Mo invited me to join this place & he recommended that I should give a little introduction.
I am a music lover first and hi-fi is the means to the end. I first got into hi-fi when I wandered into Sound Organisation in York many years back. Tracey Chapman was playing on an LP12 and I had previously thought my Pioneer stack system was the bizz.
I listened to some Kans, a Nait, Sara 9s, Exposure X ....... went away to see how much I could raise by grovelling down the back of the sofa. Not enough.
So, some years later I had read all the mags and I returned confident that from what the mags said, the Pioneer A400 amp was all I needed and would trounce any amp upto and over £1,000. After hearing it - I stopped reading the mags and went away to save some more.
Short while later I finally had my first ever 'proper' hi-fi. I still had the Pioneer CD player, but had the new Linn Intek amp and Epos ES11s on KuStone stands. I was a happy bunny.
A year later I passed my professional exams and my pressie to myself was a Meridian 200/203
The Intek made way for Cambridge Audio C70/P70 (second hand bargain from a neighbour), then the Epos made way for some Linn Nexus SEs (from same neighbour ..... think he was sweet on me actually, but the price was def right!)
A girlfriend of mine over in Gildersome and fellow music fan became the new owner of my Intek and Epos and then when the Meridian was replaced - she got that and so is really happy with her system.
I ended up with Naim CDX, 102/180, Hicap and SBLs. I was happy for a long time (I'm not a box swapper) but then earlier this year I realised I wasn't playing music as much as I once had. Partly because I realised I had changed taste (must be the getting older bit
) and the system simply wasn't doing it for me anymore. Plus it was fussy and wanted to dictate what music I played.Anyway, I expressed this on another forum and a friendly chap sent me a PM inviting me to listen to his system.
I went with an open mind, but some prior prejudices. I had heard just 1 valve amp previously and it got very muddled on complex music. Wasn't for me. I heard the Decware set amp and my old prejudice went.
The system I heard impressed me a lot, but wasn't for me completely - but showed me that I could listen to options including valves.
So, I went off to Doncaster HiFi studios where they are selling off all their old demo kit, told Jeff that he could forget what I currently have etc, open mind, just want to hear 'stuff' and don't tell me anything about any of it - not even the price. I want to judge only on the music.
I didn't buy any of the speakers as none were just right. But I found my amp. In fact, despite having gone in my weekend toy rather than the sensible daily driver - I wanted to take it away there and then so it had to come with me unboxed and carefully positioned in the passenger footwell.
Next day I had a trip up to Scotland to hear some speakers being sold, so I took my new amp and travelled 4 1/2 hours. Listened to some music, then drove back.
Now I have a system that suits me sooooo much better than the old kit.
I am not knocking the old stuff as I do think that the Olive stuff can be very good, and it served me well for 9 years (ish). But it never sounded like this.
So, the system I now run:
Naim CDX with CDSPS
Unison Research S8
Audio Physic Avanti III
and recent addition:
Michell Gyrodeck with Orbe Platter, Chasis & clamp, Origin Live OL1 and Grado Prestige Gold MM cartridge.
Hopefully apart from perhaps little things (like a better phono stage at some point since I have a real cheapy), I need spend no money on boxes and can just enjoy the music.
Always interested to hear new tunes and sounds though, and open minded. Love my music and hope to meet a few fellow music fans along the way.
Sam
