audio-talk

Maybe be bollox for this thread - sorry - but we used single ended preamps with balanced xlr amps with no difficulty (AVI preamps and ATC actives in particular). We used a standard two-core-plus-screen mic cables, connecting screen and signal return in the phono plug and all three in the xlr, or at ...

Ooooh, I know something! I actually know something! I'm so excited! You're quite correct, BUT...... The Philips CD-M9 was the finest mech they made for tracking, and Arcam used it best with their Alpha 5 and 6 players, even over really nasty scratches and scuffs (we had a bad copy of Miles Davis 'T...

So many turntables, so little time... The very best deck of all for me was the Notts Analogue Mentor with Mentor arm and Decca Microscanner, which was head and shoulders over the springy stuff I owned previously. The deck I miss the most is the Dual 1229 I had. A wonderful piece of production engine...

I'm pretty sure the LP12 in the 70's was about as good as belt drives got!* Maybe that's not saying much, but the basic technical performance (suspension dynamics aside which were never discussed until The Doc gave his carefully researched view) was actually very good - low w&f, very well engine...

Shane, memory is weak as our 'Linn chips' had been inserted where the sun don't shine by the end of the 774's life, but I seem to recall the very last 774's had rigidly coupled counterweights, as well as nicer castings. Maybe worth some research to confirm perhaps?

It made shit vinyl sound acceptable and good vinyl very nice indeed. Selling and setting the bloody things was my life for years so I shouldn't complain, but hearing master tape vs acetate vs vinyl and shortly after, hearing a Spacedeck do everything the LP12 did, but far better in every way, even w...

Can you define a 'better' transport? More expensive, lower jitter (achieved I believe in very cheap stuff nowadays) or what? I know those of us around at the time have a huge fondness for the battleship machines and transports of the late 80's, when CD finally started to show what it could really do...

Mudshark wrote:Old Sony.............Dont do it.

Jammy, you did a very silly thing in chucking that 777 out recently in a fit of pique. It could have been fixable and would have been worth doing so! You could have sent it to Uncle dave for bodging and I'd have given it a great loving home.

Bah humbug!

Wasn't that Sony machine one that moved the mech rather than the laser? Others I trust liked it too. I still think power supplies are the thing. The old Denon 1520 I use in the workroom for CD's (integrated player for testing and as a transport for proper listening as I think the audio output invert...

I've turned 60 today. The previous few months have been agony to be honest, as this is more a psychological millstone than a milestone and when I volunteered at the CAB a few years ago, it appeared that men over 60 were regarded in the workplace as has-beens with few decent job prospects. I love the...

I began using it every few weeks during the changeover and was 'caught' not paying one way. I immediately opened an account, pleaded against the fine and eventually won. Now, I use it and the charge is deducted from the balance there. I've tried going further in and using the Blackwall tunnel, but i...

I'm going to get into trouble again, going on about 'HiFi Shrines' with all the gear in between the speakers and the lot almost being the sole focus of attention. If any of you can, I'd really suggest having nothing between the speakers to see how this improves imagery. It helped in three demo rooms...

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Actually, jammy did post a pic of himself once with his dogs and he's got a proper head of thick white hair as I remember - lucky b*****d...

Look out for a Dual idler driven turntable, a 10** series to go in period. It'll need a service but it's not difficult and 'Dualcan' on the VE Dual 'room' knows these chapter and verse, having a site with wonderful service details as he did this for a living for decades... The 10** series arms have ...

One thing I'd like people to look out for is a Lustraphone LP100 amplifier. These were mid 70's made, rather sweet toned originally and I loved mine, although reliability was an early issue 'cos the output transistors weren't up to the current inrush on switch-on (dealt with at the very end but too ...