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Author Topic: What's your home stereo like?  (Read 19011 times)

eligit

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What's your home stereo like?
« on: January 20, 2006, 07:26:09 PM »

this is for steve and everyone else:

what do you like to listen to music on? not for business but just for pleasure on a daily basis.  besides the "covience" listening (in the car, on the subway, at the gym and other compromised locations)

turntable? reel to reel? ipod? tube amp...all the rest....

just kind of curious.

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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2006, 05:49:48 PM »

I picked my gear for its lack of an analytical nature, as the last thing I want when I listen for pleasure is to be encouraged to pick things apart.  I want my system to lean towards a tendency to (subtly) sweeten, fatten, and enhance everything.  That's a tall order for most gear, but I think I found some good stuff for not-too-exhorbitant prices:

Classe 150W integrated amp
Classe CD player
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven II loudspeakers

I have an Oracle Alexandria II turntable with a Premier MMT tonearm and a Grado cartridge, but it's on the fritz.  Haven't listened to it in years.  I hope to resurrect it and start archiving a good portion of my thousands of LPs on CD, but that's a long-term project.
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bushwick

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2006, 06:10:26 PM »

Old Thorens turntable (Grado Gold).
Older Pioneer Elite CD Player
Macintosh C20 preamp
Macintosh MC275
ProAc Studio 100's
Nothing esoteric in the cabling.

Almost always use the CD player.


Ipod on the go at 320kbps  (only 1:5 data compression vs ~1:15 data compression at 128 kbps .... my biggest gripe about audios future. Itunes at 128kbps. )


j
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2006, 06:29:17 PM »

I used to have a Thorens turntable.  That thing sounded GOOD.  Only problem was that it skipped like a schoolgirl on the playground.
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maxdimario

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2006, 08:04:30 PM »

I have a totally rebuilt Golden tube se-40 with no circuit feedback. it's a single ended parallel amp that is probably around 10-15 WPC and it has a cathode winding as well as a screen-grid winding in the output transformer.

it does not sweeten anything, although it has high THD over a couple of watts, it is very sensitive to load (no feedback=low damping) but it is a very live sounding amp (the singing and drums are very human-sounding).
it's a very wacky amp that will not work properly unless rebuilt. it also can give you an amazing indication of volume balance between instruments.

Class A single ended is probably the best topology for music if you don't need to move air..

I have an old belt-drive turntable with a tube preamp and an adc cartridge with the 78 tip (three speed turntable)

I just re-discovered cassettes for the car and have a nakamichi 600 deck.

my cd player is a sony 1 bit modified with passive filters, very nice sound.

Just got a revox g36 half track which I am going to use to play prerecorded tapes from the 60's very soon:)

next on the agenda are full range speakers..

I used to have a more conventional solid state/Mosfet setup but it was a bit boring in comparison.

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dcollins

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2006, 08:09:54 PM »

LP-12 TT
Homebrew phono preamp
Vandersteen 2ci speakers
Hombrew amp  (Originally a Sumo)
Sony XA3es CD player

Whatever cables I had lying around.

DC

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2006, 08:44:22 PM »

dcollins wrote on Sun, 22 January 2006 01:09

LP-12 TT
Homebrew phono preamp
Vandersteen 2ci speakers
Hombrew amp  (Originally a Sumo)
Sony XA3es CD player

Whatever cables I had lying around.

DC


I bet the Linn TT murders the Sony CD player!
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dcollins

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2006, 10:10:39 PM »

davidc wrote on Sat, 21 January 2006 17:44



I bet the Linn TT murders the Sony CD player!



Depends on the source.  I will say that the Linn is one of the most poorly-constructed things I've ever seen.  Truly embarrassing.  It sounds ok, I guess, kind of slow and overly full.

But that's what I want in a home stereo, every recording appears made by a beautiful genius.  If I want accurate, I'll listen at work.

