What Hi-Fi/AV system are you using?/What have you got? (Merged threads!)

[pointon]

We are all quite familiar with everyone's equpiment tastes around here. Everyone seems to know of my 'fondness' for Mission.

Now we have this lovely new forum, so how about Hi-fi equipment? What do you use to enjoy your sounds?

Myself:

CD's are played on my Marantz CD6000 OSE LE.
Minidiscs are recorded on my Sony MDSJE640 Minidisc recorder.
Minidiscs are then played on my Sony MZE900 Minidisc Walkman (I always though they should have named them 'Miniman').

The earphones supplied with the MZE900 were the same cheap things as supplied with all Sony Walkmans. They aren't good enough when you've spent £200 on a portable minidisc player, so I also shelled out for a pair of MDREX70LP 'inner ear' earphones. These things are fantastic. They don't sit next to your ear, they lodge inside your ear, so are a lot smaller, but blast the sound into your ear. The sounds is truly wonderful, and bass that can't be beaten by any other portable earphone. Enough gushing and Sony advertising from me anyway...

What have you lot got?

[common]

The earphones supplied with the MZE900 were the same cheap things as supplied with all Sony Walkmans. They aren't good enough when you've spent £200 on a portable minidisc player, so I also shelled out for a pair of MDREX70LP 'inner ear' earphones. These things are fantastic


I know they look silly but have you tried the Grado SR60's for listening at home ?

They are amazing - I use them with my sharp MT877

[lmccauley]

Originally posted by pointon
Now we have this lovely new forum, so how about Hi-fi equipment? What do you use to enjoy your sounds?

I use my AV system:
Pioneer 545
Arcam Alpha 10
M&K S85
(need a sub)

I deliberately chose each component so it would sound good with movies and music.

Cheers,
Liam

[Jase]

I use my AV system but for more serious listening on go the headphones.

CD players - Denon 1450AR & Yamaha CDC 775 (Pro-Bit)
Sennheiser HD 580.

Either connect the headphones straight to the players or via my amp and use its Pure Direct mode.

[johnson]

Hi

CD's Tag dvd32r (transport)
Pro Tag av32r-bp192
Amp Tag 100*5r
Speakers B&W CDM9nt

Regards

[alanrob]

My Hi-Fi setup -

Linn Karik/Numerik CD transport and DA converter
Linn Klout Power amp
DNM Six Pack Pre amp
AE1 (version#1's) speakers

Had this setup for over ten years now and have felt no need to change anything. I also love listening to music on my AV setup down stairs - Tag Dvd32r/Av32r/100x5 and Kef 104 speakers. :)

[lechacal]

Hi-Fi Minimalist:
Rotel 940 amplifier
Arcam Alpha 7 CD player
Ruark Templar II speakers (bi-wired)

I can live quite happily with just the one format.

[CJROSS]

Pioneer DV-717 DVD Player Transport (24/96 PCM)
TAG McLaren DAC 20
Linn Sondek LP12, Valhalla, Akito, K9.
Sony TAF-3000-ES Amplifier
Sony MDJ-510 Minidisc
Castle Richmond Speakers
Ash Design - Cosmic Classic 4 Hi-Fi Rack
Partington A4 Speaker Stands

DIY Pure Silver IC - DAC to Amp
Van Den Hul - The Source Hybrid Coaxial Cable - DVD Transport to DAC
DIY www.tnt-audio.com FFRC (CAT5) speaker cable (Ixos 204 Banana plugs)
Russ Andrews Yello 4-way Power Extension

BTW Great to see a music section in here !! great addition to the best AV forum I know, nice one dudes !!

[Couch Potato]

TAG CD20R CD player
TAG PA20R Pre Amp
TAG 100P Power Amp
B&W CDM1NT Speakers
Sennheiser HD600 'phones when it gets late!
Argento Interconnects
Nordost Solar Wind speaker cable
RA IEC Multiblock with silencer
RA IEC Power Cords

Occasionally use AV room TAG AV32R etc

God I sound like I've been brainwashed by Dr Zucker :eek: :grin:

Steve

[Nike]

MF X-ray CD
Rega 3/RB300/Ortofon 540
MF X-LPS phono stage
Denon TU260L MkII
Rotel RC972 Pre-amp
Rotel RB971 Pwr
Tannoy 638

The power amp & speakers are shared to make my AV system (same room) as I have a Yamaha DSP-E800 connected to some 'lesser' Tannoys for surround duties.

from a 2 channel POV I am really happy with this set-up & haven't felt the need to upgrade for ages (bought the denon about a year ago)

The best upgrade in terms of sound quality I have ever made to this set-up was running a dedicated mains spur from our consumer unit to a bank of 10 sockets behind the rack. Really sounds sweet now and also knocked the constant hardware upgrading on the head. Cynical before I tried it...

[General Skanky]

Densen Beat B-100 MkII amp
Marantz CD 63MKII KI Sig CD player
NAD 414 Tuner
Celestion A1 speakers
Partington stands
Nordost Flatline Gold bi wire speaker cable
Chord Chorus Interconnect (CD)
Ixos Interconnect (Tuner)

Still angling to somehow get hold of my father-in-law's Linn Sondek turntable.:)
I had a phono stage added to my amp when I bought it, just in case.:grin:

[Darth Vader]

My music listening set up consists of:

Yamaha NS10M speakers
Denon PMA-250SE amp
Beyer Dynamic DT 150 head phones
Pioneer DV 717 DVD/CD player (via analogue pre outs)
Trio-Kenwood turn table (saved from being skipped at work, after an old equipment purge)
(very old) Denon cassette deck (agian rescued from destruction at work)

Music making set up:

Apple Mac 450 G3 Blue & White mini tower, running Cubase 5, Protools 5 LE & Rebirth (Roland TB 303, TR 808, TR 909 emulator)
Yamaha SW1000XG sound/synth/midi PCI card
Yamaha DSP Factory mixer PCI card
Amp & speakers as above ^

Fender US Standard Stratocaster guitar, in white (left handed)
Epiphone Les Paul Standard guitar, in sunburst (left handed)
Marshall AVT 50 guitar amp
Boss GT-3 guitar FX processor

All this lot including the rest of my AV /HC gear is all in one room but kept seperate from the HC stuff, except the Pioneer DVD. As I live in a studio flat and have nowhere else to put it (except my bath room!, Mmmm home studio/listening room in the Kermit, nice!!!!)

[JDC]

Am still considering the way forward to improve the 2-ch playback. Perhaps a dedicated 2-ch pre-amp? otherwise, I have:

Rotel 995 DVD
Rotel 1095 amp
Rotel RSP 996 processor
Sonus Faber Grand Piano fronts L&R
Sonus Faber Wall surrounds
Sonus Faber Solo centre
Sonus Faber Gravis sub
QED silver profile 12 spkr cable
Various interconnects, mainly mid-high range QEDs.

Any comments about improving the 2-ch playback would be welcome. I'm happy with the old processor for AV duties, but I suspect it's the weak link for CDs. Tag 32 or valve pre-amp are top of my list to audition.

[Nike]

JDC,
If you are using the DVD player for CD duties, I'd have thought a dedicated CD player would be the obvious place to start.

I can't remember the model no. but I auditioned a Rotel CD player that was about £750 when I bought the X-Ray; it was pretty good, but as you can see from my previous post, I preferred the MF (only just!).

[JDC]

Nike -

A good point, however I auditioned the DVD using both the kit I have + some much higher-end kit (that i could never afford!), as I wanted a one-box player. It found the 995 easily a match for dedicated CDPs costing around £500 & beat the arcams etc hands down. Wasn't quite a match for the Tag or meridian though...

[CJROSS]

JDC – First of all a very nice set-up you have there dude, you sound like a good candidate for adding an offboard DAC to your set-up that should give your CD playback a nice upgrade, DVD-V used as transports are excellent IMHO, not sure if your Rotel can output a 24/96 PCM signal, if it does that is even more reason to use the DVD-V as a transport IMHO. Funnily enough you mention TAG & Meridian as there are quite a few of their DAC’s on the 2nd hand market. You can pick up a TAG DAC 20 for £400 ish these days privately. I recently plugged a DAC into a friends Cyrus AV5 & Rotel Power amp and it made a nice change to the sound (stereo wise of course). HTH's dude !!

[JDC]

CJCross -

Offboard DAC... Nice idea - think you may have something there. I'll check out what the Rotel will put out 24/96 & see about an audition. You mention the Tag DAC - any others I should consider without needing 2nd mortgage?!

[Couch Potato]

You can pick up a TAG DAC 20 for £400 ish these days privately

You can actually get the TAG DAC20 for £349 from TAG themselves via their refurb program, if you're interested give the helpdesk a call on 0800 7838007.

Steve

[CJROSS]

Originally posted by Couch Potato


You can actually get the TAG DAC20 for £349 from TAG themselves via their refurb program, if you're interested give the helpdesk a call on 0800 7838007.

Steve

Just phoned Tag £399 + 15 PP - 2 year return to factory warranty - RRP 1200 - Bargain of the century - Nice one Couch Tattie !!

Edited to add review of said DAC

WHF Feb 2000 - *TEST ULTIMATE CD PLAYERS - TAG McLAREN AUDIO
“Fomlula for success”
TAG McLaren Audio CDT20R/DAC20
Transport/DAC £1499/1249

For : Superb build quality with a crisp, clear and weighty sound to match
Against : Nothing of any significance; bettered here only by the £4000+ Naim
Verdict By far the most impressive of the first batch of TMA products, this fine
two-box CD player offers reference performance for sensible(ish) money.

