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Rick_F
pfm Member
My memory isn't what it once was! I had the Avid Sequel and thought it looked similar. I also own Townshend podium supports for my speaker so realised after I'd posted that they looked like the same parts.
Are those the SR325s with the black aluminum cups? Color me very jealous.Not that it is a "serious" system, but still worthy of mention as something with a quite decent sound, assembled very, very cheap. This is a system in our bedroom, I use it when working at a computer and watching movies with wife before going to sleep. Besides the fact that it plays music quite well, it is especially surprised at how it gives voices in films. Very natural and realistic!
In my computer I'm using Asus Xonar DX sound card with optical out to the cheap 4 x TDA1543 multibit DAC ($40), the cheap (but surprisingly good) chinese TA2024 amp ($50) and Rega Ara speakers bought on ebay for about 120 pounds including delivery to Russia. The head-fi part of the system is the MF X-CANS tube amp and vintage Grado SR325 from the last century, both obtained at the local flea market for the price of a couple of trips to the pub.
I won't let you make a joke and say that I also have a left loudspeaker on the other side of the monitor.
JTC
PFM Villager...
Which would make sense in a non-active system. Which mine isn’t (for now)...
ex brickie
pfm Member
The last few pages have given me a major case of B&W envy!!!
@legzr1 ,@Colin L & @claire.fox, those are some fantastic looking systems and rooms. Three very different systems based around the 800 series.
Envy from me too - and lovely rooms. Are all those 800s the D2 versions? I have 804 D3 which are pretty impressive (and my room not really big enough for a bigger version in the range) but I'd soooooooo love to hear 800s and the bass they create. Especially with church organ music playing!
It derived from a contract fabricating job for a client of Claro (the Clarity 09) and they improved upon it with this unit. The chap responsible for it is a product design specialist in the Claro Engineering business. They machine and fabricate stuff for several audio companies. Art Audio do their own branded versions with their own design touches, but they have no marketing resource.
I saw on Claro's site that they had designed, but not made, a direct drive version. Their problem is that they are not an audio company. It would be a great product if taken up by a company that can market and brand properly, although there are more than enough turntables to choose from. It retailed at about £3,500, about the same price as the Avid, but this unit is in a completely different league in terms of quality, simply because Claro have state of the art manufacturing equipment in house.
I met the designer, Pete, at a show. He's a great guy and we're still in touch. I then spoke to Jimmy Hughes, who used it for several months for a review in HiFi+ (I think), and he was pleased with it. That was good enough for me. I wanted a deck that could take two arms, for mono and stereo.
It is certainly a very good deck and I won't be changing it. There are no doubt many equally as good or better, but I very much doubt there are any that get remotely as good in terms of manufacturing quality for the price. I got an all-in price with the Origin Live Illustrious Mk3, so a very good deal all round.
What I like about this unit is that it's so simple. I like that about Rega and if I didn't have this I'd have a Rega unit. The idea that you have to get someone to set up your kit makes me despair. It was quite difficult to get out of the packaging as the foam was laser cut and a tight fit, but the deck was then together in 10 minutes and the arms fitted and playing in 90 minutes total.
Jimmy's review was here: http://claro.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CHOICE.pdf
Another review concluded: "That resulting effect is nothing short of astounding, and the Clarity Dual shows that a truly high end turntable need not be fragile, temperamental, difficult to install or awkward to use.The deck is a breeze to set up, a pleasure to use and a truly epic performer. Its sound simply presents music with the sort of grandeur, insight and sheer emotion that I have only previously encountered with a handful of decks bearing much higher price tags." which sort of sums it up.
I'm not sure there is a market for items like this, these days, I just feel quite lucky to have got hold of one.
waxkinglyrical
pfm Member
The Claro Audio table was once the Lumley Heliosphere (silver finish with a massive acrylic platter) turntable and is an excellent design from the Yorkshire based company, as is this beauty: the idler drive SMD Acoustics V2.0
Blackmetalboon
pfm Member
I think two are the 800 D2’s and the first pair look like they are are 800 D’s, but I could be wrong!
Spot on.
I’ve always coveted the 800s since first hearing 800Ns on the end of Krell mono’s many years ago.
I got the 800Ds after they popped up on eBay at a very reasonable price (relatively) earlier this year and the seller offered delivery.
And then, a few short months later, exactly the same thing with the KWP pre and KW1000 mono’s.
My current sources should be totally out of their depth in comparison (Marantz 17KI CD player and CA 851N streamer playing flac from a NAS) but the streamer in particular is holding up well!
When funds recover I’m considering adding an MF NuVista CD player which can be had at fairly reasonable prices.
A new rug first though methinks...
claire.foxx
-⃝⃤
I like pfm system diversity most of all.
And rug tastes reveal a lot about us too...
And rug tastes reveal a lot about us too...
yurivv
pfm Member
Yes, those SR325s are the early black anodized cups version.
Colin L
High-tech low-life
Mine are the D2 800’s, as are Claire’s.
Blackmetalboon
pfm Member
I had the original NuVista CD player for 12-13 years, very nice piece of kit. I only sold it as I was looking to move towards streaming and needed something with digital inputs. I have briefly heard the newer NuVista range and it sounded pretty good.
Very nice!
Any how, back on topic...
I had made a few changes since I took my last photo, Chord Blu transport and QBD76 DAC have been replaced with Chord’s Red Reference MKIII CD player. This also meant that I had space to slot my Melco N1A back in the system.
The Claro Audio table was once the Lumley Heliosphere (silver finish with a massive acrylic platter) turntable and is an excellent design from the Yorkshire based company, as is this beauty: the idler drive SMD Acoustics V2.0
I think Claro were fabricating for Lumley, who left them in the lurch.
The SMD Acoustics V2.0 looks beautifully made. Reflected in the price, which is not that bad given the cost of making to that standard.
ex brickie
pfm Member
What size rooms do you 800 owners have? I have 804s and have to place them across the narrow length of my room rather than down the length (various reasons which couldn't be changed). 800s would be too big and too close in my current room but in future I will move house.....just wondering what size room I'd need to be considering if I wanted to treat myself to 800s
Must check the specs too to see how much deeper the 800s go. Do they have a significantly better mid unit and tweeter than the lower range models too? I'd expect more than just extra bass for that outlay...
Tantris
pfm Member
Interesting discussion above - here's my Lumley Heliosphere, with an Audiomods Series V arm;
IMG_2300.jpg
I think Claro could make different arm mounts, if I wanted to try out different arms.
IMG_2300.jpgI think Claro could make different arm mounts, if I wanted to try out different arms.
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
Is this the large print version?
yurivv
pfm Member
Sorry David, didn’t quite understand the question.
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