Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

i'm reveling in the intense combination of yearning and power that Bonnie Tyler puts into her wonderful songs

*And I need you now tonight

    And I need you more than ever 
    And if you'll only hold me tight 
    We'll be holding on forever 
    And we'll only be making it right 
    Cause we'll never be wrong together 
    We can take it to the end of the line 
    Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time 
    I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark 
    We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks 
    I really need you tonight 
    Forever's gonna start tonight 
    Forever's gonna start tonight         *

you are gold

Wow, I might be doing something like that, had been thinking about it.

i'm reveling in the intense combination of yearning and power that Bonnie Tyler puts into her wonderful songs

*And I need you now tonight *
*And I need you more than ever *
*And if you'll only hold me tight *
*We'll be holding on forever *
*And we'll only be making it right *
*Cause we'll never be wrong together *
*We can take it to the end of the line *
*Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time *
*I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark *
*We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks *
*I really need you tonight *
*Forever's gonna start tonight *
Just make sure it's tits and not face...

Lost in the radio edit...

I just bought some old quads, a 33 and a 303. I'm pleased.

2 Attachments

Bravo! I <3 older quad gear. I have two Studio 50E monoblocks (in a cupboard at mo), but the 303 is supposed to sound even better.

Saw a pair of monoblocks go for about 500 quid on ePay recently.

Can;t wait to get hold of it all!

I started copying a bunch of dj mixes from cassette to mp3s while back at home. Audiophiles would be horrified but there's not much more I can do. I just want the music and tapes aren't the best place for it any more.

I was asked by my stepdad (who is in his seventies) whether I could help him / advise him about transferrring his tapes to MP3.

I asked him whether it was really worth it. All that time and hassle (knowing him he will have hundreds)... why not just listen to them as tapes, on the tape deck that he has, that still works?... if it aint broken and all that ... I think I have a similar attitude to bikes. Old stuff is great!

I guess it means he can listen to that taped stuff on his mp3 player ... but then I don't really 'get' those things anyway ... why would you want to listen to music everywhere you bloody go? Awful.

Saw a pair of monoblocks go for about 500 quid on ePay recently.

Can;t wait to get hold of it all!

Yer I noticed that too! Have fun with it all :)

well done skully

I'm a bit mad really, not like I can afford it. But I have been obsessing about it for a while ... found the right deal, thought 'what the heck'.

I was asked by my stepdad (who is in his seventies) whether I could help him / advise him about transferrring his tapes to MP3.
I asked him whether it was really worth it. All that time and hassle (knowing him he will have hundreds)... why not just listen to them as tapes, on the tape deck that he has, that still works?... if it aint broken and all that ... I think I have a similar attitude to bikes. Old stuff is great!
I guess it means he can listen to that taped stuff on his mp3 player ... but then I don't really 'get' those things anyway ... why would you want to listen to music everywhere you bloody go? Awful.

If I was in Australia with the tapes and had my tape deck I'd listen to the tapes. I always did. But I'm now over here and carting back boxes of tapes just seems daft (and expensive) hence the ripping. I don't use an ipod these days so I only listen to music at work and at home anyway.
It's all about the state of mind the tracks create.. I'm not concerned with the delivery medium. I'd love to have originals but I'm cutting my losses. Shit, it was already recorded off the radio.. and 3hr sets into 90min = dodgy edits.. it's certainly not the best :)

Want!

http://www.thevintageknob.org/PIONEER/SA9900/SA9900.html

^^^
Yess!! I've read alot about the old pioneer integrated amps and pretty much the entire SA range is very desirable. And some are flogged for ridiculously cheap prices on ebay. Definitely worth hunting them out over new amps at the same price, you get at least twice more quality out of them for your moneys worth.

Great thread for us 'audio-pervs' ;-)

I hate tapes, always did and hated vinyl too. When CD's were launched I binned tapes and records and replaced with CD.

Now I have all my music on a dedicated laptop which is linked by WIFI to 2 x HIFI systems on Airport Express boxes. I can play any playlist on the laptop to either or both HIFIs at the same time.

Any iTunes equipped machine can also pick up the playlist and also play any music to itself or any "zone".

I can use my iPhone as a remote control.

Or at least I used to be able to do this until I got a BTHome Hub which refuses to recognise the Airport Express boxes so:
1) I told BT I'm not paying until they fix this (I checked with sales before ordering and they told me all would be well :/)
2) I met BTs Director of Research and Apps at their research centre and he had no idea you could do this, was intrigued, thought it was a router set up issue and promised his team would investigate.