CDTZOR/DAC20 can get you into the heart of an orchestra, or let you hear the tiniest touch of finger on string or tap of stick on cymbal, in a way few players at any price can manage. this is a player to appeal to the head, whether powering out big classical works or revealing ever nuance of solo.

the upgrades here, making the player look and feel more solid, than the Audiolab kit, solid and powerful bass and greater integration. 'Clinical' is one word that was often used of the old Audiolabs, and while the TMA delivers even greater levels of detail, it does so in a richer, more gutsy fashion that has positive benefits when it comes to the musicality of the whole shebang.

..... whereas the Naim CDX + XPS (£1400 More) will get to your heart with the accuracy of a rather accurate thing. For us this just swings things in favour of the Salisbury flyer, difference in price aside, but that shouldn't detract one bit from TAG McLaren's major achievewith this transport/DAC. The changes from the old Audiolab kit may be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but they've done the trick.

[JDC]

Cool - am on 'phone as I type...

[Couch Potato]

It's actually advertised at £349 on their website. I wonder why they've said £399. Still a steal though!!

Steve

[buns]

tag refurbs........why didnt someone mention this earlier!

whats the address of the site where they sell them? I cant find it on the tag site.

ad

[Couch Potato]

Buns,

When on the TAG site you need to go into the "VIP Club" section, 7th tab at the bottom, you'll be asked to register then on the left you'll see "Factory reffurb products"

HTH

Steve

[buns]

Any idea how often 'new' refurb stuff is put up on the site?

thanks

ad

[rigman]

I have so many interests and so little time what with the home cinema system, various consoles including xbox, wife, kids, eating sleeping, half the month away working I hardly find time to listen to CD's anymore. My system is

Musical fidelity 3DCD Nuvista Cd player.
Musical Fidelity M3 Nuvista amplifier.
Xplorer tuner
Linn Axis turntable.
Ruark Acoustic Solstice speakers.
Ecosse cabling and interconnects

It sound wonderful but I must have listened to one CD when I was home last. So thats one CD in one month. What a waste.

Darren

[Iancity]

Hi, before I start, Rigman, if you only listen to one cd a month any chance of selling that gorgeous Nuvista cd on the cheap . . . .

Anyway
Musical Fidelity A3 CD
Musical Fidelity A3 Amp
Mission 773e speakers
Project Debut Turntable


Sony 335 DVD
Yamaha A5 Amp
Yamaha speaker package
Sony FQ75 (for my sins)

Also echo previous comments, great to see a Hi-Fi page here.

[CJROSS]

Originally posted by Couch Potato
It's actually advertised at £349 on their website. I wonder why they've said £399. Still a steal though!!

Steve

Steve - Thanks for the heads up on the DAC 20, such a good deal that I've bought one. As are a few others I know of !!.

CJ

[Couch Potato]

You're welcome :blush:

Steve

[marcoeser]

Here's mine:

Sony 735 DVD (multi region),
Sony TA-E9000ES (firmware version 2.5)
Sony TA-N9000ES,
Kef Q55 front (bi-wired)
Rel Strata III Sub-woofer
Van Den Hul First Ultimate interconnects
Van Den Hul TeaTrack bi-wire speaker cable

I sounds quite good but like many of you, I'm wondering how to make the next jump in sound quality. The TAG DAC20 is very interesting, do you know if its suitable with my system.

I don't know if the sony735 is 24bit compatible. 24bit is within the digital out setup menus, I just haven't found that it does outputs 24bit. I thought i had some 24bit cd's but my pre-amp always displays 16bit.:confused: i don't know what's happening.

Anyones help and advise in what to do next would be greatfully recieved.

Marc :)

[lmccauley]

Originally posted by lmccauley

I use my AV system:
Pioneer 545
Arcam Alpha 10
M&K S85
(need a sub)

And I now have a RELQ100E sub.

Next upgrade is... new house, probably.

Cheers,
Liam

[General Skanky]

Tag Refurbs! Just re read this thread and now I'm excited.
So many possibilities!!!!!!!:eek: :grin:
HiFi and AV.
Anyone lend me a tenner?:grin:

[CJROSS]

Originally posted by General Skanky
Tag Refurbs! Just re read this thread and now I'm excited.
So many possibilities!!!!!!!:eek: :grin:
HiFi and AV.
Anyone lend me a tenner?:grin:

Especially when you consider that your current DVD-V makes the perfect transport for an offbaord DAC with a 24/96 capable pcm digital output !! And that's even when playing CD at 16/44.1, cant get any better IMHO. FWIW the Tag Dac 20 on the end of a Pioneer (717) is an absolutely stunning piece of hifi equipment again IMHO.

Later dude and good luck in your quest for a tenner .... after that only £355 to go and the DAC 20 is yours.

[marcoeser]

I can see how it would improve the stereo cd quality but how can a dvd-v player play a dvd whilst its connected to the DAC20? AFAIK it only has analogue outputs - Pantom menace in sereo - doesn't do anything for me....

[CJROSS]

Originally posted by marcoeser
I can see how it would improve the stereo cd quality but how can a dvd-v player play a dvd whilst its connected to the DAC20? AFAIK it only has analogue outputs - Pantom menace in sereo - doesn't do anything for me....

Marco you are a different case due to not having a optical digital input on your AV amp ie Slotting a DAC into a DVD-V based system you would use the coaxial output to the DAC (pcm signal) DAC then routed to a "CD" line input on the AMP via Anallogue interconnects. Then the DVD-V optical output to the AV DAC (bistream AV signal) for movies, I'm not sure of autoswitching between PCM & BS for example I have to set my 717 to either to get best results ie PCM for CD signals. This means switching from either mode depending on what your using the DVD-V for - movies or music.

It maybe worth sending an email to Tag to see if the DAC 20 accepts a 48Khz bitstream signal and will pass it on via its coaxial output, the DAC 20 accepts 48khz signals via PCM but as I don’t have a DD 5.1 AV amp (stereo is my first concern) I have’nt tested the bitstream signal before. I have a feeling that it may send the signal on as it accepts a sampling frequency of 48khz.

HTH’s

Edited to add : Marco - I listen to my DVD-V watching movies through the DAC 20 and my stereo hifi set-up ie from the DVD-V to DAC 20 – Coaxial PCM signal – Then DAC 20 to amp via analogue interconnects so it can be don’t dude, And Phantom Menace in stereo may not the be all & end all of 5.1 but its plenty good for my ears. The main thing about adding a DAC is to get maximum hifi leverage from your DVD-V player as a music source, so if your still wanting to have movies and music from your AV amp & DVD-V player you realistically need to have 2 digital outputs on each for separate duties ie coax & optical.

[marcoeser]

Thanks CJROSS for the explaination I didn't realise you could use both optical and coax from the dvd player. I do have the connections on both the the dvd and av-amp. So I'm in ready for the upgrade.
I see the only disadvantage is using the lower quality optical verses the coax.
Marc :)

[CJROSS]

Originally posted by marcoeser
Thanks CJROSS for the explaination I didn't realise you could use both optical and coax from the dvd player. I do have the connections on both the the dvd and av-amp. So I'm in ready for the upgrade.
I see the only disadvantage is using the lower quality optical verses the coax.
Marc :)

Hey Marco no probs – FYI the TAG DAC 20 manual warns against hooking up via the optical toslink connections (even though there is 3 of them) as it wont utilise all the DAC’s technology, and the fact it is a lower bandwidth carrier compared to 75 ohms elect. coaxial.

BTW one things you need to remember is switching between PCM & Bitstream on your DVD-V output menu every time you need to switch from AV to music, I believe some players (Pioneer 737 for example) these days can detect a CD and automatically send the relevant type of signal ie CD (PCM) & DVD-V (BS).
But on an older gen player like the 735 (Like my Pioneer 717) you actually have to “force” the output if you change from music to DVD-V. I believe using the optical cable for AV duties would be your best bet as the difference In qulaity in BS mode is negligible (only what I heard before I get flamed dudes) and use the coaxial output for CD PCM use into the DAC. Then feed the DAC to the 9000 pre via good quality interconnects for top quality sounds form your CD’s.

Finally dude - I sent an email to TAG about streaming a Bitstream signal vai the DAC’s coaxial output, but you would still need to change output setting from PCM to Bitstream for this anyway AFAICT. Will report back when they reply

[MartinImber]

I use my AV system

[slingshot]

Good thread, some people interested in what speakers were made for (i.e. 2 channel music).

So here's mine :-

Linn LP12 - Ittok - Ortofon MC??.
Moth 2 stage phone stage.
Arcam Alpha 8 and 9P amps.
Rega Planet CD.
Rega Jura speaker.
IPL sub.

Loads of mains cable and interconnects.

Really haven't found the need to upgrade for a few years now, other than the odd mains cable. i'd love a decent valve amp but can't see how to integrate it into my HC, or visa versa, so may leave that.

[HeadBanger]

Great - people who still enjoy fantastic 2 channel stereo!!

My system is currently:

CD: Rotel RCD991
Vinyl: Systemdek IIX/RB300/K9
Amp: Arcam A85 (inc phono stage)
Speakers: Tannoy P30's
Tuner: Akai AT1200
Cassette: Aiwa ADS950
Leads: various QED, Chord etc. etc.

I use a Yamaha E800 for the movie thing with some smaller Tannoys for the surrounds and centre. Finished upgrading for now but (like Nike here has already done) am going to add a dedicated consumer unit (without the RCD protector) and mains ring to (hopefully) improve things.

Also going to extend the size of my lounge by nicking a bit of the kitchen. One small problem though - I haven't thought of a way of explaining (justifying?!) this to the missus yet! If anyone has any good ideas please let me know!!!

