FabGuys.com forum: Hifi Music

By *arefeet OP Man
6 weeks ago

Manchester

Any Hifi Buffs on here who love REAL music

Vinyl VS CD????

Anyone got a great system and LP/CD collection?

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By *issyOliveTV/TS
6 weeks ago

Corby ish

I do both viynl at cd. I live listen to viynl most, however it is a pain having to filp and change every 20 mins or so. Play my CDs when I need to do things as it's play and forget!

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By *yzantineMan
6 weeks ago

Offshore now, ignore pistcode

I bought a Marantz set of separates over 20 years ago. I’ve added a Bluetooth function to it so I can stream Radio 3 and NDR Kultur.

Still works great

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By *rCurious75Man
6 weeks ago

Ashby de la Zouch

Small but pricy vinyl collection with a Pro Ject Metallica turntable. Headphone listener so for a good headphone anmp annd DAC and headphone collection.

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By *anDadBodMan
6 weeks ago

Speke

still have my Aiwa Stack system, it’s all boxed up and in storage but an excellent piece of kit, also have a few hundred LPs of various genres from over the decades.

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By *hristine_JTV/TS
6 weeks ago

Anglesey

We have an active Naim system (52/135s etc.) with Michell Orbe/SME V turntable. Currently have about 1000 albums but we used to have about 3 - 4000 a few years ago but during a house move we pared them down to just the ones we listened to

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By *dstefiMan
6 weeks ago

Solihull

I've owned some nice stuff over the years. Favourite setup was a Rega Planar 3 with RB300 arm and Ortofon Red cart, a passively-EQd phono preamp I built myself (completely dual mono down to separate and very overspecced power supplies), Epos ES11 speakers and Quad II power amps. That setup was incredibly transparent and could play anything but absolutely loved vocals.

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By *usicmanxxxMan
6 weeks ago

skem

Been collecting vinyl since my teens

Mainly Bowie and rock music

Still buying vinyl

I have cds

I have a fairly decent turntable

Audio technica denon amp and warfdale speakers

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By *cottishstevexMan
6 weeks ago

Edinburgh

Vinyl fann plus some CDs expensive deck amp and speakers love it

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By *cottishstevexMan
6 weeks ago

Edinburgh

Moon amp p3 deck older teac cd player and fyneaudio floor standers

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By *hePerkyPumpkinTV/TS
6 weeks ago

Bristol

CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

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By *YbtmMan
6 weeks ago

Nr Wem

Running mostly vinyl on a much modded michell gyro,with a Hana umami blue cart, chord phono stg to pair of Auris 150 valve mono’s. Speakers are Focal utopia evo 2’s

Also a bit of streaming via hifi rose through a rotel michi pre/dac.

Huge investment but i’m happy with it.

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By *ub460Man
6 weeks ago

S. Derbys

"We have an active Naim system (52/135s etc.) with Michell Orbe/SME V turntable. Currently have about 1000 albums but we used to have about 3 - 4000 a few years ago but during a house move we pared them down to just the ones we listened to"

Wow, what speakers do you run with that, SBLs?

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By *mandaWhenDressedMan
6 weeks ago

around

[Removed by poster at 15/11/25 18:28:20]

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By *mandaWhenDressedMan
6 weeks ago

around

"CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

Sure?

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By *dstefiMan
6 weeks ago

Solihull

I still have a 60s vintage pair of Leak Sandwich speakers I've clung onto despite our flat being too compact to use them.

Pentangle sounded incredible through them to the point I wondered if Leaks were in use as studio monitors when Basket of Light was recorded.

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By *laireKTV/TS
6 weeks ago

Manchester

I do like a well finished pair of speakers with bookmatched veneer or real wood.

There are still some really good skills on display from British hifi manufacturers.

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By *luvnylonstockingsTV/TS
6 weeks ago

southsea

I have around 500 albums ,the biggest percent is 70,s (bowie,reed,roxy,harley,and then punk,prog,glam,some pop,and rock,electronis),then 80,90,s and present .

Im going to par it down soon as im 65 and theees some i will never listen too.

