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Narrowboat HiFi?

R

Rob Stockman

pfm Member
Been living on a boat 4 days of the week for 10+ years, as work away from home. Never had a hifi on board, just a Pure DAB radio, and recently a Apple homepod mini. Use headphones and headphone amp to listen to music.
However, due to house now being on the market and decluttering, decided to bring up a battered old pair of Arcam Two speakers on heavy stands (dont want em to fall over!) - and picked up a 92/90 for a song locally (couldnt resist - was looking for a Nait or Ion Obelisk or something smaller really). iPhone 12 with apple lightning to headphone dongle is front end using Apple Music to stream. Its utterly stunning!!! Maybe just the small air-space suits these venerable classic speakers (I'm sitting about 3/4 feet from each speaker - they are about 5 ft apart). Their bottom end is superb - bass guitar goes deep, drums give a real thud (always were more of a bright speaker with alot of midrange detail in "normal" sized rooms). They are lovin it! Arcam must have had a shoe-box development room facility...

Anyway - anyone else got a hifi on their boat? (anyone else got a boat!)....
 
I bought a Lp12 long ago from a couple who lived on a boat in London . Anyway the TT didn’t work well on water and they were using a IIRC Revox TT with some kind of parallel tracking arm
 
I'd love to have a narrowboat. If I did, and that was my only home, I'd forgo hifi and get a reasonable single box doo-dad with built in speakers that can also stream and sell the rest of my system. I am guessing that space and power are both considerations, so I'd keep it simple.
 
Rob Stockman said:
Been living on a boat 4 days of the week for 10+ years, as work away from home. Never had a hifi on board, just a Pure DAB radio, and recently a Apple homepod mini. Use headphones and headphone amp to listen to music.
However, due to house now being on the market and decluttering, decided to bring up a battered old pair of Arcam Two speakers on heavy stands (dont want em to fall over!) - and picked up a 92/90 for a song locally (couldnt resist - was looking for a Nait or Ion Obelisk or something smaller really). iPhone 12 with apple lightning to headphone dongle is front end using Apple Music to stream. Its utterly stunning!!! Maybe just the small air-space suits these venerable classic speakers (I'm sitting about 3/4 feet from each speaker - they are about 5 ft apart). Their bottom end is superb - bass guitar goes deep, drums give a real thud (always were more of a bright speaker with alot of midrange detail in "normal" sized rooms). They are lovin it! Arcam must have had a shoe-box development room facility...

Anyway - anyone else got a hifi on their boat? (anyone else got a boat!)....
Click to expand...

Does that make them a pair of ARKAMs then? :D

Sounds like you're living the dream there, brother! I'm a bit envious.

I don't know why, but your post reminded me of that old joke about the guy writing an advert, seeking a wife. It went something like...

WIFE WANTED!
Must be able to gut fish, cook well - and must have own boat.
Please reply forthwith, enclosing photo... of boat.
:D

Enjoy!
 
JTC said:
I'd love to have a narrowboat. If I did, and that was my only home, I'd forgo hifi and get a reasonable single box doo-dad with built in speakers that can also stream and sell the rest of my system. I am guessing that space and power are both considerations, so I'd keep it simple.
Click to expand...

Yes, lovely as it currently is, having a big (ish) pair of speakers sat in the boat isnt particularly practical! Once we've moved house (if we ever sell) - they will find their way back to a spare room. Does mean I can happily look for a house with a tiny spare room as a HiFi "snug" though! The homepod mini will probably get a partner to make a stereo pair - they are really quite compentant for the money, and take almost no space or power to run. Ideal for boat life.
 
Rob Stockman said:
Been living on a boat 4 days of the week for 10+ years, as work away from home. Never had a hifi on board, just a Pure DAB radio, and recently a Apple homepod mini. Use headphones and headphone amp to listen to music.
However, due to house now being on the market and decluttering, decided to bring up a battered old pair of Arcam Two speakers on heavy stands (dont want em to fall over!) - and picked up a 92/90 for a song locally (couldnt resist - was looking for a Nait or Ion Obelisk or something smaller really). iPhone 12 with apple lightning to headphone dongle is front end using Apple Music to stream. Its utterly stunning!!! Maybe just the small air-space suits these venerable classic speakers (I'm sitting about 3/4 feet from each speaker - they are about 5 ft apart). Their bottom end is superb - bass guitar goes deep, drums give a real thud (always were more of a bright speaker with alot of midrange detail in "normal" sized rooms). They are lovin it! Arcam must have had a shoe-box development room facility...