[Nic Rhodes]

For dedicated 2 channel stuff I use, though my Tag AV kit is so damn good at 2 channel……..


Audio Synthesis Transcend CD Transport (N code connected)
Audio Synthesis Dax Decade DAC
Audio Synthesis ADC
Tekni Fi Zikkra 600SE
Nakamichi Dragon
Nakamichi BX300
Nottingham Analogue Mentor TT, Mentor Arm, Tracer IV cartridge, TT PSU
‘Nic Rhodes’ modded croft pre
Audio Synthesis Passion V passive pre
Posselt Albatross speakers
REL Storm sub (basically not used now)
‘Glenn Croft modded’ Leak Stereo 20
Hifi world 5881
Border pratrol 6B4G prototype
Richard Allen A21 Class A amp (The original Sudgen amp)
My own custom valve amp designs
Arcam 500 DAC
Marantz CD94 (Tricord clocked with digital interface board)
Monacrchy re clocker
‘Nic Rhodes’ re clocker
Spendor BC1
two Leak Troughline Stereo tuner.
Musical Fidelity X10D
Marantz tranformer

etc etc etc an assortment of other stuff, Mission and Thorens TTs...cables to many to name! The above is basically 2+ systems.


PS From memory the Tag DAC is a new unit NOT a refurb though it is in the refurb section. Could be wrong. Decent enough performance.

Great to see people discussing their music systems. what interests me is how important is 2 channel replay to all of you in comparison to AV.

Unlike the lucky so and so's who can own two seperate systems, hello Nic, my system developed for AV over some eight years. Until the last year I found it disappointing in 2 channel and ended up spending a fortune to get the music sounding good. Now cd's sound so good that I hardly ever watch a film. Anyone else found the same?

Percentage wise how important is two channel to you compared to AV?

My current system is
Meridian 500 CD transport on Townsend sink
Van den Hul First Ultimate digital interconnect
Meridian 568 Pro/Pre on Townsend sink
Kimber Select 1120 balanced interconnect
Theta Dreadnaught Power Amp on Townsend sink
Kimber BiFocal XL cable
Martin Logan Ascent Speakers on Mana supports
Rel Stentor 2 sub ( like Nic not used)

All units except the Martin Logans use Nordost El Dorado mains cables which I found to be a step up from my Russ Andrews ones.

I list all the accessories as I believe that they make a very significant contribution to the end result. Attention to detail is everything!

Biggest upgrade? Possibly aquiring a dedicated CD transport in place of the DVD player.

Unfortunately I'll be moving soon and the new place won't take the Logans. Nic, any suggestions for a small speaker that sounds like an electrostatic?

[Chip]

Originally posted by airwise
cd's sound so good that I hardly ever watch a film. Anyone else found the same?


Er, no

Chip

[micb3rd]

In the home.

Mission M73 floorstanders.
Denon 355 UK amp.

home\ in work.

Byerdynamic DT 231 headphones.

In the car.

Pioneer headunit.
In the front - Tornado 3-1/4 inch coxials.
On the shelf - Alpine 3969 6x9's
In the boot - Kicker ix702 amp and Infinity Perfect 10 inch subwoofer in custom sealed 0.8 cf box.

[dood]

I think your sonus fabers are rather demanding speakers and a valve amp, though musically suited, would fail to deliver.

[john87]

CD player listed in my sig.

QED Quenex 2 interconnects to my amp listed in sig.

Speakers listen in sig.

[juboy]

I have a dedicated 2-Channel system as I believe there are few products that genuinely 'cross over' to perform at their best in a stereo and multi-channel set up.

After 6 or 7 years of trying to attain a sound I'm happy with, I've pretty much got there:

Rega Planet CD player
Denon DMD 1000 MD player
(through)
Cyrus 7 amp
Cyrus Smart Power amp
(Bi-amping)
Ruark Prelude R speakers
Ecosse The Conductor analogue interconnects throughout
Ecosse The Composer CD to MD digital interconnect
Nordost Super Flatline Gold MkII speaker cable
Russ Andrews YellO Power cables on both amps
Russ Andrews YellO 2 way extension for CD and MD players
Russ Andrews Silencer in fourth hi fi power socket

[wflem007]

A/V System ( in the TV room)

Matsui 32 " W/S
Sherwood 6095RDS
Panasonic Video (rarely used)
Toshiba 2109 DVD
Fronts : Mission M71
Centre : Paradign CC170
Rears : Jamo
Sub : Wharfdale Topaz 10

Don't listen that much to it, and I havn't watched a DVD in ages

Below is the Hi-Fi system, in a separate " sun room " and it's mainly on a Sat night I get really wired into it.

Main source used is Minidisc (self made compilations) - life's too short to listen to an album with one, possibly two, good tracks on it with the rest being duff.

[Jazzartist]

Hallo there ,

I am using the following Hi Fi system

Mitsubishi Television model CT 37C 37 Inches
Yamaha AV Amp DSP A -5
Pioneer LD player CLD -3760
Toshiba DVD player SD 1250
Marantz Cd player CD 63 MK II
Sony MD Player MDS JE 470
Tannoy Front and Rear Speakers
Klipsch Center Speaker


I was wondering what others are using . Let us know what system you are using.


Jazzartist

[buns]

Hifi only....

modified marantz kis cd player
Korato kpv10/kta100 pre/powersupply/poweramp
Celestion A1 speakers
atacama se24 stands
van der hul thuder(something) interconnects, soon to be modified 'tnt piano' interconnects
Cat 5 speaker cable, soon to be UBYTE upgraded.

Ad

[CJROSS]

Can a moderator move this into the hifi section ........ please.

[CJROSS]

Pioneer DV-717 DVD Player Transport (24/96 PCM)
TAG McLaren DAC 20
Linn Sondek LP12, Valhalla, Akito, K9.
Sony TAF-3000-ES Amplifier
Sony MDJ-510 Minidisc
Castle Richmond Speakers
Ash Design - Cosmic Classic 4 Hi-Fi Rack
Partington A4 Speaker Stands

DIY Pure Silver IC - DAC to Amp
Van Den Hul - The Source Hybrid Coaxial Cable - DVD Transport to DAC
DIY www.tnt-audio.com FFRC (CAT5) speaker cable (Ixos 204 Banana plugs)
Russ Andrews Yello 4-way Power Extension

There is another thread with everyones hifi systems on it dudes, Ive asked the moddies to bring it over here to the hifi forum.

[pbirkett]

My humble system:

* Rotel RA-01 amplifier
* Cambridge Audio DAC3
* PC as a transport
* Wharfedale Diamond 8.2 speakers
* Atacama SE1000SI stands (soon to be replaced with Atacama SE24)
* Getting a Toshiba SD220 as transport
* Pace Sky Digital box for TV and DAB
* Cambridge Audio Atlantic ICs (soon to be replaced, undecided on their replacements)

Edited to include my new amp :grin:

[juboy]

Rega Planet CD player
Denon DMD1000 Minidisc player
Yamaha KX580SE Cassette player
Cyrus 7 amp
Cyrus Smart Power
Ruark Prelude R speakers
Nordost Flatline Gold Mk II
Myryad Sirius interconnects
Russ Andrews YellO powers cables on amps

[tomson]

Heres mine:

Musical Fidelity X-A1 amp
Sony CDP XB-930 CD player (next to be upgraded)
Mission 780 Speakers
Atacama Nexus 6 Stands
QED silver anniversary speaker cable
QED Qnect 4 (?) interconnect

[cdm22]

Also use my a/v system at the moment....

Denon AVR3801 Receiver
Denon DCD835 CD Player
Denon DMD1000 Minidisc player
Denon DRW585 Cassette Player
Project 1.2 Turntable
B&W 603s3 Speakers

[Sheks]

My turn

CD; Marantz DR6000 recorder
DAC; Tag Dac 20
Amplifier; Roksan Kandy KA1 Mk3
Speakers; B&W 602 S3 on attacama stands
Speaker Cable; QED Silver anniversary
Interconnects; Qunox 2's
Minidisc; Sony MDS JE510
AV Amplifier; Denon 3802
DVD; Toshiba 510 multi-region
Sub; Paradigm PDR10
Projector; Sony HS1
TV; Old Sony 29" 4:3 (but still a great picture)

Colin

[bug]

And Mine:
Hi fi
Arcam CD92 Cd player
Arcam A85 amp
Arcam P85 power amp
Mission 782 speakers
Mission 78AS Subwoofer

Xlo cables and wire.:grin:

[Sozzled]

My stuff:

Linn LP12 with Lingo
Naim Aro tonearm and Audio Technica Art One
Naim 42.5/110 pre/power amps (oldies but goodies)
Acoustic Energy AE1 MK11 speakers
Atacama SE series stands
Cyrus Dad 7 cd player
Aiwa FD850 tape deck
Naim speaker cable
Chord company interconects

And.......a comfy chair.

Av stuff kept in another room

[Jazzartist]

Thanks everyone for sharing this with us . Why you some of you folks have not mentioned about what TV you are using ?


CJ Ross


Hi there . You have one great set up. I belive the Amp you mentioned is Sony Elite series. You must have spent a fortune on Linn Sondek and Tag Maclaren ? Is this Linn Sondek made as per your order or What? Do you get exceptional result by using this expensive cables ? Let me know more about your Hi Fi cabinet , TV . Have you any web page or Pics of your stuff?


