48 years, a journy of discovery . . . ?

CJSF

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I have been thinking over the past few days as I tweaked, fiddled, listened and enjoyed my hifi and its music, it has been a pleasure over the past couple of years to take this journy of discovery.

Wher did it all start . . . 1964, when I met the youg lady who would eventualy become my dear wife. Kathy had a couple of uncles, uncle Jim and uncle Sid, they were both into their music, Sid was more into the hifi side, Quad, Garad, Lowther, Uncle Jim was more the music man, never mind the hifi, he had a HMV radio gram, autochange and ceramic cartridge, remember them?

I used to look forward to my visits to their homes. 1968 , We got married, new home, furiture etc, the first luxury, no not a TV, that was 5 years later! . . . A record player, a Bush with an active plug in stereo speaker unit . . . I thought it was the bees knees, sitll with the ceramic cartridge, but it had a dimond needle . . . oh yes :dance:

This early hifi interest probably accounts for my tast in music, Sid was a jazz fan, Uncle Jim prefered big bands and country music. I moved on, the Bush record player gave way to seperates, from Dual, Marantz and NAD with a big pair of 3 way Scott speakers.

Then I met Dave Wren at Ralett Audio, this was the big change in my hifi life, he introduced me to the finer point of music and hifi. Proac Tablet speakers, Michell Focus TT, Dynavector 10X MC cartridge. I fell in love with valves, at the same time as I started working on speaker stands, stand in those days were ugly, looking more like electricity pylons with out the arms, very wife unfriendly!!!

It took 4 years to get the first Foundation Classic stand working the way I wanted, Dave Wren heard the verious incarnations, untill one day the final offereing . . . with his encouragement the rest is history. I move on from NAD to EAR 509 amps, a Townsend Rock turn table and eventialy an Ortofon SPU cartridge (denuded). Many differeant speakers passed my way, but the standards were Rogers LS35a. It all stoped in 1995, Kathy, who was the other half of Foundation audio, the back room kid, the female steady to my over enthusiastic youthfulness, she passed away . . . Production, ideas, all dried up, life was a haze, Foundation Audio was sold!

. . . . the present, I was diging in the loft found a came across a couple of boxes with CD's in. A spark? . . . played some on the computer, then by chance, re aquainted my self with old friend Dave Wren . . . more help and encouragement of a more domestic kind, a lot of hifi water has passed me by. Again the rest is history, I found 3 more boxes in the loft, no idea what was in them . . . some of my old audiophile and favourit records . . . in a fit back when?!! I had destroyed a very large part of my record collection, but for some reason, I had kept these, around 300?

You have seen me drag myself back into the world of hifi, hard sometimes, but finaly one is happy to 'be back'. My love of analogue and valves retained, one has not played a CD for many months.

As this started, 'I was sitting thinking' . . . I was also fiddling as is my want. Where I started again 2 years back, to where I am now, its a long way in terms of sound quality. One was thinking, a new arm coming in January, one has made outragouse changes, often against advise, to a basic Rega TT. One continuasly travels back in time in the mind to my previous life, trying to compare how it was then to now, and yet, how can one compare the audiophile and the business based system then, to the simple low cost system one has now as an ex audiophile?

I spent yesterday, on a retro kick, phisicaly revisiting some of the changes I have made, acrylic platter, damping ring, platter mat, acylic platter mat, glass platter, verious mats and the final change; headshell mass, which its self is temorary but works remakably well, £20 worth doing far more than all those fancy cable have ever done for me, fortunatly I did dot have to buy the cables.

I cant see any way forward after the new Audiomods arm, with out a fundimental and majour system change . . . the essance of my system now, it has been upgraded in small hits, the new tone arm is the biggest spend in one lump that I have made. I dont realy want to comit any more funds, I think I have spent enough on hifi in 48 years

Musicaly very satifying, the upgrading has in its self been a pleasure with frustrations on the way. I know what I think the new arm will bring??? it will put the cherry on the cake, my quest to recreate my old 80's sound will hopfully be realised . . . although I do have a couple of final, final tweakes up my sleeve . . . you cant keep a habitual tweaker down . . . :cheer:

Any one else have hifi memories going back to the good old days . . . ?

CJSF
 

CnoEvil

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Hi CJ, here is my first post on here and may be roughly along the lines you are looking for: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/your-system/a-very-personal-journey
 

CJSF

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The_Lhc said:
CJSF said:
Any one else have hifi memories going back to the good old days . . . ?

Some of us aren't old enough to have had any "good old days" yet! ;)

You have that 'pleasure?' to come The-Lhc, gray hair and all. However you must have started somewhere . . . it all ads up to memories . . . :)

CJSF
 

CJSF

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CnoEvil said:
Hi CJ, here is my first post on here and may be roughly along the lines you are looking for: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/your-system/a-very-personal-journey

. . . the site cant find your link Cno . . . says somthing about 'recent site revamp'?

CJSF
 

The_Lhc

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CJSF said:
The_Lhc said:
CJSF said:
Any one else have hifi memories going back to the good old days . . . ?

Some of us aren't old enough to have had any "good old days" yet! ;)

You have that 'pleasure?' to come The-Lhc, gray hair and all.

More likely to be no hair I should think...

However you must have started somewhere

I did, I started with pretty much the same system I have now, most of it is getting on for 13 years old now.
 

CnoEvil

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CJSF said:
CnoEvil said:
Hi CJ, here is my first post on here and may be roughly along the lines you are looking for: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/your-system/a-very-personal-journey

. . . the site cant find your link Cno . . . says somthing about 'recent site revamp'?

CJSF

Sorry about that.

