Hi ,my name is Keith Cooper, ( coops) I own Purite Audio ,I am a dealer but I would like to think I still have my integrity! I hope Audio Chews has a bright future. Keith.
Forgot to mention my system, horns are always here ( to big to move ) a small 10 watt class A single ended amp and at the moment a Trinnov room correction box which is my preamp I use a MacBook Pro as source. Keith.
Music taste is very wide, pretty much anything. I've a particular penchant for jazz, blues and folk (preferably acoustic) and much less rock than it used to be.
Far too much kit to list it all I'm afraid.
Currently in use is: Garrard 401 in Torlyte plinth Rebuilt RB250 arm and upgraded Decca Maroon Musical Fidelity LPs Phono Stage Musical Fidelity X-Pre UCD Class D amps in DIY build Lowther EX4's and Eminence 15" Betas in a DIY Open Baffle Cables are a mixture of Kimber and DIY solid silver Also for convenience a Linux laptop running into a DAC Magic II.
I have a relatively brief history with Hi-Fi, only buying my own kit about 5 years ago when the hand-me-downs from Dad gave up the ghost. He had a pretty respectable system actually; an early memory for me is spending a day in Phase 3 Hi-Fi in Worthing while the owner re-arranged the whole shop & blasted the neighbours with Big Band jazz...
My music tastes are under-developed & limited, but I appreciate most things. Dad left me with a taste for stomping Big Bands of Basie's ilk - to this day my desert island disc is Sinatra & Basie live at the sands. I have a love for blues & most folky-type music, particularly bluegrass. At the moment I am going through a Lyle Lovett phase, as I love the way he tells a story with wit & charm. His records are musically superb also, with great production. I also remain a bit of a rock monster, and a lover of all things New Orleans.
My system gets little dedicated use at the moment due to a large young family, but the current state of play is as follows:
2009 MAC mini (fed by NAS over ethernet)
AyreWave
Beresford Caiman DAC with Gator (on borrowed time?) - DACs have been in flux for the past year.
NVA P90 passive pre
NVA TSS mkII stereo amplifier
Royd Revelation RR3 speakers
NVA supersoundpipe & LS5 cabling throughout
Belkin PF-40 mains thingy for everything but the amp.
My system plays music pretty nicely - that's all there is to it really. I hope it gives some of the best of both the flat & the round earth - I have heard examples of both genres that are one-trick ponies. I want it all...within reason. and budget.
Yes ,not helped by the collapse of Sterling, there are a few posters on HiFi Wigwam who have made their own and they appear to be getting decent results, so it doesn't have to cost fortune. Keith.
Does that mean the design is available or is a kit for sale?
I'm half a horn person. I love the impact and drive they give but having used OBs for so long now I can't abide the colouration particularly across the mid band.
I've never heard compression drivers, never had the opportunity. But I've heard many front horns which suffer distortion much less than folded back horns.
Horns ( straight horns at least) don't have to sound coloured, that is just bad design and implementation proper horns are just extremely dynamic and IMHO just more real than any other design. Keith.
Hi all and thanks to Ben for the invitation to join.
There is very little music that I dislike - I can even listen to free jazz if the mood takes me
I collect audio equipment and probably have more stuff here than you'd find in a shop. Lots of classic brit stuff but also old heavyweight Japanese receivers, but main everyday system is:
Rega P9/RB1000/Tecnoweight
Audio Technica AT33PTG
Home built tube phono stage (or the one built into the pre amp)
Macbook Pro/Audiosmile DEQ DAC/ADC for streaming and committing A to D.
This Macbook is fitted with a 1TB HD and contains around 1300 albums stored in Apple Lossless.
Quad 34/405-2 amplification. I've completely rebuilt these with great results.
Quad FM4 for FM.
Quad ESL57s completely rebuilt.
Wires - I built my own from good quality stuff designed for pro use.
I should also declare that I assist Audiosmile though not on a paid basis - it isn't my day job
I am very happy to have been invited by Ben to join this forum, and to see some friendly names here too. I'm a bit of a subjectivist, and like to think that I'm open-minded about anything audio. That's possibly why I have ended up with this somewhat eclectic system:
Kenwood KD-770D turntable with Ittok LVII arm and Benz Micro SL, Audio Origami tonearm cable
Thorens TD124 - work in progress at the moment but sounds promising
PS Audio GCPH phono stage (shortly to be joined/replaced by a Paul Hynes Veron Concert phono amp)
Bob's Devices Cinemag SUT
Lyngdorf CD1 uased as transport only
Lyngdorf TDA-2200 true digital amp, fitted with 24/96 ADC Card
Avalon NP2.0 speakers on Stillpoints Component Stands
Stillpoints ESS Rack, and various Stillpoints support cones too
MIT Shotgun RCA digital interconnect
Ixos speaker cables - the ones that beat my MIT AVtS1 cables at the London Bake-Off Show!
