yorkshire_spam Posted February 29, 2024 Posted February 29, 2024 I like listening to music... load of different genres, classical, rock, pop, metal, punk, folk... sometimes even some rap (but not often) For quite a few years, mostly due to necessity I've listened on things like bluetooth speakers hooked up to my phone/laptop. Then a while ago I got a modest bonus at work and picked up some old second hand hi-fi (back to my early 20s when I was quite keen on audio quality, but could never afford high end gear) I'm never going to be in the category of spending £1000s on Hi Fi gear, and as I get older I'm painfully aware that my hearing is getting worse... But last weekend I upgraded my speakers from some "ok" tiny little B&W ones to some slightly bigger/better I've upgraded my amp and CD players as well, mostly so I can re-use my existing kit in my study. At the moment I've been shopping around for cheap/mid-range kit that's a bit dated. Better than a bluetooth speaker and cheaper than buying new hi-fi. Next step will be to "upgrade" my turntable to a 1970s model that has no features but better sound than my current Marantz TT275
mossmonaco Posted February 29, 2024 Posted February 29, 2024 you can pick up connoisseur BD1 turntables at an excellent price - idealy with a Hadcock unipivot arm they are a bargain 1
sparky_spit Posted February 29, 2024 Posted February 29, 2024 I've got a fair bit of period 1970's and early 80's kit and use it quite a lot, and I love it, although I have added a "modern" Yamaha mains powered sub-woofer, hidden away in a corner behind a chair, as it does not need to be in line of "earsight" like a conventional speaker, and makes a huge difference to the overall sound, and which can be adjusted to suit all types of music. Well worth the money (about £150 I think) 1
yorkshire_spam Posted February 29, 2024 Author Posted February 29, 2024 3 hours ago, mossmonaco said: you can pick up connoisseur BD1 turntables at an excellent price - idealy with a Hadcock unipivot arm they are a bargain I'll keep an eye out, I was planning on acquiring a Pioneer PL12D and then upgrading the vibration damping etc. and then sticking a decent cartridge + stylus in it. 1 hour ago, sparky_spit said: I've got a fair bit of period 1970's and early 80's kit and use it quite a lot, and I love it, although I have added a "modern" Yamaha mains powered sub-woofer, hidden away in a corner behind a chair, as it does not need to be in line of "earsight" like a conventional speaker, and makes a huge difference to the overall sound, and which can be adjusted to suit all types of music. Well worth the money (about £150 I think) Cool, I'm not sure how I feel about adding a sub-woofer to the set-up. I'm probably going to have to upgrade the strength of my shelves though, my recently acquired Marantz amp and Denon CD player are like a pair of concrete blocks!
Nick Jones Posted February 29, 2024 Posted February 29, 2024 Rega Planar 3 turntable, Aiwa XC750 CD, Kenwood KX-440HX cassette (little used now), Audiolab 8000c pre-amp and a home-brewed JLH 15W class A power amp based on a kit from Williams Hart. Doubles as a heater. Speakers are also home-brewed based on an IPL kit. They are a transmission line design and there’s nearly a whole 8’x4’ sheet of 25mm MDF in those. Drivers are dinky little Morel MW144s. Mostly I just plug the iPad into the pre-amp these days. Getting old and lazy…. There’s so much decent used stuff out there. Recently scored a pair of Yamaha NS200 speakers for £75 (absolutely mint condition too) and a nice old Rotel RA 820 amplifier for no. 2 son. Amp is 40 years old and works perfectly. Identical the first amp I ever bought myself in 1983. That one lives with my brother and still works just fine too. 1
thebrookster Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 Heck, absolutely no need to spend thousands! As already pointed out, you can find some pretty decent equipment cheap by watching. I was "lucky" to inherit the Rock, although it seems to be leading me down a rather more expensive path since it still sounded good with my old Rotel amps and homebrew speakers! Facebook is good for vintage equipment (as in the proper buy/sell groups, not sure I would trust marketplace or whatever they call it). I've screenshotted one particular group (that I am no longer a member of, mainly to try and prevent me spending more money) that is pretty reputable? Good luck, and be sure to tell us what you end up with! Phil 1
yorkshire_spam Posted March 1, 2024 Author Posted March 1, 2024 At the moment I have... Sitting room set-up: Monitor Audio R300/MD speakers Marantz PM7001 Amplifier Denon DCD 835 CD Player Marantz TT275 Turntable Generic Bluetooth receiver plugged into the Aux In on the amp. And that leaves me with the following as a spare set for my work room / study: Bowers and Wilkins DM302 speakers Sony CDP-XE370 CD player Cambridge Audio Topaz AM1 Amplifier Another Generic Bluetooth receiver The only thing I'm really looking to swap/change at the moment is the turntable in the sitting room set-up. The Marantz sounds "ok" but is sort of flimsy and plasticy.
