: 43,358
I'm Martin.
two of them plus a pioneer pl12D - niceWell, I've just bought some PROPER back-breaking valve gear from eBay and only just down the road from me.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RIGONDA-BO...item2eb6db4ba9
This will now form the basis of my new reviewing reference system, if I can tear myself away from playing with the auto tuning......
Did the Soviets make these specifically for export then?
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > Troels Gravesen Faital 3WC-15.
Senior Member
Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,481
I'm Alex.
Brilliant, and a PL12D, the Rigonda speakers were reckoned to be good, never heard any though.
We have one of these, very good sound.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/...08887715_b.jpg
Never gone wrong, never any parts replaced.
Spendorman
Trade: Magazine Journalist
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 3,689
I'm Adam.
The whole Rigonda naming thing is a bit of a black art, as both of the ones I have bought are Bolshois, but the copy of the brochure shows them with "Simfonia" on the front. Equally, I have a third Rigonda radiogram already, which is a Symphony, but apparently this was known as a Bolshoi in other markets. To complicate things further, one of my newbies has the tuning scale marked in kHz and the other in metres, so I'm not sure what this signifies either!
As to the speakers, they are very good. My first introduction to Rigonda was at university when a friend offloaded an unwanted large pair of speakers onto me, which turned out to be the ones from the Symphony radiogram. After a spot of fettling they sounded superb and I used them for a few years, until one heavy night left me with a blown bass driver. The reason why became clear when I found my first matching Symphony radiogram and realised the amplifier put out a hefty 4W per channel - somewhat less than the 60W amp I was using at the time of the incident......
The speakers with the Bolshoi are a bit chunkier and deeper than the Symphony's, so comparisons wuill be interesting.
As the seller alluded, the weak point of these units is the turntable which sounds fair enough but has a ceramic cartridge, thus limiting it a bit. Naturally now I'm on the search for a Rigonda Victoria radiogram (or Intermezzo record player) which came later and had a proper transcription deck with a magnetic cartridge. Keep your eyes peeled everyone!
Hmm, maybe my Scalford Hall room next year should have a radiogram theme....
Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.
Senior Member
Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,481
I'm Alex.
Senior Member
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,593
I'm Bernie.
Dual 1019
I was after a project turntable that would play 78 speed. My Mum has a heap of 78s left to her by my Grandfather. I don't think she has ever played any of them. I thought I'd eventually copy them all to CD for her. This is what I picked up on ebay today to do the job.
I'm looking forward to restoring it to its former glory and having a tinker with it.
Bernie.
Senior Member
Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,481
I'm Alex.
If that is a 1019, great deck, Mine has as ancient B&O cartridge in it. Fantastic sound, unexpected.I was after a project turntable that would play 78 speed. My Mum has a heap of 78s left to her by my Grandfather. I don't think she has ever played any of them. I thought I'd eventually copy them all to CD for her. This is what I picked up on ebay today to do the job.
I'm looking forward to restoring it to its former glory and having a tinker with it.
Spendorman
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