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BigH said:
BigH, Radlett Audio is my dealer too, Dave is a good friend, we go back to the mid 70's, he supplied my first propper hifi system. Google the 'Icon' web site, they have a couple of amps Stero 20 and 25 that are in budget. Dave has one of them on dem I believe?
Personaly, at your price point, I'd stick with the Croft, its a hybrid with a valve preamp stage and mosfet power output, briliant piece of kit. As I say, I have moved on, I have my Croft sitting here doing nothing, MM phone and line inputs, I was going to put it on fleBay?
CJSF
visionary said:
What, you mean like expensive speaker cable, interconects and kettle leads . . . perhaps cable changing should be called 'Cable Knotting' . . . ?
CJSF
CJSF said:Here you go, as I was typing the thread they arived, amazing service, I did not order them untill 4pm yesterday. They are now installed and the initial biasing has been done, amp is warming up, its going to be fun over the next few days as they burn in.
:cheer: . . . to me, a work of visual and hifi art, part of my nostalgia and history, Gold Lion KT88, premium quality, hand tested:
So they are geting burnt in now, still a very sweet sound, base has been the last element to show any change; extending, tight, controlled.
Its Horlicks time now, just after 1am, so the volume is low. As always, the mind goes over, I switched the amp from 'ultralinier' to 'triode mode', music choice is critical, prefering accustic music and jazz, curently listening to Eva Cassidy, the spaciousness of sound is superb, no need for high volume, the sound just oozes presence. Base is not so extended, but then, that goes with music selection.
Just another option that valves can offer and its an either/or . . .
CJ you are such a joy to have on this forum and I always enjoy reading your threads, but do you never ever stop tweaking and messing? How often do you and your O/H sit down just to actually enjoy the music? At your place every listening-sesh must be a critical assessment. Chill out man and enjoy the music. You have a wonderful HiFi some of us would kill to own, but I think for your sake it should be stored in a locked alarmed cabinet! 🙂
:?
The truth is MF, I/we (that the 'royal we'!!) spend so much time listening to radio, (Archers, play etc) and music of all types from Spotify, CD and vinyl, the percentage of tweaking to lisening is not high, it just looks that way. Thursday, for instance, the hifi was on from 12 noon untill 2am, 50% of the time, music or audio was playing, similar senario Friday, true I was deliberatly burning in the new valves. A normal day is; switch on at 2pm, Archers, the afternoon play, then Spotify and/or a few CD's, off at 7pm, back at 11PM untill bed time, around 2/3am!
Even I cant tweak for that many hours, I listen, relax and enjoy, I think, have insirpation. Last night, I worked out 'in my little grey cell' that triode mode was best at low volumes with the Gold Lion KT88's, this begs the question, 'for me, why'? . . . The Icon Stereo 40 works in class A for the first 20% of its oprating curve . . . so Icon tell me . . . Therefor logic says, low volume equals class A operation, which means improved SQ at these low levels.
The 'performances' we listend to last night were nothing short of jaw droping, air, and space, pure reality. I have found it dificalt (no impossible) to achive this belivable reality when listening to simple open music, errors in performance and recording are easily heard, we particlarly like unacompanied 16th centuary chants, they create an ambiance that is hard to project, if its on the recording at all:? The same applies to pipe organ music, amazing if well recorded and reproduced. Eva Cassidy last night 'on CD'!!! . . . was stunning, the reality of being in the audiance was wonderfull, non of this was at high volume which means relaxing waves of music to savour.
You See MF, I simply get excited, I am enjoying my music . . . I like to share my enjoyment, sadly some do not appreciate my enthusiasum. Tweaking is bourn out of the pleasure of a high level of tangable enjoyment, the same as any hobby that one might be totaly commited to? A gardener for instance, grows a large marrow this year, he has to fiddle and tweak the soil and tend the plant next year to do even better . . . and so life goes on.