DC

jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2006, 11:10:00 PM »

dcollins wrote on Sat, 21 January 2006 22:10

I will say that the Linn is one of the most poorly-constructed things I've ever seen.  Truly embarrassing.  It sounds ok, I guess, kind of slow and overly full.


Yep.  I actually interviewed (by phone) with Ivor T about a job at Linn after grad school.  Ultimately, the horrid standard of living in Glasgow scared me off, but when I had a chance to really dig into a Linn TT, I was appalled (and glad I didn't head overseas to help engineer the things).  They have predictable resonance issues, etc., but seem to work well in a full-on Linn/Naim system, and less so elsewhere.

Quote:


But that's what I want in a home stereo, every recording appears made by a beautiful genius.  If I want accurate, I'll listen at work.


Pretty much what I said earlier, but better.
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electrical

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2006, 03:20:33 AM »

Anybody build a Platine Verdier TT? I saw a neat article in a German magazine about guys using recording tape as the drive band with a capstan motor for the drive. Apparently damping the bearing is critical for any of these systems and there are only a few greases with the right viscosity, if that's the right word.

I have a Revox linear tracking TT that I don't like very much, but I haven't had the time or the money to go get me a VPI. I've really liked the VPIs I've heard, and they're not too expensive. Audio Advisor was selling them with a Sumiko Blue Point Special as a package for a while.

I have a Hagerman Bugle preamp that was built for me as a gift and a big ol' Marantz integrated (my girlfriend's dad's cast-off) I'm using until I get the time to build something. I used to have a Marantz preamp and a Son of Ampzilla, but I never unpacked them after the move 10 years ago.

I've got an idea for a two-tube power amp using a 6B5 and a 5703 per channel. I've already got the parts, just haven't built it. The 5703 as a voltage amplifier looks like it will do the job (I breadboarded the VA circuit and the square wave looks great 20kHz down to 15 Hz), and the big-and-little tubes will look really neat. The 6B5 is a driver triode cathode-coupled to a power triode in the same envelope, which saves me the trouble of deciding which driver topology to use.

Someday...
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bobkatz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2006, 11:37:42 AM »

dcollins wrote on Sat, 21 January 2006 20:09

LP-12 TT
Homebrew phono preamp
Vandersteen 2ci speakers
Hombrew amp  (Originally a Sumo)
Sony XA3es CD player

Whatever cables I had lying around.

DC



DC, I thought you had poo-poohed the Linn...  bad construction and all. But to me, regardless of the cheapo construction, it does sound good.

My business takes up 4 rooms in my home...  employees come to work each week day, so it's real hard for me to separate my home listening from my studio except after hours. We have a "relaxed" listening room in the living room that has an unremarkable system in it. During office hours it doubles as an alternative listening environment, but outside of office hours it's a bonafied living room and "party room" with couches, hardwood floor, area rug, fireplace and all.  

I've always built my mastering room around an "audiophile" approach. It's very homey. People come in and feel very comfortable. The gear that's in front of you does not have a big presence either visually or acoustically. So you feel you are in an audiophile's dedicated listening room. However, the signal still goes through the Avocet, even my phono, which is also a Linn Sondek LP12 with an Itok arm feeding a Spectral DMC-10 phono preamp. Fortunately I consider the Avocet to be  "audiophile-quality".

There has been a quiet revolution over the past 20 or more years, where professional manufacturers have begun to pull away from using opamps or 1950's-style unregulated tube circuits and replace them with custom discrete circuits and low-noise, lower distortion tube circuits. So there is now considerable overlap in the sonic performance and sound of some so-called "audiophile" gear and pro gear. You'll find that in products from Cranesong, Millenia, Forssell, Manley, etc. The overlap is very strong and the main difference is the price tag and lack of a 30 pound custom-machined front panel.

