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Budget Hi-fi heaven

Del monaco

Del monaco

Del Monaco
Steadfastly sticking to all formats I’ve been earnestly titivating my system. I soldered a new earth lead on the Thorens TT, cleaned up my long loved Marantz cassette deck, gave my A&R T21 the care it deserves, plugged in my newly fettled Pi server/player/viewer and then began a journey through my catalogue.
I purchased a load of quality 2nd hand cassettes the other day and I must say I’m really enjoying them. I think the Maggies help but a very satisfying tight sound. My main consideration is that whatever format I play, nothing should get in the way of the music and I’m very happy. All is sounding mighty fine.
Think I’ll have a look for more classical cassettes.
Just need a Walkman now!
 
Del monaco said:
I purchased a load of quality 2nd hand cassettes the other day and I must say I’m really enjoying them.
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Original pre-recorded or previously recorded onto blank tape/ I've yet to come across a pre-recorded (by artiste/multi-transcription) that has had a decent s.q. Conversely, a good DIY recording with good kit is a different matter.
 
Quality as in performances. I know it’s not like cd or streaming but all have their pluses and minuses. The sound quality is surprisingly decent really.
 
Titivating, that’s one I hadn’t heard in a good while! It reminded me of Benny Hill for some reason..pleased you’re enjoying your system Del.
 
Should it be “fettling” rather than titivating ?

I have an old Yamaha cassette deck sitting idle somewhere- must see if it’s still working
 
Arkless Electronics said:
Cassettes? No no no.... and especially not classical as only a very very few decks had low enough wow and flutter even when new for it not to be obvious on classical, piano especially.
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Yes yes yes. I’ve fluttered my last wow. Am I bovvered! Do I look bovvered! No. No obvious wow and flutter anyway.
 
Just had a lovely Persian feast with friends and the husband was intrigued by the LSRs. I took him through my rig, from the Yammy to the A&R. It took him down memory lane as his Dad had just sold his A60. This guy has just put together a substantial Naim rig plus Amphion speakers. He was astonished by the sound of my rig, including the cassette deck. He said he loved his Naim rig but he wasn’t sure it was any better than my own and he thought the LSRs were way better than his speakers. How good is that?
 
If you like it, that's great. I'll pass on the cassettes though, they may be cheap but CDs are for nothing too these days. 50p each and 3 for £1 all over the charity shops.
 
stevec67 said:
If you like it, that's great. I'll pass on the cassettes though, they may be cheap but CDs are for nothing too these days. 50p each and 3 for £1 all over the charity shops.
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I know, but it’s a personal thing really. I want to get back to just listening to music and collecting music regardless of the format. Im very happy with the gear I have and I want to get away from upgrade itches and listening for sound rather than for music. It was beginning to distract me from the source of my pleasure.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
Cassettes? No no no.... and especially not classical as only a very very few decks had low enough wow and flutter even when new for it not to be obvious on classical, piano especially.
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It is satisfying to play tapes/cassettes on quality decks where wow and flutter is undetectable. Those of us with five decades of listening experience who have hundreds of cassettes and have owned several cassette decks - including Revox, Studer and Nakamichi - experience this pleasure more than some would guess. As a lover of jazz and classical, too, I understand why you think wow and flutter can be a pain. Just sayin'.
 
Even better if the deck has azimuth adjustment to optimise replay, like my Nak. Easy to change when playing back recordings from the different decks I have owned since 1974.
 
omega3 said:
It is satisfying to play tapes/cassettes on quality decks where wow and flutter is undetectable. Those of us with five decades of listening experience who have hundreds of cassettes and have owned several cassette decks - including Revox, Studer and Nakamichi - experience this pleasure more than some would guess. As a lover of jazz and classical, too, I understand why you think wow and flutter can be a pain. Just sayin'.
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It's a problem most of the time with most decks. Only the very best TOTR decks are generally adequate.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
It's a problem most of the time with most decks. Only the very best TOTR decks are generally adequate.
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Agree with you that this is the position today, Arkless, and it has been so for many years. However, I have to add that back in the day (1970s - 90s-ish), ordinary consumer-level decks purchased from Comet(!), etc, such as the Pioneer I acquired, delivered stable performance for years. Hence, for our generation, they became very popular. Every dog has its day!
 
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