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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2017 16:40:36 GMT
Build quality is important to me aesthetically and also because it makes for greater reliability. I have had only one failure in about the last 15 years. I personally do not see any Aesthetic appeal in design over the last 30 year.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 10, 2017 17:50:55 GMT
That's because you don't like big American overkill build
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Post by southall1998 on Jan 10, 2017 21:06:33 GMT
My first proper amp was a Roksan Kandy MKIII in late 2005.
S.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2017 21:32:52 GMT
The first decent amp I had was a Rotel RA840 BX II which was way better than other Yamaha, Sansui and Denon amps I tried. It blew up and I struggled to equal it until I got a mk1 Cyrus 1. That amp was soon bettered by a Myst Tma3 which I kept for a good while.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 10, 2017 22:58:20 GMT
My first amp was a Linsley-Hood 75W, built from the Powertran kit.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 4:36:10 GMT
That's because you don't like big American overkill build Its because there is no Character in the design but a rectangular plain box.. Take for instance a Quad '33'/'303' That has bags of character & design, Modern stuff has Zero character imho. Same with music, you can put any old record on & within a few seconds you know exactly who it is, These days you can play me a full album & i would still not know who it is.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 5:36:21 GMT
My first amp was a Linsley-Hood 75W, built from the Powertran kit. I had a Hart Linsley Hood amp straight after my KSA 50 and I found if very enjoyable. I read somewhere that the NVA amps use a revised Linsley Hood circuit. I don't know for sure if that's right but I could believe it because there was the same "optimistic" musicality present in my JLH amp that I enjoyed with my 4 X A40s. I wish I'd kept my JLH but I needed the space.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 5:41:03 GMT
That's because you don't like big American overkill build Its because there is no Character in the design but a rectangular plain box.. Take for instance a Quad '33'/'303' That has bags of character & design, Modern stuff has Zero character imho. Same with music, you can put any old record on & within a few seconds you know exactly who it is, These days you can play me a full album & i would still not know who it is. I have to agree. Very little stuff produced after 1990 appeals to me. It's not just aesthetics either: Unless you get into stratospheric prices, most of today's stuff is cheap tat, build-wise. If I was a teenager today, I might not have got the hifi bug at all unless I discovered vintage kit.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 11, 2017 6:46:36 GMT
Its because there is no Character in the design but a rectangular plain box. I could argue that I don't need character, I need build quality and reliability. However, the Pass range is not unpleasant to look at, is superbly well built and sounds wonderful. What's not to like?
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Post by MartinT on Jan 11, 2017 6:52:40 GMT
I had a Hart Linsley Hood amp straight after my KSA 50 and I found if very enjoyable. I read somewhere that the NVA amps use a revised Linsley Hood circuit. I don't know for sure if that's right but I could believe it because there was the same "optimistic" musicality present in my JLH amp that I enjoyed with my 4 X A40s. I wish I'd kept my JLH but I needed the space. That's interesting. The 75W used a quasi-complimentary push-pull circuit because big power NPN transistors were cheaper and easier to get hold of. It used Sescosem BDY56 output transistors (15A in a TO3 package), if I remember correctly. It certainly sounded good and did me proud for a number of years. If the NVA uses that circuit then I should imagine it sounds good, too.
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Post by pinkie on Jan 11, 2017 12:17:40 GMT
I'm a fraud as far as hi-fi forums are concerned. Never had the bug, never will. All I've ever wanted was a system that would play my music and was as good as I could afford. Bought it. See no reason to change it. It makes me happy. If something gets worn out I'll replace it with the best I can afford at that time. Best does not mean most expensive or esoteric. Music matters, end of! You know - suddenly I feel better. I think I'm a bit of a fraud too on that basis, and maybe that's why I often scan dozens of threads and find nothing to engage. I sort of had the bug a bit ( I joined the industry briefly), but only to the point of getting a working solution I like playing music on, and then stopping. If I hear something "must have" then I get the bug again - but its fairly infrequent. About 10 years with nothing, a recent flurry due to stuff breaking or breaking down, and now ready to settle down for another 10 years or so (or is that too much reliability to ask for ?). I get interested a bit - mainly along the lines of "will that work, why will that work" but only a bit these days
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Post by southall1998 on Jan 11, 2017 13:57:46 GMT
That's because you don't like big American overkill build Its because there is no Character in the design but a rectangular plain box.. Take for instance a Quad '33'/'303' That has bags of character & design, Modern stuff has Zero character imho. Same with music, you can put any old record on & within a few seconds you know exactly who it is, These days you can play me a full album & i would still not know who it is. Yes, I agree about the Quad 303. Splendid build quality, and heavy for it's compact size. You can easily lose your foot if a 303 fell hard on it! S.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 15:09:40 GMT
I was not really referring to the Build Quality & Weight,as that generally comes with Vintage gear anyway i was referring to a the Characteristic design Aesthetic. As im looking at your Avatar, so ill take that as an example of what your get theses days if you don't mind. Absolutely no imagination what so ever in a plain flush fascia!