You'll find double regulated power supplies, discrete opamps, minimalist signal chains, balanced or unbalanced I/O in a lot of pro gear now. Add to that a philosophy of far more headroom before clipping than the average consumer gear and it may even sound better than the $10,000 "audiophile" stuff even if it doesn't have a fancy 10 pound machined front panel. The power amp I use (Pass X250) is also a "crossover" power amp that audiophiles would be proud to own.

I guess that's why my mastering room is also my listening room. Smile

BK
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danickstr

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2006, 01:21:43 PM »

anyone ever built an Ampslab kit?  They look well-designed as mosfet amps go.  ampslab.com
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carlsaff

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2006, 05:41:48 PM »

My home system is also my work system, so:

hard drive -> RME HDSP 9652 -> Benchmark DAC-1 -> Bryston 4BST -> Dynaudio Contour 1.3SEs + HSU Research 12" sub

I rip CDs to the hard drive for listening and vinyl gets into my system through my Lavry Blue ADC at 96Khz/24-bit (sacrilege, I know). My turntable is not ideal (an old Yamaha). An upgrade is in my future.

Love the Dynaudio 1.3SEs. They're the perfect size for my room. I do wish I didn't need the sub, tho. Might upgrade to Contour S3.4s or S5.4s in order to keep the beautiful sound of the Dynaudio tweeter but get away from the sub integration.

jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2006, 07:27:20 PM »

electrical wrote on Sun, 22 January 2006 03:20

I've really liked the VPIs I've heard, and they're not too expensive.


Yeah, they strike me as probably the best-engineered TTs out there, along with SOTA.  (Is SOTA still in business?)
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rodabod

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2006, 09:40:17 PM »

jimmyjazz wrote on Sun, 22 January 2006 04:10


Yep.  I actually interviewed (by phone) with Ivor T about a job at Linn after grad school.  Ultimately, the horrid standard of living in Glasgow scared me off, but when I had a chance to really dig into a Linn TT, I was appalled (and glad I didn't head overseas to help engineer the things).  They have predictable resonance issues, etc., but seem to work well in a full-on Linn/Naim system, and less so elsewhere.



Horrid standard of living? Where did you hear that?

Glasgow is a very interesting place actually. I stayed there for the last four years. Great fun. It's a typical ex-industrial city.

Anyway, I actually applied for a job with Linn last week. I'm waiting for a reply, but I've heard that they only take on one graduate per year which worries me slightly.

Any advice if I get an interview?

I've used the Linn LK140 power amplifier which was excellent. It had a very solid sound and sounded more realistic than my current amplifier.

My (modest) setup:

Marantz integrated amplifier
Technics CD player
Technics direct drive turntable
JBL L20T3 loudspeakers (developed from monitor speakers)
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chrisj

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2006, 10:05:36 PM »

I do my usual thing in this area: my turntable is some sort of awful something for which I've replaced the tonearm. It had been an awful Rotel screw-on-headshell thing (the platter and base were only typically awful, but I thought the tonearm especially awful) so I decided to have a little fun...

I read in a recent Stereophile about an uber-turntable with a strange, balloon-like tonearm that was epoxy over foam (extraordinarily large diameter armtube) and I thought, why not? So I made a styrofoam tonearm the correct size and shape, contrived to balance it on the existing tonearm lateral pivot assembly with a razor-edge for the vertical pivot, and patiently covered the outside- going right over the cartridge, which I built into the thing- in adhesive aluminum tape.

There's _nothing_ half so fun as vinyl DIY. And it sounds quite nice, actually. The area to watch most closely is the vertical pivot. If other parts of the conglomeration aren't done properly, you might get muddy sound or a lack of punch. If the vertical pivot isn't done properly, you get crazy flutter all over everything. It has to be quite rigid and damped or you're just picking different frequencies for the flutter.

RMoore

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2006, 07:29:37 AM »

Garrard 401 TT w SME tonearm, oak plinth & Goldring needle.

