WillietheSquid
pfm Member
Wavelength Crimson DAC.
Source first? TMtgtmy
WTS
Source first? TMtgtmy
WTS
Your best purchases during 2016?
- Thread starter Pedro83
- Start date
mattgbell
Help the elderly and unwell!
Devialet Silver Phantoms
I think these are right up there for the price. (OK, you can get better sound buying second-hand kit.) A complete system based on full-range, point-source speakers that produce humungous, accurate bass. They are a Marmite speaker, and they have their faults. The top end is a bit scratchy (a fault apparently remedied by the new Gold model), and the software is pants.
I think these are right up there for the price. (OK, you can get better sound buying second-hand kit.) A complete system based on full-range, point-source speakers that produce humungous, accurate bass. They are a Marmite speaker, and they have their faults. The top end is a bit scratchy (a fault apparently remedied by the new Gold model), and the software is pants.
JezmondTutu
pfm Member
It's bizzare isn't it Gary. I tried ES14's in a previous house and they were bloody terrible. Quite possibly the worst sounding speaker I've owned were the SBL's - they were brand new too. I think I lasted with them for the best part of a year during which time I more or less abandoned my hifi. Very frustrating as they were the speakers I had wanted for some time having heard them sound great in several other systems.
oldius
Manchester City, dogs, family and food.
They have actually made me cry. I sat with my wife, eating dinner and listening to Miles. I had never heard the musician's message with such eloquence. An unbelievably communicative speaker and I have listened to and owned a lot of speakers.
JezmondTutu
pfm Member
lol - I had a pair of those and really enjoyed them but with Ion amps. Have heard them sound rubbish elsewhere.
Same here fo rme, except not had all the speakers on your list. They do a lot of things very very well if that's what floats your boat, and they do mine.
For the money I don't think I could get anywhere near the enjoyment.
I wish I'd heard a pair sooner, I tried ES11s years ago and thought they were terrible so struck the 14 off my list, but they take the best bits of quite a few speakers I've tried and combine it all.
I can totally understand them not being everyone's cup of tea though. I'm just on the look out now for a stunning amp to pair them with, I've a feeling they'll work well with valves or solid state Class A.
hifinutt
hifinutt
sadly in 2016 i had to part with my big majestic martin logan summit x . for several years I had the privelige of these monsters that did vocals so well and shook the foundations [well not literally !]
so what the heck to replace them with , something smaller and more domestically friendly .by chance paul coupe of RFC was selling his verity audio Rienzi speakers. these diminutive speakers come in 2 parts . in a big room they can be rear ported and in a smaller room front ported . so very flexible . listening to them portrayed the sheer emotion, not even a hint of fatigue . having had some lovely focal diablo which were excellent , the Rienzi had the detail without any bite
listening to many genres and tonight listening to the gravelly voice of leonard cohen , they are pretty sublime and most certainly the best purchase of 2016 .
I did make another superb purchase but that will have to wait
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/verity-audio-rienzi-loudspeakers/
so what the heck to replace them with , something smaller and more domestically friendly .by chance paul coupe of RFC was selling his verity audio Rienzi speakers. these diminutive speakers come in 2 parts . in a big room they can be rear ported and in a smaller room front ported . so very flexible . listening to them portrayed the sheer emotion, not even a hint of fatigue . having had some lovely focal diablo which were excellent , the Rienzi had the detail without any bite
listening to many genres and tonight listening to the gravelly voice of leonard cohen , they are pretty sublime and most certainly the best purchase of 2016 .
I did make another superb purchase but that will have to wait
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/verity-audio-rienzi-loudspeakers/
Pedro83
pfm Member
I have my eye on the gold and silvers. reading the software isn't great to know - hopefully this will be addressed, soon!
I'm yet to hear the Phantoms. I dread to think how loud the gold versions go, probably at the limitations of your room. Either way they look a great speaker with a lot of convenience about them. My days of uber critical listening are over and i'd love to have a few pairs around the house playing in unison. Gold as a main system, obviously should I like them but this is one of the things I look forward to in 2017.
Hifi:
A secondhand pair of Quad 22l. I've had (and still own) the 21l since new (2002-ish). Bagged these at a great price in the same finish and swapped them into the hifi system is thexsitting room. Paired with the longstanding Arcam Alpha 8/8P amps I've had for 20 years. Like he 21ls but "more".
Unfortunately the cleaners have bent the stylus on my Goldring Eroica, so I've made an emergency purchase of a Goldring Elan MM to tide me over while so work out what to do with the Eroica. Elan not fitted yet - bought on Saturday from my "new" local hifi shop, DoGood Audio in Liverpool.
AV:
In 2015 I won a 65" 4K Samsung TV in Charity raffle. After 12 months of chasing it finally appeared earlier this year. Too big for the sitting room, it's in the upstairs bedroom (attic room of a bungalow, so big enough). It was too tempting to just use it as a TV, so I've built a budget AV system: Yamaha RXV679 amp, Quad L-Series centre speaker (evay bargain from a super chap in Corby), Quad 21ls from the hifi system and a pair of Mission-made Denon speakers from my mother's defunct mid-90s Denon DM3 mini system. Including cables, total cost to build the system is under £500. Bargain..!!!
I think that's the most kit I've bought in over a decade. Obviously piles of music and films have entered the house. That's what it's all about, right?
A secondhand pair of Quad 22l. I've had (and still own) the 21l since new (2002-ish). Bagged these at a great price in the same finish and swapped them into the hifi system is thexsitting room. Paired with the longstanding Arcam Alpha 8/8P amps I've had for 20 years. Like he 21ls but "more".
