Any HiFi (as in proper high fidelity) freaks?

Zoolooter

60cycles said:

Zoolooter said:

can anyone recommend a decent used pair of standmounts or bookshelve speakers

https://amphion.fi/enjoy/products-home-audio/argon1-bookshelf-loudspeaker/

Thanks for the suggestion. I see that they get stella reviews and I’m sure amazing speakers. But, unfortunately out of my price range at the moment. More looking in the used £400 price range. Looking for something that’s articulate And open but not fatiguing, definitely lightish on the bass. 

darthed1981

Zoolooter said:

 Looking for something that’s articulate And open but not fatiguing, definitely lightish on the bass. 

Sort of the anti-Meghan Trainor then?

Zoolooter

darthed1981 said:

Zoolooter said:

 Looking for something that’s articulate And open but not fatiguing, definitely lightish on the bass. 

Sort of the anti-Meghan Trainor then?

Had to google that. Yeah, definitely don’t want two of her warbling in the man cave. Rather pay a bit extra for Katherine Jenkins.

darthed1981

Zoolooter said:

darthed1981 said:

Zoolooter said:

 Looking for something that’s articulate And open but not fatiguing, definitely lightish on the bass. 

Sort of the anti-Meghan Trainor then?

Had to google that. Yeah, definitely don’t want two of her warbling in the man cave. Rather pay a bit extra for Katherine Jenkins.

I have a feeling if you had Katherine Jenkins in the man cave, hifi would be the least of your concerns...

apologies for the diversion all, please resume the late-stage capitalism...

Zoolooter

I concur.

duotone

@rze99 ;
How did the new Naim compare to your old gear?

rze99

duotone said:

@rze99 ;
How did the new Naim compare to your old gear?

It was a few weeks between the storm damage and delivery of the new kit and obviously no chance to compare them.

I hate using Hi fi descriptions because it immediately seems pretentious. But the new kit just sounds better. More complete. My old kit was about 15 years old when I got it, but still sounded great to me.  

60cycles

darthed1981 said:

I have a feeling if you had Katherine Jenkins in the man cave, hifi would be the least of your concerns...

apologies for the diversion all, please resume the late-stage capitalism...

I'd name another one, but.. point taken ^^
Until the novelty wore off; and you went back to being you and what do you like? As in by you, for you and without any external dependecies
Personally, books and music are my only constants. Anything and anyone else (her included tbh), i can do without, have in the past. Leave me alone with those two and i'm fine, nothing else i'd do for "fun", no other expenses worth mentioning, no variation in everyday practices required to "redefine" me, no need -constant or inconstant- to "escape" my horrid existence.

Leading us to the latter, in which you're also correct; usually it's just that, i buy therefore i am. Or maybe a simple 'i need to spend it somewhere, might as well be on something meaningful'.
Even if it is the latter, is it better to have a sports car/bike? On top of your everyday one? A (second) vacation house? Preferably in Brighton? Using it on purpose of course.
How about yearly or biannual trips to Ibiza?

Relativity, a wonderful thing

Chuffola

Books, music and pomposity. 

richman6100

I've had many HiFi systems over the last 40 years or so - HiFi was one of my main hobbies throughout this time. With hindsight, I was on an upgrade treadmill, always trying to find just the right system for me, buying magazines that hinted at greener grass elsewhere. There were many mis-steps along my HiFi journey. Usually, speakers were the culprits. I'd listen to a pair for hours at a dealer, think they were just what I wanted, then find myself tiring of them after a few months. I'm pretty sensitive to fatiguing speakers, but listening fatigue is not always immediately apparent. 

My current setup comprises a McIntosh SACD player, McIntosh pre and power amps, a Michell Engineering Orbe SE turntable and Harbeth SHL5+ speakers. The McIntosh gear is wonderful, as is the Orbe, but it's the Harbeth speakers that were the biggest revelation to me, despite their (comparatively) modest price. For me and my listening room, they are perfect. I've had them for several years now and I have never failed to be utterly impressed by them. Since settling on the McIntosh/Michell/Harbeth setup a few years back, my lusting after new HiFi has pretty much ceased to exist. This is good, although at first it was actually a bit of a weird feeling - losing something that played a big part in my life for so long. I still attend the odd HiFi show, but I've grown tired of the bloody nonsense that's banded around at them. No, I don't need 1" thick speaker cable; no I don't need ornamental crosses made from Tibetan rock, sprinkled with pixie dust to raise my speaker cables off the floor; and, despite loving vinyl, I certainly don't need a £75k turntable to spin an inherently limited music medium. There's some great stuff at HiFi shows, but a fair amount of snobbery at some of the high end ones too. I used to go to a few shows a year. One every two or three years is enough now, mainly as a social thing to meet up with old friends.