(IMO the Garrard 401 / 301's represent a great value for quality used / vintage classic TT's. I got the whole system for about $500 from the UK, the same price as a new Technics 1200.
The SME's are just badass - apparently they were made by an English factory owner who set up the SME shop as a money losing operation just because he was a hifi nut and wanted the ultimate tonearm. Another killer value used IMO.
I went to the local hifi store to help put the TT together as it arrived all dismantled & we A/B'ed it against some new LINN turntable costing about $2000 and the Garrard blew it away IMO, not even close.)

Quad 303 / 33 Preamp and amp combo - another great vintage value IMO.
denon dvd755ar CD player
Lamp cord & my better half's cheap paper cone speakers from the 70's sandwiched next to the sofa Smile

FWIW I actually like how the speakers sound & it gives a good 'real world' element when  checking mixes at home. I have actually got some quality speaker cable ready and waiting, just have to solder it up one of these days.
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2006, 08:50:51 AM »

rodabod wrote on Sun, 22 January 2006 21:40

Horrid standard of living? Where did you hear that?


I was speaking in a relative sense; i.e., by comparing salary range and housing costs to other job offers I had at the time.  No doubt I would have loved living there, as I have always enjoyed Scotland (particularly Edinburgh).
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eligit

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #18 on: January 23, 2006, 11:46:04 AM »

interesting replies...

i guess what peaked my interest was what pleasure listening even IS to a working engineer....and how analog fanatics (can't afford to go that way myself) in the recording studio think of listening just for fun rather than accuracy/work.

since i am more of a player/teacher than recording guy i have this weird dual purpose set up...

mac-rme card-lavry d/A-old harmon cardon pre amp w/ eq bypassed-carver power amp-dynaudio bm6s

wacky...but pretty clear sound for a non analog set up....no real "pleasure enhancement"-but the d/a makes it pretty much like a really good CD player (although when i listen to CDs the mac is what spins the disc and the lavry is what converts)...

anyway, back to being jealous of all you vinyl/tube amp cats....
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jfrigo

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #19 on: January 23, 2006, 01:00:04 PM »

At home it's a Sonus Faber 5.1 setup (but with a Klipsch subwoofer), big Yamaha receiver for surround, Benchmark DAC1 and Bryston 3B-ST for stereo, Denon Universal player. There's also a Pioneer Laserdisc player and a Panasonic 1970 (the model, not the year!) SVHS deck, though they don't get used very often.

I also have another system for the lounge at the studio which consists of some Apogee hybrid ribbon speakers (large ribbon mid and tweet, conventional woofer) and a big Yamaha consumer amp (not integrated) and separate pre.

Not crazy audiophile systems, but better than the average Circuit City fare. They're pleasant listening systems that manage to reveal a reasonable amount of detail.
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rodabod

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #20 on: January 23, 2006, 05:24:55 PM »

jimmyjazz wrote on Mon, 23 January 2006 13:50

rodabod wrote on Sun, 22 January 2006 21:40

Horrid standard of living? Where did you hear that?


I was speaking in a relative sense; i.e., by comparing salary range and housing costs to other job offers I had at the time.  No doubt I would have loved living there, as I have always enjoyed Scotland (particularly Edinburgh).



I see what you mean. Yes, it's actually getting more and more expensive to live here. A family house around where I live will probably set you back
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #21 on: January 23, 2006, 05:59:20 PM »

rodabod wrote on Mon, 23 January 2006 17:24

So, is there anything you would watch out for at Linn? I was given the impression from someone else that they were a little strange in some respects.


