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Audio Equipment Thread

Started by wasp_f15ting, June 16, 2018, 12:44:39 PM

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wasp_f15ting

So..

For the most part my system has not had a major upgrade for a while. I ran some BeoVox s75 speakers which I refurbished with new drivers. However the original speakers were bought in 1997 (they were from the mid 70s) and then refurbished them in 2004. However I ran them through a number of amplifiers from Sherwood to Yamaha to Rotel and finally Naim Nait 3

In time I added SACD and other DAC etc, but the core system remained un changed for a while. I finally thought it was time for a full refresh.

I went for a Marantz CD6006 UKE - As Transport
Chord Electronics Qutest DAC
Roksan K3 Integrated Amplifier
ATC SCM 19 speakers with Atacama SL500i stands

What a bloody huge difference.. I ran my Chord Mojo into the system before this, the Qutest is a nice change. However the biggest change is the ATC speakers. They have to be heard to be believed. They are big sounding for their rather small size. It completely obliterates the 4 driver B&O in nearly all kinds of music. The scale and authority is just immense. I don't even have my subwoofer on. I don't know how they reach so low for such a speaker the size.

For anyone who is into large dynamic sound I'd suggest you audition the ATC speakers. I am flabbergasted at how good they are.

I think I might eventually get the K3 Roksan Power Amplifier to add on, but for now I am very chuffed. I have had a hard time buying old CDs I like though.. thank god for Discogs!

I don't know whether I can be bothered getting into Vinyl at this stage.. not because of the equipment, more that I have to buy many records to get the most out of it all!

Do any of you only have CD only collections.. should I mess with vinyl? - My music collection is split between hi-res files on my laptop (Small) and CDs for the most part.


Cuntbeaks

Definitely get the power amp, it will add a much greater level of control. My ears were opened when i first moved from integrated to a pre/power set up.

wasp_f15ting

After your comment, I checked google and found an ex-demo Roksan K3 Power Amp with 40% off :)

So snagged that! - Shame I have to double up on cable now..

Not sure which driver to use the power amp on, HF or MF/LF - Guess i'll have to play around.

Cuntbeaks

How many channels does the power amp have then, just two?

If so, you should try single wiring the speakers as opposed to bi or tri wiring them.

The rule of thumb is that the best amplification should go to the HF/tweeters, but yeah, experiment with it.

In terms of interconnects to connect the power amp, i would highly recommend a pair of Linn Blacks, only about £20 to £25.

wasp_f15ting

I have bought a stereo K3 Poweramp, as I have a K3 Integrated AMP already.
At least the sonics should be similar.

I was thinking of getting the schiit Vidars, but then I'd need 4 x monoblocks :P
Maybe that will be the next upgrade I make

What kit do you have ?

I will check out the Linn interconnects

olliebean

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 16, 2018, 12:44:39 PMFor anyone who is into large dynamic sound I'd suggest you audition the ATC speakers. I am flabbergasted at how good they are.

They'd fucking well better be impressive for 2 grand.

Sorry. This thread is clearly out of my price range.

Cuntbeaks

At the moment my main system comprises of

Linn Kisto pre amp
Linn 5125 power amp
Linn Sara 9 speakers
Linn Katan speakers for surround
Arcam A65 amp
REL Strata II sub x 2
Project Debut III turntable
Dino MK 1 phono pre amp
Sony SACD player with external HD filled with FLACs
Linn K400 speaker cable
Linn Silver and Black interconnects.

I uae the 5125 to power the Saras and control the subs, the Arcam powers the Katans in a Hafler circuit, which is basically a free surround/ambient channel. It may be frowned upon by audiophiles, but i find that the extra dimension it provides is incredibly effective. By using a seperate amp for it, it means i can dial in the volume of the surrounds as i see fit.

The Kisto is an absolute beast of a 7.1 processor, however i use it purely as a stereo pre amp and the level of accuracy, detail and clarity it has is something to behold.

Sebastian Cobb

Quad 303 / 33
NAD C521 BEE
Revolver Rebel with AT95*
Linn Kans (although I've also got a pair of Kef Cresta 10's)
Google Chromecast Audio

*this is a secondary deck; my main one is a Goldring Lenco GL75 that I'm rebuilding the plynth (built and primed, needs painting along with the top-plate) and refurbishing the bearings on. I bought it specifically because the tonearm is a Jelco model that acts as a drop-in replacement for the lenco original arm, which isn't much cop. I also have a Shure V15 mk III stylus to go on it.

buzby

Quad 303/33
Quad FM3
Fons CQ30 with Acos Lustre GST-1 arm and Goldring G800 cartridge
Sony RCD-W100 dual-deck CD player/recorder
Mission 731s

The CQ30 is my third deck - I started off with a Sansui SR222 Mk2, Then a Thorens TD150 'bitsa' that I put together from parts from 3 decks, an oak plinth and a spare SR222 arm (they were made by Jelco and pretty decent quality). The CQ30 fulfilled my desire for something eccentric (it's a variable-pitch belt drive with 33/45/78 speed selection and a suspended subchassis that carries both the motor and platter) and Scottish, having been designed by Hamish Robertson after Castle Precision/Linn had swiped the Ariston RD11 out from underneath him.

