Recent content by Steven Toy

I don't prefer physical media for the kinesthetic aspect, I prefer CDs because they sound better than streaming, even using a GaN charger to power the streamer. I don't currently own a record player.

I prefer the 10-inch drivers anyway. They sound much cleaner and articulate.

I know. I sold my Turnberry SEs in 2021 for £2200. A brand new pair of Stirling III LZs will cost you £12,000, the Stirling GR is £6,500. The difference is the former has the Pepperpot and ALNICO magnets, the latter has the Tulip.

The amp I use Ive had since 2009, but it was built in 1997. It is based on an old GEC circuit and originally ran GEC KT88s. It has been re-biased to run KT150s and has had its power supply upgraded accordingly. New film resistors give its sonic presentation more immediacy. It now also runs...

It's been a very long time... Do you fancy another train ride to hear the Kensington GRs? Lots of other things have changed too, since the Turnberrys. Whether you think they make an appreciable or quantifiable difference is another matter, but such obstacles were certainly overcome in the past...

The Kensington GR's (10-inch driver) crossover is at 1.1 KHz.

The Pepperpot costs a lot more!

I have earlier Kensington GRs built at Coatbridge in 2015. They are still in production. Dan Raggett recently supplied me some new shipping cartons for them. To me, 'Vintage Tannoy' is 15 inch drivers, and a slightly stodgy sound. I prefer the pre-Uli modern stuff. It is more engaging.

They need a bit of space behind them, but that's all. The drivers have wide dispersion characteristics so you can sit wherever you want.

The speakers themselves are not particularly fussy about placement.

I love watching his videos. He is an old-school passionate about this industry. I'm not sure I agree with him regarding the Sterling III LZs, or What Hi*fi, for that matter. That said, I have Kensington GRs, built at Coatbridge using drivers manufactured there. They are proving difficult to...

I refer to a previous post. I don't think that a Naim pre works well with a valve power amp. It could have sonething to do with the Naim pre bandwidth limitation? Borrow another preamp, see how that sounds.

All solid state until the output valves, including the preamp. I would prefer solid state pre, and valve power. Valves aren't about injecting 'warmth.'

Yet, the very best amplification I've ever heard i(imho) s the Soul series amplifiers from Tube Distinctions/Tom Evans. The preamp, and gain stages of the power amp are solid state with power provided by a pair of KT88s, KT120s or KT150s...

I sold my Tube Distinctions-modified Puresound A30 power amp (it was originally an integrated), back in 2009 to a chap running a Linn Majik streamer into a Naim 82/180 combo. We swapped out the Nap 180 for the modded Puresound, and the sound was decidedly 'off.' It lacked immediacy and...