Kimber Silver Streak, Mark Grant RCA cables
HiFace Evo asynchronous interface, fed from a Zotac mini-PC. Both these are powered by Paul Hynes Design PSUs.
Spare cartridges include Kontrapunkt B and AT33PTG (both presently being re-tipped by Expert Stylus Company)
Mains stuff that some of you may have seen at the bake-off show includes a PS Audio Power Plant Premier and quite a lot of Vertex AQ mains leads.
Oh, and some Shun Mook Mpingo discs too! I also have an extensive collection of Bert Kaempfert LPs
I do like tinkering with vinyl, but I'm very keen to get a good sound out of the Zotac mini-PC and HiFace Evo, so it's good to see Uglymusic here, as he's ahead of me in computer audio. The Evo is brand new so needs bedding in, so I'm going to let it sit and run in for a few weeks before getting serious.
I am very happy to have been invited by Ben to join this forum, and to see some friendly names here too. I'm a bit of a subjectivist, and like to think that I'm open-minded about anything audio. That's possibly why I have ended up with this somewhat eclectic system:
Kenwood KD-770D turntable with Ittok LVII arm and Benz Micro SL, Audio Origami tonearm cable
Thorens TD124 - work in progress at the moment but sounds promising
PS Audio GCPH phono stage (shortly to be joined/replaced by a Paul Hynes Veron Concert phono amp)
Bob's Devices Cinemag SUT
Lyngdorf CD1 uased as transport only
Lyngdorf TDA-2200 true digital amp, fitted with 24/96 ADC Card
Avalon NP2.0 speakers on Stillpoints Component Stands
Stillpoints ESS Rack, and various Stillpoints support cones too
MIT Shotgun RCA digital interconnect
Ixos speaker cables - the ones that beat my MIT AVtS1 cables at the London Bake-Off Show!
Kimber Silver Streak, Mark Grant RCA cables
HiFace Evo asynchronous interface, fed from a Zotac mini-PC. Both these are powered by Paul Hynes Design PSUs.
Spare cartridges include Kontrapunkt B and AT33PTG (both presently being re-tipped by Expert Stylus Company)
Mains stuff that some of you may have seen at the bake-off show includes a PS Audio Power Plant Premier and quite a lot of Vertex AQ mains leads.
Oh, and some Shun Mook Mpingo discs too! I also have an extensive collection of Bert Kaempfert LPs
I do like tinkering with vinyl, but I'm very keen to get a good sound out of the Zotac mini-PC and HiFace Evo, so it's good to see Uglymusic here, as he's ahead of me in computer audio. The Evo is brand new so needs bedding in, so I'm going to let it sit and run in for a few weeks before getting serious.
I listen to all sorts of music in particular good female vocals with decent recordings, also likes a lot of the 80's stuff.
Just got rid of my beloved CD player and moving towards digital streaming route as soon as the new dac arrive.
Have had 30 plus pairs of speakers over the last three four years due to a very understanding wife.
I now realised this is a very subjective hobby and still believe there is a type of system's sound that would please 75% of audophiles out there. The warmish sound that I was familiar with in the 80's.
My name's Gromit and I'm a plastiscene dog...er hang on a mo...
My real name's Richard, and I've been a hifi nut/bodger/wrecker/geek since I was about 5 years old when my dad got his first system. I got my own rig in about 1978 consisting of hand-me-downs from the old man. I've been a professional clarinettist for the last 27 years and do a bit of teaching now and again...plus I'm a reasonably incompetent pianist and conductor.
My current system is...
Turntables:
Thorens TD150 Mk1/SME 3009 (non-imp) Rega P7
Cartridges:
Stilton P77 (in need of a re-tip) Audio Note IQ3 Grado Prestige Black 1
Amplifier:
Inca Tech Claymore
Digital stuff:
Pioneer DV-444 DVD player as a transport Squeezebox 3 MacBook running USB out into... CA DacMagic
Speakers:
Royd Merlins
The rig's somewhat in a state of flux - I totally upset its balance about 9 months ago and whilst the digital side of things is going well, I really need to get my *rse in gear and sort the turntable. Bottom line is a miss direct drive....next year's going to be fun, I hope.