Jazzartist

[CJROSS]

Hey Jazzartist

Thanks for the compliment dude but the kit is decieveing, Ive built up my system on a budget, try to get the best possible performance on a tight limit hence the cabling is DIY, ie I made it myself, it quite easily compares to high end stuff for a fraction of the price (IMHO), the LP12 is second hand (and a shade off the pace of Sozzleds Aro Armed beaut) but they make wonderful secondhnad TTs and I love it, it has faults but it is an LP12, and the DAC is bought from TAG direct end of line, the kit is wonderful but available for pennies over here in the UK if you know where to look. DACs are a wonderful way to get excellent CD replay to an existing CD or DVD, hence the use of the TAG DAC dude.

I use a Panasonic 630B Nicam VCR with a Panny 25" 4:3 TV in one room, then the DVD Room is set up with a Sony 25" 4:3 TV with 16:9 mode, this does me fine, you can see the set up below if you click the www button below.

Good to have you onbaord all the way from Banglasdesh dude.

Hi Paul, are you here to advocate the use of soundcards & offbaords DACs my DAC brother ?

[buns]

I didnt mention tv because it isnt hifi! I have a sanyo projector.......I wont go into listing all the AV gear since it would take allllll day!

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[pbirkett]

CJ, who's your DAC bro, I dont think I seen that thread, but if I stumble across it I'll chip in :) Its sure done wonders for my PC playback :)

As for my TV, well it just a 10 year old 28" Hitatchi jobbie, with Pro logic, but i never use the pro logic cos i just put it through the amp.

[bjd]

CJCross and Sozzled...........people of taste with the wonderful LP12 :). I just love mine.........if only I could find a cd player that comes close at sensible money :)

[buns]

Originally posted by bjd
CJCross and Sozzled...........people of taste with the wonderful LP12 :). I just love mine.........if only I could find a cd player that comes close at sensible money :)

cant be done!! i dont believe it!

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[CJROSS]

Originally posted by bjd
CJCross and Sozzled...........people of taste with the wonderful LP12 :). I just love mine.........if only I could find a cd player that comes close at sensible money :)

Hey BDJ yep it is a wonderful deck, but I have to disagree with anyone saying that you cannot get vinyl quality from a CDP or DAC, I have achieved that with the addition of the DAC 20 IMHO, read the review here : http://forum.hifichoice.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=53

Differing types of TTs sound totally different, to label all digital CDPs inferior to vinyl is a mistake and what people refer to as weakness or improvement in each format, is really only opinion or preference for them, don’t get me wrong both my vinyl setup & digital set up are different sounding, the vinyl has a fluid/smooth sound, the DAC has a wonderful amount of detail on offer, but with a smooth feel akin to vinyl. So im in a minority in that I enjoy both equally and I know many high end TTs owners for example a dude who owns this set up :

Linn LP12/Valhalla/Ekos/Klyde & Linn Mimik & he cant tell them apart from the surface noise & pops on the black stuff. BTW he also bought a DAC 20 for his other system and was very impressed by it.

So the choice is up to you, a lot of people weaned on digital systems the first time they hear a decent deck like the LP12 or any other high end TT, instantly think what they have been missing but there is no superior format IMHO.

So BJD £450 sounds like reasonable money to me for emulating the LP12.

[bjd]

CJ, thanks for the info. I have read much about that DAC, but, as yet, haven't heard it. Since you use an LP12 like myself, I would respect your opinion as to it's quality. Oh dear, the dreaded Upgrade Expenses may be looming ;)

Brian

[Sozzled]

Hi bjd,

Thanks for the commments, and I must admit I`ve often felt the same re cd players. Not yet heard one that compares to my LP12 but as CJRoss says its all down to personal opinion.

I may go and investgate the Tag DAC.

Before you consider this upgrade path though, I would urge you to listen to different arm/cartridge combinations on your LP12, the differences they make can be remarkable. And as CJRoss says if you know where to look there are often bargains around for this type of equipment. Many main dealers for Linn and Naim have outstanding second hand kit available at good prices.

Now if I buy the Tag DAC20 do I need to upgrade my transport...................................HMM

My credit card is starting to itch

:grin:

[bjd]

Sozzled, well, that's what my heart tells me. A friend has an LP12/Lingo/Linto/Ittok/Arkiv running through a home-made valve amp to home-made speakers. If I was aiming for anything, I suppose it would more akin to that rather than a cd set up. Incidentally, we had a Linn CD12 on trial for a week from Lyric HiFi in Belfast and it sounded awful in comparison, but I suspect it wasn't helped by the fact that the amp/speakers were specially built to suit the LP12.
Regarding Linn and their dealers, I cannot praise them highly enough. I had the cheaper turntable a lot of years ago. The house got hit by lightwning and fried the soundboard. Lyric sent it back to Linn who repaired it for free. Bear in mind that Lyric could still have charged me and I would have been none the wiser. Lyric also sourced a pair of ex-demo Kans for me for less than half price. They came in with a big shipment from Linn and it took us quite a while to identify the ex-demo ones as they were in pristine condition. So yes, I love Linn stuff and cannot recommend Lyric HiFi highly enough.

Brian

[ReTrO]

While there are a few good bargain 2nd hand LP12's around, there are a lot that are well past use. Make sure you take a good look at the deck before you buy it.

I am running in my system:

Acoustic Energy AE100i SE speakers
Arcam P75 power amp (will be two soon, activly powering speakers when I've covered that at Uni.)
Denon TU260L II AM/FM Tuner
JL 10W3 D4 (in custom enclosure with Linn Keltik base) running off Arcam P75


Switched through Hercules Game Theatre XP 7.1 sound card external box. This provides my DVD and CD sources also, I run on a 19" monitor, as I have no TV (or room for one).

[Glasswalker]

I'm currently using my DVD player and surround amp to play my CDs. It really does struggle on the heavy sounds in my collection.

A CD Player and dedicated stereo amp is on my list to buy. Although I would need to find what works well with my music and my Mission M72s.

[buns]

will be two soon, activly powering speakers when I've covered that at Uni

What exactly do you mean? Are you ripping out crossovers?

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[dts_boy]

Heres mine:
Arcam dv88
Tag Mclaren DAC20
Denon avc a1se
Toshiba 36zp18p
M&K s125 LCR
M&K ss150 rear
Monitor audio FB212 sub
chord interconnects
chord oddessy speaker cable for front speakers
chord rumour for rears
audioquest YIQ1 component lead
...saving for a michell orbe turntable and a dino phono stage!
BTW, if your thinkin of getting the dac20, do it, its a damn good upgrade for a damn good price (£450):p

[bjd]

What sort of transport is needed to use the Tag DAC effectively? How much would a decent transport be? Would the Linn CD12 be good enough and would the DAC really make that much difference to it?


Brian

[Jazzartist]

Hi CJRoss,

Hope you are doin fine. I have checked your page , well I like your set up. Have you any plan to set up Home theater thing? If you do I advsie you to check and compare the prices in UK and Singapore and Malayasia . Things are awfully expensive in UK .If you are interested I can help you with the prices in Singapore .The price difference will cover for the Trip . How much you paid for The Tag and Linn? Just curious . I am interested to Add DAC can you just me some Brand with good performance but wont hurt my budget . I want to know about your music and movie Taste .Can you tell me how I can obtain catalogues from Hi Fi Companies UK ? I am also planing to buy AV power /Pre
any suggestions on that? Shall be glad to hear from you .

Jazzartist

[Branxx]

I'm using

Self Build HTPC for audio, video & TV
Lexicon MC-12B Procesor AV
5.1 Active Speakers M&K MPS
JVC DLA G-10 Projector

[CJROSS]

BJD, First off a Linn CD12 CDP at full Linn rrp costs £12,000, the TAG DAC 20 full rrp cost £1249, so you can make your own judgement if it would change the sound of the CD12, saying that I have heard reports of guys using the Linn CD12 as a transport for Chords Uber DAC 64 rrp £1900 and liking the sound of the Chord at a tenth of the price, The one things about DACs like the DAC 20 & the Chord 64 are that they have been designed with a view to being quite transport easy, ie they are not as succeptable to transport quality as other DAC designs. I use a mid level Pioneer DVD fed via the coaxial output (TAG advise against the toslink connection) and Im more than happy with the results, if your talking hifi purist device on a budget, I would be looking at a Marantz CD17 (not the KI version) then get it modded at Trichord with an upgraded output board & clock (then use the XLR AES-EBU 110 ohm connection) this would come in at below 1K, and would be even cheaper if you could get one second hand. Or the TAG DAC 20 has been designed to be partnered with the TAG CD20T, these are still available at £1500 I believe from TAG. But I have to say a good DVD player with low spec jitter & good build quality is acceptable to me, you get the best of both worlds, ie you could use a SACD/DVDA/DVDV player as your tranpsort and use the DAC as the redbook CD section of this combo whislt getting the benefit of SACD/DVDA. Swings & roundabouts dude, depends on what you find acceptable. I have heard many people saying since they got this DAC that they would never buy it at £1250 but I would, the fact you can get these for £450 is nothing short of miraculous, a bona fide good deal IMHO.

Jazzy : thanks, yeah Ive been in Singapore & Malaysia before so I know of the discrepancy price wise, we are hammered over here in the UK compared the rest of Europe, never mind the world, Anyway the DAC 20 I got from TAG Direct (They sell end of line stock / refrubished direct from the factory in England rather than scrapping it) for £350, this has went up to £450 due to the popularity of the DAC since it has been made available, the LP12 is available quite often over here in the UK in many guises second hand or from dealers ranging from generally £400 to £1000, I bought mine from a friend so I got a good deal. I have no plans whatsoever regarding AV 5.1 surround sound Im a 2 channel fan, who haoppens to think the sound via my DAC, hifi Amp & speakers is more than adequate for DVD watching. Well Im not a great pre/power man myself, but the Amp manifacturers I would be looking at are Linn/TAG/Arcam/Primare/Unison Research (Unicos) for hif.