I get the message MF, I put a thread on the TT section yesterday then withdrew it . . . I get to involved with my music and wanting to get the best pleasure from it, hence the deletion, I will keep my thoughts and enthusiasum to myself. At leat MF, I dont rant on and on endlesly about cables etc., . . . 'zzzzzzzzzz', there is a little variety in my life? However, tone it down a bit? as you say, ' . . . system some would kill to own'? . . . I'll keep the pleasures to my self . . . 8)
CJSF
MajorFubar said:
The truth is MF, I/we (that the 'royal we'!!) spend so much time listening to radio, (Archers, play etc) and music of all types from Spotify, CD and vinyl, the percentage of tweaking to lisening is not high, it just looks that way. Thursday, for instance, the hifi was on from 12 noon untill 2am, 50% of the time, music or audio was playing, similar senario Friday, true I was deliberatly burning in the new valves. A normal day is; switch on at 2pm, Archers, the afternoon play, then Spotify and/or a few CD's, off at 7pm, back at 11PM untill bed time, around 2/3am!
Even I cant tweak for that many hours, I listen, relax and enjoy, I think, have insirpation. Last night, I worked out 'in my little grey cell' that triode mode was best at low volumes with the Gold Lion KT88's, this begs the question, 'for me, why'? . . . The Icon Stereo 40 works in class A for the first 20% of its oprating curve . . . so Icon tell me . . . Therefor logic says, low volume equals class A operation, which means improved SQ at these low levels.
The 'performances' we listend to last night were nothing short of jaw droping, air, and space, pure reality. I have found it dificalt (no impossible) to achive this belivable reality when listening to simple open music, errors in performance and recording are easily heard, we particlarly like unacompanied 16th centuary chants, they create an ambiance that is hard to project, if its on the recording at all:? The same applies to pipe organ music, amazing if well recorded and reproduced. Eva Cassidy last night 'on CD'!!! . . . was stunning, the reality of being in the audiance was wonderfull, non of this was at high volume which means relaxing waves of music to savour.
You See MF, I simply get excited, I am enjoying my music . . . I like to share my enjoyment, sadly some do not appreciate my enthusiasum. Tweaking is bourn out of the pleasure of a high level of tangable enjoyment, the same as any hobby that one might be totaly commited to? A gardener for instance, grows a large marrow this year, he has to fiddle and tweak the soil and tend the plant next year to do even better . . . and so life goes on.
I get the message MF, I put a thread on the TT section yesterday then withdrew it . . . I get to involved with my music and wanting to get the best pleasure from it, hence the deletion, I will keep my thoughts and enthusiasum to myself. At leat MF, I dont rant on and on endlesly about cables etc., . . . 'zzzzzzzzzz', there is a little variety in my life? However, tone it down a bit? as you say, ' . . . system some would kill to own'? . . . I'll keep the pleasures to my self . . . 8)
CJSF
CJ, I hope you keep your impressions coming.......if it gets more people to try valves, it will have been worth it.
Tube Rolling - Roll the old one out of the way, and then roll the new one in to replace it....luckily they aren't square, so rolling isn't a problem. :shifty:
Tube Rolling - Roll the old one out of the way, and then roll the new one in to replace it....luckily they aren't square, so rolling isn't a problem. :shifty:
BenLaw said:
You may have a point.........and I'm just making it up as I go along, as I've never screwed a tube in my life. :silenced:
BenLaw said:CnoEvil said:BenLaw said:
You may have a point.........and I'm just making it up as I go along, as I've never screwed a tube in my life. :silenced:
I thought that was exactly what you were doing after your resent operation 😉
Freudian slip. :shifty:
CJSF said:
Do not ever do that! If you think that's what I want you to do, you've got me totally wrong on an epic scale. Without your threads this forum would be only half as interesting, if that. Just that it seems you're forever tweaking lol.
MajorFubar said:
I have been typing, answering the above . . . ???? deleted it all. Listening to Eric Bibb as I type, 8) far more important to dial up Eric Bibb on Spotify and give him a listen, recomend 'Natural Light' and 'a Family Affair', got 'Sister & Brothers' playing . . . all great music to chill out to, IMHO!
Exactly what I am going to do now, chill with my mug of Horlicks, Hazel and Oliver the dog.
CJSF
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