In 2004 i got rid of my 1000 collection of albums and 300 singkes to charity ,some very valuble punk stuff now ,but nevermind

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By *issy SiMan
6 weeks ago

Horsham

I still play my singles on my record player. Bit of a pain having to get up every three or four minutes to change the record....I remember my parents had a gramophone where you could stack the records and they'd drop down one by one

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By *arridMan
6 weeks ago

Brighton

I had a small but valuable collection of bootleg LPs played on a Denon and cassettes on a Yakomichi Dragon. Replaced it all for CDs, replaced all that with Apple downloads, replaced all that with Spotify.

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By *xLedZepxx2Man
6 weeks ago

Didcot

Loads of CDs and quite a few vinyl albums, just got in to collecting 12" singles from the late 70s and 1980s. Onkyo Amp/tuner, Onkyo CD, Monitor Audio Bronze speakers and Audio Technica deck

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By *rancd2TV/TS
6 weeks ago

Wolverhampton

I have a decent enough technics set up, had it a long time now, but it was pricey when I got it. Also have an old radiogram that sounds wonderful considering it’s around 60 -70 years old.

As for music, I have a collection that has been handed down and added to through the family. I have around 4000 vinyl singles, 1000 vinyl albums, 500 CD albums, 250 CD singles and 250 shellac 78s.

I decided to go through and play everything at the Covid lockdown. Finished playing them all earlier this year. Probably 40000 to 50000 pieces of music in total.

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By *hePerkyPumpkinTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Bristol

"CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

Sure? "

Yeah pretty sure...

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By *arefeet OP Man
5 weeks ago

Manchester

HAHA

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By *lexieMan
5 weeks ago

Just north of Southampton

"CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

That'll be compressed then... you should try listening though hifi if like music.

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By *lexieMan
5 weeks ago

Just north of Southampton

"I had a small but valuable collection of bootleg LPs played on a Denon and cassettes on a Yakomichi Dragon. Replaced it all for CDs, replaced all that with Apple downloads, replaced all that with Spotify. "

Well,there's nothing like walking backwards for xmas!

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By *vminme2Man
5 weeks ago

Dunstable

First thing I did after my basic training and joining my battalion in Germany was to buy an awai WiFi stacking system in the NAAFI, should of done my homework first because almost every block and room had there own systems.

It was pretty noisy on the weekends

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

Is that like a Nakamichi but from Temu?

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By *anDadBodMan
5 weeks ago

Speke

"CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

vinyl gives you far superior sound than digital

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

"CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

vinyl gives you far superior sound than digital"

I'm not totally convinced of that. Besides, virtually everything recorded since the early 80s has at least one digital stage in the process. Early digital multitrack was glassy and too hifi (think Bop Till You Drop, I think the first DDD recording if played on CD)

Now if you're talking about valves, that's different. Valve amps might measure terribly compared to solid state but a good one does sound magical. My Quad IIs were the best power amps I ever owned (monoblocks so I needed two). They had exceptional and unexpectedly good bass control and articulation and the sweetest midrange and vocal clarity. Only wish I'd held onto them, they'd pair beautifully with my Leak speakers. Bought the pair of amps for £75 off an ex-BBC guy and swapped them away years ago, not realising what I had (they now often sell for over a grand each).

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

I did once do a test with my Rega turntable against the exact same source on CD and the Rega as shipped played really fast, pitched everything about half a semitone above the CD. I'm sure it was a deliberate factory choice as Planars were noted for their *bouncy" sound and love of rock music.

I got really OCD about it, bought a new aluminium subplatter and bearing, and it sounded even better but still fast, so I ended up using a really low tech solution: putting a couple of turns of electrical tape round the subplatter to increase its diameter fractionally. Job done

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By *anDadBodMan
5 weeks ago

Speke

"CDs and Records are too much faff...

I listen to all my music on YouTube/Spotify... through a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and everything sounds fantastic.

vinyl gives you far superior sound than digital

the sound spectrum cannot be fully picked up by digital recording, music recorded to tape then transferred to vinyl gives a wider band width than music recorded direct to digital.

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

"the sound spectrum cannot be fully picked up by digital recording, music recorded to tape then transferred to vinyl gives a wider band width than music recorded direct to digital."

