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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 23:29:50 GMT
Having stirred my Exposures back into action, I can see why you like this player, Jules. It sounds as suave as it looks. I know they changed mechs in the later ones. If yours is a Sony mech like mine, they appear to be pretty common. I might buy a spare. I managed to get the amp I was chasing at a silly cheap price. It's only the baby of the range, but they never come up for sale in the UK and I've wanted one of their products for donkeys. Whilst I will still hanker for one of its larger siblings, I will look forward immensely to its arrival. sites.google.com/site/dusonhighend/geintegreerde-versterkers/duson-pa-50 |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 13:34:43 GMT
At further round of touching up solder joints to be safe, and my Esxppsures are singing happily. I lack the dexterity I once had, so I'm relieved to have this behind me.
Aaaaanywaaay..... The CD player is really enjoyable, though today's listening tells me it's not as capable as the Copland in absolute terms. Nevertheless it's a really great listen. It apparently has no digital filter and you can choose between 44.1 and 88.2 kHz sampling. I prefer 44.1 so far. It's just less CD-like.
I'm also enjoying the DIY cube speakers. They give nothing away to my Cuhettes now and the treble is definitely clearer. They sound a bit faster and racier, but that's right up my street. Electric guitars are still a trifle raw at times, but I'm reluctant to dope any more because they sound "right" and very enjoyable that way. Definitely more lstening needed before I do anything. Thankfully, that's no chore.
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Post by Sovereign on Apr 26, 2016 14:05:12 GMT
That's a great result, well done mate
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 14:14:54 GMT
Cheers, James. I realy wonder if I will ever buy a pair of speakers again, when self-build offers so much. You can have the fun of making your own bits, learn as you go and tailor the end result to suit you. I really hope it encourages others to have a go. I was already a cube believer, but for anyone who hasn't heard an Allison or NVA speaker, they can find out first hand just how "right" these things sound. No knowledge, skills, experience or dexterity needed, as I have just proved  |
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Post by julesd68 on Apr 26, 2016 16:50:04 GMT
Aaaaanywaaay..... The CD player is really enjoyable, though today's listening tells me it's not as capable as the Copland in absolute terms. Nevertheless it's a really great listen. It apparently has no digital filter and you can choose between 44.1 and 88.2 kHz sampling. I prefer 44.1 so far. It's just less CD-like. Which Copland did you have? So far I'm finding the Shanling is a more muscular sounding player with deeper bass, but the Consonance felt maybe a bit more detailed ... I'll hope to compare them at some point. The Shanling was a great buy for 150 quid though. I've been wary of sending the Consonance for repair as I've found it doesn't travel well! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 18:52:08 GMT
IT was the CDA 266. Not their most expensive by a long chalk, but it did seem to be very well rated. I really bought it for its looks and build, fully expecting it to be a bit lame (like the Copland amp I tried). I had a real,surprise when it easily saw off my Naim CDX because Naim players had been the best of the bunch at that stage. The Copland did all the structural/architectural/timing things the Naim did well, but it was streets ahead on clarity and spatial resolution. Absolutely no hardness or glare either. I hate that about most CD players. The Consonance is also thankfully free of hardness. I had a very enjoyable time with it today. I really hope men travels ok, or I'm in trouble |
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Post by Sovereign on Apr 26, 2016 19:30:51 GMT
Cheers, James. I realy wonder if I will ever buy a pair of speakers again, when self-build offers so much. You can have the fun of making your own bits, learn as you go and tailor the end result to suit you. I really hope it encourages others to have a go. I was already a cube believer, but for anyone who hasn't heard an Allison or NVA speaker, they can find out first hand just how "right" these things sound. No knowledge, skills, experience or dexterity needed, as I have just proved I feel the same I've always enjoyed hi-fi but it was when I started to make things that my passion really took off . I can't see myself buying any mainstream products again . I'm totally at the mercy of the intelligent design as I must add as my knowledge is extremely limited . If someone has a good recipe all I can do is copy it and bake the same cake but it is a lot of fun baking and a hell of a lot cheaper may I add |
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 4:21:04 GMT
I have had a few more changes. Pics to follow once I get things together. My main focus has been CD players. The Opera Consonance has turned out to be a really nice player but I still miss the Copland. Best player I've ever had by a long way. My friend was at my place when a JAS Musik 1.2 valve player was ending on EBay, He fancied it so I banged a bid in and won. That meant it came to me and I got to try it against my player. It was so intimate on vocals it was hard to resist, although I didn't try a lot of other music. His early impressions are that it lacks the weight of his CDX so I may be getting it after all. Hearing the JAS set me looking for something equally musical so I snapped up a Sonneteer Bronte CD player. It should be with me this week. Looks like I may have a 3 way shoot out. Who knows if one or none will remain? The Copland is a big miss, so we will see. Amp-wise I wanted a small integrated to take with me. I bougtb a Duson PA-50 integrated that I really like so I'm hopefully sorted on that front. My Audion comes back from major work today. Hopefully in one piece. As its a single source amp, I picked up an old PS Audio VK passive that I've refurbed. I like the look and feel so it will be staying, even if the Audion doesn't. It's small, light, well built and a nice ornament even if it's not in use. Passives are a handy thing to have around IMO, and it doesn't take up much room. In the next couple of weeks I will likely have one or two more bits coming and quite a few going, so watch this space |
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Post by MartinT on May 9, 2016 5:30:41 GMT
Wow Andrew, you're becoming a bit of a Jerry competitor! Great way to try a lot of different options, though.