Welcome on board. I was quite keen to try out the Inca amp myself and never had a chance to listen to them before, so what are they like? What amps did you tried before you settle on the Inca? I know they were designed to better the Nait at the time.
Hi Jon - welcome to this most pleasant little corner of the www.
MacNugget - the Claymore's a little bit of a find to be honest. I can remember a certain Mr Frankland going ga-ga over it many years ago in that erstwhile publication 'The Flat Response' and whilst always taking his (very narrow minded) view of the hifi world with a pinch of salt, I often wondered how good this amp would be.
I've owned a fair few Farlow-era Exposure amps and a few Naims over the years, and to own another amp from the mid-80's school of the British Black Box would be a bit of fun. I haven't regretted buying it - it's got a reasonable amount of power (50w/ch) and can summon a fair head of steam. It hasn't got the grip or control of my previous set up (Exposure XXIRC/Super XVIII monos) but it's sweeter, quite lyrical but with excellent bass - full, but with good pitch definition; a very important factor for me. For 200 quid (and this one's in nigh on mint condition) it's been a very good buy.
Hi Jon - welcome to this most pleasant little corner of the www.
MacNugget - the Claymore's a little bit of a find to be honest. I can remember a certain Mr Frankland going ga-ga over it many years ago in that erstwhile publication 'The Flat Response' and whilst always taking his (very narrow minded) view of the hifi world with a pinch of salt, I often wondered how good this amp would be.
I've owned a fair few Farlow-era Exposure amps and a few Naims over the years, and to own another amp from the mid-80's school of the British Black Box would be a bit of fun. I haven't regretted buying it - it's got a reasonable amount of power (50w/ch) and can summon a fair head of steam. It hasn't got the grip or control of my previous set up (Exposure XXIRC/Super XVIII monos) but it's sweeter, quite lyrical but with excellent bass - full, but with good pitch definition; a very important factor for me. For 200 quid (and this one's in nigh on mint condition) it's been a very good buy.
Hi Gromit
The Inca is the one in my wanted list at the moment along side with Lentek Integrated, Exposure X, NVA Integrated and pre power combo, Naim 72/140.
Comments
I hope Audio Chews has a bright future.
Keith.
Keith.
Which horns?
Far too much kit to list it all I'm afraid.
Currently in use is:
Garrard 401 in Torlyte plinth
Rebuilt RB250 arm and upgraded Decca Maroon
Musical Fidelity LPs Phono Stage
Musical Fidelity X-Pre
UCD Class D amps in DIY build
Lowther EX4's and Eminence 15" Betas in a DIY Open Baffle
Cables are a mixture of Kimber and DIY solid silver
Also for convenience a Linux laptop running into a DAC Magic II.
System:
NVA Cube 1
NVA TSS Mk3
NVA P90SA
Sony S760 BDP
Musical Fidelity A3 24 192k DAC
Pioneer PL-71 with Decca Super Gold
NVA Phono 2
All NVA cabling.
I work as a teacher in a pupil referral centre (school for excluded kids).
Ben
My music tastes are under-developed & limited, but I appreciate most things. Dad left me with a taste for stomping Big Bands of Basie's ilk - to this day my desert island disc is Sinatra & Basie live at the sands. I have a love for blues & most folky-type music, particularly bluegrass. At the moment I am going through a Lyle Lovett phase, as I love the way he tells a story with wit & charm. His records are musically superb also, with great production. I also remain a bit of a rock monster, and a lover of all things New Orleans.
My system gets little dedicated use at the moment due to a large young family, but the current state of play is as follows:
2009 MAC mini (fed by NAS over ethernet)
AyreWave
Beresford Caiman DAC with Gator (on borrowed time?) - DACs have been in flux for the past year.
NVA P90 passive pre
NVA TSS mkII stereo amplifier
Royd Revelation RR3 speakers
NVA supersoundpipe & LS5 cabling throughout
Belkin PF-40 mains thingy for everything but the amp.
My system plays music pretty nicely - that's all there is to it really. I hope it gives some of the best of both the flat & the round earth - I have heard examples of both genres that are one-trick ponies. I want it all...within reason. and budget.
Keith.
Bit pricey I expect?
Keith.
