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System Reviews-Why I love my own system

Very nice thread. I'm also enjoying reading all the reviews. I may contribute one day when I have a solid basis of comparison against which to evaluate my system. I have no idea how it could sound better (or worse) due to inexperience.
 
Darren said:
Do you find the Dynaudios quite smooth Doggy?
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i would say they are smooth but have more than enough HF detail to hear and have a lovely mid range tone. I bought them unheard after having emit 10's and really glad i did, a very nice speaker. Not sure how they compare to older dyn designs tho but they are a step up considerably form the emits (older ones mind)
 
RoA said:
Darren, they sound different. Funny you mention a sub as I ordered one and then cancelled it. I am mostly happy with bass. What is there is nicely integrated, bouncy and musical. Maybe in the future but another pair of speakers is next.
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Everyone has different priorities and you should buy whatever brings you the most pleasure ROA - I know I do!
But honestly...... I've found a great, modern REL to be a bigger upgrade than you might expect.
 
hifi-dog said:
i would say they are smooth but have more than enough HF detail to hear and have a lovely mid range tone. I bought them unheard after having emit 10's and really glad i did, a very nice speaker. Not sure how they compare to older dyn designs tho but they are a step up considerably form the emits (older ones mind)
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Quick question if I may ask : did you compare the Evoke 10 to the 20 ? The 20 seems very interesting although left behind the Special 40 for less than half of the price but probably 90% of the performance.........
 
I had a love hate relationship with my system for a while which was Linn pre / power activ nikas / notts analog/ rega aria / rega cd player.
Never got on with the cd player - so i sold it and replaced the Linn pre and cd player for am ATC CDA2 - very good. The tt still didn't seem to gel, but on the off chance when I bought a Kelly Lee Owens lp which came with a free thick slip mat, I put the slip mat on the tt thereby changing the VTA, everything snapped into place - so really happy now with the system. It gets out of the way and I'm listening to the music. The only upgrades i'd like to do it change the arm from rega to something I can set the VTA, and maybe the heavy kit and wave mechanic plus a rigb cart body for my AT. Oh and a sub - if anyone's got a linn sizmik they'd like to sell then get in touch
 
Gervais Cote said:
Quick question if I may ask : did you compare the Evoke 10 to the 20 ? The 20 seems very interesting although left behind the Special 40 for less than half of the price but probably 90% of the performance.........
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No sorry didn’t especially as the 10’s offer enough bass in my room, I think the 20’s would be unruly
 
mikebirtill said:
I had a love hate relationship with my system for a while which was Linn pre / power activ nikas / notts analog/ rega aria / rega cd player.
Never got on with the cd player - so i sold it and replaced the Linn pre and cd player for am ATC CDA2 - very good. The tt still didn't seem to gel, but on the off chance when I bought a Kelly Lee Owens lp which came with a free thick slip mat, I put the slip mat on the tt thereby changing the VTA, everything snapped into place - so really happy now with the system. It gets out of the way and I'm listening to the music. The only upgrades i'd like to do it change the arm from rega to something I can set the VTA, and maybe the heavy kit and wave mechanic plus a rigb cart body for my AT. Oh and a sub - if anyone's got a linn sizmik they'd like to sell then get in touch
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Sounds like a few positive changes for the better. I’ve had the Rega Apollo in the past and though it was a nice player for the money it didn’t have the soundstage or engagement of
my vintage Rotel.
 
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"I'm not sure happy / unhappy are the correct terms. You can be happy but still seeking improvements"

My system is all at least 40 years old with the exception of my amplifier which I had to replace due to the original going up in fire - and I am perfectly happy with it. No desire to buy anything new or tweek the current set-up - have widened my music collection instead to cover sounds from all over the world and create a very large collection. As a trained musician, music always comes first.
 
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Colin L said:
I'm not sure happy / unhappy are the correct terms. You can be happy but still seeking improvements.
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I think you can be happy and content but know improvements are possible.

As soon as you 'seek' the happiness usually goes to Room 101 ...
 
I'm happy with my present system but I'd still like to try other stuff, different turntable and tonearm designs, different cartridges, different amplification and speakers, different flavours if you like.
 
The nervous, highly strung and just plain tight are always with us - I accept that.
But I honestly don't get 'unhappiness' around hifi. My system is far from perfect but its still far, far better than the Bluetooth speakers many of my friends use. I can enjoy music to a huge extent and look forwards to decades of further pleasure as I upgrade.
What's not to like?
 
Pre- aged about 10, my audio research indicated that volume and quality = speaker size. Therefore a couple of years later when I heard that a teacher at school was getting rid of some big old gear, I went round to his house with any money I could get hold of/saved and a bunch of friends to carry away two colossal speakers with Tannoy written on them and a pair of monoblock valve amps and a Leak Varislope preamp. Best £50 I ever spent…. very loud!
A curious gentleman in Datchet near Slough helped me get the amps working; Maurice Seddon - Audiorama, he had the most astonishing collection of early TVs and audio products in a house with no heating so he kept warm by lining his dressing gown with wires and plugging himself into wall sockets powered by car batteries and a windmill on the roof. This was very early 1980s. I wonder what happened to him and his stuff…
The amps turned out to be PYE PF91 and the speakers 15 Ohm 15” red monitors. Over the years the front end of the system evolved through some strange and home cooked odds and ends but is currently LP12/ITTOK/K18 mk2, Yahamaha cassette and Naim CD5X with a Musical Fidelity The Preamp 2a or Khozmo-based passive. Streaming is very new to this house and first iteration is iPad through a Focusrite audio interface (musician, see). The power amps and speakers remain.
I put up a separate thread about the amps restoration, which are now sounding better than ever. The Tannoys have remained untouched since 1966, but I have just built some home brew crossovers to play with…
What I like about this system is that it is clean enough to hear how recordings are put together but musical enough to be able to enjoy the character (and sometimes humour) of the musicians performing. You can appreciate the physical effort involved with cello wrestling and good recordings give all sorts of information about playing techniques. I love the ability to listen in the near darkness of valve glow and have the speakers not exist - just the soundstage. You can really lose yourself in the music with this setup.
 
Romulus said:
I want a system that makes me excited to rehear my musical collection and is not fatiguing. Reason I state these words is what I experienced few years ago with an ATC system at HiFi show. Problem is to start saving the money...!
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16 week wait on on some ATC speakers so plenty of time to save;)
 
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