I am back listening to vinyl as well, I've hooked up my Projekt Debut2 and pre-amp to my current setup.

 

I am really impressed by the current latest pressings in 180gram vinyl, sound quality is really good. I've recently bought the full box set of Dire Straits albums which are remastered have been remastered from the original recordings, and it gives the CD versions a good run for their money.

 

SACD is also another good hires audio source, I compared the SACD version of Jeff Wayne War of the Worlds to the CD version, and the dynamic range of the SACD is fantastic. Earth shattering bass though my sub on the multichannel version, epecially during the two tracks Dead London and Epilogue PT1.

 

Looking forward to getting the new pink floyd album on vinyl when its released in November, should sound really good (also on 180gram vinyl).

 

I also still use the first ever consumer six CD multichanger from the mid 1980s, a Pioneer PD-M6 which my dad bought when it first came onto the market, still works perfectly and sounds great despite being the best part of 30 years old.

 

My current setup is:

 

Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 speakers

Q Acoustics 2010S Subwoofer

Cambridge Audio speaker cable, Cambridge Audio Subwoofer cable.

Yamaha AV Receiver running in 2.1 Stereo

Projekt Debut 2 turntable

Projekt Phono box pre-amp

Pioneer PDM-6 Six disc CD player

Pioneer BDP160 Bluray/DVD/SACD player

If there was a fire in my house my HiFi is what I'd save.

If there was a fire in my house my HiFi is what I'd save.

I would save the records, the hi fi is replaceable and cheaper!

Was it only me but I got as much pleasure twiddling the adjustments, you know, VTA (vertical tracking angle), tracking weight,adjusted using  tracking scales,bias compensation and  tracking curve.Not to mension suspension, location and and different turntable mats & clamps as I did from playing the record.

Also it seemed however careful I handled the record it always collected dust, despite pointing my Zerostat gun (I sware it had nothing inside) and wiping it over with my Cathotherm cloth.

My  SME V5 tonearm and AKG P8ES cartridge were truly engineering masterpieces.

I did sell my soul to the Devil and went over to soul less plastic beer mats (CDs) but they never lived up to the sound of a LP.

Now a days I rarely find time when the house is empty and silent enugh to properly listen to my HiFi but I am richly rewarded when I do.

My little Hifi hoard is pretty basic compared to the some of the names floating about in here, but I do think you cant beat a decent set of separates and decent sized speakers.

 

I have a Sony fetish, and if I could afford the ES spec gear I would but I have to suffice with QS gear. I have a 6.1 setup in the living room, running Mission speakers all round. The amp is the last of the analogue amps, where after this one they use digital amps.

 

Ive got that connected to the QS SACD player, MD player and DAB Radio. One day I'll grab a deck aswell.

 

Upstairs in the loft Ive got another similar setup, but its running the next 6.1 amp which uses the digital amp and that's running an older CD player, and standard spec CD/MD units.

 

Luckily the wife loves the sound they produce, even though they take up a fair chuck of space in the living room!

 

I was lucky enough to listen to the first SACD setup Sony sold in the UK. Comprised of gear I could only dream of, even the interconnects were ridiculously priced! But it sounded so rich and full of quality it was like the band were playing in the room with me. Ive never heard such a setup since. The speakers ran the 100k tweeters and were simply amazing!

Was it only me but I got as much pleasure twiddling the adjustments, you know, VTA (vertical tracking angle), tracking weight,adjusted using  tracking scales,bias compensation and  tracking curve.Not to mension suspension, location and and different turntable mats & clamps as I did from playing the record.

 

 

He he - my Michell Hydraulic Reference turntable and Fluid Arm went back to the manufacturer to be rebuilt and set up with an Ortofon VMS20e a few years ago.  I've not touched it since but remember when I was at college spending hours tweaking with a stylus balance and tracking guage etc.  I simply don't have the time these days...

Oh dear, I'm having post traumatic stress remembering  mods, Isolation stands, cabling, (bi wire, single core or multi core), speaker positioning and stands, spikes (to couple or decouple) even should I remove the telephone sympathetic resonace don't you know.cartridges,mc vs mmc AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm going to have a lie down in a darkened room now nanny.

Oh dear, I'm having post traumatic stress remembering  mods, Isolation stands, cabling, (bi wire, single core or multi core), speaker positioning and stands, spikes (to couple or decouple) even should I remove the telephone sympathetic resonace don't you know.cartridges,mc vs mmc AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm going to have a lie down in a darkened room now nanny.

 

 

Did laugh out aloud when I read your last two posts!

 

There was something in the ether that made us go to the ridiculous level of detail to attempt to get the last ounce of musical satisfaction from all those boxes!

 

Just couldn't stop tinkering! Got silly though, I made some interconnects for tape/tuner and later CD which essentially were 6mm copper pipe and DNM sliver cable covered in polythene and cold fused the ends thinking it was the way to go! Then there was the time Peter Belt got into my head and it took all of a week before I realised he was more bonkers than me! 

The old HiFi still hits the spot. I've learned to tinker less and listen more

I still have a plug with Peters little black triangles stuck on it.