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Post by ChrisB on May 9, 2016 6:04:05 GMT
You have been busy.
Did I miss something? Are you going somewhere?
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 9:56:44 GMT
Yes, I'm finally off to Cyprus for good.......house chain notwithstanding, I should have been away in 2014 but my (then) house sale fell through and I took the house off the market for the Winter. The Bike crash I had in Feb 2015 turned out to be far more serious than I realised and left me with a crushed hand, a broken humerus and nerve damage in my neck and arm that I needed ongoing treatments for. In the meantime I sold my house in Summer 2015, and bought this one, which is now also sold. In the meantime I had hoped for more recovery to my neck, arm and hand, but it's not happening. I'm also constantly dizzy although this may eventually go. As the risks of further treatment apparently outweigh the benefits, I'm off this time, before I crash again That's the main reason why I have been faffing around so much with bits and pieces of hifi. My apartment in Cyprus is modest and I won't trust Cypriot couriers, so I need small, lightweight items that I can carry across and will work without creating loads of heat. I've got enough of that already! I already have a pair of Minstrels there thanks to my wife's latest ferry trip, We are off there again soon with 5 suitcases full of stuff. I will be taking an amp and CD player across too, if I can only make a decision. The Copland was just a bit too big and heavy. Honestly I wish I'd just bit the bullet and taken it, but I might find a better fit for my needs, so we'll see. Apologies to anyone who lost track. My life this last couple of years has been hard even for me to keep up with! |
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 10:37:30 GMT
I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to Graeme Holland at Audion for making such a fab job of repairing my Audion Sterling Plus KT120 after UPS (in my opinion deliberately) damaged it.
It's come back sounding like its had 5 cups of Espresso and three spoonfulls of honey for breakfast. It sounds incredibly well sorted thanks to Graeme. I was really impressed with how quick and friendly his communications were throughout. The turnaround was quick and the information given was always very clear. His parts and labour charges are very reasonable and make many British manufactures seem like Dick Turpin in comparison.
His chosen courier (FedEx) also did a great job getting it back to me safely. They did miss a delivery deadline when it missed a scan, but one person took responsibility for getting it back to me and she even rang me this morning to make sure all was ok! That's a first from a courier and very much appreciated.
The way the amp was packed and presented, it came back to me looking like a new one and sounding that way too. Audion have very little presence in the UK so for anyone contemplating a purchase I can confirm the backup is second to none.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 16:04:51 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2016 17:31:57 GMT
Ive been playing around with the Sonneteer today. First impressions are that I like it more than the Consonance and JAS Audio. I don't have my Copland any more but I think this is a match for it. How does it sound? The first thing I noticed was the propulsiveness. It really skips along (sorry, not the best word you can use to describe a CD player). It's also sweet and clear and it seems to have very good resolution. What I Mean by resolution is that there's no confusion, no matter how many things are happening. It resolves every strand and let's you focus on any one of them. Unlike some players which dissect a recording, it still lets everything hang together as a performance. Is it missing anything? It could have just a tad more gravitas. If it did, I think it would be the best player I have owned, as it stands it's a lovely, fresh and entertaining player. If you enjoy hearing new things on your recordings, you will love the Sonneteer. It's also much prettier in the flesh and very nicely proportioned. Sonneteer really should be better known. Their stuff is lovely IMO.  |
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2016 17:41:04 GMT
A nicer pic of the Duson. The one above is a bit poor.  |
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Post by ChrisB on May 11, 2016 18:15:05 GMT
The Duson looks to be very nicely clanged together Andrew - can you tell me a little more about it please?
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2016 18:32:13 GMT
I wish I could, Chris. The thing is, they are forgotten items and nobody seems to know much. They were made in Holand and were pretty "out there"'in their design. The little integrated is the only conventional looking product. They all run in class A for a substantial,proportion of their output. I fell for the aesthetics when I saw them years ago. I'd like one of their pre/power combos but they only really appear in Holland or Canada. Still, I'm looking out and I have Google translate at hand to translate Dutch |
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Post by ChrisB on May 11, 2016 18:46:10 GMT
Interesting. I can't think whether I've seen this range of amps before or not and I usually remember these things (of course, my memory is useless for things that really matter!) How old is it, I wonder?
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2016 18:50:21 GMT
They were a product of the "noughties", so not that old. To give you an idea of the designs, here is the next amp up,the range:  |
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Post by ChrisB on May 11, 2016 18:56:57 GMT
Ah, OK thanks.
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