Check out these websites dude :

www.linn.co.uk
http://www.tagmclaren.com/great/sounds.asp
http://www.audiotra.de/primare/
http://www.arcam.co.uk
http://www.ukd.co.uk
http://www.ukd.co.uk/unison.htm (for hifi pre/pwrs)

HTHs both

[Tejpal]

...

[Jase]

Here´s mine:

Denon A1SE (upgraded).
Toshiba SD900.
M&K 150 THX (L,C,R).
M&K S85 rears (will replace these with SS150THX Tripoles or Pro Versions and move the S85´s to Surround Backs).
Yamaha NS90 Surround Backs.
Velodyne CHT15 Sub.
Denon 1450AR CD.
Yamaha CDC775 multiplayer.
JVC AV28WFX1 TV.
Chord interconnects (Prodac, Optichord, Chameleon 2, Cobra 2, Chrysalis).
Chord Carnival speaker cable.
Chord RGB Scart, Chord S-Video cable.

[pointon]

Originally posted by CJROSS
Can a moderator move this into the hifi section ........ please.

Good idea.

[Jase]

Ok, all moved and merged them together. Been a bit of a slack tart by not visiting the Music Forum too often!:o

[Jazzartist]

Dear Moderator

I object to moving and merging the threads together . Let the threads be seperate .

Jazzartist

[buns]

boy was i confused for a few minutes there! I tend to agree about leaving the threads separate. Those who posted in the more recent thread will not know whats happened and people will decide not to lok at the thread at all because the know its been going for agaes and assume there to be simply a monkey post stuck on the end....... but its ok i guess now that i know! :grin:

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[CJROSS]

Originally posted by Jase
Ok, all moved and merged them together. Been a bit of a slack tart by not visiting the Music Forum too often!:o

At least you did it eventually Jase, I had only been asking for a couple of days:) Now look at the state of things, i mean for chrisakes Ive got 2 systems page 1 & page 4.

Heh heh, lets just keep this one dude, Jazz you will always be remembered for starting the WYG thread number 2.

Later dudes

[Jazzartist]

Jase

Hallo there . You have a High end system.I have been planing to Buy the Dennon Amp and M& K speakers. Tell me more about your M& K speakers I mean performance and Price ?

Jazzartist

[Jazzartist]

CJRoss and Buns,

Sorry CJRoss cant agree with you on this one . Thank you Buns for being straight forward on your reply. I think in the same line with Buns . The folks on this message board will be looking for my thread and will never find it and have a bad / wrong idea alltogether .

DearModerator

If you dont seperate the threads please delete the Thread I created with all the postings in it. Thank you very much.

Jazzartist

[Stuart Wright]

Originally posted by Jazzartist

DearModerator

If you dont seperate the threads please delete the Thread I created with all the postings in it. Thank you very much.

Jazzartist

Don't understand what you mean.
A thread is a long list of posts. It's not possible with the current software to separate threads out.

[ReTrO]

Originally posted by buns
What exactly do you mean? Are you ripping out crossovers?

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Yep.

One of the first things that we will be doing on the course is building speaker x-overs, then PSU's and then active x-overs, so I should be able to make one before x-mas.

By next summer I'll be a fountain of knowledge on the subject!:p ;) :grin:

[buns]

Originally posted by ReTrO
Yep.

One of the first things that we will be doing on the course is building speaker x-overs, then PSU's and then active x-overs, so I should be able to make one before x-mas.

By next summer I'll be a fountain of knowledge on the subject!:p ;) :grin:

expensive speakers for a pet project like that! :grin: what course are you doing? it sounds interesting! I would much prefer to be doing a final year project on audio signal processing than dopey molecular spectroscopy! How on earth can i apply that the AV!?

Gimme a quick explain....internal crossover, it doesnt get bypassed when you biamp siply using the 4 terminals? So you really tend to get limited results with the internal crossovers in place? (unless the amp is designed specifically for biamping) So to get rid of my internal crossover, i need to build an external one (of higher quality i assume! :grin:) You really will have to mail me your course notes! ;)

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[Jazzartist]

Spectre
( Administrator)

I will try to clarify my question again.I posted a thread on 30.09.02 at 04.18 am having the title

"What Hi Fi/ AV System are you using? ".

Which you will find on the Page 4 of this present thread. Suddenly I found the thread I posted was missing then after lot of search it was found Under the name of

" What have you got " .

This was created by one of the member of the community Pointon.
The merger took place without the consent of either of the Thread starter. I alrady posted two times expressing
my disatisfaction on the matter and has requested to seperate the two thread under different names .If that is not Possible in that case I would request you
to change the Thread name back to
"What Hi Fi/ AV System are you using? ".
Also mention that now this thread is merged with another thread
"What have you Got"


I hope now you will be able to accomodate my request .

Jazzartist

[Ian J]

Jazzartist,

You may delete your own posts if you wish. The others can remain as they may of interest to other people.

The thread that you started was on the same subject as a thread already running which is probably why they were amalgamated.

[Jase]

Originally posted by Jazzartist
Jase

Hallo there . You have a High end system.I have been planing to Buy the Dennon Amp and M& K speakers. Tell me more about your M& K speakers I mean performance and Price ?

Jazzartist

The M&K´s are superb, fantastic dynamics, great detail & clarity. I´m very happy with them. They are expensive new but I bought them 2nd hand from one of the Forum members (Uncle Eric).

[Jase]

Originally posted by Jazzartist


The merger took place without the consent of either of the Thread starter.

We Moderators don´t ask permission from the thread starter, we just move/delete/merge if we feel it´s warranted. As in this case.

If that is not Possible in that case I would request you to change the Thread name back to "What Hi Fi/ AV System are you using? ".
Also mention that now this thread is merged with another thread
"What have you Got"


I´ve retitled the thread to make it clearer the two threads have been merged.

[buns]

all makes sense now jase! :grin:

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[Jazzartist]

Hi Jase

You havent replied to me about your great Dennon 3802 . About the M & K ,dont you guys have any qualms about using used Speakers how do determine its in good condition without any fault? For me I have changed tillknow may be Five Diffrent speakers staring from German Braun , Bose 301 amd 301 Sonata ,Klipsch Kv 5.5 , Klipsch Legend 30 , Now I am using Tannoy Sixes. I had Plans to Buy B& W 603 I changed my mind , then I was considering Tannoy . I am a Jazz Listner mainly with wide interest in Rock , 60s , New Age , Instrumental and Movies . Is the M& K suitable for me ? Do you prefer to use the same brand or buy speerate for Front , center , Rear ?Oh one more thing do you think its worthwhile to spent the extra money to have THX amp , because nowadys most movies are Dolby Digital?

PS: Thanks for the Change on the message Board .

Jazzartist

[Jase]

Originally posted by Jazzartist
Hi Jase

You havent replied to me about your great Dennon 3802 . About the M & K ,dont you guys have any qualms about using used Speakers how do determine its in good condition without any fault? For me I have changed tillknow may be Five Diffrent speakers staring from German Braun , Bose 301 amd 301 Sonata ,Klipsch Kv 5.5 , Klipsch Legend 30 , Now I am using Tannoy Sixes. I had Plans to Buy B& W 603 I changed my mind , then I was considering Tannoy . I am a Jazz Listner mainly with wide interest in Rock , 60s , New Age , Instrumental and Movies . Is the M& K suitable for me ? Do you prefer to use the same brand or buy speerate for Front , center , Rear ?Oh one more thing do you think its worthwhile to spent the extra money to have THX amp , because nowadys most movies are Dolby Digital?

PS: Thanks for the Change on the message Board .

Jazzartist

Hi

I don´t have the 3802, I´ve got the A1SE. The 3802 is a very good amp/receiver though.:)

I didn´t have any problems about buying the speakers used from member Uncle Eric, they are as new, boxed etc. It´s highly unlikely he would sell me duff speakers as he has a reputation to uphold.

I prefer to use the same brand all round, gives a much better integration for movies when the sound moves from front to rear, left to right etc. The M&K´s are excellent speakers from the S85´s , S125´s, through to the S150´s.

THX is a matter of taste, some people like the post processing the amps offer, others don´t. THX branding does give you a minimum excellence in terms of performance, build etc. I didn´t buy my amp just because it has THX, I bought it because it sounds superb for both music and movies. :)

[ReTrO]

Originally posted by buns
expensive speakers for a pet project like that! :grin: what course are you doing? it sounds interesting! I would much prefer to be doing a final year project on audio signal processing than dopey molecular spectroscopy! How on earth can i apply that the AV!?

I bought the speakers from work when AE were doing a 20% off trade offer some time last year, while they were shifting the remaining stock they had. Cost me £140 I think.

I am doing course H605 BEng Hons Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Brighton Uni. It's a very hands on course which is good for me since my last year installing has been mainly hands on!:)

I'm sure molecular spectroscopy can be apllied to DSP chips or summit. ;)


Gimme a quick explain....internal crossover, it doesnt get bypassed when you biamp siply using the 4 terminals? So you really tend to get limited results with the internal crossovers in place? (unless the amp is designed specifically for biamping) So to get rid of my internal crossover, i need to build an external one (of higher quality i assume! :grin:) You really will have to mail me your course notes! ;)

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The internal crossover is infact 2 crossovers. One filters out high signals and send the bass to the midbass driver. The other filters out the bass signals and sends the high signals to the tweeter. All that happens when you passive bi-amp is that you remove the links between the 4 external connections to stop the amps from shorting themselves out, the crossovers internally are still in use, if they weren't then you have full range singals going to both drivers. This would be alright on the bass, but would more than likely blow the tweeter.