But I have no music in my house since early Jan.

Hey ho.

Your Airport expresses need to be in client mode, so they play nice with the router, and you cannot use WEP authentication. Use WPA. Apple say it works with WEP but they are lying, cos it only works if the Airport is the server.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1731

I hate tapes, always did and hated vinyl too. When CD's were launched I binned tapes and records and replaced with CD.

Now I have all my music on a dedicated laptop which is linked by WIFI to 2 x HIFI systems on Airport Express boxes. I can play any playlist on the laptop to either or both HIFIs at the same time.

Any iTunes equipped machine can also pick up the playlist and also play any music to itself or any "zone".

I can use my iPhone as a remote control.

Or at least I used to be able to do this until I got a BTHome Hub which refuses to recognise the Airport Express boxes so:
1) I told BT I'm not paying until they fix this (I checked with sales before ordering and they told me all would be well :/)
2) I met BTs Director of Research and Apps at their research centre and he had no idea you could do this, was intrigued, thought it was a router set up issue and promised his team would investigate.

But I have no music in my house since early Jan.

Hey ho.

Aw that sucks. What's your setup? And how well does airport express stream from your computer (when its working) any lag? I was looking to get one for my first separate build. Definetly beats Cds.

how on earth can you get rid of your vinyl / cd's ( oh and by the way are you still looking to offload any cd's vinyl )

having music in e-format is just no way to do it one simple hard disc disaster and you've lost your whole music collection
i find my stack of cd's and albums a most aesthetically pleasing thing to be able to run your fingers along / through / amongst
i would probably choose to have a finger or two hacked off before my music collection was removed

I'm not really an "audiophile" but I am still listening to vinyl and hoping to treat myself to a new turntable before long. I did spot a Goldring Lenco for sale the other day at what seemed a decent price - I liked the wooden case - but I fear I've let is slip away. There's a B&O somewhere in E London for £175 but that's a bit beyond my budget.

Does anyone here know where to look for a s/h turntable in London that's not going to break the bank? I'm thinking <£100.

you might be able to get a basic rega planar for that price if you check local classifieds

i have a few questions to ask here to the true audiophiles

bi wiring do i need two sets speaker cables ? or do i just put one set of cables across both the hi frequency and low frequency round the back ? like this

http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/images/els303connect_big.jpg

is that bi wiring

also regarding the output of an amp / pre amp

i have quad speakers rated at 100W and 8OHM is my quad 303 33 amp powerful enough to drive the speakers correctly

i must admit i am very happy with the sound and quality with my set up currently but would be gutted if i am not getting 100% out of my equipment

can anyone explain what differences i would experience with a low powered amp and these speakers vs a high powered amp with these speakers ?

extra marks will be given for equations and calculations backing up the answer

I'm not really an "audiophile" but I am still listening to vinyl and hoping to treat myself to a new turntable before long. I did spot a Goldring Lenco for sale the other day at what seemed a decent price - I liked the wooden case - but I fear I've let is slip away. There's a B&O somewhere in E London for £175 but that's a bit beyond my budget.

Does anyone here know where to look for a s/h turntable in London that's not going to break the bank? I'm thinking <£100.

I have a Heybrook TT2 you can have for £80, if you can collect from Bristol, it needs an arm, as its the TT and armboard only (Linn Cutout)
Its very similar to the Linn LP12, although with an easier to balance/setup suspension.

is that bi wiring

also regarding the output of an amp / pre amp

i have quad speakers rated at 100W and 8OHM is my quad 303 33 amp powerful enough to drive the speakers correctly

i must admit i am very happy with the sound and quality with my set up currently but would be gutted if i am not getting 100% out of my equipment

can anyone explain what differences i would experience with a low powered amp and these speakers vs a high powered amp with these speakers ?

Bi-Wiring is pretty much foo imo
Bi-amping on the other hand can make sense.

As regards speaker "ratings" they are pretty much meaningless - almost all MUSIC takes place at less than 1w (unless you have VERY insensitive speakers or need to listen at painful levels) its all just marketing bollocks really. It will be fine with your amp. A "high powered" amp will suposedly have more overhead, but really any differences in sound will be down to the design choices in the amp rather than the power it puts out.

Spend the money you were going to spend on cables on Vinyl/CD's and a decent bottle of wine instead :)