Unfortunately the cleaners have bent the stylus on my Goldring Eroica, so I've made an emergency purchase of a Goldring Elan MM to tide me over while so work out what to do with the Eroica. Elan not fitted yet - bought on Saturday from my "new" local hifi shop, DoGood Audio in Liverpool.
AV:
In 2015 I won a 65" 4K Samsung TV in Charity raffle. After 12 months of chasing it finally appeared earlier this year. Too big for the sitting room, it's in the upstairs bedroom (attic room of a bungalow, so big enough). It was too tempting to just use it as a TV, so I've built a budget AV system: Yamaha RXV679 amp, Quad L-Series centre speaker (evay bargain from a super chap in Corby), Quad 21ls from the hifi system and a pair of Mission-made Denon speakers from my mother's defunct mid-90s Denon DM3 mini system. Including cables, total cost to build the system is under £500. Bargain..!!!
I think that's the most kit I've bought in over a decade. Obviously piles of music and films have entered the house. That's what it's all about, right?
I'm interested in your choice of the Marantz SA8005 SACD player, what brought that about? weren't you running a shoe box Rega Apollo or similar? was this purely for SACD playback or is the Marantz a step up on CD playback?
McIntosh MR78 - my long-delayed introduction to mac - not rare but remarkably well made, its cosmetic restoration has been a real pleasure and something of an education. Did I say it sounds wonderful... will reward it with a wood case.
Audio Research VT 130SE with a new set of winged Cs. Mint, metered and beautiful. A sound to die for.
I'm again reminded about the rather unusual meaning of 'progress' in audio land.
Audio Research VT 130SE with a new set of winged Cs. Mint, metered and beautiful. A sound to die for.
I'm again reminded about the rather unusual meaning of 'progress' in audio land.
Tony L
Administrator
I have three systems up in different rooms. I use the Rega as a transport into a Deltec PDM3 DAC in the main system, the SA8005 is upstairs in the Leak Stereo 20/JR149 system. It is a really nice sounding player, plus I have a fair stack of SACDs and it is nice to be able to play them properly.
davidf
pfm Member
Growing up my parents had a 1970's McIntosh system with an MR 77 tuner. Was a great tuner musically and the feel of the tuning dial was magical. ThemMR78 was always my dream tuner growing up- now I have an all naim system with another dream tuner- a NAT 01
David
FireMoon
pfm Member
Gone through almost a total system change this last 12 months and I'm happy with it. The one purchase that really shook me was a set of sorbothane feet under the speakers. Someone posted a link to them on eBay wondering if, for the price, they were the real thing. Thought, heck why not at that price and ordered them.
Stuck them under my speakers which were already scarily accurate in so many ways and the tightening up of the low mids and upper bass was a real eye opener. They were more than good before, they became that much more focused with the feet under them.
I am unsure if they would work in all circumstances as mine are quite unique. A pair of relatively compact bookshelf monitors 36 x 27 x 37 cms; that weight in at about 15 kilos a piece minus the xovers on top of Target R series stands.
Stuck them under my speakers which were already scarily accurate in so many ways and the tightening up of the low mids and upper bass was a real eye opener. They were more than good before, they became that much more focused with the feet under them.
I am unsure if they would work in all circumstances as mine are quite unique. A pair of relatively compact bookshelf monitors 36 x 27 x 37 cms; that weight in at about 15 kilos a piece minus the xovers on top of Target R series stands.
topoxforddoc
pfm Member
Equipment:
A mint Sony APR-5003V 1/4 inch 2 track mastering R2R deck with less than 250 hrs (complete with original trolley, spare reels inc a 14 inch, and manual) for the same money as a decent Garrard 401 chassis. Stunning R2R deck with speeds between 3.75 - 30 IPS. IMHO a very good alternative to a Studer A80.
Music:
More expensive forays into the world of studio master tapes - an original production master for JAMC Psychocandy and safety masters for Michael Jackson Thriller and Bad are my highlights for the year
Postscript:
My vinyl front end (Platine Verdier Hadcock Decca C4E) hardly gets any air time now.
A mint Sony APR-5003V 1/4 inch 2 track mastering R2R deck with less than 250 hrs (complete with original trolley, spare reels inc a 14 inch, and manual) for the same money as a decent Garrard 401 chassis. Stunning R2R deck with speeds between 3.75 - 30 IPS. IMHO a very good alternative to a Studer A80.
Music:
More expensive forays into the world of studio master tapes - an original production master for JAMC Psychocandy and safety masters for Michael Jackson Thriller and Bad are my highlights for the year
Postscript:
My vinyl front end (Platine Verdier Hadcock Decca C4E) hardly gets any air time now.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
Couple of headphone upgrades, Shure 535s replaced by SE846s and Fostex 600s sold and replaced with 900s. Both worthwhile upgrades- I love the Fostex sound, their cans are a pure joy.
Purité Audio
Trade: Purite Audio
Weekender
pfm Member
Thanks to not one but two cycle compensation settlements, 2016 has been a bumper year for hi-fi purchases.
So, having dispensed with my LP12/Ittok/OC9, I was very happy with the CTC 301/SME312/Troika which replaced it. (Thanks again Whaleblue!)
And then Simon built me a Paradise phono stage...possibly the single most dramatic improvement in my vinyl replay in 30 years! Wow!
So, having dispensed with my LP12/Ittok/OC9, I was very happy with the CTC 301/SME312/Troika which replaced it. (Thanks again Whaleblue!)
And then Simon built me a Paradise phono stage...possibly the single most dramatic improvement in my vinyl replay in 30 years! Wow!