what was the last piece of hifi you bought
- Thread starter chris turner
- Start date
Daniel Webb
Member
I’ve just bought a pair of the current Monitor Audio Gold 100s and a used naim NAIT 5si.
GruntPuppy
pfm Member
Speaker cloths. Time to put right the colour difference between my subs and the towers/hifi stands. I've also got some sticky backed plastic in a walnut grain pattern, for the ultimate Blue Peter experience.
Darren L
Egalitarian
A secondary 'lifestyle System' chosen by Tracy consisting of a pair of olive green Kef LSX speakers and a Leak CD transport with the wooden sleeve, mainly for Tracy to use to listen to CDs and phone/online stuff, I've no idea what to expect with regards to performance, everything I've read online gives the thumbs up though.
Hi James, what was it particularly that you liked about the Copland ? Interested/intrigued by valve pre-amp followed by solid state power amp...
James
Lord of the Erg\o/s
The CTA-301 really draws me into whatever music I play. Combined with 125W Densen B-350 mono blocks, it exhibits remarkable poise and delicacy, yet holds nothing back when it comes to punching me in the sternum when the bass drum is struck. I can't find anything to fault it just yet. Maybe that's because it keeps beguiling me with music, which stops my analytic brain dead in its tracks. There is a lot to like about this preamp.
GruntPuppy
pfm Member
Ortofon SPK 300 speaker cable. Given a solid thumbs-up by a trusted friend, going to have a play tomorrow.
The vinyl with the brushed metal finish arrived today, and looks superb, far surpasses expectations. I'm almost looking forward to using it. Almost.
The vinyl with the brushed metal finish arrived today, and looks superb, far surpasses expectations. I'm almost looking forward to using it. Almost.
earlofsodbury
Wastrel.
Just in - needed opening-up and 10 years-worth of dog-related effluvia removing from inside - amazes me how people manage to filth-up their kit!
Sounding minty with the Gato doing pre duties while I have an exploratory tinker with the SPL...
Turns out it wasn't hype describing this as valve-like: it's very reminiscent of 2A3 and 845 SETs I've owned, but less saggy in the bass. Very crisp and propulsive sound, but not analytical - very nuanced and great ambient detail coming through, significantly better than the Gato's own output stages (which are not garbage!).
Sounding minty with the Gato doing pre duties while I have an exploratory tinker with the SPL...
Turns out it wasn't hype describing this as valve-like: it's very reminiscent of 2A3 and 845 SETs I've owned, but less saggy in the bass. Very crisp and propulsive sound, but not analytical - very nuanced and great ambient detail coming through, significantly better than the Gato's own output stages (which are not garbage!).
GruntPuppy
pfm Member
Not strictly hifi, but I've bought a Sony UBP-X800M2 to act as disk spinner, and also to be the streamer for my system. 2 channel audio with integrated tv/dvd and streaming (really must get around to faffing about with Plex now!) should keep me amused for a while.
JezmondTutu
pfm Member
Tangerine Audio Plateau from Colin Dent for my LP12. Plus may have ordered a Karousel too!
earlofsodbury
Wastrel.
Just so. It's an interesting exercise to listen to this amp hot (literally) on the heels of a couple of powerful (250-400WPC) amps / amp-combos which are designed for the lowest possible distortion figures. With the J2, NP freely admits the distortion numbers are dismal by modern standards (e.g. 0.02% 2nd harmonic), but the user manual is begirt with graphs and data that explain the highly rational reasons why he takes the design pathways he does - which boils down to finding the optimal compromise between objectively good on-paper performance with subjectively enjoyable sound.
And he's right. The J2 is inefficient, outputs just 25WPC, and distorts to an extent no-one outside the world of small-scale valve-amp production could possibly tolerate. Yet the result is one that you don't need precious-metal lug'oles to understand. The J2 is not just subjectively more enjoyable, the resolution is significantly better than the alternatives I have here: low-level musical details, ambient cues, tonal shading, vocal-intelligibility, instrument separation, &c are all rendered better, more clearly, more distinctly. It's not a "this picture is prettier than that picture" thing, it's more believable music, closer to what was recorded, but not at the cost of excruciatingly forensic fidelity.
Good stuff.
MVJ
madvinyljunkie,Professional Plonker & PFM Member
Bought a pair of Acoustic Energy AE1's recently and value for money is amazing they sound fantastic not fussy on placement and look really nice to boot.
Considering all you need is a pre & source and your ready to rock (or jazz reggae funk or whatever you fancy they sound great.
Considering all you need is a pre & source and your ready to rock (or jazz reggae funk or whatever you fancy they sound great.
Most recent an Exposure XM7 and Grado SR325e Prestige to add to my Expodure XIV pre as a digital expander and headphone set up.
First foray into headphones since a Sony Walkman pro decades ago in the 90's traveling around Canada and USA as a student but the above sounds great even if a little odd having weight on your head.
First foray into headphones since a Sony Walkman pro decades ago in the 90's traveling around Canada and USA as a student but the above sounds great even if a little odd having weight on your head.