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Flat earth systems that really worked well

Not sure about that! My one abiding memory of a flat earth system was my ears bleeding from ES14s with LP12/Naim gear with a spotty youth furiously banging his leg up and down as he shouted at me to feel the rhythm! I (and my mate with me, who was looking to buy some new speakers) made a sharp exit. Cannot remember the dealer - somewhere in Moseley, Birmingham in the late 1980s.


Oh, that must have been Geoff. The rest of us either a) didn’t rate the ES14 or b) weren’t spotty. Come to think of it, most likely c) didn't rate the ES14 and weren’t spotty hence not likely flap our legs around to Simple Minds or whatever....!
 
I like that a lot of people are talking about a flat earth system when they don't know what one is!
Actually, flat-earthism is more about a listener's priorities rather than hifi attributes. To that end, some hifi systems do a better job at conveying pitch, rhythm and timing than others that might major in pinpoint 3D sound-staging, inky blackness and dynamic resolution - whatever the hell that means.
 
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My first flat earth system: Linn LP12/Helius/Asak into a Nytech CTA 252 preamp/CXA 252 crossover amp actively powering ARC101 speakers. Nytech used to get rave reviews in magazines like the Flat Response, Chris Frankland thought it was the next best thing to Naim. This system served me well for nearly 15 years, I only changed the Asak for the less expensive K18.
 
LP12/Decca Gold with Nait 1 and Kans 1 in a small room.

Argh heartily agree - Gervais
Back in those flat Earth late 1980'S I had a LP12 -Ittok Karma 42.5 -HI - 250 - Kans in a small room ( My Bedroom ) with the Kans on Sound Organisation wall brackets against a solid wall.
I Loved it especially basslines.....can only imagine a Decca Supergold on the LP12.A cartridge I later heard and still have never heard such a fast cartridge for transients and vibrancy and sheer life.
 
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Argh heartily agree - Gervais
Back in those flat Earth late 1980'S I had a LP12 -Ittok Karma 42.5 -HI - 250 - Kans in a small room ( My Bedroom ) with the Kans on Sound Organisation wall brackets against a solid wall.
I Loved it especially basslines.....can only imagine a Decca Supergold on the LP12.A cartridge I later heard and still have never heard such a fast cartridge for transients and vibrancy and sheer life.
Strangely, I still have a feeling this combination of LP12/Deca/Nait/Kan was doing things I never heard on any other kits at any price point.
I also had a Creek CAS 3140 tuner on this system and when listening to live shows from the New York Metropolitan Opera I really had the feeling the singers were in the room with me.
This was in the mid 80’s on Radio Canada which can be compared to the BBC for sound quality back then.
 
Not sure about that! My one abiding memory of a flat earth system was my ears bleeding from ES14s with LP12/Naim gear with a spotty youth furiously banging his leg up and down as he shouted at me to feel the rhythm! I (and my mate with me, who was looking to buy some new speakers) made a sharp exit. Cannot remember the dealer - somewhere in Moseley, Birmingham in the late 1980s.

Jensen,
I remember back in the day my Linn dealer told me in confidence that their Linn rep told them on dems if you where sat next to a potential customer on the sofa ...start the leg tapping and arm taping.
I kid you not.

It's still going on BTW as 3 years ago I went to a Naim Statement evening at a venue and the guy giving the talk with first lower priced 500 series components and finally Statement..on touching his streaming device
immediately started slowly moving his head back and forth as if in a trance and the guys in my aisle where taping their legs and also taping their fingers...You have got to feel that PRAT.
Statement sounded nothing special to my ears maybe it was the Focal speakers but heard a pair of Magneplanner 20.1's - Trilogy preamp and Trilogy monoblocks at the Windsor HIFI Show the following year and it blew the Naim Statement out of the water at a system cost way less than that Statement system.Maybe £ 90 000 as opposed to £ 400 000 !! IMHO.
 
Nineties classic: Rega 3, Super Bias, Nait 3 (or 2), Rega Elas.

Actually, I could probably live with that quite happily (in a small room) even now.
Rather you than me. I'd sell all that for £500 and get something nicer to my ears with change.
 
Jensen,
I remember back in the day my Linn dealer told me in confidence that their Linn rep told them on dems if you where sat next to a potential customer on the sofa ...start the leg tapping and arm taping.
I kid you not.
That would just make me feel self-conscious and awkward.
 
OK. I just have very fond memories of that system is all. Actually, I'd like to hear a better £500 system now. Any ideas?
Absolutely. I prefer a Thorens 150 to a P3 for starters. I'd choose non Naim amps, don't like the house sound, and Linn Kei!idh speakers are decent sounding. £150 the Thorens, £200 the Linns, leaves £150 for an amp. A decent Japanese integrated.
however in this day and age the answer is streamer, £50-100, amp, speakers, a year's subscription to Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, Amazon, you choose.
 
Absolutely. I prefer a Thorens 150 to a P3 for starters. I'd choose non Naim amps, don't like the house sound, and Linn Kei!idh speakers are decent sounding. £150 the Thorens, £200 the Linns, leaves £150 for an amp. A decent Japanese integrated.
however in this day and age the answer is streamer, £50-100, amp, speakers, a year's subscription to Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, Amazon, you choose.

Well, uh, ok, but I thought this thread was about flat earth systems?
 
In the past 3 years I swopped
Rega Planar 3/112x/150x/Arivas for
272/555DR/150x/SL2s (with standard Naim cables).

The current system is very good at bringing to life the sound of 1970s Miles Davis, ECM, Paul Bley, GoGo Penguin, Keith Jarrett, Electric Ladyland, and acoustic piano trios letting rip.

Can also play Led Zep if required.
 
In the past 3 years I swopped
Rega Planar 3/112x/150x/Arivas for
272/555DR/150x/SL2s (with standard Naim cables).

The current system is very good at bringing to life the sound of 1970s Miles Davis, ECM, Paul Bley, GoGo Penguin, Keith Jarrett, Electric Ladyland, and acoustic piano trios letting rip.

Can also play Led Zep if required.
The Naim PRAT is very beneficial on acoustic piano in general IMO so your kit is probably very enjoyable !
 


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