Well, I haven't paid attention to their products in maybe 15 years, so I'm not terribly qualified to talk about them these days.  When I was looking for a job in the mid-80s, it was clear even then to this very green engineer that Ivor ruled the roost.  Problem was, he had some rather bizarre ideas about "how things work", but I didn't know it at the time.  I'm not sure it would have been a very good breeding ground for a young engineer.
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Klokkern

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2006, 08:47:25 AM »

Hi all

First of all, and to stick to the original subject of the thread;

My home system:

Audio Note Series E/B Speakers (Audio Note version of the Snell type E)
Audio Innovation S200 2x12 w class A tube amp (4 x el84) power amp
Creek OHB 12 passive pre amp
Electrocompaniet PRE1 and Cambridge Audio C70 pre amps (These two pre amps are only there because of their phono stage, I regulary switch around when I listen to Vinyl)
Micromega/HarmanKardon/Rotel CD players (all top models of the brand, at the moment 2 lives in my studio and the micromega sits at home)
Regar Planar 3
Tara Labs / Supra cables (In the most reasonable price range of  high end cables I could find)

Living in Oslo/Norway, I regularly buy hifi magazines from other countries as well. There is one thing that strikes me, and I would like to know if anyone else has this impression:

In Norway, "everybody" knows that the best amplifiers on the surface of the earth is built here in Norway (Bruce Swedin uses the Norwegian "Electrocompaniet" as his reference amplifier, and all albums he mix is done with this. Abbey Road Studios uses Dynamic Precision to power its main monitors etc etc), and there seems to be a common thought that Norway manufactures some of the best high end sound products anywhere in the world.

It seems like the same can be said about Sweden. And Denmark. Not to mention France, Germany, Great Britain and The United States. And probably any other county with a hifi industry and a hifi press....

It has also occured to me that there seems to be a different ideal to what "good sound" is about, and this seems to vary from country to country. Often it seems that the character of the "preferred national sound" happens to be EXACTLY the sound from the top model of one of the top national suppliers.... Things such as linear frequency response etc seems to be unimportant to most, and their descriptions of the sound hardly ever tells me anything as a professional sound engineer. (Unless someone can direct me to a dictionary where explanations of expressions such as "sounds a bit splintered compared to XX" or "soundwise a little richer than XX etc)

Imagine this:
A test of three amplifiers in a hifi magazine, i.e. Electrocompaniet, Bryston and Jeff Rowland. Which one would be the champion in Norway? In USA? And in Canada??

These are all HIGH END amplifiers with a brilliant reputation. All of them would probably sound superb. Still, I am almost certain that the winner often would happen to be built in the country where the magazine is released...

So the question is: Who do we trust? I have stopped trusting the hifi press a long time ago...

Does anybody else have thoughts on this?? Is this in effect what differs "pro audio" sound manufacturers from producers of HiFi components?

This is not a claim to be the truth in any way, I am just very interested in the opinions of other pro sound engineers.

Regards,
larsK





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Hud Hudson

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #23 on: January 24, 2006, 12:01:30 PM »

Jolida 302A tube amp (4 x EL34, 4 x 12AX7)
Cal Audio CD player
Technics SL1200 turntable w/Ortofon cartridge
AR 312 towers and Bruce Maddocks custom 3-way nearfields
Ridiculously expensive audiophile interconnects and speaker cables that the hifi dealer never charged me for  Twisted Evil

I also have a more consumer-level rig upstairs, with an Onkyo receiver, Sony CD and DVD players, and Infinity bookshelf speakers.
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Big Bodum

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #24 on: January 24, 2006, 01:31:42 PM »

Downstairs:
           Mirage M1si's bi-amped with a Sim Audio Celeste 4150se on the mids and highs, and a Soundcraftsman PCR-800 on the lows. Approx. 450 a side. Using the speakers x-over. there is also a Sim Audio preamp, an AR XB turntable( into a Cambridge Audio Model 300 for the Holloman phono pre), and a Phillips CD-150. ( 2nd generation 14 bit...one of the oldest out there).

Upstairs:
        Angsrtom Omega 5's powered by an(other) Audio Innovations Series 200. Superphon SP 100 Passive Pre, Phillips CD-630.    

