End of my journey

FMIB

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After a lifetime of chop and change from the humble beginnings of a NAD3020 , Mission 700's and a Dual 505 I finally arrive with the retirement setup:

Michell Orbe with Technoarm and Dynavector 10x5
Roksan Caspian M2 CD
Phasemation EA-200 phono amp
NAD C289 power amp
Parasound JC-2 pre amp
Cambridge CXN V2 streamer
Usher Mini Dancer 2 DMD

Oh and what a palava to get the right file extension
 

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After a lifetime of chop and change from the humble beginnings of a NAD3020 , Mission 700's and a Dual 505 I finally arrive with the retirement setup:

Michell Orbe with Technoarm and Dynavector 10x5
Roksan Caspian M2 CD
Phasemation EA-200 phono amp
NAD C289 power amp
Parasound JC-2 pre amp
Cambridge CXN V2 streamer
Usher Mini Dancer 2 DMD

Oh and what a palava to get the right file extension
Where's the dog?
 

FMIB

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Well that's weird. Since I joined this forum jpegs have not been accepted....always have to faff and convert to .png 😣
Exactly the same for me. Neither my MacBook or iPhone was able to attach jpeg files(nor could I change the extension to jpg in case the "e" was an issue) so I also had to work out how to change to a png extension
 

FMIB

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At times along the journey and even now I wonder if we change for sake of change or for a real sonic improvement (or a different sonic experience).
Apart from various interconnects and speaker cables, the wardrobe is cluttered with the items that were part of the journey and for what ever reason have been put to one side.
These include a Theta Basic Basic CD transport, Wadia 12 DAC, a pair of the original Quad 11L speakers and a Rega Planar 3, with speed control, upgraded bearing, sub-platter, delrin platter and sports a Nagaoka MP-200.
Ok, valid reasons to move on from the CD transport, whilst still functioning, it can be sensitive to CDs with tracking and if the plastic pulley wheel teeth break again, replacements will be hard to find as if I remember correctly it has a Philips CDM-9 mechanism. The Wadia 12 is now just a bit too smooth for my taste and the Roksan CD players built in DAC is more modern and more dynamic.
From time to time I test out the record players and speakers. Differences between the modified Rega Planar 3 and the Michell Orbe are small to say the least, the main reason for the change was really down to the easier isolation of the deck from its surroundings and a tap test does confirm that, but was the £4-5000 spent over the Planar 3 a big upgrade, no.
As for the Quad 11L speakers, I no longer have my stands, but even today they do sound pretty dam good and if these were the only speakers I had, I could easily be happy with them, considering the later improvements I made to the front end of the system. I wonder what you would have to pay in todays money for speakers this well made.
Probably the biggest sonic upgrade, was surprising to me, the change to the pre-amplifier.

So whilst my Journey has ended, I have this real itch for a change of speakers and I don't know why, which brings me back to the question, would this change just be for the sake of a change.
 
So whilst my Journey has ended, I have this real itch for a change of speakers and I don't know why, which brings me back to the question, would this change just be for the sake of a change.
What speakers had you in mind? I ask, because I’ve usually had something at the back of my mind that I’ve heard at a dealer, show or friend’s place. It’s tricky to go in blind, unless you find a good dealer with time and a variety of stock.

Ushers are generally good, and I wonder if a blanket over the telly might improve the sound? Or some toe-in?
 

FMIB

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I don't think there is anything wrong with the Ushers other than they are my longest serving piece of equipment, but there is that back of the mind thinking, what might be better and how much would I need to pay. Reviews report that the Ushers play way above their price point, which makes me think I might need to pay an awful lot of money to get any significant improvement, if at all. It would be nice if I could satisfy my enquiring mind.
Another big issue, getting older and its nigh impossible to move them, something lighter might be an easier option.
Speakers that come to mind would be more towards revamped older classics like the Mission 770 speakers and JBL's 100L etc
 

FMIB

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Having looked at pictures of systems with the same speakers, a small tweak yesterday, something I had been thinking about for a longtime, but never actually done.
Removed the large screw in spikes with their floor protecting discs from the speakers, which dropped the speaker height by a good 2 inches, which being tall speakers anyway, brought the tweeters more inline to ear level.
A small but noticeable positive change.
 

FMIB

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Clearly I was wrong and I was not at the end of my journey.

There have been a few further changes over the past year.
The Roksan Caspian M2 started to show some occasional drop out in sound. It was only for a fraction of a second, but being unable to find a reason or solution, I put that away in the cupboard and decided to replace it with a CD transport and DAC, which allowed me to connect the CNX V2 to this DAC.
Ended up with an Audiolab 6000CDT connected to a SMSL D400EX.
Next was a change from the excellent NAD C298 to a more powerful Elision A2700
Finally last week a decision was made to downsize from the Monitor Audio Gold 300 5G to Monitor Audio Platinum 100ii's.
Very happy with the overall result and without the prominant bass of the 300's, I now have a more detailed and balanced sound in my room.( never been a fan of an overly bass strong sound)

For the record, I am no audiophile, its just about listening to the music, but with a detailed sound that I enjoy and makes me want to find and listen to additional new artists.

Perhaps this is now the end of the journey
 

Tinman1952

Well-known member
Clearly I was wrong and I was not at the end of my journey.

There have been a few further changes over the past year.
The Roksan Caspian M2 started to show some occasional drop out in sound. It was only for a fraction of a second, but being unable to find a reason or solution, I put that away in the cupboard and decided to replace it with a CD transport and DAC, which allowed me to connect the CNX V2 to this DAC.
Ended up with an Audiolab 6000CDT connected to a SMSL D400EX.
Next was a change from the excellent NAD C298 to a more powerful Elision A2700
Finally last week a decision was made to downsize from the Monitor Audio Gold 300 5G to Monitor Audio Platinum 100ii's.
Very happy with the overall result and without the prominant bass of the 300's, I now have a more detailed and balanced sound in my room.( never been a fan of an overly bass strong sound)

For the record, I am no audiophile, its just about listening to the music, but with a detailed sound that I enjoy and makes me want to find and listen to additional new artists.

Perhaps this is now the end of the journey
Life is a continual journey. When it stops...you're dead! 😂
 

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