If some says so what all that matters is sound, im sorry but i don't buy that.. We should then all drive around in he same square black box cars with no body styling with just a selection of different engines for choice.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 11, 2017 15:18:59 GMT
As im looking at your Avatar, so ill take that as an example of what your get theses days if you don't mind. Absolutely no imagination what so ever in a plain flush fascia! I find most of my components understated in a muted-elegant kind of way. Eyes of the beholder and all that, but I don't want flashy or garish like MBL, Burmester or McIntosh, for instance. The only kit I have which are truly beautiful are the speakers. I will say it again for the sake of clarity: I listen to it, not look at it!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 15:32:43 GMT
For some people it's all about the sound. For others the aesthetics play a greater or lesser part. Would I own or use a great sounding system that looked horrible? Absolutely not. Nor would I own something bland. The Devialet Expert apparently sounds amazing and does so much in one neat package. To me it's totally uninspiring and I would get zero pride of ownership. It's also a dead end in terms of a hifi journey AFAIC. Assuming I wasn't allowed to sell it on, I wouldn't have one for free. To many others, it will be a dream come true and my "dead end" is someone else's happy ending. I like the fact that we have differing needs and aspirations. Oh, and I actually like those MBL speakers (and I adore McIntosh)
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Post by MartinT on Jan 11, 2017 15:46:20 GMT
I was talking about MBL components. The speakers are superb.
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Post by southall1998 on Jan 11, 2017 17:16:07 GMT
Well, I have to admit this. That I tend to favour amplifiers that are well made and heavy! Usually the kind with big substantial transformers inside! Like the Exposure Dual IV Regulated, for example.
Couldn't care too damn arse about looks!
The minimum weight to satisfy me, has to be around the 9kg-30kg mark.
But as always. Each to their own!
S.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2017 17:32:51 GMT
As im looking at your Avatar, so ill take that as an example of what your get theses days if you don't mind. Absolutely no imagination what so ever in a plain flush fascia! I will say it again for the sake of clarity: I listen to it, not look at it! I don't want anyone taking these posts personal loike cos they are not meant to be.. As i mentioned early on in the thread im not interested in Hi-Fi believe it or not. The Era & Aesthetics are of paramount importance, The vintage amps i use pretty much all sound the same so no probs there.. However i do like winding people up when i say i find Graphic EQ & Tone Controls de rigueur to me.
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Post by malcolm on Jan 11, 2017 17:34:23 GMT
I was talking about MBL components. The speakers are superb. Yes, their amps do look a bit over the top! Of all the speakers I have owned, I think the MBL 126s are the worst looking, but given that they sound so much better than the others I feel I can grudgingly forgive them their looks. I suppose their appearance does follow their method of making sound, and since getting them I have enjoyed the exclamations from my friends range ranging from "What the hell are those things", through "now what on earth have you got" to "how can you stand having those ugly things stuck out in the room" - variations of the last one from the ladies . So far only one person has described them as beautiful. The sound they make has universally gained exclamations of astonishment. My ideal hifi would be invisible, and so the only visible thing are the speakers. Amp is behind me and the PC and DAC are hidden away in cupboard. Control is via a Logtech Harmony Elite and iPad for which I have made a chair side lecturn.
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Post by malcolm on Jan 11, 2017 17:39:56 GMT
I will say it again for the sake of clarity: I listen to it, not look at it! I don't want anyone taking these posts personal loike cos they are not meant to be.. As i mentioned early on in the thread im not interested in Hi-Fi believe it or not. The Era & Aesthetics are of paramount importance, The vintage amps i use pretty much all sound the same so no probs there.. However i do like winding people up when i say i find Graphic EQ & Tone Controls de rigueur to me.Now you're talking! I do miss those lovely tilts and filters from old Quad pres. Fortunately, we can do that and more using dsp in JRiver on the computer. No more blanket turning down all the bass to sort out a room boom. My goodness, how much more choice and control we have these days.
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