If still interested, you do can a search on the forum for "A very personal journey," and it should appear.
 

CJSF

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The_Lhc said:
More likely to be no hair I should think...

However you must have started somewhere

I did, I started with pretty much the same system I have now, most of it is getting on for 13 years old now.

Ah, I'm lucky, a bit thin but still a full head of grey hair.

The_Lhc, you have a system that you enjoy . . . best way, dont have to be fancy.

A tough Christmas ahead, all this re visiting the old life . . . no Kathy, she was the perfect mum and hostess, then I go and ply the last track on side 4 of Raising Sand, 'Your Long Journey', I've got a lot of catching up to do? . . . . . . . . .

I'll be glad when Christmas is over, just Hazel and me as ever . . . .

CJSF
 

CJSF

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plastic penguin said:
My only musical memory from the 60s was of my parents radiogram. It wasn't until (circa 1977) that I owned my first stereo: Horrible little record player jobbie purchased from a mail order catalogue.

When I was at home with my parents in my teens, we had the ubiquitous Dansett record player, about a dozen LP's, one of the 10" LPs I still have, how that survived my clear out fit I dont know? There was a record player befor that, the name escapes me, that was in the days of 78's. The first 78 I bought with my pocket money was 'Champion the wonder horse', followed by Elvis and 'You aint nothing but a hound dog' . . .

CJSF
 

The_Lhc

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CJSF said:
The_Lhc said:
However you must have started somewhere

I did, I started with pretty much the same system I have now, most of it is getting on for 13 years old now.

you have a system that you enjoy . . . best way, dont have to be fancy.

That's not really why it hasn't been updated in all those years, more a budgetry issue, as in not having any. I only changed the rear speakers because a local shop was closing down and they were so cheap (about 15% of the original RRP cheap...) that I couldn't say no.

I did change the cartridge on the missus' TT a couple of years back but that barely cost any more than a tank of diesel, so that's doable, anything more than that needs some serious thought and serious requirement, such as whatever it's replacing going bang, which, touch wood, hasn't happened yet.
 

CJSF

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The_Lhc said:
CJSF said:
The_Lhc said:
However you must have started somewhere

I did, I started with pretty much the same system I have now, most of it is getting on for 13 years old now.

you have a system that you enjoy . . . best way, dont have to be fancy.

That's not really why it hasn't been updated in all those years, more a budgetry issue, as in not having any. I only changed the rear speakers because a local shop was closing down and they were so cheap (about 15% of the original RRP cheap...) that I couldn't say no.

I did change the cartridge on the missus' TT a couple of years back but that barely cost any more than a tank of diesel, so that's doable, anything more than that needs some serious thought and serious requirement, such as whatever it's replacing going bang, which, touch wood, hasn't happened yet.

Disposable income, who would not like more of that! I'm retired therefore on a fixed income, one of the reasons why I 'tweak' my hifi, another is I enjoy it 8) adjustments are usualy cheaper than replacing a box and for me, much more rewarding?

One also apportions finances, I used to keep a small boat at a local marina, cant afford that anymore and my health is not what it used to be. Sold boat, funds become avaliable to put to verious other projects, hifi being one.

The hifi thing is coming to an end now? I have taken my system to a point where it would need majour expense to move on, as well as more space, plus I feel, improvements are very small for the large sums involved. I aint moving house again and I cant justify more money on hifi boxes, so, if it cant be tweaked econmicaly it is unlikly happen . . . 'never say never'.

Looking forward to finding vinyl in charity shops when we go out on our mobility scooters in the summer, buying the od new LP, taking pictures, street photography has always facinated me, who is going to take any notice of an old f&rt on a mobi-scooter waving what looks like a simple P&S camera about?

Grow old gracefully . . . not so bad a prospect? CJSF
 

The_Lhc

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CJSF said:
I'm retired therefore on a fixed income

I'm working and am still on a fixed income, well, it can change from week to week but only downwards if I have any time off, I'm not permitted to work overtime under any circumstances. I have grand plans for various projects but it seems everytime the funds are gradually eeking their way up to a point where I can start thinking about doing something and unforeseen expense turns up and scuppers things.

One also apportions finances, I used to keep a small boat at a local marina, cant afford that anymore and my health is not what it used to be. Sold boat, funds become avaliable to put to verious other projects, hifi being one.

Unfortunately my main expense is getting to work. My choice to live so far from where I work (well, actually not quite my choice, the other half's I didn't really have any say in the matter) but it sucks a large proportion of finances. There's no work that I'm qualified for around near home either.

Looking forward to finding vinyl in charity shops when we go out on our mobility scooters in the summer, buying the od new LP, taking pictures, street photography has always facinated me, who is going to take any notice of an old f&rt on a mobi-scooter waving what looks like a simple P&S camera about?

The police? I suspect it depends very much on what or rather who you're taking pictures of. People are VERY sensitive now. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about...
 

CJSF

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The_Lhc said:
Looking forward to finding vinyl in charity shops when we go out on our mobility scooters in the summer, buying the od new LP, taking pictures, street photography has always facinated me, who is going to take any notice of an old f&rt on a mobi-scooter waving what looks like a simple P&S camera about?

The police? I suspect it depends very much on what or rather who you're taking pictures of. People are VERY sensitive now. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about...

You have to be carful, but in general you are not breaking any laws, (despite what people and uninformed police think) provided its not a picture of a sensitive instalation. You also have to be carfull what you do with any pictures you take, ie, a general view of say a High street will be OK, a spacific picture of someone in that same street would be better with concent. Sensitivity is 'personal', we still live in a fee country so the photographer, in general has a fee hand . . . Pictures on private property and published pictures can be a different ball game?

CJSF
 

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