Sebastian Cobb

My old man's got a TD150 in a homemade plinth and an SME 3009.

wasp_f15ting

Quote from: olliebean on June 16, 2018, 10:19:01 PM
They'd fucking well better be impressive for 2 grand.

Sorry. This thread is clearly out of my price range.

There are lots of speakers you can get second hand for a reasonable price. In fact if you or anyone in this thread wants my Bang & Olufsen BoeVox s75 and can collect them from Manchester you are welcome to them.


wasp_f15ting

Quote from: Cuntbeaks on June 16, 2018, 11:47:34 PM
At the moment my main system comprises of

Linn Kisto pre amp
Linn 5125 power amp
Linn Sara 9 speakers
Linn Katan speakers for surround
Arcam A65 amp
REL Strata II sub x 2
Project Debut III turntable
Dino MK 1 phono pre amp
Sony SACD player with external HD filled with FLACs
Linn K400 speaker cable
Linn Silver and Black interconnects.

I uae the 5125 to power the Saras and control the subs, the Arcam powers the Katans in a Hafler circuit, which is basically a free surround/ambient channel. It may be frowned upon by audiophiles, but i find that the extra dimension it provides is incredibly effective. By using a seperate amp for it, it means i can dial in the volume of the surrounds as i see fit.

The Kisto is an absolute beast of a 7.1 processor, however i use it purely as a stereo pre amp and the level of accuracy, detail and clarity it has is something to behold.

Very nice!

I have ordered a BK Elec Monolith+ sub, the Yamaha YSTSW800 I have just isn't up it.. guess it is 20+ years old now

wasp_f15ting

Quote from: buzby on June 17, 2018, 12:58:39 AM
Quad 303/33
Quad FM3
Fons CQ30 with Acos Lustre GST-1 arm and Goldring G800 cartridge
Sony RCD-W100 dual-deck CD player/recorder
Mission 731s

The CQ30 is my third deck - I started off with a Sansui SR222 Mk2, Then a Thorens TD150 'bitsa' that I put together from parts from 3 decks, an oak plinth and a spare SR222 arm (they were made by Jelco and pretty decent quality). The CQ30 fulfilled my desire for something eccentric (it's a variable-pitch belt drive with 33/45/78 speed selection and a suspended subchassis that carries both the motor and platter) and Scottish, having been designed by Hamish Robertson after Castle Precision/Linn had swiped the Ariston RD11 out from underneath him.

How much faffing is there to set up a turntable?
This is one of the things that puts me off, counterbalancing etc.. is there a nice good quality Turn Table with a open box and let it go kind of set up :P

NattyDread 2

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 17, 2018, 09:17:36 AM
How much faffing is there to set up a turntable?
This is one of the things that puts me off, counterbalancing etc.. is there a nice good quality Turn Table with a open box and let it go kind of set up :P

The biggest faffs are the suspended sub-chassis type which you have to balance (Linn LP12 and Thorens Td160 etc). Other than setting up the arm and cartridge, most you only have to make sure are sitting flat. I presume some come with cartidges aligned and balanced but it's been a long time since I bought a brand new deck. You will need to learn to fit a cartridge eventually though, unless you get a shop to do it.

Got a few systems dotted about the house. Mostly old-ish gear including -
2 x Technics 1210mk2 in custom plinths
Thorens TD160 with Rega RB250 arm in custom plinth (about to get a motor transplant).
Rega Planar 3
Big 70's Technics Quad receiver SA6000X
Sony STR 7025 receiver
Teac A-H550i Amp
Cyrus 3 and Psx-R Amp and power supply
Pro-ject Phono Box SE
Castle Trent II, Castle Knight II, Monitor Audio Monitor 9, Whafedale Pacific Pi40 speakers.
And an Arcam Alpha cd player.

I'm thinking about making a custom plinth for the Rega. It's not much of a looker.

Cuntbeaks

I would love to get a Linn LP12 at some point in the future, but the set up and servicing of it does seem a bit daunting.

My biggest revelation with vinyl was the simple act of cleaning the discs and how much of an impact it had on the sound quality. Even brand new records require cleaning and getting a cheapo, but effective, Knosti Disco Antistat is a very worthwhile investment.

