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Post by tomsk on May 14, 2017 4:22:40 GMT
I have spent a marvellous evening putting the worlds to rights over a lake of beer with my neighbour. He builds valve amplifiers and I am a recovering 'music tragic' so as usual conversation eventually turned musical. We once again came to the conclusion that the whole music business thing is irreparably fucked, standardised, commodified and portioned out into easily digested and flavourless product to order. Same as it ever was I expect every one just uses lappies or 12v head units on board for obvious reason, but has anyone got a well considered/totally random/downright stupid home system they would 'care to declare'? I'll start with my ever evolving, last century man-cave separates: Sonab R4000 Philips CD723 Pioneer PL 120 Kef Cantor II's This is a pleasing configuration. I've swapped the amp and CD player for supposedly 'better' units and had to revert. This incarnation was perhaps equalled by a predecessor featuring an early, lower powered but more 'accurate' B+O amp. The Sonab is tactless and brutally efficient, the Cantors handle anything it throws at them with aplomb, unless things get really silly.
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Post by JohnV on May 14, 2017 6:38:55 GMT
When I moved out of the house, My Celestion Gold Monitors were just too big to live with me on the boat so they were passed on to an appreciative friend along with my Akai reel to reel. I kept the Quad 33 / 303 combination and the Larsen Tuner. The speakers were replaced with a pair of EV S40 compact monitors. They lack the "warmth" of the Golds but are excellent for their size.
Gradually over the years bits have died/degraded. The Larsen was the first to go and was replaced with a cheapo tuner. The 33 became noisy (the noisy pots I could replace but there was a dry joint?/failing component? that became an irritating and intractable problem) So with regret the 33/303 was consigned to the dusty storage shed of history (it languishes somewhere in the recesses of my Sister's garage ..... if she hasn't thrown it)
My records (with one or two sentimental exceptions) and all my tapes and cassettes have been turned into MP3 (with duplicated storage)
I have an extremely cheap Goodmans chinese built cd/dab/vhf/bluetooth mini system with a pathetic wattage but thanks to the efficiency of the EV S40's it gives acceptable results (just)
Yes, a good sound system was important to me but as my hearing has gradually deteriorated with age and abuse, it has become slightly less so. It's priority has also gone down somewhat as finances have been diverted elsewhere ( Bring Out Another Thousand)
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2017 6:49:00 GMT
Present system is Quad 34/405 Marantz 5000 cd player (soon to have its audio stages modified) Quad 11L speakers does for me.
My previous system that is now at my daughters together with my record collection. Thorens turntable Quad 33/303, Phillips CD104 (needs fixing its in my worksho) Tannoy HPD315 in Devon cabinets.
The worst sin is those that claim to be audiophiles and listen to MP3 using Bluetooth. Forgot to add Quad service all their products no matter how old for £48 per unit plus parts both mine and my daughter's are just back from there sounding like new
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2017 6:49:22 GMT
John,
They must have been bloody big speakers to be too large to fit in Sabina H !!
I don't have any real equipment just a DAB radio tuned to BBC6 music. No cd player etc. I like music but my tastes are too varied (from Michael Jackson to Danzig to Dire Straits and Ray Davies) the radio suits me better really.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2017 7:04:22 GMT
At home, I listen exclusively to streamed music, normally jazz. I have Sonos speakers which give excellent sound and don't trail cables everywhere. On the boat, I have a nice, little Bose stereo but it's a bit bassy. It's a CD player.
