advertisement


System pics 2013 part I

Warning: Contains some Naim bits. Haha!

IMG_6715s_zpsd4e74c49.jpg

Nice and powerful looking.
 
Still in the throws of building my second pair of these, so a bit of a mess with all the playing around but here is my set up as it stands, Acoustic Masterpeice Integrated amp (22wpc PP), Well Tempered TT with Reson Reca cart, Sugden phono and DIY Tannoy's.

Some nice pics so far!

Worth a mentioning the kit that i have had running this year at stages that stick out, Lampizator dac 4 very anologue sounding dac so saving pennies and also Hush isolation platform under the TT...marked improvement.


DSCN1048 2 by simon ms, on Flickr


DSCN1046 2 by simon ms, on Flickr

New Ply cabinets under construction,


DSCN1024 by simon ms, on Flickr


DSCN1026 by simon ms, on Flickr

Just listening to Grimes on this....:)

Cheers Si.

Christ!
And I baulk at fitting a new plinth under the kitchen base units!
 
Current system & room layout:
T/T: Trio L-07D/Esco ZU 103/Benz Ace S; SME V/Ortofon Cadenza Blue.
Phono: Whest PS30R.
CDPs: Esoteric UX-1; Micromega Classic Solo.
Digital: NVA TFS (not shown).
Amps: Exposure MCX Pre/4 x Exposure XVI Mono Power.
Speakers: Jamo R909 on Townshend Seismic Sink stands
RCM: Okki Nokki.

DSC_1155.jpg


DSC_1157.jpg


DSC_1696.jpg


DSC_1695.jpg


DSC_1243.jpg

Theo baby!

That lot and the room is not less than goddamned AWESOME.

Adopt me!
 
Theo baby!

That lot and the room is not less than goddamned AWESOME.

Adopt me!

The wife wants to see a picture of you first before we consider adoption :)

Seriously, thanks all: I love the room (yes, including the loud carpet).
 
Surprisingly good. I've had the 34 knocking around for a while now, plus I've got another earlier (bronze DIN) one in the other system / room with a 303 & Klipsch Heresys. It is way, way better than it's online reputation, in fact it compares pretty well to my Audio Synthesis stepped attenuator passive, only adding just a tiny bit of weight and maybe losing a tiny amount of air. I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart on anything other than a direct A/B to be honest, and even then I'd be reluctant to put money on it. I have a feeling that it's bad rep originates from the days where preamps were mainly assessed on their inbuilt phono stage, and for some reason I'll never understand Quad chose to load-up the MM stage with 220pf capacitance, which means it sounds like utter crap with a lot of carts (certainly with my 2M Black). It's easily fixable by swapping a couple of caps out (it's now set at 47pf). It's also got a LF filter on the mainboard that sucks the life out of the bass, but again that's easily fixable, and none of this impacts the line stage anyway.

The 306 is lovely. Sounds rather like a Sugden, but with more power on tap. A real sleeper IMO. It's one of Quad's current dumpers, so will be operating in class A pretty much exclusively in the context of big efficient Tannoys etc. Sounds like it too, very clean, clear and effortless, yet with some grunt when required too. It's a different sound to my Leak Stereo 20, but I'd not say I liked it any less, they both sound great to my ears. It's also exceptionally quiet, so it's nice not to have the usual hiss and hum high-efficiency speakers seem to find in just about everything. IIRC Rob stuffs some bigger caps in the PSU, so it's probably got a bit more grip and headroom than it had originally. It certainly sounds like a powerful amp. Probably also worth acknowledging that Quad / Tannoy is a safe and known-good combo, just about every UK studio ran it throughout the 70s. It does sound like a studio rig too, just how I remember things sounding in various control rooms etc with that big, easy and unflustered thing going on.

Will keep an eye out for the Ronnie Scotts box, do you mean the (very expensive) vinyl or is there a CD of it? Can't seem to find it on Amazon.

I am a big believer in powerful amps into efficient speakers. It's the sense of ease and effortlessness that comes with that combination and which allows the system to render the music more realistically.

Yes I am referring to the Art Pepper set out on Pure Pleasure which is not really THAT expensive on per disc basis (within the price range for your typical audiophile reissue). IIRC Laurie Pepper ('Widow's Choice') has reissued the same set recently on CD for a very low price. I'd be surprised if it's already out of print.
 
Why is it so satisfying to look at other peoples hifi? Best piccies in the web :)
My wife thinks I have defo lost the plot…
 
My humble little rig in situ...

DSC01482.jpg


DSC01486.jpg


DSC01471_2.jpg


SL1210/Rega Carbon
Sony CDP-X303ES
Sony TA-F670ES
Teac UD-H01 dac
ProAc Super Tablettes
 
Nice to see the extension completed :) Piano sounding good in there?

Thanks Theo - yes, the piano's sounding really good. A lot more headroom and resonance too, a lot louder than in the living room and with a richer bass. :)
 


advertisement


Back
Top