Sebastian Cobb

Really glad I picked up my Lenco about 10 years ago, they seem to go for quite a bit these days; mine was £30 because the bearings in the tonearm were shot (they're little rubber blocks with a V cut into them, some swedish guy sells replacements for about 7 quid).

wasp_f15ting

I think I am going to go for a Rega Planar 3 to get started..

I have a MM phono stage on my Roksan K3 do I need anything else?

Also the power amp arrives today.. but wires don't arrive till tomorrow :(

Captain Z

Can you record a clip on your phone so I can hear how good they sound?

Kane Jones

I'm currently rocking a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB turntable fitted with an Ortofon Red cartridge, pumping through a Pro-Ject pre-amp, then blasting through a Bang & Olufsen Beosound 3000 with BeoLab 4000 speakers. Sounds like the absolute fucking tits. Love it.

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 19, 2018, 10:59:56 AM
I think I am going to go for a Rega Planar 3 to get started..

I have a MM phono stage on my Roksan K3 do I need anything else?

Also the power amp arrives today.. but wires don't arrive till tomorrow :(
Not sure what racking you have ready to put the Rega on, but  no mattet what it sits on i would heartily recommend these bamboo chopping boards out of Ikea. Bosh a few felt pads on the bottom it and your good to go. I have one under each of my components.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/cookware/knives-chopping-boards/aptitlig-butchers-block-bamboo-art-00233429/

wasp_f15ting

I guess I need to get these in a Rack now..

Thanks to the power amp my desk is now very ugly :(



I'll try and find something on ebay!

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 19, 2018, 08:10:52 PM
I guess I need to get these in a Rack now..

Thanks to the power amp my desk is now very ugly :(



I'll try and find something on ebay!

*gasps*

Try Gumtree around your area, ive bought a lot of kit on there. Racks seem to go quite cheap, i got a decent Target one for £20.

royce coolidge

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 19, 2018, 08:10:52 PM
I guess I need to get these in a Rack now..

Thanks to the power amp my desk is now very ugly :(



I'll try and find something on ebay!
what are your headphones,look  very slimline,and is that a schiit head amp ?is it noticeably better than the head out from the K3?

wasp_f15ting

Its the Sennheiser HD800
Spot on regarding the Schiit Audio - It is the Valhalla 2 with the 6922s tubes changed to some Golden Lion ones.. I'd like the telefunken ones but aint paying £200.00 each for those!

I love these headphones but they do need the tube amp to chill them out as they are a bit forward.

Edit: The headphone out of the CD6006 UKE is pretty shoddy, and makes the HD800 sound like weightless and horrid, the DAC is pretty meh too. So only use if you have no option!

Sebastian Cobb

I need to get a headphone amp for my 33 really. It's supposedly not powerful enough to drive cans but it's got a tape out I can connect a headphone amp to. Don't really want an expensive one though as I don't use cans very often. Could probably get away with a cheap t-amp or something.

wasp_f15ting

I just sold my Chord Mojo, really enjoyed that as a headphone amp.

I got some Linn Silver RCA Interconnects for fairly reasonable price of ebay. They are quite lovely!

Where do you guys buy your CDs from? I got some off Music Magpie and a few skip like mad :(

Cuntbeaks

Good work with the Linn Silvers, I bought a pair at the same time as I got the Kisto, so I couldn't appraise the difference the made by themselves. The overall effect was a definite improvement on the already excellent AV5103.

I gave up on CDs at the same time as i got the AV5103, running flacs through the SACD and into the DAC of the 5103, it was a massive improvement over the Linn Classik I had been using. I still  have the same set up as the Kisto also has a built in DAC, admittedly it's a few years old now, but it still sounds excellent.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 20, 2018, 08:38:20 PM
I just sold my Chord Mojo, really enjoyed that as a headphone amp.

I got some Linn Silver RCA Interconnects for fairly reasonable price of ebay. They are quite lovely!

Where do you guys buy your CDs from? I got some off Music Magpie and a few skip like mad :(

Music magpie and their mates use bots to undercut each other on amazon marketplace; that's how you can pick up contemporary albums you missed in the 90's for 1p + 1.26 postage. Occasionally the disc will be fucked or in the case of a prodigy cd I bought, the wrong album in the right case. They'll usually just refund you rather than ask you to send it back though.


wasp_f15ting

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on June 20, 2018, 11:08:03 PM
Music magpie and their mates use bots to undercut each other on amazon marketplace; that's how you can pick up contemporary albums you missed in the 90's for 1p + 1.26 postage. Occasionally the disc will be fucked or in the case of a prodigy cd I bought, the wrong album in the right case. They'll usually just refund you rather than ask you to send it back though.

I gues 2CDs out 27 were fucked so no harm.

My Sub arrives tomorrow.. excited and annoyed that I'll have to keep tweaking now.