 
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Plush

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2006, 01:43:44 PM »

We enjoy these two home systems since the 70's
and 80's:

Linn LP-12
QUAD CDP Cd player
Revox B-285 receiver
Revox B-215 cassette machine
Pro-Ac Response 2S speakers
Stellavox SM8 reel to reel

Linn LP-12
QUAD 34 pre-amp
QUAD CDP Cd player
2 QUAD 405 amps (Victor's Stereo Mod)
QUAD FM4 tuner
QUAD ESL-63
Stellavox SM-8 reel to reel


If it was good then, it's good now. . .
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Duardo

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #26 on: January 25, 2006, 07:14:00 PM »

My "home" setup's not so impressive, probably because my wife has more say over what goes on in the living room...which is fine with me because she leaves me alone in my basement studio.  I just have a relatively cheap Sony surround receiver with a Teac 5.1 speaker setup with a powered sub.  If I want to listen to a CD I use our Magnavox DVD player, but more often than not I'll just use iTunes.  I got my wife an iPod for Christmas last year and didn't think I'd really be too interested in it but now I want one, and iTunes is just so handy...

When I want to really sit down and listen to something, though, I go down to the basement where I run a DVRA1000 through a Central Station to a pair of BM5A's with a Mackie HRS120.  Not too impressive in comparison to the other stuff mentioned in this thread...

-Duardo
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max cooper

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #27 on: January 27, 2006, 09:45:35 AM »

This week:

Michell Gyrodec SE
Crimson Electronics
ATC 20's

I haven't bothered to replace my California Audio Labs CD player that died a couple of years ago.  Haven't missed it either!
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Barish

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #28 on: January 28, 2006, 08:08:20 PM »

jimmyjazz wrote

Ultimately, the horrid standard of living in Glasgow scared me off...



Hey, it's not worse than Baltimore as far as I could see for that matter. Been living here for 9 years and still surviving. Plus Tannoy factory is within an arm reach as well, whatelse do you want?


At home I have a cheapo Fusion DVD player + a cheapo Marantz amp + a pair of large Goodmans speakers from the 70s.


In the office the test equipment is a cheapo mini Hitachi CD/Radio bought for
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rodabod

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #29 on: January 29, 2006, 07:57:03 PM »

Barish wrote on Sun, 29 January 2006 01:08

jimmyjazz wrote

Ultimately, the horrid standard of living in Glasgow scared me off...


Plus Tannoy factory is within an arm reach as well,



Tannoy? Really?

Whereabouts are they?
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Barish

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2006, 01:47:17 PM »

Coatbridge (I know, I know... just outside civilization...)


B.

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M Ozturk

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #31 on: March 08, 2006, 07:43:34 PM »

jimmyjazz wrote on Sun, 22 January 2006 04:10

dcollins wrote on Sat, 21 January 2006 22:10

I will say that the Linn is one of the most poorly-constructed things I've ever seen.  Truly embarrassing.  It sounds ok, I guess, kind of slow and overly full.


Yep.  I actually interviewed (by phone) with Ivor T about a job at Linn after grad school.  Ultimately, the horrid standard of living in Glasgow scared me off, but when I had a chance to really dig into a Linn TT, I was appalled (and glad I didn't head overseas to help engineer the things).  They have predictable resonance issues, etc., but seem to work well in a full-on Linn/Naim system, and less so elsewhere.

Quote:


But that's what I want in a home stereo, every recording appears made by a beautiful genius.  If I want accurate, I'll listen at work.


Pretty much what I said earlier, but better.



Exactly what is wrong with the standard of living in Glasgow? I have lived in this city for 16 years. ive worked in good studios here and ive worked in good studios elswhere. I love Glasgow. If you like music (instead of just Linn who are well reguarded as being good employers and they make very nice studio monitors) you may be surprised to find out exactly who comes from this city. Most of the really great scottish bands Live right here in Glasgow and have not made the tragic move to London. Please dont be hard on a city you have never visited. There are few more welcoming places on the planet than Glasgow and that goes for the rest of Our country also.
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #32 on: March 09, 2006, 04:14:39 AM »

slartibard wrote on Wed, 08 March 2006 19:43

Please dont be hard on a city you have never visited.