All depends on sample rates. Agreed early digital was crap when they thought they only needed to oversample to 44kHz but it's improved a lot over the years and you'd be pushed to find a recent recording that's fully AAA, analogue recording, mastering and playback.

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

Most people's hearing rolls off above 10kHz anyway. We aren't dogs

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By *anDadBodMan
5 weeks ago

Speke

"Most people's hearing rolls off above 10kHz anyway. We aren't dogs

what about the base? 😂

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By *acyboyTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Southampton

All this talk of hi go equipment takes me back. Early seventies I was able to afford a deck (Pioneer Pl12d - I think?) and a Trio

amp. I couldn’t afford speakers for probably a year so listened with my Senhieser headphones. Over the years I added a twin cassette player followed by the speakers and finally a radio deck. I recall having a beautiful glass fronted stacking cabinet to house it all in. Bowie, Supertramp, Genesis etc. on the inside cover of every album i used to write a consecutive number as I added albums to my collection. All long gone now but I wonder if any are still in existence with current owners looking at the numbers wondering what they relate to!

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

"Most people's hearing rolls off above 10kHz anyway. We aren't dogs

what about the base? 😂"

The sub bass that gets lost in platter rumble on vinyl you mean?

Again most amps will roll off bass below 20Hz for stability reasons and most speakers can't reproduce it anyway (subwoofers are more about show than music IMHO, give me a transmission line any day if you want genuine musical deep bass)

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By *ll foxMan
5 weeks ago

WORKSOP

I have a vast vinyl collection!

With Dennon player and Yamaha amp!

Love to chill and get the music on!

Love a good Record Fair

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

I suppose I should fess up that my current setup is a little pair of self-powered PreSonus monitors streamed through the telly, or cheapo Amazon earbuds for private listening. Still sounds fine to me though. All-digital, all compressed, class D amps. It's still music and these days I prefer listening to music than sniffing corks.

That said, in my ideal world I'd still have an American style listening room in my mansion with a pair of Tannoy Westminsters and a nice vinyl/valve front end. Almost bought a pair of Westminsters from a studio that was closing down once. They demoed them with a drum machine track. The SPL was absolutely visceral, I could feel the kick drum bashing my ribs.

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

I'd also need to buy my wife a house at the other end of the street. She can't handle volume like I can

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By *on779Man
5 weeks ago

colchester

I have collected cd’s as I’ve grown up I mainly convert to mp3 to listen to in the car or on a I pod classic 5.5 that I’ve upgraded with a micro sd card and bigger battery that I use walking but also do like to listen to the cd itself on an older denon separate and amp in to an artest called passenger at the moment

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By *hristine_JTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Anglesey

Wow, what speakers do you run with that, SBLs?"

SL2s Maple

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By *obbie27Man
5 weeks ago

Egremont

Got a Linn Majik dsm with a Sondek LP12 turntable

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By *eo PublicMan
5 weeks ago

Lincoln

My system is old but decent quality, not top end but good enough. Pro-ject Perspective turntable, recently downgraded the cartridge from an Ortofon MC25FL to an Audio Technica VM95ML. Cyrus CD7Q CD player through an Arcam A85 amp and Monitor Audio Silver 5i speakers. The CD player is getting dodgy so I need to either replace the laser or get a new player.

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By *fcdTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Southend

Got a Yamaha/Sony/Audio Technica/Kef/Marantz system and I use pretty much every source, 192k downloads, CD, SACD, records, cassettes, minidisc, Tidal, Apple Music.

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By *fcdTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Southend

"Got a Yamaha/Sony/Audio Technica/Kef/Marantz system and I use pretty much every source, 192k downloads, CD, SACD, records, cassettes, minidisc, Tidal, Apple Music."
I missed Blu-ray audio

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By *ornyandlookinMan
5 weeks ago

Blackpool

Been into music from being a kid so my hifi journey started in my mid twenties around thirty years ago.

I've had Naim stuff NA/NAP/SNAPS mated to a modded RD11.

Then went to NVA pre/power and phono2 and also a PT Export GTI.

Plus a DPA Elightenment drive and DX32 DAC for the digital side of things.