Nick Jones Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 Rega Planar 3 should be findable at sensible money. Suggest not the very early ones unless they’ve been upgraded to the RB200 arm (that’s what mine is in fact). Need decent wall shelf for best results. Here’s a random eBay shot https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395235052983?itmmeta=01HQWPAEEFS6M0AE07MZ7P1SS3&hash=item5c05d84db7:g:zt4AAOSwrO9l4Km6&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwD%2FJ%2FUlTIfFYO5FpKM3vvfzf%2BFIlBZUJ8C4pehkLO0D6P6JRE%2BUN8L7zVWE3rx%2FAiDAiXGNn7ZrQ%2BbO4xAITSFhRk34ugC76V3FrsrMcvA7b0VueM24rPkV%2F11uULbUpcjaH8heGnULhjJvBLtIMCm%2BZjLZLWuma0%2FgTccxT%2FlHd%2BRo118ULi1qwpBVXFLyfWPG5nQQ4GqPWX%2BrMRMZmmwplQS7BEfF82cKzSR3m3mDHzWjksqaVz%2FA4g3203Kcliw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7LnqZa_Yw There are cheaper ones, but without arms, which seems like an odd buy unless you have a stray arm! 2
Gt64fun Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 I built my system in the 1980s, around NAD components (amp/tuner/cassette/CD), with a Dual 505-3 record deck and Goodmans speakers wired with heavy duty cables. I had the NAD 3020B amp serviced a couple of years ago, which involved cleaning the switches and pots and replacing the capacitors. The difference afterwards was quite remarkable. I have had to finally give up on the 5420 CD player as it was becoming unreliable and have replaced it with a C538 which has the benefit of a remote control unit. Second hand stuff is out there, but there is always a risk that it won't work and repair can be expensive. Ian 1
yorkshire_spam Posted March 1, 2024 Author Posted March 1, 2024 My plan - once some of the chaos of moving house and then the urgent car related things are sorted - is to set all my electronics gear up in the study/work room and then work through the amps in particular measuring/checking all the electrolytics and using the scope to look for any issues on power supply outputs (ripple etc.). I'll probably (at the very least) clean any pots/switches as well. That could be months and months away though at the moment.
