Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

I bet they claim they're directional.

next up, gold plated coat hanger

I bet they claim they're directional.

He went for the cheap and nasty anti-clockwise coiled version. Ewwwww.

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo 2014!

I like this thread :)

EDIT, I'm currently enjoying 2 way sealed enclosure speakers. I'm sooooooooo 1982-ish.

His digital signal will be inverted, someone contact the BBC Radiophonic Workshop!

Kerrrikey, 0's and -1's?

I think you missed the price list section...

Obviously I did.

So. How much?

50 quids.

Ok. They aren't taking the piss too much then.

Still, just go an buy Van Damme cable and build them yourself.

However enjoy your setup and I'll shut up now.

Path of least resistance. I'm more than happy to pay a markup if it saves ordering min. 10 metres of cable from Van Damme, banana plugs, wire strippers, waiting for above to arrive, then rely on myself to assemble even the simplest of things, especially when I can get them in the post within three working days. Very happy with how it sounds compared to my old setup so far.

Toslinks.... discuss....

My virgin box, ps3 and tv only have those as audio outs, I have a big stash of them in storage from mini disc/hifi stuff from 10-15 years back, but likely buy new ones as getting them out will be an epic PITA and they are all very short.

Do I spend £15 each on whatever local hifi shop sells cheapest (and they go up from there, crazy!) or poundlands offerings? I know its a digital transmission so as long as they work they work right, or wrong?

I found the poundland ones were really thin and broke easily. Also had to be a bit more careful to keep them straight. I went in-between, £5 or so from Amazon and they were fine.

Ace cheers! Hadn't thought of them breaking, googled that and found plenty of folk who have had the tip break off (all brands) and ruin the socket on the device. Local RS will do me two for £25 inc a spare remote for my device, probably still getting done but CBA spending hours researching all this stuff.

OK update on my dull sounding Cambridge AV amp, got a used remote that has allowed me to discover its got some weird customization on it, but basically was on reduced dynamic range, low frequency clipping and sub on. With all that reset to default/normal position sounds a lot better! Will still pick up some more suitable speakers in time. Also fixed the low output, average listening level is now much reduced.

Still haven't got full functionality as its not exactly the right remote, will just get a universal chameleon type remote as have too many, any good ones in the £20-30 range or is that a bit ambitious? Found all the codes for my system online already.

You can get a Logitech Harmony 350 for that price. I'd be tempted to spend more and get a better one (the 650 or the touch) but it's perfectly capable and setting it all up on a laptop is far preferable.

Cool will prob look one of those up, CBA poking dozens of codes manually into a remote, gonna make loads of mistakes and end up throwing it at something.

In other news, finally decided to use all those media services on the PS3 , through the optical out to AV it sounds a damn site better than the other source options I have. Do things like the youtube app play at a higher rate than they do to a laptop or phone, or is it more the DAC/decoding part that makes it better?

Edit/update, its not just better, its baller!

Is there any difference between one of these smarter cables and a cheapo one?

Cable Mountain 2m 3.5mm HQ to 2x Phono Plugs Gold Metal Cable https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000NHOMSQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_.Qi5vbT49TFQA

It's only going from a laptop / phone / Ipod into a stereo.

No, not really. Good plating does prevent corrosion, but it's rarely a problem.

I have a few of the cable mountain cables, they seem nice enough for a few quid. For an extra quid or two they look and feel nicer and seem you may be able to plug/unplug them a bit more than some of the real cheapo ones I have. I wouldn't pay more than that though.

Cheers.

Being a bit nicer and tougher is worth the couple of quid I reckon.

So. All these valves. Are they to do with the radio or powering the speaker?

I took the back off my grandparents old Bush radio to have a look to see whether it would be possible to repurpose as a possible long term project.

1 Attachment

The folk here -> http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=a3d307731f99f75a68cc9742e0f29c64&f=20 would be able to tell you more but I'd guess one of the 2 valves on the right is the AF amp and the other is possibly a rectifier. I don't know fo' sho.

I'd leave it as it is personally.

Nice dusty valves!
Imagine it'll work for decades to come so long as it's not dropped or shocked.

Amazed how musical a stack of Naim kit is able to make Celestion F10s sound. Weird combo but shows how much electronics count. Best of all, it has given that new-kit urge to play all the music without actually spending anything.