I'm half a horn person. I love the impact and drive they give but having used OBs for so long now I can't abide the colouration particularly across the mid band.
I've never heard compression drivers, never had the opportunity. But I've heard many front horns which suffer distortion much less than folded back horns.
proper horns are just extremely dynamic and IMHO just more real than any other design.
Keith.
Kenwood KD-770D turntable with Ittok LVII arm and Benz Micro SL, Audio Origami tonearm cable
Thorens TD124 - work in progress at the moment but sounds promising
PS Audio GCPH phono stage (shortly to be joined/replaced by a Paul Hynes Veron Concert phono amp)
Bob's Devices Cinemag SUT
Lyngdorf CD1 uased as transport only
Lyngdorf TDA-2200 true digital amp, fitted with 24/96 ADC Card
Avalon NP2.0 speakers on Stillpoints Component Stands
Stillpoints ESS Rack, and various Stillpoints support cones too
MIT Shotgun RCA digital interconnect
Ixos speaker cables - the ones that beat my MIT AVtS1 cables at the London Bake-Off Show!
Kimber Silver Streak, Mark Grant RCA cables
HiFace Evo asynchronous interface, fed from a Zotac mini-PC. Both these are powered by Paul Hynes Design PSUs.
Spare cartridges include Kontrapunkt B and AT33PTG (both presently being re-tipped by Expert Stylus Company)
Mains stuff that some of you may have seen at the bake-off show includes a PS Audio Power Plant Premier and quite a lot of Vertex AQ mains leads.
Oh, and some Shun Mook Mpingo discs too! I also have an extensive collection of Bert Kaempfert LPs
I do like tinkering with vinyl, but I'm very keen to get a good sound out of the Zotac mini-PC and HiFace Evo, so it's good to see Uglymusic here, as he's ahead of me in computer audio. The Evo is brand new so needs bedding in, so I'm going to let it sit and run in for a few weeks before getting serious.
:-
Welcome Hugo
s.
ciao
s.
Hi. My name is Jerry.. I am a classical music fan, mainly, and an unashamed hifi box-swapper.
Alan invited me to join, so you can blame him.
your first post leads me to believe you see this as a self-help group...
You are very welcome, and we'll help you through this in any way we can!
My name's Gromit and I'm a plastiscene dog...er hang on a mo...
My real name's Richard, and I've been a hifi nut/bodger/wrecker/geek since I was about 5 years old when my dad got his first system. I got my own rig in about 1978 consisting of hand-me-downs from the old man. I've been a professional clarinettist for the last 27 years and do a bit of teaching now and again...plus I'm a reasonably incompetent pianist and conductor.
My current system is...
Turntables:
Thorens TD150 Mk1/SME 3009 (non-imp)
Rega P7
Cartridges:
Stilton P77 (in need of a re-tip)
Audio Note IQ3
Grado Prestige Black 1
Amplifier:
Inca Tech Claymore
Digital stuff:
Pioneer DV-444 DVD player as a transport
Squeezebox 3
MacBook running USB out into...
CA DacMagic
Speakers:
Royd Merlins
The rig's somewhat in a state of flux - I totally upset its balance about 9 months ago and whilst the digital side of things is going well, I really need to get my *rse in gear and sort the turntable. Bottom line is a miss direct drive....next year's going to be fun, I hope.
MacNugget - the Claymore's a little bit of a find to be honest. I can remember a certain Mr Frankland going ga-ga over it many years ago in that erstwhile publication 'The Flat Response' and whilst always taking his (very narrow minded) view of the hifi world with a pinch of salt, I often wondered how good this amp would be.
I've owned a fair few Farlow-era Exposure amps and a few Naims over the years, and to own another amp from the mid-80's school of the British Black Box would be a bit of fun. I haven't regretted buying it - it's got a reasonable amount of power (50w/ch) and can summon a fair head of steam. It hasn't got the grip or control of my previous set up (Exposure XXIRC/Super XVIII monos) but it's sweeter, quite lyrical but with excellent bass - full, but with good pitch definition; a very important factor for me. For 200 quid (and this one's in nigh on mint condition) it's been a very good buy.
"I'm Assuming you have a bundle of Avondale kit" .... sure do Mr Uglymusic ... ACD3 , GRAD1/TPX2 , M2B
monos and REV1 speakers ..the rest of the kit is HYperspace TT/Ekos/ArkivB into a TE groove.
Thanks for the DIY section