Inbetween I've had an Albarry pre/power which I regret moving on as it was lovely sounding.

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By *arridMan
5 weeks ago

Brighton

Is that like a Nakamichi but from Temu?"
. Nakamichi!!! Good quality equipment.

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By *ubSarahTVTV/TS
5 weeks ago

leicester

Yamaha receiver, rega rp3 turntable, monitor audio 7.1 speaker set up.

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By *laireKTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Manchester

"Around 2000 Lps

1500 CDS

Vertere Mg1 Turntable

Goldenberg MC Cartridge

Avid Pellere Phono Stage

Teac VRDS 701 CD Player

Accuphase Class A Amplification

Focal Kanta 2 Speakers

Iso Acoustics

MIT cables

Normally listen in the nude!"

Does the nuddy aspect improve the listening quality?

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By *ldmanMan
5 weeks ago

Rawcliffe Bridge.

I have JVC, separates, hifi system from the early 1980s, with a Technics CD player.

It came with a twin cassette deck, and got quite a good review in What Hofi magazine at the time, and yes, I have a large record collection, with many 78s also, that requires me to change the needle before playing them to reduce the risk of permanent damage to them.

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By *ik shawMan
5 weeks ago

Staffs/Cheshire border

For an old git like me the hierarchy is very much Vinyl for the overall experience and CD for convenience. Streaming is only through the TV as a last resort.

Biggest problem with equipment is that it can become an obsession and you’re forever changing elements and trying to improve within a given budget and I’ve dropped some clangers along the way

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

Is that like a Nakamichi but from Temu?. Nakamichi!!! Good quality equipment."

Best cassette player I ever had was an Akai (GX95 I think, super posh with three heads and very overbuilt). It could put insane amounts of clean signal onto TDK SA or metal cassettes.

Won it in a compo at Bristol Hifi Show. £400 deck for free, yes please!

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By *fcdTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Southend

Is that like a Nakamichi but from Temu?. Nakamichi!!! Good quality equipment.

Best cassette player I ever had was an Akai (GX95 I think, super posh with three heads and very overbuilt). It could put insane amounts of clean signal onto TDK SA or metal cassettes.

Won it in a compo at Bristol Hifi Show. £400 deck for free, yes please!"
Akai’s had great heads that would pretty much last forever.

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By *dstefiMan
5 weeks ago

Solihull

I also, before the Quads, built my own no-compromise power amp. Based on Maplin 150W MOSFET amp modules but with fancier caps and resistors and biased WAY into class A with the biggest heatsinks I could get. You could still have fried an egg on them. 500VA power supplies with 10,000 microfarad reservoirs. It'd dim the lights in the house from the inrush current when switched on

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By *ountainMan
5 weeks ago

ipswich

[Removed by poster at 16/11/25 17:10:08]

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By *arlojoeMan
5 weeks ago

darlington

I have a Rega Planair 2 system. Deck,cd,radio and amplifier.Superb system and sound from a mid range price set up.

I purchased it from a very knowledgable independent company with branches in Leeds and Newcastle.They advised me on the best system for my budget and even came to set it up for me.

The best thing is it's made in the UK!

I have a reasonable vinyl collection of around 700 Lp's which I play on a regular basis.

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By *speedoMan
5 weeks ago

eastbourne

I loved the days when there were hi fi shops (Tottenham Court Road for example) where a vast range af separates were available, Garrard 401s, SME Arms, Leek Delta amplifiers, receivers, KEF, G_ldman’s and Wharfdale speakers etc. plus so much more to choose from. And how good was it to go to a record shop, search through racks of albums and listen in a booth and Then buy your LPs with the wonderful sleeve artworks. You really felt as though you’d bought something to own

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By *kvanmanMan
5 weeks ago

andover

I don’t think im into it but i do have

4 truntables

5 quadraphonic tuners 2 of them are music systems with their own turntable

1 x 4 track reel to reel

1 x 2 track reel to reel

A 8 track cartridge player

2 laserdisc players

1 cinema system

Lots of speakers

Loads of Lp cd laserdisc

And some dacs amps cd transport

And hearing aids lol

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By *luvnylonstockingsTV/TS
5 weeks ago

southsea

Surely your age must come into it ,as you get older your hearing diminishes and eventualy it must cut out the dupierer sounds of vynal to cd and digital .