Well, I have visited Glasgow, but that's irrelevant.

I shouldn't have said "horrid" when I was describing the standard of living.  That's not fair.  What I was trying to get at was the relative buying power my engineer's salary would have in Glasgow as opposed to the US (or at least the areas of the US I was considering).

My last name is easy to find . . . I won't post an image, but suffice it to say that between the name and the physical characteristics, you'd (correctly) deduce that I feel right at home in Scotland!
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Sahib

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #33 on: March 09, 2006, 04:28:44 PM »

I have deleted this post as it was unnecessary.

Cemal
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #34 on: March 09, 2006, 06:13:47 PM »

Sahib wrote on Thu, 09 March 2006 16:28

You just stay where you are as we wouldn't want to to bring the tone of our city down.


Re-fucking-lax, Cemal.  I already explained what I meant -- I was referring to the salaries Linn's engineers were paid and what type of housing, etc. that would command.  I wasn't saying Glasgow was a dump.
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Sahib

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #35 on: March 10, 2006, 10:58:59 AM »


Jimmy,

Sorry. I should have read your last post. I didn't mean to go for you. I have edited it as it is unnecessary.

Anyhow, in terms of housing there are dumps same as everywhere. Yes generally the salaries are low comparing to US. House prices rocketed sky high and quite often I wonder how people can afford it. On the other hand the new built are selling like hot cakes and I have no idea who buys them. I am talking about apartments that go for almost half a million dollar.

Next time you are coming over just give us a call. I'll buy the healing drinks.

Cemal
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #36 on: March 10, 2006, 11:17:09 AM »

Sahib wrote on Fri, 10 March 2006 10:58


Jimmy,

Sorry. I should have read your last post. I didn't mean to go for you. I have edited it as it is unnecessary.


No worries.  I over-reacted, so "my bad" as the kids say.

Quote:


Next time you are coming over just give us a call. I'll buy the healing drinks.



You are so on.  It will be 16 months or so, as the wife and I are planning a European vacation next summer.  This summer is too soon.  Our 2-year-old would have a stroke if we left him with his grandmother.  (I think she'd have a stroke, too.)

I think we'll probably fly in and out of London, but spend most of our time in Scotland (perhaps a week) with a few days spent in Paris, too.  I'm ready to book tickets NOW!
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Sahib

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #37 on: March 10, 2006, 12:50:30 PM »

jimmyjazz wrote on Fri, 10 March 2006 16:17



You are so on.  It will be 16 months or so, as the wife and I are planning a European vacation next summer.  This summer is too soon.  Our 2-year-old would have a stroke if we left him with his grandmother.  (I think she'd have a stroke, too.)



I have a five year old son and my mother-in-law already gave us an ultimatum that she is too old for this.

Quote:


I think we'll probably fly in and out of London, but spend most of our time in Scotland (perhaps a week) with a few days spent in Paris, too.  I'm ready to book tickets NOW!



Well, it would be my (and Barish's) pleasure to meet you. Just let us know. Do you have relatives here or is it just a visit?

Cemal
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jimmyjazz

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #38 on: March 10, 2006, 02:11:53 PM »

Sahib wrote on Fri, 10 March 2006 12:50

Do you have relatives here or is it just a visit?



Theoretically, I have relatives in the UK, but I wouldn't know how to find them.  My mom & dad's ancestors both emigrated to what was to become the United States over 300 years ago!  (My last name is Andrews -- MacAndrew(s) is a sept of the Scottish clan "Ross".)
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Sahib

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #39 on: March 10, 2006, 02:37:06 PM »


Jimmy,

If you really want it then it is really easy. Births deaths and marriages are very well archived here. Put it that way, I was doing a research on a particular Scot who lived between mid 1700 and and beginning of 1800. I was able to get his great grand father's details without any problem. If you want I would be happy to help.