 

It has been a long time since it was connected to a HiFi component though, currently it powers my hammer drill!!!!!

Did laugh out aloud when I read your last two posts!

 

There was something in the ether that made us go to the ridiculous level of detail to attempt to get the last ounce of musical satisfaction from all those boxes!

 

Just couldn't stop tinkering! Got silly though, I made some interconnects for tape/tuner and later CD which essentially were 6mm copper pipe and DNM sliver cable covered in polythene and cold fused the ends thinking it was the way to go! Then there was the time Peter Belt got into my head and it took all of a week before I realised he was more bonkers than me! 

The old HiFi still hits the spot. I've learned to tinker less and listen more

 

 

Those cables sound perfectly sane to me, also remember the prose written in the HiFi mags, reminiscent of  wine buff''s guff.........I'm getting floral notes. no turntable to tinker with these days, only slight speaker repositioning, oh and mains conditioning. STILL get goose pimples at the detail my Acoustic energy AE1 s produce.

Edited 26 November, 201411 yr by adfabia1

Big fan of the old stuff. My favourite speakers were a pair of Klipsch Heresys. Awesome sounding. I've since had kids, sold the valves, the records, then the CDs, I have a huge iTunes library left over, and use Tidal now to listen to new music.

I learnt as well that amplifiers don't sound that different, wires don't either unless they're really different electronically, and that you can spend any amount of money on a DAC, but unless they're pretty unusual they don't sound much different either. Differences in sound are usually down to differences in distortion.

Found that marrying the speakers to the room is what matters. I had the luck to buy an REL sub at a car boot sale. That meant I could tune my bass to avoid a nasty resonance in my listening room. My system driven by Airport Express and a Nad amp sounds every bit as good as the £5000 system I had in there a few years ago. Doesn't look as nice, but hell, I listen to more music now.

Vinyl sales on the up!

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30216638

 

Andy

Still only about a million sales though...

Seems some of the old HiFi are having a resurgence as current prices for 70's-80's gear are on the up!

As has been posted on another topic you can pay silly money for items that most threw away (probably why).

Looking around for a classic Naim Nait which cost about £250 on release and now command in excess of £600!

Still looking ......

Some of my old stuff I've connected to my RasPi.

 

Arcam Alpha amp and Tannoy E11s on cheap stands.

 

The other stuff's still in the attic, Denon 910 CD player and a 620 something cassette recorder. Also, an Ariston Pro turntable.

Aiwa act02 loved it

Tinkered with mine the other day.............................Caig Detoxit & gold version on all gold stuff & non-gold connectors/plugs etc...............

 

followed by replacing the fuses with AMR ones..............

 

 

 

NURSE!!!.........................

No contest my "vintage HiFi " slaughters ANY modern day kit, MP3, loss less Flac, I remember the old HiFi mantra " Rubbish in, rubbish out".Re mastered vinyl rocks.....literally.

 

BTW on standard def TV programs I preferred my old Sony CRT tv, Hi def my Samsung wins hands down.

I've had a bad day today...

 

First my old Sony CDP XE 330 started cutting out / skipping regardless of disc...   so I stripped it again thinking it might have been dirt on the laser guides again like it was last time...   nope - it was just as bad so I had another go and when I reassembled it - no power and no amount of tracing found it - I can therefore only assume the transformer had gone south.

 

So out came the 'spare' Marantz CD63 Mkii...   bit it wouldn't read a disc.  Stripped that to clean the guides and laser as well and got it unstuck and tracking but still not reading a disc so I guess the laser focus has had it.

 

So...   I've now got an old Panasonic SL159 CD walkman rigged up as a temporary measure until I can get a cheap and cheerful replacement...

All streaming these days, even R3 is better online these days. No compression unlike FM. M-dac used as a digital-pre fed by an original Airport-Express, the new one had too much jitter. Using a pair of Audiolab 8200m into my AVi Neutron 5s. Sounds lovely.

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My current setups have done away with my Arcam amp.

 

Cubietruck running CIFS/SMB and miniDLNA, 120GB SSD.

Raspberry pi in the lounge running MoOde player. EBay TPA3116 board and Pi in home built boxes. Still retain the tannoy E11s.

Chromecast audio in the Kitchen. Another eBay TPA3116, this time a dual chip running to home built speakers.

I've lost the multiple input bit and part of me yearns to install an AV receiver with remote control..... Maybe if I go back to gaming on the Playstation or XBOX....

 

Althouogh not HIFI in the truest sense, integrating a 2.1 or more system through the capabilities of a decent modern AV Receiver shouldn't be scoffed at. Some comments on such over a at Zaph Audio.

well have bitten the bullet and bought a replacement CD player - Teac CD-P1260 - only a cheapie but OK to get me going and sounds fine given the cost...

Just enjoying the old fi is me.

 

Vinyl is rocketing of late.

 

Still find a gem now and then!

I've got a real mix of old and new kit now. Have my LP12 which is 1989 vintage and Event Opal active studio monitors which are current models.

Really loving the availability of vinyl at the moment (in Sainsburys!!), as good as digital can be there is always something lovely about listening to a records.

On the turntable today.....