Mark Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 (edited) Still using my dad's set up, Kef 104ab speakers Rega plana 3 deck Audiolab 8000a amp Marantz cd-63se Sony tuner st-s311 Yamaha kx580 tape /CD Still all sounds good. Got other stuff in the loft, Rotel rx602 receiver amp couple of tape players, record decks, He was really into his HiFi. Edited March 1, 2024 by Mark 1
PaulAA Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 5 hours ago, Nick Jones said: Rega Planar 3 should be findable at sensible money. Suggest not the very early ones unless they’ve been upgraded to the RB200 arm (that’s what mine is in fact). Or a Planar 2. I bought mine in 1986/87 and it is still very serviceable. I've always had a budget NAD amplifier - I'm not discerning enough to tell the difference between a NAD and a NAIM. I started off with a NAD 3020 in 1982, which cost me the princely sum of £99 from Billy Vee in Lewisham (nearly a third of my first term's grant) and still have a ten year old 316BEE with me now, pushing through Rogers LS4a speakers (which are really quite fabulous). 1
Gt64fun Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 I bought a vinyl record cleaning kit from www.vinylclear.com and have been gradually working through our record collection. Most are in good condition as I have always been very careful handling them and generally avoiding dropping the stylus onto individual tracks It's amazing how good vinyl sounds. Ian
RedRooster Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 Not a happy NAD 3130 Amp, the Nad 5220 CD player isn't well either but the NAD 402 tuner is still going . Still got a valve radio to look at one day... 1
thebrookster Posted March 1, 2024 Posted March 1, 2024 2 hours ago, Gt64fun said: I bought a vinyl record cleaning kit from www.vinylclear.com and have been gradually working through our record collection. Most are in good condition as I have always been very careful handling them and generally avoiding dropping the stylus onto individual tracks It's amazing how good vinyl sounds. Ian I run an "audiorevita" spindle that fits to the top of my ultrasonic tank, for cleaning records. I would strongly recommend this method to anyone cleaning vinyl, particularly if you already have a US tank! Doesn't have to be audiorevita, although they are pretty good for prices, and they guys customer service is excellent (he is based in Poland however) there are other options, most of which are significantly cheaper than some of the "specialised" cleaners out there! Or even build your own, I think most sideways members could fettle something together without too much difficulty! There is a whole arguement out there regarding correct frequency etc, but even an elcheapo tank from China will outperform a manual clean 9 times out of 10. Phil
RogerH Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 The newer thicker Vinyl is a revelation. Not really into Punk but I was recommended Marquee Moon by Television. I didn't hear the stylus collide with the intro-track - no hiss / crackle or pop The background hiss of a CD but with the plastic tones - excellent. I have a DIY turntable with a nice (mid 90's) cartridge and the racket is quite good - certainly Brahms's 3rd racket comes over cheerfully ell. The only issue I had with the DIY TT was that the mat was rather flimsy (Typical BSR radiogram mat) I made a new mat from 1/4" thick fairly dense rubber and the girls in Fleetwood Mac came alive and jumped out of the speakers. My late 70's Celestion 442's are getting a bit old now - but so am I. We shall stay together as friends. The Akai Reel to Reel did its best in the very early 70's when I used to do multi track recording for me to give Hank Marvin a run for his money. Unlike today's digital recording every thing got transferred from one track to the next. The sound quality went South as the Noise went North. I would end up with something that sounded like an over-used 45 from a greasy spoon cafe Jukebox - excellent - I thought at the time it was top draw. Hi-Fi has a lot to answer for Roger 2
DeTRacted Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 Was your Akai a 4000DS Roger? I've still got one of those but it hasn't been run for a couple of decades. I doubt the rubber drive wheels or bands are still functional.......
Nick Jones Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 Used to have to mess about with a couple of Revox A77 reel to reel decks. Both twin track versions. Use of tape splicing for theatre sound effects with clear sections for auto stop between events. They were unbelievably heavy! Also a pair of huge Tannoy speakers with 18” dual concentric drivers. Superb sounding things and incredibly efficient. Could fill the large hall with sound with a mere 65W input. I’d love a pair of those (or some slightly smaller ones) but even the drivers alone cost more than I usually pay for a car!