In the mean time you can start here;

http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
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hdunit

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #40 on: April 07, 2006, 11:52:05 PM »

Rega P3 + RB300 + Elys Cart
Naim CD3
Naim NAC22
Naim NAP120
Linn Sara Isobariks
Naim NACA5 Cable
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crm0922

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #41 on: April 10, 2006, 07:03:00 PM »

Home:

crappy technics DD table w/ Grado Black cart
NAD PP-2 phono pre
crappy Onkyo CD player -> DAC1 D/A
Jolida JD-502B (60Wx2 w/ JJ KT88's)
Celestion 7's
Mogami wire

Car:

line-out modded factory head-unit 6 disc changer
Sirius Starmate Replay (worst fidelity you can imagine, good ONLY for talk)
Soundstream parametric EQ w/ sub phase
Zapco Z400C4SL balanced input 4x50W amp w/ crossover
Zapco Z200C2SL balanced sub amp bridged to 320x1
Morel 6" woofers
B&G ribbon tweeters w/ custom passive crossover/protection
old-school kicker free-air subs in rear deck
Daxx and Mogami wire

I drive like 2-3 hours a day, so the car system sees the most use, and it sounds amazing, so I thought I'd mention it here.

C
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Tim Perry

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #42 on: April 11, 2006, 12:57:19 AM »

B&K ref50 pre/processor
Crown XLS 402 amps
Klipsch THX Ultra 2's
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer
RANE THX 44 EQ
DBX 231 EQ
Kenwood mega cd changer with digital out
PIII 700 over clocked to 933 for DVD play back scaled to projectors resolution
Optoma DLP projector
DirecTV HDTV receiver
DirecTV TIVO

I don't listen to much music on it, most use is HDTV and DVDs.
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onekid

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #43 on: April 12, 2006, 07:18:40 AM »

Thorens TD160 w/modifications suggestions from "The Analog Dept"
Grado Gold, SME 3009 w/modifications suggestions from "The Analog Dept"
Scott 299B fully restored
Philips 963SA SACD player
North Creek Rythm Unlimited Speakers
Silver Sonic cable
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Jeffrey Lonigro

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #44 on: April 14, 2006, 01:06:56 AM »

Linn Sondek LP12 w Koetsu Black and Mark Levinson (and believe it or not Stanton) phono preamps via Monolithic switch box to to Bel Canto 300 to Infinity Intermezzo 2.6

Accuphase DP70 Cd player AES/EBU modified, or some generic Panasonic DVD-A/SACD player to either

Fireface to Bel Canto 300 to Infinity Intermezzo 2.6
or

ProTools to Tact (no d/a) to Infinity Intermezzo 2.6

Runs gamut from totally old school analog to nothing but numbers out to the speakers. Both have merit. The speed stability of the Linn is outstanding. I'm in the process of modifying it to drive our wow and flutter system directly servoed from the platter, and will be able to totally dewow its output, which should be cool. All the wow that's left will be from the Neumann cutter which should be negligible.
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Jamie Howarth
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"Typically the first reaction to hearing our flutter reduction system is "WOW!" and we say, 'nope, not anymore' ".

Dan Kennedy

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Re: What's your home stereo like?
« Reply #45 on: April 18, 2006, 10:09:06 PM »

Home made amp out of Bruno Ptuzey's Hipex amp modules.
Preamp made out of old Great River MP-2 preamps
the only mastering version of EQ-2NV yet built
Pioneer CD player.

Kenwood KD500/Black Widow/Ortofon, but I live on a boat, so it doesn't see much use.

Forgot, old Celestion 8" two ways my kid blew up. All new drivers, new crossover, old boxes.
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