Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Nice Technivorm!

Also potentially interested in these if @nefarious doesn't take them - do you have pics, how big are they? Are they as good as everyone says vintage Tannoys are?

Natch! That and a Made By Knock, perfect home setup.

Fair price, and thus outside my budget range. I should stop making overly optimistic enquiries.

Suggestions for cheap/small/compact integrated amp ? Will most likely buy 2nd hand and ideally a phono input as wells aux.

cheap

Given where you are, it's probably an idea to put a number to that. In old-school audiophile terms, a Cyrus One is small and cheap🙂

Not sure what you regard as compact but rotel / nad / marantz / Sony are generally good and widely available s/h. Phono stage will make the search a bit harder though.

@mdcc_tester student cheap... sub 100
@ChasnotRobert Cheers. As compact as possible. I need a new amp for here in the UK, but was also thinking of something compact that I can take with me in September when I'll be outside of the UK for 6-12 months. Pair it up with some cheapish speakers abroad and then flog them before coming back to the UK.

I definitely need a cheap amp, size is negotiable however.

rotel / nad / marantz / Sony are generally good

For adequate basic kit, I'd probably include Yamaha, Pioneer and Onkyo in the search, plus older/lower end Cambridge and Audiolab can sometimes be had cheap on ebay.

size is negotiable

Nearly everything old and cheap is going to be the standard 430mm wide

Good to know. I'll most like compromise size then and try find a bargain on ebay. Cambridge Audio A1 or the like

Yes, for sure.

Cheers, they were one of the ones I was considering. The review seems in line with others that I've read and probably more suited to my listening.

How are you using the headphone amp as the source for your amp? Just 3.5mm output?

Question for the hive mind

Chord Qute DAC stopped working suddenly. Disconnected and reconnected the 12v DC power supply, it worked but I could feel a hum when touching the metal case. Disconnected the power supply and it disappeared. DAC has an earth on the back so I connected this to the amp, turned back on, tested a cd, all working very nicely then 20s later BANG with an arc between the amp and DAC power plugs (sockets next to each other), a burning smell and a dead DC power supply.

Don't have another to test, but does anyone have any thoughts/opinions? Do you think there is something wrong with the DAC or is it just the power supply?

My reluctance to bother to take photos indicates my unwillingness to sell! Sorry, guess I'm keeping them.

Yeah they're lovely. They're not the best of vintage tannoys. But then they're a third the price of gold monitors.

No worries! To be honest I'd prob get shot if some speakers turned up before I've got rid of the ones in the room already so for the best...

Yeah, the mojo does line level out of 3.5mm.

Is phono stage a definite requirement? Some turntables have them integrated.

Hello Audio folk. I come to you once again for knowledge.

Turntables. What should I shoot for at an entry level? I've had many amps and speakers. Never turntables. Only ones I've ever used was Numarks when I worked at HMV many moons ago.

Was it an OEM power supply? At this stage you’ve not much to lose trying another PSU but I wouldn’t ground the DAC to the amp in case you fry both

What should I shoot for at an entry level?

Entry level means different things to different people. If you could go to £250, you probably want to use the Rega Planar 1 as a benchmark and see if you think saving up to £100 by getting a Project Elemental is really a good long term plan.

I know it's a fundamentally silly question to ask, as it's horses for courses. Alas, it's the simplest way to approach any topic of purchase.

I listen to a lot of music of all genres, but I'm more picky about machine longevity and ergonomics rather than audiophile levels of obsessiveness.

I'm liking the ethos behind the Rega. Traditional design with good engineering behind it.
The Elemental is tempting, but the form factor doesn't really float my boat. Looks delicate and I'm not.

Will dig into the Rega

Over budget but here is a nice Planar 3 with a good tonearm, complete with Bias cartridge and phono stage:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153968237291

I’m well satisfied with my Planar 1, came with an upgraded stylus but even the basic should do. Doesn’t count for much but I think it’s simple design is handsome too.

Yeah, OEM. Will have a hunt for a replacement