RogerH Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 5 hours ago, DeTRacted said: Was your Akai a 4000DS Roger? I've still got one of those but it hasn't been run for a couple of decades. I doubt the rubber drive wheels or bands are still functional....... Hi Rob, it is the 4000DS. It appeared to work very well for simple stereo recording etc. but the track on track dubbing was not very special. Mine has not run for a similar time so the rubberware is probably iffy. Never mind it is all available on the WWW. Roger
RedRooster Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 I've got a Heybrook TT2 with a Linn arm, haven't cranked it over in eons. The matching heybrook speakers long ago disintegrated. https://www.vinylengine.com/library/heybrook/tt2.shtml
mossmonaco Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 6 hours ago, Nick Jones said: Used to have to mess about with a couple of Revox A77 reel to reel decks. Both twin track versions. Use of tape splicing for theatre sound effects with clear sections for auto stop between events. They were unbelievably heavy! Also a pair of huge Tannoy speakers with 18” dual concentric drivers. Superb sounding things and incredibly efficient. Could fill the large hall with sound with a mere 65W input. I’d love a pair of those (or some slightly smaller ones) but even the drivers alone cost more than I usually pay for a car! I once went to a lecture given by one of Lowthers designers- 50 years ago, cant remember the guys name, He demonstrated the lowther TP1 enclousure with a fairly deafening bit of Beethover 5 then asked the assembled hi-fi 'experts' to estimate the amplifier power. The 'experts' estimated around 50 watts. The actual figure was 'considerably less than 400 mW" .Speaker efficiency is all about impedence matching the cone to the room, and that generaly means a long tractix horn. From memory the TP1 enclosures weighed over 100lb each (+the drive units sodding huge single-crystal alnico magnet. At full volume it was not possible to see any movement of the cone. They sounded quite good!
Nick Jones Posted March 8, 2024 Posted March 8, 2024 Yep. Lowther do drivers a bit differently and they are really rather good at it. I’m quite keen to try some. Fearsome expensive though. High speaker efficiency is of interest due to having a mere 15W/channel available from the little class A amp. On the demo side, in the middles 80s I went to a HiFi show at Lords. KEF had a large demonstration room with every speaker in their range from some bespoke behemoths built for some enthusiast with a country manor, right down to whatever their £80 baby was at the time. Flagship of their “normal” range at the time was their 104.2 and those held their own very well against the bespoke behemoths. I still have a hankering to own a pair but they remain surprisingly expensive, even ones that are in need of full restoration, which is no small task. They also require a lot more than 15W!
RogerH Posted March 10, 2024 Posted March 10, 2024 On 3/8/2024 at 2:03 PM, Nick Jones said: Used to have to mess about with a couple of Revox A77 reel to reel decks. Both twin track versions. Use of tape splicing for theatre sound effects with clear sections for auto stop between events. They were unbelievably heavy! Also a pair of huge Tannoy speakers with 18” dual concentric drivers. Superb sounding things and incredibly efficient. Could fill the large hall with sound with a mere 65W input. I’d love a pair of those (or some slightly smaller ones) but even the drivers alone cost more than I usually pay for a car! Back in the 70's when things could be done, I made a Tape Noise Reducer. This was a Practical Wireless (Electronics) design originally sorted by Phillips for their cassette units. When assembled I tried it on the Akai 4000DS and was quite surprised how well it worked - it really did work. A friend of mine lived in a hippy house and one of the other crazed people had an A77 and heard about my Noise reducer and asked to try it out. After a week or two he returned it saying that it was broken (aaarrrggghhh) When I tested on my Akia it worked fine. The A77 simply did not have enough noise to play with - wonderful machines. I always wanted one but could never afford. Of course nowadays it would be digital. Roger Roger 1
Escadrille Ecosse Posted March 14, 2024 Posted March 14, 2024 My Dad liked all this valve stuff although by the time us kids came along it was more theoretical than actual. Never had enough wedge to indulge myself either although I would spend plenty enough time staring in the window of Hi-Fi Corner on Cow Wynd in Faw'kirk. Nowadays it's Spotify through the remarkably decent blutooth speaker box in my garage or ear phones/buds outside. Listening to a very engaging and amusing science Podcast of Unnecessary Detail (with the mathematician Matt Parker) whilst in town today (ordering a new bike ) on the earbuds. Volume up a little so I could hera properly over the train/traffic and when the episode ended it switched over to music opening with My Bloody Valentine - Shallow the intro of which almost blew my ears off. And then flicking through YouTube tonight I came upon this and the joy of vinyl - and of owning your own electron microscope! 1
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