What you have to do is make an active crossover the basically sits between the pre-amp/processor and the power-amp. This filters out all you unwated signals before they get to the amp, thus the amp is amplifying no unwanted signals and is more efficient.

You therefore need 4 active crossovers, 2 for each speaker, one for the treble in each and one for the bass in each.

Hope this helps.

Rik

[buns]

ouch, sounds like a fair old job! Plus it involves shredding the speakers!

I think i had it all ok and similarly ok that biamping is somewhat wasted if it is passive. Looks like it is time to get the tnt forum working for me! Im sure those guys have such things! :grin:

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[ReTrO]

I think shredding is a little pesimistic buns!

I have taken my speakers apart many times and all it will involve in the actual speaker is desoldering the crossover board from the terminal board and the cabel from the drivers. It's very simple really.

Passive biamping is well worth doing if there are no off the shelf active boards for your speakers, and you don't want to do a course/degree like me. (Only Linn and Naim that I know of actaully make active boards for their speakers).

[buns]

Originally posted by ReTrO
I think shredding is a little pesimistic buns!

I have taken my speakers apart many times and all it will involve in the actual speaker is desoldering the crossover board from the terminal board and the cabel from the drivers. It's very simple really.

Passive biamping is well worth doing if there are no off the shelf active boards for your speakers, and you don't want to do a course/degree like me. (Only Linn and Naim that I know of actaully make active boards for their speakers).

Surely though I will still be running through potentially poor crossovers? Would that not lessen my potential benefit? Add to that of course that the benefit will be limited already because the amps in question are far superior to speaker.......

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[ReTrO]

Originally posted by buns
Surely though I will still be running through potentially poor crossovers? Would that not lessen my potential benefit? Add to that of course that the benefit will be limited already because the amps in question are far superior to speaker.......

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I'd doubt that the crossover would be of an inferior quality to the rest of the speaker.

Relative to running active it is detrimental, but compared to just a single amp it is a huge step up in performance.

If your amps are far superior to your speakers thenh you might want to consider getting new speakers that have an active option.;)

[buns]

Originally posted by ReTrO
If your amps are far superior to your speakers thenh you might want to consider getting new speakers that have an active option.;)

you may have noticed elsewhere, my student load already has gone a long way to the H3D! I dont think it will stretch to new speakers and another new power amp!! Plus that would force me to repeat the trick on all chanels! :rolleyes: What sort of loans do you get!? :grin:

I think i should start buying some software soon to be honest, I havent bought a dvd in about 2 months! Upgradeitis at its worst! :eek:

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[Jazzartist]

Buns

Hallo there ! Are you serious about collcting Laser Disc. I still do collcet them . They have better sound effect then DVD if you listen in Dolby Digital Format and THX . I have never come across DTS LDs so cant comment on that . By the way for your information recently I have been very lucky got hold of Used Original USA made LDS for US $ 7 per Pcs fraction of their original price . It was from LD rental Club. I bought about 70 Pcs. Still they have more then 700 Pcs but the goood collcetion is gone.Tell me about your LD collcetion.

Jazzartist

[buns]

I just got into LD about 6 months ago with the purchase of a members collection, then i bought another one and im up to about 150 films. I havent got any dts discs either...... hopefully will come across some soon! I reckon that 3 pouinds a disc is about the most you should be buying them for. Well at least that is what i sell them for when im done....after all it is a bit of a dead format!

For me, LD is just a good way to get hold of the older films at a good price. Through my video processor, the picture is very very close to dvd.

Ad

[warrj]

Okay, here's mine. I use my AV system for both Music and HT.

Roksan Caspian DSP - processor
Roksan Caspian AV5 - power amp
B&W 805 on HNE stands - fronts
B&W HTM2 - centre
B&W DM610 - surrounds
Sonus Faber Gravis - sub
Arcam FMJ CD23 - CD Player
Rotel RDV985 - DVD
Old Denon - Tuner

It's already pretty damn good with music (which is my top priority). Therefore the upgrade path is likely to be:

B&W SCM1's to replace my ancient surrounds
A new power amp (possibly Bryston or Theta if my budget allows). This will also obviouly improve its stereo performance.
A new processor (possibly Tag).

Regards,

Jules.

[pointon]

I reckon some people are just showing off to make some of us... OK, me, feel inferior.

[nwgarratt]

I have a Hi Fi/AV setup

Sony Digital TV (KV28DX20)
Sony PAL / NTSC LaserDisc Player (MDP-850D)
Sony VCR (SLV SE80)
Toshiba VCR (V727B)
Sony DVD / SACD Player (DVP 900V - Modded) Used as a CD player
Sony Minidisc Player (MDS JB930)
Technics Digital Radio Tuner (ST-GT1000)
Technics Tape Deck (RS-TR333)
Technics Turntable (SL 1210)
Sony Dolby Digital/DTS Receiver (STR DB930 model)
Yamaha YST-SW90 subwoofer
B & W 602 S2 front speakers
B & W 600 CC6 S2 Centre Speaker
B & W 601 S2 for surround speakers

[ll0ll]

Hi, im new here, im from Holland.

My current set is:
- Marantz pm17 mkII
- Marantz cd11 LE
- Mission 780 speakers
- Yamaha YST-SW160 sub
- Van den hul 102III interlink
- Oehlbach speakercable
- Sennheiser hd565 ovation headphones

In my bedroom i have:
- Philips cdd882 cddrive
- Philips dac960
- Sennheiser hd565 Ovation
- Van den hul videolink 75 digital interlink

And if have a
- Philips FA950
- Philips FC950
for fun ;)

I have photo's of my set on http://www.marantzphilips.nl

http://www.marantzphilips.nl/img/info/marantz/marantz-cd11LE/thumb/IMG_0106.jpg (http://www.marantzphilips.nl/index.asp?strPage=Info&strBrand=Marantz&strType=cd11LE) http://www.marantzphilips.nl/img/info/philips/philips-dac960-cdd882/thumb/IMG_0101.jpg (http://www.marantzphilips.nl/index.asp?strPage=Info&strBrand=Various&strType=Philipsdac960)
(click thumbs for more photos )

[CALLMENUJAK]

See sig.

[Reuben.F]

My system, here goes...

Main cd source- Krell Kps20i (separate transport and DAC in 1 box) with 4 digital inputs.

Michell Gyrodec with Orb platter and other mods, Rega RB300 modded, some MF phono stage.

Playstation 3 used as a streaming device, linked to the Krell (sounds excellent)

Acurus Pre-Power amps, sound so good yet so cheap !

Ruark Accolade speakers, simply outstanding !

Some pic's here - http://www.affinity3d.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=121

Reuben

[Mr_Sukebe]

For music:
- Squeezebox+ into a Bel Canto DAC2 via a Behringer DEQ 2496. The Behringer is used in manual mode to reduce room bass nodes, whilst minimising it's own impact upon sound quality.
- Bel Canto Evo2i digital stereo integrated amplifier. Don't ask me to explain how it works, I have no idea, but it sounds awesome. The only amps that have impressed me more have been seriously expensive valve amps (e.g. WAVAC).
- Impulse Taus horn loaded 3 way speakers
- The SB+ control unit and the Bel Canto amp are sat on Stillpoints.
- Power and speaker cables are from Coherent Systems, you wouldn't believe how much difference the power cables made. The interconnects are from Zanash.

The Squeezebox+ addresses my PC via a Netgear RF router. I have my whole CD collection cut to FLAC using EAC. It's also fully backed up to a second independant drive.
The electronics are sat on an Ikea Opoli stand, with a high density anti vibration system under the transport and amp (Argos granite chopping boards).

For AV
- Sony VTX-800 Freeview box
- Panasonic PTAE500 projector connected to a UPS (just in case)
- Samsung BDP-1000 BlueRay player via HDMI/DVI to the AE500
The freeview box is connected directly to the stereo amp.
The BDP-1000 uses a coax digital out into a DS NOS DAC (v2), then onto the Bel Canto amp.
As you may have noticed, I'm running both music, TV and films into a stereo pair of speakers. I've tried 5.1 channel and found that the cheaper AV amps sounded pretty lousy, so much so that removing it improved the front channels dramatically, to the point where I'd rather have better front channels than the additional rear effects. After all, do you spend more time listening to the front, or the rear of a film.

All the above (stereo and AV) is controlled using a Marantz RC2000 learning remote control.

Cans: Rega Ear into Sennheiser HD540 refs and HD600s. Connected using a Zanash Eichman terminated stereo interconnect cable.

Where next:
Dunno. The stereo is pretty much as good as it gets (IMO) unless you start throwing seriously big money around (above £5k per component), which I'd rather use to pay off the mortgage.
My guess is that I'll look at the projector next, and am considering a dem on a Panny AE1000.

[CJROSS]

Pioneer DV-717 DVD Player Transport (24/96 PCM)
TAG McLaren DAC 20
Linn Sondek LP12, Valhalla, Akito, K9.
Sony TAF-3000-ES Amplifier
Sony MDJ-510 Minidisc
Castle Richmond Speakers
Ash Design - Cosmic Classic 4 Hi-Fi Rack
Partington A4 Speaker Stands

DIY Pure Silver IC - DAC to Amp
Van Den Hul - The Source Hybrid Coaxial Cable - DVD Transport to DAC
DIY www.tnt-audio.com FFRC (CAT5) speaker cable (Ixos 204 Banana plugs)
Russ Andrews Yello 4-way Power Extension

BTW Great to see a music section in here !! great addition to the best AV forum I know, nice one dudes !!

