Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Third opinion - listen to danb!!!

Fourth'd

I run a Unison Research s6 valve amp which has a whole 30w of power and it quite happily drives my Opera Secondas...

According to their website, they're suitable from 10w to 200w RMS - so Wattage really doesn't matter!

I'm not talking about wattage, if you read my original post, I'm talking about an amp being turned up full and 'clipping'.

This can produce a DC signal on the loudspeakers which will kill them. I've seen it before with home DJ's running a house party and turning the home stereo up full because the 'speakers can handle it'. Tweeters melted or cones at full travel extension and the coil fused.

I'm just putting it out there, consider the advice or don't. It's your kit after all.

I'd also add that the old pioneer amp driving this speakers may end up sounding a bit thin and easily distorted with volume anywhere past 25%. Just a guess though. I'd be tempted by a more powerful amp before big floorstanders

Edit, just don't crank the volume past half....

Thanks for all the input guys... bought something else while drunk on ebay...

Rega EL8's... anyone know owt about them? Info appears scarce but from what I have found pretty positive?

Don't know the model but Rega are british, usually pretty solid stuff, nice one.

I'm getting quite into buying British... thinking of getting some Roth stuff too.
Any suggestions on a more powerful amp that looks nice? Rosewood/70's kind of vibe?

Rega Brio :P ?

Good choice on the EL8 - they will be considerably better than the Yamaha's

I have a MkI Rega Planet CD player which is really very good (oh and of course an RB250 arm on my diy Lenco turntable)

Wahoooo great to hear! paid £50 for them too, hopefully they are in good working order.
Amp wise, and I know this sounds daft, possibly borderline moronic, but it needs to LOOK right, I have a B&O 1203 record player and I want something to match that with silver/teak build.

My current Amp matches it but from what folks have said on here it's not the best/most powerful?

Can anyone recommend a cartridge for a Rega planar 2? I'm rocking a mid range Rotel amp and gale gold monitor speakers. I did think about upgrading to the NAD & Wharfedale that was sold on here recently but I don't even crank my current set up.

I presume you have a MM stage in the Rotel.

If so the Denon Dl110 is an excellent value high output MC cart (which is high enough output for MM stages)

If your amp has a MC stage then the Denon DL103 is outstandingly good value for money

Although both are not quite the bargains that they used to be.

@chris - silver and teak - you need a 70s receiver my friend. Big, powerful and fat sound.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-SX-450-AM-FM-Stereo-Receiver-/141103934977?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Stereo_Receivers&hash=item20da732e01#ht_570wt_1330http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=141103934977&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-SX-550-Vintage-Retro-Stereo-AM-FM-Receiver-Tuner-Amp-/131030653087?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Stereo_Receivers&hash=item1e8209189f#ht_537wt_1330http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=131030653087&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Retro-Technics-SA-200L-Hi-Fi-Audio-3-Band-Stereo-Receiver-Amp-Amplifier-Separate-/141066904681?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item20d83e2469http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=141066904681&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

I actually want this one, missus would kill me tho
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-CR-800-Receiver-Tuner-Amplifier-/261316002117?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item3cd7a5c145#ht_4718wt_1330http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=261316002117&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

Or keep it homegrown with B&O

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bang-Olufsen-BeoMaster-5500-2-Channel-Receiver-/231080473264?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Stereo_Receivers&hash=item35cd7832b0#ht_196wt_1330http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=231080473264&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]

Amazing. Thanks Olly! There are some Gems there... just what I am after... will they make a lot of difference to my current set up though? I am pretty clueless with all this lark...

Ha, just realised I have the second one... so prob not much difference...

thanks danb, I have had the turntable for a year now secondhand, how do I know whether I should replace the cartridge, or just the stylus?I think the cartridge is the dl108, it is the wood finished 70s rega, so I imagine that would be the original cartridge.

Looks like replacement stylus are available here: http://stylus.export-japan.com/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=256 might be worth a go for ~£30

Ha, just realised I have the second one... so prob not much difference...

Ah cool, should sound good then. If you want to go beyond that you are either looking at a more powerful/refined receiver like the Yam (or perhaps a Luxman, although these command high prices).

If you want something British which might sound better, try keeping an eye out for an integrated pr pre/power by the likes of Nytech, Albarry, Meridian, Boothroyd-Stuart, Sugden, Cyrus, Quad etc. Watch out for funky connectors (DIN instead of RCA was common) and certainly some will be odd looking bits of kit, but all interesting.

Amazing info. Thanks a lot! That Yamaha that you want is amazing, I too would be killed by my misses if I bought it...

Valves?

I have one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAQIN-New-10L-MC-10T-EL34-Vacuum-Tube-Hi-end-Tube-Integrated-Amplifier-Silver-/261018872045

It's actually really very very good...

Too serious for me, and wrong aesthetic... (I know... I know...)
But thanks!

i was looking at one of those valve amps before i got my amp fixed. kinda wish i had gone for it now.

I'm no longer satisfied with my Garrard D-20 turntable; I've owned it for over 25 years and want to upgrade. This was pretty much bottom of the line at the time, so I don't think mods or a new cartridge would be a wise investment. I'm looking at the Rega RP1, which is going for a quite reasonable price of $400.
Opinions?

So I've collected far too records, for a person who doesn't have the means to play them. I've heard Cambridge Audio are decent, but could anyone recommend me an okay phono amp for under £50? I currently don't have speakers yet either, if that makes any difference to the choice.

I'm not convinced my new speakers sound great, maybe a bit muffled? Connections are the right way round, could my amp be lame?
My cables are new but don't have plugs on the ends, does that make a difference?

^Jambon, there is an amp mentioned a few pages back thats dead simple and quite good, ebay special, 40 quid direct from china or something...

Plugs don't make a difference, bare wire connections is fine. Might just need 'breaking in' for a few days?