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what really happened during the late 70s early 80s in the hifi press

doctorf said:
Audio Projects, Bill in particular, would hardly let you buy anything other than Naim to go with the LP12 and they were forever pushing all the upgrades as they came out from Nirvana, Valhalla, Trampolinn etc.
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I bought stuff from Bill at Audio Projects and don't recall upgrades being 'pushed' anymore than buying stuff through Hamish at Sound Organisation........

Regards

Richard
 
Richard Lines said:
I bought stuff from Bill at Audio Projects and don't recall upgrades being 'pushed' anymore than buying stuff through Hamish at Sound Organisation........

Regards

Richard
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He didn't push them, but usually sent a letter advising of them, and often an invitation to an evening demonstration by a team down from Glasgow.
 
Richard Lines said:
I bought stuff from Bill at Audio Projects and don't recall upgrades being 'pushed' anymore than buying stuff through Hamish at Sound Organisation........

Regards

Richard
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When I dealt with Bill, he was completely dismissive of anything which didn’t involve the upgrading of my LP12. When Naim came to the party, it almost became an Audio Projects religion to tell you how you needed to upgrade. I found the whole thing most unpleasant, so only visited when absolutely necessary, usually to replace damaged Linn cartridges.
 
One thing KK loved was Quad. He looked up to PJW and wrote a nice book about him.
He has my respect for that, and also for not being caught in the Linn/Naim marketing ploy.
I usually enjoy his HFN&RR these days.
 
Bob Edwards said:
I was at one of the shows that was recorded at. There was an announcement that anyone making noise during the performance of a song would be ejected. Great show.
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I'm jealous!! It's a great album!
Makes you think,when he sings about the war being forty years ago... he was singing almost 40 years ago :eek:.

Off to see JJ in York next year :cool:.

I have a question about Big World - what was the sound like at the actual event?
Over the years I have tried to get this album to sound good. It's pretty decent on my current system but there is still something of an emphasis to the presence region. I've tried eq-ing it out, without success. Seems like it's more than just an FR thing.


Edit: Just been listening to this album and it has finally enabled me to sort the men from the boys wrt my evaluation of the LS50s Metas versus my own speakers. Sometimes a tricky recording is a good evaluation tool!
 
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Darmok said:
Ahh, Radford Revival was the second revival, John Widgery reproduced the Radford STA25/Mk 4 in 1984, RR reproduce the Radford STA25 Mk 5, fyi. ;)
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Woodside, no? I have one of hid CDPs (WS3), and sold one of his integrated valve amps
 
S-Man said:
I'm jealous!! It's a great album!
Makes you think,when he sings about the war being forty years ago... he was singing almost 40 years ago :eek:.

Off to see JJ in York next year :cool:.

I have a question about Big World - what was the sound like at the actual event?
Over the years I have tried to get this album to sound good. It's pretty decent on my current system but there is still something of an emphasis to the presence region. I've tried eq-ing it out, without success. Seems like it's more than just an FR thing.


Edit: Just been listening to this album and it has finally enabled me to sort the men from the boys wrt my evaluation of the LS50s Metas versus my own speakers. Sometimes a tricky recording is a good evaluation tool!
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It was one of the best sounding live rock shows I’ve been to. Surprise, surprise, right?

Punchy and clear were the two words I remember describing it with.
 
Thanks for that I've always been a Rankin fan and haven't missed a Rebus. From reading his novels it was clear he loved music reproduction and I vaguely knew he had been a HiFi journalist. Great to hear he still has and still enjoys his eighties system
 
I remember Rankin being on, IIRC, Wogan, and mentioning his hi fi reviewer days... this was when he said that sometimes he would write reviews of equipment he hadn't even removed from the box!
 
Some hi-fi reviews remind me of a comment my Dad made to the effect that when he read reports in newspapers about a football match he'd been to it seemed like they were describing a totally different game! 8-] And in cases where I knew the item being reviewed I could generally spot some, erm, 'counter-factual' comments.
 
Jim Audiomisc said:
Some hi-fi reviews remind me of a comment my Dad made to the effect that when he read reports in newspapers about a football match he'd been to it seemed like they were describing a totally different game! 8-] And in cases where I knew the item being reviewed I could generally spot some, erm, 'counter-factual' comments.
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The conceit at the time was to insist on a dealer dem. I was very impressed by an LP12/Naim/Kan system at Windsor. How that related to my LP12/Quad/ESL system is rather complex. Both were very entertaining!
 
Tony L said:
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what excellent design on the covers.
 
DGP said:
Geoff was a close personal friend. He was Music Editor at Hi-Fi News & Record Review; never wrote for other magazines as a contracted employee of Link House (in contrast I was a freelance writer apart from a short period when I was employed by Haymarket).

Geoff used a Linn - I should know I helped him maintain it and helped him with cartridge and arm alignment when/if I could. I have to thank him for employing me as a classical reviewer for HFN&RR. I still have a good number of books on Wagner and the sagas he gave me before his sad death - and a number of records, usually with an interesting aside, cartoon or sly remark written on a yellow and black HFN comp slip.

Must be another Geoff then or another writer in Practical Hi-Fi - might you be remembering another freelance writer and HFA in the late Benson era?
DGP
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In the 7/82 HFNRR, Jeanes did indeed write about his journey to Logic. Most of the article is about the shortcomings of the Linn--chiefly its refusal to stay in tune and the ridiculous mythology of setup. It's titled "The Logic of It: Geoff Jeanes turns the tables." It's on the World Radio History site.
 
Enfield boy said:
Having been a huge fan of Leak, Quad and others, when I was able to afford a "proper" stereo I first listened to Quad. I loved the electrostatics but not the current (oh dear) amps compared to others into the same speakers. I was impressed by Meridian (apart from it failing mid-dem) and found a great dealer in Rugby (can't remember who) that played Myst and others into Spendor (good) and Celestion (not good), they had Quad 2s in the shop and were real enthusiasts. I then visited a shop that sold Linn, Naim, PT, DNM etc and compared my Thorens 160s to a PT and Linn. Both the wife and I were bowled over by the LP12.
Perhaps they wanted the Linn to perform best but I loved the kit they played and it was in budget. A lot of shops just were perhaps a bit careless about set up and not bothered if you bought the gear.
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That would be Sounds Expensive. Great Shop.
 
edb15 said:
In the 7/82 HFNRR, Jeanes did indeed write about his journey to Logic. Most of the article is about the shortcomings of the Linn--chiefly its refusal to stay in tune and the ridiculous mythology of setup. It's titled "The Logic of It: Geoff Jeanes turns the tables." It's on the World Radio History site.
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Well I'll take that on the chin as a complete memory lapse - I've just read the piece online at the WRH site - Geoff didn't like contradiction/frustration and wanted an ordered life (as later events would all too catastrophically show). The piece (including what I take as a little dig at me!) does read like the words of one who is ever so slightly pissed off, betrayed or made to look a fool even. Why had I wiped it from memory? Could blame the workload that month - I've just noted quite how many reissues I auditioned and reviewed in that month's DejaVu page. No - I honestly can't recall - guess it was just Geoff being Geoff. DGP
 
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