I've experienced many great high-end systems and, critically, some superb less expensive ones too, especially where room treatment was given the importance it deserves. I've also been genuinely unimpressed with some components (usually speakers) whose price tag was clearly intended to convince people that they 'must be good'.

On the plus side, my focus is now overwhelmingly on the music I play through my HiFi, rather than the components themselves. The downside is that my gear lust has migrated to guitars, pedals etc. Oh well.  :-)

60cycles

Chuffola said:

pomposity. 

Mere honesty. Joys of the web, you can be you no matter what.

Since however the purpose is exchanging opinions rather than stating them (often guilty of that), why do i seem pompous to you?
Pretty thick skin, so you can be blunt.

@richman6100 sounds like you went about it the opposite way, but you're there now
As to the "upgrade treadmill".. i think it's easier to define a limit/reason in retrospect, but that's only after a good portion of the journey. You wouldn't know what you do now, or vice versa, you'd have perhaps continued to wonder if it would be better, how much better, what if and so on.
(all this assuming the basics, spending what one may afford and so on of course)

darthed1981

60cycles said:

darthed1981 said:

I have a feeling if you had Katherine Jenkins in the man cave, hifi would be the least of your concerns...

apologies for the diversion all, please resume the late-stage capitalism...

I'd name another one, but.. point taken ^^
Until the novelty wore off; and you went back to being you and what do you like? As in by you, for you and without any external dependecies
Personally, books and music are my only constants. Anything and anyone else (her included tbh), i can do without, have in the past. Leave me alone with those two and i'm fine, nothing else i'd do for "fun", no other expenses worth mentioning, no variation in everyday practices required to "redefine" me, no need -constant or inconstant- to "escape" my horrid existence.

Leading us to the latter, in which you're also correct; usually it's just that, i buy therefore i am. Or maybe a simple 'i need to spend it somewhere, might as well be on something meaningful'.
Even if it is the latter, is it better to have a sports car/bike? On top of your everyday one? A (second) vacation house? Preferably in Brighton? Using it on purpose of course.
How about yearly or biannual trips to Ibiza?

Relativity, a wonderful thing

Personally, I'd swap any hifi for a week in a hotel with Scarlett Johansen, unlimited room service and a generous supply of whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Do rather enjoy reading your posts though

60cycles

darthed1981 said:

Personally, I'd swap any hifi for a week in a hotel with Scarlett Johansen, unlimited room service and a generous supply of whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

You reminded me of the Nick Cave/Kylie Minogue story..
Everyday stuff!

richardhomer

Just on the issue of Naim - their early amps ‘really’ did not like digital sources - tonally ‘grey’ and unremittingly hard-sounding. Paired with a warm-sounding early Linn LP12 they produced a very listenable (tough not particularly neutral) sound.

The latest Naim products (the Uniti streamers in particular) sound much more mainstream.

The only way to assess any system is to listen at length, using a wide variety of music. Certainly I wouldn’t buy (or refuse to buy) based on brand.

rze99

richardhomer said:

Just on the issue of Naim - their early amps ‘really’ did not like digital sources - tonally ‘grey’ and unremittingly hard-sounding. Paired with a warm-sounding early Linn LP12 they produced a very listenable (tough not particularly neutral) sound.

The latest Naim products (the Uniti streamers in particular) sound much more mainstream.

The only way to assess any system is to listen at length, using a wide variety of music. Certainly I wouldn’t buy (or refuse to buy) based on brand.

Many of the early digital sources Early CDs and digital recordings I heard in the 80s were pretty flat clinical and hard once you got over the revelatory fact there was no vinyl noise or tape hiss (initially very impressive). 

prowla

rze99 said:

richardhomer said:

Just on the issue of Naim - their early amps ‘really’ did not like digital sources - tonally ‘grey’ and unremittingly hard-sounding. Paired with a warm-sounding early Linn LP12 they produced a very listenable (tough not particularly neutral) sound.

The latest Naim products (the Uniti streamers in particular) sound much more mainstream.

The only way to assess any system is to listen at length, using a wide variety of music. Certainly I wouldn’t buy (or refuse to buy) based on brand.