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Post by patty on May 14, 2017 7:08:09 GMT
I enjoy a variety of music but have never owned any high tech sound system...I listen to the radio mainly but have small cd/radio in my room with 2 speakers which I play a meditation tape on every night to get to sleep...same CD for the past 3 years..I'll be quite lost when it finally gives up. Sound systems never quite found their way into my life...I think I would like to 'hear' music clearer than radio offerings but to much else needs ££'s
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Post by JohnV on May 14, 2017 7:18:02 GMT
The worst sin is those that claim to be audiophiles and listen to MP3 using Bluetooth. I don't claim to be an audiophile, my hearing has been fairly well trashed by the combination of years working with live bands and cabaret combined with the use of angle grinders, chipping hammers, and other hearing destroying equipment while rebuilding steel boats ......... MP3 and Bluetooth is fine with me
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2017 8:14:49 GMT
The worst sin is those that claim to be audiophiles and listen to MP3 using Bluetooth. I don't claim to be an audiophile, my hearing has been fairly well trashed by the combination of years working with live bands and cabaret combined with the use of angle grinders, chipping hammers, and other hearing destroying equipment while rebuilding steel boats ......... MP3 and Bluetooth is fine with me that wasn't directed at you just a general comment. I spent 30plus years working for some of the top music acts as a monitor engineer/systems tech so I know my hearing is not perfect, however I can still hear the difference blind between even the highest quality MP3 and a CD on my system.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2017 8:26:22 GMT
A cheapo Samsung Micro system with MP3's sent from my Samsung phone via. Bluetooth works for me or from my PC via. some Harmon Kardon speakers that came with a PC I bought years ago. I also have a Sony USB turntable for my small collection of LP's.
Like lots of people I don't think I can/could/would appreciate the benefit of using a 'high end' system so I stick with what I'm happy with.
I do listen to music most days but also sometimes I really enjoy the sound of silence.
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Post by lollygagger on May 14, 2017 8:26:43 GMT
In the late 70's I bought a pair of second hand 40w Goodman's speakers, probably at least 10 years old. They were vaguely triangular and each had 2 tweeters, two mid, 4x 4" bass and a 10"passive radiator in the back. Along with a Hitachi mahoosive 28w per channel amp it sounded like live bands in the living room, I never got it turned up full, it was awesome! My son has the speakers now, 50-60 years old and still sounding ace. Nowadays I have a Bose thing that came with the boat and tinitus.
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Post by phil70 on May 14, 2017 15:41:31 GMT
In common with others I've ended up going the MP3 route, still have a stack of CDs but all my favourite stuff is on my phone 😊 Hearing pretty much shot due to attending many gigs and a long spell in engineering. For some reason my left ear is better than my right. Phil
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2017 15:52:44 GMT
In the late 70's I bought a pair of second hand 40w Goodman's speakers, probably at least 10 years old. They were vaguely triangular and each had 2 tweeters, two mid, 4x 4" bass and a 10"passive radiator in the back. Along with a Hitachi mahoosive 28w per channel amp it sounded like live bands in the living room, I never got it turned up full, it was awesome! My son has the speakers now, 50-60 years old and still sounding ace. Nowadays I have a Bose thing that came with the boat and tinitus. Sound Of Silence is a great song by Paul Simon
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Post by lollygagger on May 14, 2017 15:55:33 GMT
In the late 70's I bought a pair of second hand 40w Goodman's speakers, probably at least 10 years old. They were vaguely triangular and each had 2 tweeters, two mid, 4x 4" bass and a 10"passive radiator in the back. Along with a Hitachi mahoosive 28w per channel amp it sounded like live bands in the living room, I never got it turned up full, it was awesome! My son has the speakers now, 50-60 years old and still sounding ace. Nowadays I have a Bose thing that came with the boat and tinitus. Sound Of Silence is a great song by Paul Simon Most of the time! I bought a boat for peace and quiet among other things.
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Post by tomsk on May 20, 2017 14:37:49 GMT
I strongly approve of Bluegrass and don't listen to enough of it, thanks for the nudge.
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Post by tomsk on May 20, 2017 16:02:10 GMT
The Pole seems pleasingly polarised.
66% Of Participants declared themselves well rounded characters possessing of at least a passing appreciation of music's intrinsic value to life, both from historio-sociological and personal perspectives. I commend their attitude.
0% Expressed indifference which is probably not statistically surprising.
33% Valiantly opted for the aural circumcision option, a no nonsense approach I respect for its finality but cannot endorse.
I'm heartened by the number of people who do still care about music enough to keep a separates system these days, even if they only get to use it briefly, everyone should have the same right to decent audio reproduction as they have to decent, unadulterated bread.
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