Some changes over the past few weeks, nothing revolutionary but things are moving forward.



I'm getting closer to some semblance of normality in the lounge since the move around. I tried sitting the sub on a concrete slab and was very impressed with the improvement, it's still located behind the seating and sitting it on the slab has really helped it (audibly if not visually) disappear into the room. Encouraged by this when I pulled the rack out to convert the HiFi ring main into a radial (another step forward) I dropped in two slabs for the racks to sit on. Whilst not as much of an improvement as the sub it was a step forward, noticeably cleaning up the sound with the bonus that it makes the racks easier to level and (whilst I appreciate it won't appeal to everyone) I like the look.

Moving the smaller Ikea shelving next to the larger unit has freed up the top shelf and now provides a platform for a tape deck, I have a piece of slate salvaged from an old hearth which I'll have cut to size and will sit on top of the larger unit. The tape deck on top of the larger cabinet is one of the new arrivals, a Nakamichi DR-3 which is ready to do battle with the Technics RS-AZ7.

On the subject of new arrivals I've been debating cartridge choice for the last few months, I'm pretty much sold on the Hadcock and as I have a number of DIY arm tubes of various weights I can accommodate just about any cartridge. The AT440MLa was the first cartridge I ever bought and I was very happy with it, I then tried a Shure M95HE and preferred it's more vintage sound to the detailed but soulless presentation of the Audio Technica. I then picked up a Shure V15 III, which I enjoyed but it still didn't really take the sound where I wanted it to. I did consider moving up the Audio Technica food chain or trying a Nagaoka, then I bought a second hand DL-103 and my decision was made. Unfortunately a couple of hours after installing the DL-103 the suspension failed. It's taken me a couple of months to let this go but the 103 and the DIY heavy weight Hadcock were such a great match, I thought it worth the risk and eventually gained the confidence to order a brand new balanced output 103R. I have this hooked up to the Croft via a Nick G modified Lentek, I'm still in the process of breaking it in, 10 hours so far and no collapsed suspension, hopefully I can make this one last a bit longer!

After trying a number of speakers as surrounds for the Home Cinema I've decided on the Celestion UL8's and have them fitted to completely non-audiophile CRT TV brackets.



The UL8's work best in the space I have available and are quite happy being close to the walls and ceiling. They integrate very well with the Ditton 11's I have as rear speakers, I'm in the process of finding a replacement modern tweeter for the UL8's and once chosen I'll recap them with the same caps as the front speakers. The front speakers are still a work in progress but with the end in sight. I've recently replaced the stock 44 mid range D5 driver with the MD500 as used in the Ditton 66, this has been another significant improvement and has convinced me to find a pair of ABR's and build a pair of Ditton 66 clones. I'm still experimenting with the crossover, the last time I took a photo of them they looked like this:



I then completely recapped the tweeter section with Clarity Caps and changed the Cross Caps in the mid range for Mundorf ECaps with a Clarity Cap bypass capacitor. This sounded far more natural with better tone than the Cross Caps and no noticeable loss of detail, I'm currently burning in some Ansar Supersounds and look forward to putting them and the Clarity Caps head to head. Externalising the crossover resulted in a cleaner sound and makes swapping capacitors much easier, I'll be incorporating an external cross over into the 66 clones.

The only other change of note has been to the power feed. As mentioned earlier I have converted the ring main to a radial circuit, this resulted in an audibly cleaner supply. I have also changed the mains filter, still shopping at the bottom end of the market I picked up a Belkin Pure AV Isolator for the TV and Sky HD:



This contains 3 different types of filter and the differences in each filter are easy to see. This again is an improvement over the last mains filter I was using and for £22.76 delivered it's worth every penny.

Now I'm just waiting for everything to burn in. Once the speaker caps have settled in I'll make a decision and recap the LF section of the 44's and hopefully pick up some ABR's so I can start work on some Ditton 66 clone cabinets. If the 103R makes it through the break in before I destroy it I'll have some sort of idea whether the decision to go for the 103R over the stock 103 was worth it, although this will be based on my memory of the couple of hours I had a working 103 for so not the most accurate basis for comparison. Other than that I will continue my search for a Series 5 Quad power amp, it's frustrating these are so difficult to come by, I'd really like to get some work done on the Croft but I don't want to commit to this until I've made my amplifier choice, the search continues....

Thanks Marin. I appreciate that you and most other members here have been enjoying HiFi for many years but this has only been an interest of mine for a couple of years. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed listening to music all my life but with little attention to the equipment other than what it looked like . Since picking up an SL-1200, I've been surprised and subsequently intrigued by the sonic impact of making changes to the equipment. I've always been hands on and like to have a working knowledge of just about everything I use. HiFi DIY offers me the opportunity to make the system sound the way I want it too whilst learning (albeit slowly) about the equipment I'm using. I pretty much learn something new every time I make a change whether good or bad and I'm happy to keep learning both through hands on experimentation and reading forums such as this, long may they both continue!

Thanks Barry, yes the units are from Ikea and are available in white or a choice of wood effect finishes and sizes, they stand up to the weight well and are cheap as chips www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/11465/. From what I've seen online you've had a bit of an equipment change since I saw your system, do you have a blog?

The 11's I'm pleased to say are very happy where they are. I didn't expect them to work there, I thought they'd be too big and too close to the listening position but along with the UL8's they create a very nice surround illusion, it's just a pity more films aren't available in 6/7.1 as IMO this is far better than 5.1. Unfortunately the new veneer that was applied to them is de-laminating so they'll require some attention, but I also want to try some UL6's to see how well they work in the space.



I know very little about the Croft other than it was a lucky find on eBay.de, it has "Super Micro 2" written on a piece of masking tape stuck to the bottom of the PSU, but from the internal images I've seen of the Super Micro seem to be "PP" (does that stand for push pull?), didn't you have one? I agree with you about the knobs, I can't find an image with the same knobs but I quite like them and I imagine make setting the balance easier than the smaller knobs. I do plan on experimenting with some stepped attenuators (I think the minuscule pots fitted are letting it down) to try both as a shut based passive and to replace the pots to see which I prefer, one things for sure stepped attenuators will make balancing the volume far easier. Once I've sourced a new power amp (the 606 MKII is also in my sights now) it'll be going to Glenn for a service and update and maybe another tranny to make it truly dual mono.

Thanks for the 551/661 recommendation, I'm on the look out for a pair of Ditton 25's as they have the ABR's and the bass drivers don't have the black goop painted on them that the 44 drivers do. Building new cabinets doesn't phase me I'm far more comfortable wielding a router than a soldering iron.


I don't know what a Croft SIP is but the MC stage is interesting, drop me a PM if you are looking to sell.

I hadn't seen it, but I have now. Quite a change from when I heard it! No disrespect intended, but it was hearing your 2M Black that made me discount it.