Goodness me, 5.5 years is a long time to see an old system, had some great times with that rig above, now using 2 stereo setups both with DVD players at the source for CD, both sound excellent, having come a long journey would say for me that speakers come first, then amps to them justice, then finally sources coming in a third place. Cables and supports a very minor concern when you have decent components. :smashin:

[Mr_Sukebe]

having come a long journey would say for me that speakers come first, then amps to them justice, then finally sources coming in a third place. Cables and supports a very minor concern when you have decent components. :smashin:

Interesting thoughts. I agree that it's the correct route, but maybe not the correct priority for funding.
Speakers are clearly the most personal element of a system, so chosing the right ones are essential. The key next step is finding components that work synergistically with the speakers, sometimes not an easy job. I remember the first time I heard a pair of speakers that I now own. Sounded truly awful, but that's because the CDP/amp were just not the right match.

Ref cables and supports, again something to add once the components are in place. I found that they can make a big enough difference to justify their cost, but only in a reasonably expensive system. More to the point, they also need to be matched to the components in use.
A few years ago I had a mana stand. Sounded great with Naim kit, but made my ears bleed with a Meridian CDT. Had to put a cushion on the stand to sit the CDT on, hardly the optimum solution. I've also heard the old inner tube in action. Just slugged the sound on the system I listened to, but clearly some like them.

[Kingofpersia]

Goodness me, 5.5 years is a long time to see an old system, had some great times with that rig above, now using 2 stereo setups both with DVD players at the source for CD, both sound excellent, having come a long journey would say for me that speakers come first, then amps to them justice, then finally sources coming in a third place. Cables and supports a very minor concern when you have decent components. :smashin:

An unusual approach methinks! Whatever happened to the 'primacy of the source', 'rubbish in and rubbish out' and all of that? True, speakers have an enormous impact on the character of the sound, especially with regard to bass extension and overall quality of tone but the laws of physics dictate that information lost at the source or amplifier stage cannot be regained by having good speakers at the end of the chain. I would suggest that if the speakers are too revealing for the rest of the system, some very unpleasant sounds indeed could emerge from them!

Surely the safest approach to matching hifi is to choose the source/amplifier combination first, before making a choice of loudspeaker. A second suggestion I would make is that all three components should be similar in price, with a slight emphasis on the front end rather than the speakers. What do people think about this?

[Mr_Sukebe]

Surely the safest approach to matching hifi is to choose the source/amplifier combination first, before making a choice of loudspeaker. A second suggestion I would make is that all three components should be similar in price, with a slight emphasis on the front end rather than the speakers. What do people think about this?

As already stated, I think you're right about the funding, but I do believe that chosing the speakers first and then working towards the source will give a better synergy.
Let me try to explain why. Most CD technology is fairly similar, and differences whilst there aren't huge. For example, do you know of a CDP that cannot output 20hz-20khz as a frequency range. That's clearly not true of speakers, some of which have supertweeters, then you have the design differences such as ported, stand, flootstanders, electrostatics, horns etc. There's much more variance in the options available on the design of a speaker. So IMO it does make sense to chose that first, then work backwards.

[Dean]

I have to agree with above, IME the biggest factor that varies the overall sound/quality is the loudspeakers.. not the source. I tend to spend the most on the speakers/amplification and then less on the source. Also souces such as CD and DVD players tend to evolve much more quickly than speakers/ampilfiers so it's more likely it will become 'old' (by newer designs being produced) hence should you really spend so much on this?

[FunkyMonkey]

I'm in the speakers matter most camp too. Simply because electronics have less variability at a given price range compared to speakers for all reasons mentioned in previous posts above.

CD transport matters least because any transport will pick up vast majority of data and spew it out accurately.

Then you have DACs and amps - these are very important as they "shape" the sound ready for output.

But speakers are the things that lend most character simply because sound is physcal and so are speakers (mechnical as opposed to purely electronic).

[Kingofpersia]

I'm in the speakers matter most camp too. Simply because electronics have less variability at a given price range compared to speakers for all reasons mentioned in previous posts above.

CD transport matters least because any transport will pick up vast majority of data and spew it out accurately.

Then you have DACs and amps - these are very important as they "shape" the sound ready for output.

But speakers are the things that lend most character simply because sound is physcal and so are speakers (mechnical as opposed to purely electronic).

OK. I follow the argument you offer about digital sources, particularly CD transports and I must admit that some of my experience backs up your assertions. Two years ago my system consisted of LP12/ Lingo/ Akito/ Ortofon 520MkII, Cyrus III, Cyrus Power and 2 PSXr biamplifying TDL Studio 0.5 transmission line speakers. My CD player had been somewhat left behind as it was a Technics SLP550 dating from 1988! I hadn't felt the need to upgrade this player because it always sounded better each time I upgraded amplification and/or speakers. I suppose it could be argued that the amps and speakers were making more of a difference to the sound than the CD player. Vinyl, on the other hand is surely a different matter. If I were using a budget turntable in the above system it would have sounded pretty awful compared with the Linn. I must point out, however that when I did eventually get round to upgrading my CD player to a Cyrus CD8x/PSXr, the results were staggering. The word 'upgrade' doesn't really do it justice; it was a transformation!

[FunkyMonkey]

when I did eventually get round to upgrading my CD player to a Cyrus CD8x/PSXr, the results were staggering. The word 'upgrade' doesn't really do it justice; it was a transformation!

I can believe it. No amp or speakers can process what they are not given in the first place. My specific point was the transport is not crtitical in a CD player so much as the DAC and clock systems. But if, like me, you are doing the DAC off-board, then the transport becomes even less of an issue.

[CJROSS]

Have done the "fancy" digital route before with a few DACs (TAG, MF, CA) and I can honestly say that is percentage terms, speakers have incrementally increased SQ by 25-30%, digital sources to me are in the 5% zone at best.

[corpus_chain]

Cambridge Audio A1 Amplifier
Cambridge Audio Azur 640C V.2 CD player
Gale Mini Monitors 6ohms
Nakamichi DR-8 cassette deck
Pro-ject Debut 3 turntable
Sennheiser HD 555 headphones
Numark DM950 USB mixer

Cables:
1x The Chord Company Crimson 1m stereo phono
1x Cambridge Audio Atlantic stereo phono
1x Cambridge Audio red cassette interconnect
2x 2.2m Matthew Ho speaker cable

At the moment I have my CD player and tape connected directly to my amp but, as my amp lacks a phono stage, I have the turntable running through the mixer (the mixer also acts as a soundcard for my PC), which doesn't sound amazing, so I'm saving for a phono stage. The amp has had a couple of modifications to it - I lined the case with flashing tape to dampen it, then replaced the hard-wired mains lead with an IEC plug so I could use a Tacima screened mains lead. I also use a Tacima lead on my CD player.

[pcfchung]

In my experience I found the digital front end makes the least difference to the system than almost anything else.

Since we moved house (and country!) I had a chance to separate my surround system from my 2 channel music listening. And I ended up with the following two systems:

AV:

Meridian 565 processor;
Meridian 562v controller;
Meridian 500 tranport;
Pioneer DV 563A dvd player;
Pioneer Elite laserdisc player;
5 x Marantz MA500 mono amps;
Monitor Audio MA1200 gold left, right and centre;
Polk Audio FXi3 rear
REL Strata sub.
Panasonic TH-50PH10UK
50-inch Plasma TV

Two channel:

Garrard 401 with Loricraft plinth and power supply;
SME IV arm;
Goldring Elite cartridge;
EAR 834p phono stage;
Oppo HD970 dvd player;
Tube Technology Prophet pre amp and power supply;
2 x Tube technology Genesis mono blocks;
Proac D25 speakers.

As you can see, the Oppo is by far the cheapest item in my 2 channel system(including cables.)
Since I separated the two systems, the Meridian transpoort has been staying with the surround sound gears and I was in need of a new CD player for music.
I had a Jungson Magicboat2 SACD for a while. It was good but I didn't find it to be better than my Meridian. I sold it at the end and recently I bought the Oppo (based on all the reviews and the low price.) The idea was to use it for a short time and move it to the AV system so I can get a "proper" CD player for my music listening. I was so impressed with how it sounds that I am now in no hurry to replace it. I am not a technically minded person and can only judge with ears. To be honest with you, I am enjoying the music coming from this cheap dvd player just as much as the other cd players that I tried in the same system. I am sure eventually I will get myself another cd player but that's more to do with the fact that I am a geek and can't stand the thought of using a cheap dvd player as my front end!:)

[A406 north circ]

I'm using a dedicated 2-channel set-up which is also integrated into a 5.1 set up.

Stereo:

Sony FA3ES amp
Sony JA3ES MD deck
Sony DVP-NS900V SACD/ DVD player
Sony SA3ES tuner
Sony APM-141ES speakers

Multi-channel:
Sony SDP-EP9ES Dolby Digital processor
Sony TA-VA8ES 5.1ch AV amplifier
Sony SA-WM40 subwoofer


For music, I'm using the Sony NS900V player via coax to the MD deck and basically using that as a DAC for general playback of CDs.

For multi-channel audio, I have the NS900V bypassing the EP9ES processor, which is feeding the fronts to the FA3ES amp and the rear/centre and sub channels into the 5.1 input of the VA8ES surround amp.

Normally the rear input of the surround amp is only 50W per channel, so instead I'm using the front inputs to double the power, plus I now have the added benefit of using two sets of rear speakers.

The pre-outs on my stereo amp are used to my surround amp to control the subwoofer for added bass on stereo play.

For digital radio, I can listen to stations not available on FM from a SKY box and freeview receiver, these are bypassing the surround processor via optical connections to the MD deck (DAC).

[skazz]

This is an amazingly disjointed thread with a 5 year gap. But as a result it goes quite well with my own hifi, since I've astonished myself by running the same kit for about that length of time!


multichannel kit:
Sold it (Yamaha/B&W 5.1 system). I just use my stereo kit for music and movies now.