Many of the early digital sources Early CDs and digital recordings I heard in the 80s were pretty flat clinical and hard once you got over the revelatory fact there was no vinyl noise or tape hiss (initially very impressive). 

Back in the 80s I bought a rather nice Meridian CD player, because it wasn't so harsh-sounding; after a time I realised it was missing something and I ditched it for a Linn Sondek.

When Naim released their first CD player I went and had a listen and my comment was "I'm going to go home and play some LPs".

A few years later I earned some overtime and I bought one of Naim's "budget" CD players, which was quite good.

I subsequently acquired their top-of-the range one of the time and it remains a very nice piece of kit to listen to.

One thing about the CD spinners I've had is that they can make a great recording sound great, but a poor one sound awful. Some of those 80s CDs were pretty grim.

I think Naim's current offering are a lot more "polite", but some of the kit is beyond the sort of price I would be prepared to pay.

rze99

prowla said:

rze99 said:

richardhomer said:

Just on the issue of Naim - their early amps ‘really’ did not like digital sources - tonally ‘grey’ and unremittingly hard-sounding. Paired with a warm-sounding early Linn LP12 they produced a very listenable (tough not particularly neutral) sound.

The latest Naim products (the Uniti streamers in particular) sound much more mainstream.

The only way to assess any system is to listen at length, using a wide variety of music. Certainly I wouldn’t buy (or refuse to buy) based on brand.

Many of the early digital sources Early CDs and digital recordings I heard in the 80s were pretty flat clinical and hard once you got over the revelatory fact there was no vinyl noise or tape hiss (initially very impressive). 

Back in the 80s I bought a rather nice Meridian CD player, because it wasn't so harsh-sounding; after a time I realised it was missing something and I ditched it for a Linn Sondek.

When Naim released their first CD player I went and had a listen and my comment was "I'm going to go home and play some LPs".

A few years later I earned some overtime and I bought one of Naim's "budget" CD players, which was quite good.

I subsequently acquired their top-of-the range one of the time and it remains a very nice piece of kit to listen to.

One thing about the CD spinners I've had is that they can make a great recording sound great, but a poor one sound awful. Some of those 80s CDs were pretty grim.

I think Naim's current offering are a lot more "polite", but some of the kit is beyond the sort of price I would be prepared to pay.

The Naim kit is indeed ludicrously expensive. When I looked up the prices for the insurance I was really shocked. I only paid about 400 quid for all the used stuff in the late 80s! 

I’ve no idea how it compares to anything other than my Genelec Monitor set up in my little study studio.  I haven’t even been in a Hifi shop for about 20 odd years. I don’t want to go into one and get into all that again, I ain’t got the time or inclination quite frankly. Since the insurance money coughed up for my new Naim kit that’s good enough for me. There’s no way I would have bought it at that price.  

I don’t even know anyone that listens to music on a hi fi setup anymore. They are all using mobiles and streaming or running a Mac or PC setup  

So much that comes out now that I hear is compressed and limited till there is no life left in it. I include my own recordings in that too!  I just run my iTunes at various bit rates through a streaming DAC.  Not as good as my Arcam 9 plus CD player but still sounds very good. 

I put tv and films through the Naim set up and know I miss out on surround sound, but the film music always sounds fantastic on it.   

60cycles

Thou shall not mention iTunes and compressed excrements in thy hiFi thread!

Heathens, heathens everywhere..

60cycles

And apologies for the double post but in the interest of transparency, best if i mention this separately and in the open as it were.

@Zoolooter
I wanted to PM you, but.. as above, not proper.
I can help you with Amphion loudpeakers, in your price range if you're so inclined. Feel free to PM if you wish further info.

And because one has every right to be cynical as i'm new here, just to clarify; i do not have Argons (them being my recommendation to you) i'm trying to offload. Slyly or otherwise.

steveh

Log story short: "into" hi-fi since early teens - Bought a Naim 12S/160 mid 70's and have owned various plethora of Salisbury boxes on Mana oil rigs for over 40 years. Linn Kan 1 and Shahinians were notable speakers. Best source was LP12/ARO/Klyde/Geddon and CDS/CDPS.

Anyway; main reason to post is that a couple of years ago I flogged the lot and bought a pair of Kii Threes, fed AIFF files by a RPi/Digione. Completely destroys anything I've ever had before, and far fewer boxes. No contest. The future of hi-fi is active DSP speakers that minimise room interference via cardioid dispersion (i.e. Kii3, Dutch & Dutch 8c). Once you consider the fact that they're active (so no amps needed), you can almost convince yourself they're positively cheap!