Anyway - anyone else got a hifi on their boat? (anyone else got a boat!)....
Click to expand...

My step FIL gave my daughter a pair of Arcam 2s, they are really nice sounding. Unfortunately he lent them to someone else first and they aren’t looking too nice. I plan to refurbish them when I have time.

Cheers BB
 
Brown Bottle said:
My step FIL gave my daughter a pair of Arcam 2s, they are really nice sounding. Unfortunately he lent them to someone else first and they aren’t looking too nice. I plan to refurbish them when I have time.

Cheers BB
Click to expand...
yes - mine have the dust caps pushed in.... :( My son, when he was about 4 years old - the foam grilles disintegrated, and so I through them away. Mistake. Listening to them again now, they are most definately going to take a trip to Wilmslow Audio for a refresh in their near future. I notice they sell the acoustic foam, so they will have some new grilles tomorrow when that comes.
I bought them years ago when I got back from the US - a local guy sold me them with a Nait 1 and Arcam Delta 170 and black box. I sold the Nait 1 (idiot!) - but kept the rest. (TBF, I had just acquired a Nait 3, so didnt need 2 amps). Couple of years later, Ruark Talisman 2's took their place, and they were relegated to my son's Xbox room with a Nad receiver I picked up off Ebay for £30 and an old DAC I had lying about from my student days. They have been royally abused by him and his friends, but they are still giving excellent service in their new watery home...
 
Rob Stockman said:
He did that at the end of the previous series too... Probably just a ploy to get another series contracted lol... I do enjoy his series though - for once, someone depicting how life on a boat really is, rather than have some half-wit Z-list celebrities arse about on "barges".....
Click to expand...

At end of series 3 he was in a relationship and thinking of jacking the boat in.
In series 4 she dumped him and he he is thinking of jacking the boat in…
I have enjoyed the warts and all presentation and the reality of maintaining an old diesel engined boat with all its trials and tribulations.
 
One thing I've learned with the boat is every trip is an adventure... something will break (on the boat, or the waterways system), so factor in an extra few days. And never attempt to rush.... the boat wont let you! Its a great antidote to work life!

Also it seems a great place to listen to music.... Just cant beleive how this system sounds! The new craze will be more expensive than feet for your speakers or ultimate power leads and interconnects... everyone rush out and buy a narrowboat to install your system into... so much better than a room made of bricks and plaster!
 
Lived aboard for a year or 3. We had a Denon mini system, and pair of Kef bookshelf speakers. It sounded great! Although honestly, the life was so laid back and loverly (except when upside down in the weed hatch :) ) that anything would have suited. I do miss that life.
Try 'Country House Gent' on You tube as well as Robbie above. CHG is better with engines and Robbies a tad more down to earth. Both a good watch ;)
 
Rob Stockman said:
yes - mine have the dust caps pushed in.... :( My son, when he was about 4 years old - the foam grilles disintegrated, and so I through them away. Mistake. Listening to them again now, they are most definately going to take a trip to Wilmslow Audio for a refresh in their near future. I notice they sell the acoustic foam, so they will have some new grilles tomorrow when that comes.
I bought them years ago when I got back from the US - a local guy sold me them with a Nait 1 and Arcam Delta 170 and black box. I sold the Nait 1 (idiot!) - but kept the rest. (TBF, I had just acquired a Nait 3, so didnt need 2 amps). Couple of years later, Ruark Talisman 2's took their place, and they were relegated to my son's Xbox room with a Nad receiver I picked up off Ebay for £30 and an old DAC I had lying about from my student days. They have been royally abused by him and his friends, but they are still giving excellent service in their new watery home...
Click to expand...

Step FIL partnered his with an original Inca Tech Claymore and a Trio Turntable, he still has both but they are stored away. It was a great sounding system.

Cheers BB
 
Back in my school days there were a couple of lads whose families lived on canal boats.
One family had my first sighting of the Aiwa 22 mini system. We thought it was dead cool!
 
I have spent the last few years fixing up an older boat up in Thorne. Shall we say it is a rather old girl powered by a semi diesel,and sounds lovely when actually working.
For music needs i have a pair of LS3/5a's which work a treat from a Temple Audio Bantam Gold and a raspberry pi with a hat set up. As you will be well aware of power draw is a key consideration here.
 
That BBC programme will be my new bedtime watching, until the new series of Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing returns. Looks right up my street.

I live near the canal at Rickmansworth, and often look longingly at the boats, dreaming of a life on the water. Keep my existing set-up, which I sit no more than 4ft from anyway. Bliss.
 
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