Your system?

C

CollectorScum

Mark VII Class
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Location
JC/NYC
I'm curious what people are using here. I've been into high-end audio since I was a teenager, I think influenced by an uncle who had a Nakamichi + KEF system that was exotic to me at the time, and sounded great. Over the years I got turned off by all the snake oil and marketing of the high-end industry, so tend to focus more on classic, overbuilt vintage gear from the 1950s-1980s. I'll go first -- everything here was purchased used, sometimes at thrift store or garage sale prices:
  • Amp: McIntosh 2105
  • Preamp: McIntosh C29
  • Tuner: McIntosh MR78
  • Turntable: Thorens TD124 MKII fully restored in custom heavy plinth + SME M2-9 tonearm + AT-ML150/OCC cartridge
  • Turntable: Pro-ject 1.2 with 78 rpm conversion + Shure M44-7 with 78 rpm stylus
  • CD Player/Transport: Linn Mimik
  • DAC: Parasound D/AC-1100HD (I run both the CD player and my computer through it)
  • Cassette: Teac A-450
  • Reel-to-Reel: Pioneer RT-707
  • 8-Track Player: Toyo, unknown model number (yes, really)
  • Speakers: currently some custom bookshelf models, but thinking about Proac Studio 100s if I can find a cheap enough pair
I have a 2nd system downstairs in the family room which is mostly junk except for JBL C56 Dorian speakers and a Linn Axis turntable. I also have the start of a McIntosh tube system I'd like to restore and put together one day, but need another MC30 amp to make a stereo pair.

I have tons of spare gear if anyone in the NYC metro area is looking for anything.
 
My system is in total disarray. Turntable is a shitty Audio Technica with a built-in preamp that deforms the sound, and an absolute garbage Sony home audio amp circa 1995 that I'm only using because my workhorse 70s solid-state burnt up a few months back. It's all such an embarrassment that I won't make 45 transfers.

The only exception is a pair of small Epos speakers that were less than $300 and sound very good for the price.

Having small children is a serious disincentive to upgrading, however.

I have a Thorens TD-160 Mk II that needs rehabilitation, plus it's too sensitive to use in the living room. Also have a Musical Fidelity X-LPs preamp sitting around, very clear but I found it gave too much treble.

It's gotten to the point where I look forward to going out to DJ so I can hear my records something like the way they should sound!
 
chas_kit said:
it's too sensitive to use in the living room
Click to expand...

A wall-mounted turntable shelf is the best audio accessory I ever bought. My old AR with spring suspension was very sensitive to foot falls, but you could jump up and down with it on the shelf. I have one made by the UK company Target which I think was $150 new in the early-2000s and probably more like $200 today, but I'm sure there are cheaper options including homemade.
 
I have a Mc 275 power amp, Mc 2300 preamp, an old restored Jbl L 50 as speakers and Rega planar 3 with rb 300 and Goldring G1042 as cartridge, i use a silver and copper cable to join power and preamp made for a spanish guy. In the future i want to improve my turntable and a new mono cartridge.
 
I have heavily modified all my equipment, to the point where it's not even valid to list the brand names or model numbers. None of it sounds remotely like the way it did when I bought it. Everything sounds horrible when you buy it.

SME 30 Mk II turntable
SME V tonearm
Lyra Titan phono cartridge
Krell KPE phono preamp (solid state option)
Coincident Phono preamp (valve option)
Audio Research 100 watt valve amp
mostly van den Hul cable (high end models)
Martin Logan CLX speakers
AVM
http://www.antivibrationmagic.ca
 
Insane system, bosshoss, and funny you say that so called "reference" level gear sounds horrible out of the box. Do you have some custom box for switching between the phono preamps on the fly, or you just manually swap them on occasion?
 
CollectorScum said:
Insane system, bosshoss, and funny you say that so called "reference" level gear sounds horrible out of the box. Do you have some custom box for switching between the phono preamps on the fly, or you just manually swap them on occasion?
Click to expand...

Normally I favour the Krell. But I have butchered it so heavily that the Coincident and Krell sound almost the same, even though they are different as chalk and cheese internally. If you saw what I've done to my equipment, you'd throw up and declare that I am insane.

There's no way I would add a switch anywhere in the signal path or even (especially) in the power supply chain. It's taken me years to remove every extraneous knob, light, fuse, crimped connection and switch throughout the entire system. You'd be amazed at the sound quality improvement to be had by bypassing "convenience" features like LED lights, balance controls, mono/stereo switches and other unnecessary fluff.

If you'd like to hear the results of all this, please choose any garage 45 you'd like to hear which has not yet been comp'ed in decent sound quality, and I'll post it here (if I have it).
 
bosshoss said:
If you'd like to hear the results of all this, please choose any garage 45 you'd like to hear which has not yet been comp'ed in decent sound quality, and I'll post it here (if I have it).
Click to expand...
2-sided Audiodisc killer [unknown] [Don't wait] / [I hate him]
 
Croft valve pre and power amp, Revox S22 cd player, Garrard 401 in Loricraft plinth,SME309 arm and Goldring 1042 cart.
Not sure on the speaker make,some old 60s things that i need to change
 
Audio Research SP 11 pre-amp w/ vintage Siemens valves ; Nakamichi PA 7E power amp ; Phonosophie No.3 TT ; Kuzma Stogi Reference arm w/van den Hul wiring ; Lyra Dorian mono cartridge ; JBL L 90 speakers ( which will be definitely replaced by the end of next year )
 
I've been curious about going the vintage deck route with one of those refurbished Thorens or Garrards. Did those of you with one of those TTs do the restorations yourselves, or did you buy a completely overhauled package from a specialty shop? Any recommendations for online sources to read up about this?
 
There are a number of people who do Thorens around the world, but I think the best priced -- and the guy who did mine -- is Jim Campbell who's located about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. He advertises on eBay, maybe Audiogon, and surely a few other places. Complete overhaul runs $600 I think, and he also makes plinths in a few styles, including a very heavy model I got which is CNC milled out of multiple glued-together sheets of baltic birch plywood. I was lucky in that I got the table for $500 off Craigslist including a Ortofon RS-212 I did not want. Jim gave me $500 credit for the arm, so it was like I got the table for free.

The #1 restorer for Garrard is Audio Grail in the UK. They almost always have completed tables on eBay or see https://www.facebook.com/AudioGrailGarrard301

mojogogo said:
I've been curious about going the vintage deck route with one of those refurbished Thorens or Garrards. Did those of you with one of those TTs do the restorations yourselves, or did you buy a completely overhauled package from a specialty shop? Any recommendations for online sources to read up about this?
Click to expand...
 
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