I have vynil because i just love everything about the product ,sleeve,inner sleeve and the record ,all beautiful

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By *orcsmatMan
5 weeks ago

Kidderminster

Yes, I have a powerful onkyo amp, mission speakers and a Project turntaboe. Not the top end, but hi-fi enough.

My preferred music, however is classical.

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By *ack_69erMan
5 weeks ago

Beverley

I still have my set of seperates Pioneer music system including turntable, sadly though the Marantz speakers, the paper cones have holes in now but just bought some new cones to fit, also I want to find a CD player to go with it. Still got all my records from the 70's up to the 80's

I was shocked to find that the Marantz speakers are now worth over £300 when I was looking for replacement cones.

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By *tephen_b50Man
5 weeks ago

Bristol

"I do both viynl at cd. I live listen to viynl most, however it is a pain having to filp and change every 20 mins or so. Play my CDs when I need to do things as it's play and forget! "

20 mins? Eeeh, bah gum, youngsters don't know they're born ...

Seriously: i once spent a week in a house with a wind-up gramophone and a stack of 78 rpm discs of various bands - about 3 min of music per side.

The snaps, crackles, pops and hissing made the players sound as though they were munching rice crispies. It was like being transported back to the 1930's

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By *tuart333Man
5 weeks ago

STAFFORD

Classical and Jazz fan here - kept all my old vinly and bought tons more from charity shops for next to nothing when cd's 'ruled the world' . Recently bought John Coltranes remasered My Favoutite Things on vinyl - sound quality is astounding

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By *enardeMan
5 weeks ago

Barnsley

My cousin by marriage is a nut on this

I really don’t understand it but he’s a very expensive system with big speakers etc

He’s absorbed in it

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By *airFetishMan
5 weeks ago

Maldon

Used to have a QUAD 606/34, ESL 63s, Arcam CD, Pink Triangle TT with Alphason arm and AT cartridge.

I used to say that it would have to be prised from my cold dead fingers but ... I moved to live with my current partner in a tiny cottage(!). No room for the ESLs, the CD player broke and it really wasn't ideal. After 10 years I relented, kept my favourite CDs and the vinyl (where the physical object is more than the sum of its parts) and the lot went. It was a very sad day.

It's been replaced by Apple Music and a pair of KEF LSX wireless speakers and works very well indeed. The speakers frequently surprise me when the source is really good. I always use Lossless albums for the speakers.

Recently I augmented it with a pair of QUAD ERA-1 headphones and a Mojo 2 DAC - wow! It sounds absolutely amazing and I always add the HiRes Lossless versions of albums to my library if the choice is there.

I'm very pleased with it overall but I so miss my ESLs - nothing like them.

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By *airFetishMan
5 weeks ago

Maldon

"I don’t think im into it but i do have

4 truntables

5 quadraphonic tuners 2 of them are music systems with their own turntable

1 x 4 track reel to reel

1 x 2 track reel to reel

A 8 track cartridge player

2 laserdisc players

1 cinema system

Lots of speakers

Loads of Lp cd laserdisc

And some dacs amps cd transport

And hearing aids lol "

Brilliant!

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By *airFetishMan
5 weeks ago

Maldon

"For an old git like me the hierarchy is very much Vinyl for the overall experience and CD for convenience. Streaming is only through the TV as a last resort.

Biggest problem with equipment is that it can become an obsession and you’re forever changing elements and trying to improve within a given budget and I’ve dropped some clangers along the way

Indeed. When I bought the system I wanted (see above post) I stopped buying any HiFi mags as they only exist to make you unhappy with what you have. You end up obsessing over equipment (and spending £££s) and not listening to the music unless you're careful.

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By *laireKTV/TS
5 weeks ago

Manchester

I used to go to a hifi show where there were rooms with cheap second hand setups.

The basic rule was they had to buy stuff for no more than the fuel cost of getting to the show, typically 50 quid.

There were some great setups for that money.

My favourite part of the show tbh.

I can't be doing with the hifi snobbery about. If you like how your music sounds does it matter what others think?

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