2-channel kit:
Myryad MI-120 integrated amp
Myryad MC-100 CD player
Marantz DV6200 DVD player
Philips FT940 tuner (mid 90's and probably rebadged Marantz internals)
B&W Nautilus 805s (lovely red cherry) on the B&W stands
Sennheiser HD565 Ovation headphones

Cabling:
van den Hul D102 and C5 interconnects
van den Hul the Snowtrack biwire



My hifi is currently running in a mid sized room with mostly bare parquet floors and pretty minimalist furnishings, so there is plenty of power to fill the room with sound. The only thing I'm really missing is low bass, but every time I start wondering whether I should buy a nice subwoofer, I realise that for my music choice (classical orchestral and chamber music) I'm not missing much if anything. My current kit can dig out impressively powerful bass drum assaults from the likes of Stravinsky or Mahler orchestral recordings, so what would a subwoofer (set to roll off at the lower end of my speakers' output which is around 45Hz) actually give me?
More to the point: For the price of a subwoofer capable of doing justice to the N805s, I'd end up paying an awful lot of money for the odd bass note ;)

Yes, there are undoubtedly plenty of things my hifi could do better. But sitting listening to something like a good recording of Shostakovich string quartets, the tonal accuracy, awesome pinpoint soundstaging and dynamics just make me smile.

[cobbler]

I was quite happy to read the first post of this thread and see that someone else still uses minidisc :thumbsup: .................... I then realised that the post was from 2002 :god:

I still use my sharp SD-NX10 for CD/minidisc/radio and it has done me proud over the years.

Arty farty shot of the display, which will display many colours, ooooooooooo


http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff156/major_fisting/sharp.jpg

[CJROSS]

I'm using a dedicated 2-channel set-up which is also integrated into a 5.1 set up.

Stereo:

Sony FA3ES amp
Sony JA3ES MD deck
Sony DVP-NS900V SACD/ DVD player
Sony SA3ES tuner
Sony APM-141ES speakers

Multi-channel:
Sony SDP-EP9ES Dolby Digital processor
Sony TA-VA8ES 5.1ch AV amplifier
Sony SA-WM40 subwoofer


For music, I'm using the Sony NS900V player via coax to the MD deck and basically using that as a DAC for general playback of CDs.

For multi-channel audio, I have the NS900V bypassing the EP9ES processor, which is feeding the fronts to the FA3ES amp and the rear/centre and sub channels into the 5.1 input of the VA8ES surround amp.

Normally the rear input of the surround amp is only 50W per channel, so instead I'm using the front inputs to double the power, plus I now have the added benefit of using two sets of rear speakers.

The pre-outs on my stereo amp are used to my surround amp to control the subwoofer for added bass on stereo play.

For digital radio, I can listen to stations not available on FM from a SKY box and freeview receiver, these are bypassing the surround processor via optical connections to the MD deck (DAC).

Lovely system you have there old chap. :smashin:

[CJROSS]

I was quite happy to read the first post of this thread and see that someone else still uses minidisc :thumbsup: .................... I then realised that the post was from 2002 :god:

I still use my sharp SD-NX10 for CD/minidisc/radio and it has done me proud over the years.

Actually cobbler I still do, recording the reading festival off Freeview as I type.

[cwilson]

not into AV at all,-- 2 channel system
Rega Saturn, P25 with Denon DL 110, and Radio 3 as sources
Cursa and Exons + ear for amplification
Spendor S5e's turn it into something I can hear

[A406 north circ]

Lovely system you have there old chap. :smashin:

Thank you very much. It's great to know you like the Sony brand too! :)

[Pat Marcus]

I dont have the luxury of enough space for two systems but I have to admit that if I had funds and room, I'd separate the two.
As it is, I think Ive reached a decent compromise. The Meridian G98 is a good CD player (though bettered by some Ive heard recently like the moon supernova) but its also a brilliant DVD player.
The meridian amps are underrated performers and the 559 particularly has enough guts to drive B&W 800s, so easily copes with my 803Ds. On the subject of which, the 803Ds are lovely and keep getting better. Everything that has been written about the remarkable diamond tweeter is true. Today, for the first time in ages, I actually sat down and listened to music through them. Im still smiling.
Still, not the most expensive element in the collection but definitely my favourite bit is the VPI turntable. Looks gorgeously industrial, is hewn out of rock and makes music come alive. If I had a separate 2 channel system, Id still have a VPI deck.....and in the context of this thread, what greater compliment is there than that.

[CJROSS]

Thank you very much. It's great to know you like the Sony brand too! :)

Yep have had 3 Sony ES amps in the past : TAF-3000ES, and 2 No. TAF-30ESs. Lovely, I also run a Sony QS 925 AV Reciver with Tannoy Revolution R1 & Centre for a AV room.

[pcfchung]

I dont have the luxury of enough space for two systems but I have to admit that if I had funds and room, I'd separate the two.
As it is, I think Ive reached a decent compromise. The Meridian G98 is a good CD player (though bettered by some Ive heard recently like the moon supernova) but its also a brilliant DVD player.
The meridian amps are underrated performers and the 559 particularly has enough guts to drive B&W 800s, so easily copes with my 803Ds. On the subject of which, the 803Ds are lovely and keep getting better. Everything that has been written about the remarkable diamond tweeter is true. Today, for the first time in ages, I actually sat down and listened to music through them. Im still smiling.
Still, not the most expensive element in the collection but definitely my favourite bit is the VPI turntable. Looks gorgeously industrial, is hewn out of rock and makes music come alive. If I had a separate 2 channel system, Id still have a VPI deck.....and in the context of this thread, what greater compliment is there than that.

Hi Pat,

What is your opinion on running the Meridian processor through analog power amps and speakers instead of using their digital speakers? I am also using Meridian processer (an aging 565) in my AV system. I have heard demos of all digital Meridian system many times before and was impressed. The reason I didn't go that route was because AV to me before was an after thought. I used to have one system for both and listened to records most of the time. I would just plug my meridian gears to my pre amp. Now I finally have two separate systems (living in America means more rooms and no lovely fireplaces getting in the way!)and would like to know if going all Meridain (digital) would be better than upgrading the power amps and speakers. The money I would need to get the Meridian speakers will be enough for some very good power amps and speakers. No doubt you have compare the two before you decided on your present system. Did you find that using analog speakers with the Meridian digital preamp/processer get you a better result ?

My present system:
AV:

Meridian 565 processor;
Meridian 562v controller;
Meridian 500 tranport;
Pioneer DV 563A dvd player;
Pioneer Elite laserdisc player;
5 x Marantz MA500 mono amps;
Monitor Audio MA1200 gold left, right and centre;
Polk Audio FXi3 rear
REL Strata sub.
Panasonic TH-50PH10UK
50-inch Plasma TV

Two channel:

Garrard 401 with Loricraft plinth and power supply;
SME IV arm;
Goldring Elite cartridge;
EAR 834p phono stage;
Oppo HD970 dvd player;
Tube Technology Prophet pre amp and power supply;
2 x Tube technology Genesis mono blocks;
Proac D25 speakers.

Thanks!

-Paul

[la gran siete]

I have two systems nad nothiing OTT
Av:
Hyundai Q321 whcih I am more than pleased with
Harman Kardon AVR 5500 excellent both with movies and music

Oppo dvd player with hdmi output
Kef UniQ speakers
V+ box

hifi
alphason sonata / xenon probably the most undervalued T/t ever made
Rotel RCD 955 which I am having upgraded .Hifi snobs hated it because they could see it was a very good player being sold at a cheap price
Audiolab 8000a a classic
TBi Diamonds single driver speakers - an absolute gem:smashin:

I am great believer in good value for money products that work well and are in no way poncey

[Pezerinno]

There aren't enough pictures in this thread (IMO).

[A406 north circ]

Yep have had 3 Sony ES amps in the past : TAF-3000ES, and 2 No. TAF-30ESs. Lovely, I also run a Sony QS 925 AV Reciver with Tannoy Revolution R1 & Centre for a AV room.

Very nice amp selection! The F3000ES was IMO the cutest amp Sony ever made, a real little gem. The FA30ES was one of the all time best, still is actually. Would have thought you'd have gone with a DB930 instead of the DB925- which although QS badged, had real ES power.

[la gran siete]

There aren't enough pictures in this thread (IMO).

whats the point . Its what they do not what they look like that counts, besides there is an awful lot of name dropping going on in here:confused:

[Pezerinno]

whats the point . Its what they do not what they look like that counts, besides there is an awful lot of name dropping going on in here:confused:

What is the point in people showing their AV setups, cars, PCs etc I just like looking at Hifi pictures.

[adrianh1960]

For music:
- Squeezebox+ into a Bel Canto DAC2 via a Behringer DEQ 2496.



Please can you answer my question. I also have the Bel Canto DAC 2 and am currently using it with the SB3 but thinking of getting the SB+. When I use the BC with my Audio Synthesis CD transport I get a wide and detailed sound stage with all instruments well separated and generally excellent stereo imaging and the vocals are soft and listenable. When I use the SB3 into the same DAC the sound stage becomes blurred and the vocals shall we say grainy. My question is whether from your experience the SB+ will solve these issues and make it more like the dedicated CD transport with which I am very happy.

My second question is why you use the BC rather than the SB+ internal DAC and analogue outputs. Patrick Dixon claims that they sound better than almost any DAC but you are obviously not of the same opinion. My question is based around whether I could save the £200m by buying the SB+ without the internal DACs and using the Bel Canto.

Hope you can answer these questions.

Cheers!

Adrian