Saying goodbye to an old friend....

A

Anonymous

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Made a mistake on original post so replying to it to get it going!!

I have been out of the hi-fi world for a long time and have realised, on looking around, that is has changed enormously since I last dabbled.

So I'm looking for the wisdom of those here to guide me. My dear old friend the Marantz CD 72 is nearing its end and I now admit that I will have to find a replacement very soon. It has been a wonderful workhorse for many years and been a very high performer. Now I am wondering what would provide a great improvement around the £500.00 mark. How are the new Marantz players? What others would provide a great upgrade?

May even consider a new amp/cd combo for around £1000.00. I mostly listen to rock music (eg. Genesis, Yes, IQ).

Can anyone guide me?

Many thanks.
 
A

Anonymous

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The name is actual a shorter version of spongodonkey. A word created from phrases used by Dame Thora Hird and Charlie Chuck. It has never been, nor will ever be on my part, an offensive statement. Until it was pointed out here I have had no comment on it while using it online for at least 10 years.

Do people go out of their way to find offence?

Come on!!
 

chebby

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spongo said:
The name is actual a shorter version of spongodonkey. A word created from phrases used by Dame Thora Hird and Charlie Chuck. It has never been, nor will ever be on my part, an offensive statement. Until it was pointed out here I have had no comment on it while using it online for at least 10 years.

Ok. I stand corrected.
 

CJSF

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spongo said:
Do people go out of their way to find offence?

Come on!!

My sympathies . . . :?

I go along with CnoEvil, I was out of it for 20 years, last year looked again, got a culture shock!

Rega Apollo for me, however as I was an 80's audiophile and a valve freak . . I looked at the Croft entry level intigrated amp, £850 with 4 line stage inputs only, or, £1000 with a valve phono stage. The Croft did the business for me, although I had to revise my budget which was similar to yours to start with, I have a whole load of vinyle. The Rega Brio R, has line inputs and a phono stage, a very capable amplifier that would keep you close to your budget.

It depends if you are going to do the computer digital streaming thing, then you might be into verious digital bits that I dont even begin to understand. :wall:

The speaker thing as CnoEvil high lights needs consideration may be? I did exactly the same, held onto my 20+ year old PMC's.

CJSF
 
A

Anonymous

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I am pretty shocked at some of the prices I'm seeing!! But at the same time I'm very impressed with what I'm seeing. I've just looked at the Rega stuff and it's come a long way since the Planar 3!! For many years my attentions has been focussed on the home cinema. I suppose in reality if I could find a HC outfit that produced amazing music I'd be in heaven - but it doesn't work that way does it!!

Many moons ago I had the first Cyrus amps with PSX and was stunned by them (until the volume and selector switches that were like long stalks packed in) and have looked recently and found them to be expensive. I used an Ariston RD11 t/t with Syrinx PU2 Tonearm and Osawa Mirage OS80X mc cartridge. Oh those heady days!! Do today's generation of cd players get much more out of CD's than those of twenty years ago? Or is it a case of diminishing returns?

I'd love to hear from somebody who's had this older kit and also the new stuff to give a comparison.
 

CnoEvil

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There are a good few on here who have had an interest for a decade or three.....in my case it started in the mid 70s.

I've had TTs from Trio, Rega and Linn; Amps from Teleton, Sony, A&R, Naim, Linn and Musical Fidelity; Speakers from Keesonic, Mission, Celestion, Monitor Audio and Kef.

CDPs have come on in 20 years, as you can get better performance for your money....but saying that, I believe they are on the way to becoming extinct. IMO. Streaming is the way to go as it gives better performance with more convenience.

I have heard a Linn Sneaky DS at around £850 outperform my Linn Karik/Numerik, which was one of the better CDPs from the early 90s (and cost a lot more than that, even then). It's as a result of this that I now have gone the Linn DS route.

You are in good company

Cno
 

CJSF

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spongo said:
I am pretty shocked at some of the prices I'm seeing!! But at the same time I'm very impressed with what I'm seeing. I've just looked at the Rega stuff and it's come a long way since the Planar 3!! For many years my attentions has been focussed on the home cinema. I suppose in reality if I could find a HC outfit that produced amazing music I'd be in heaven - but it doesn't work that way does it!!

Many moons ago I had the first Cyrus amps with PSX and was stunned by them (until the volume and selector switches that were like long stalks packed in) and have looked recently and found them to be expensive. I used an Ariston RD11 t/t with Syrinx PU2 Tonearm and Osawa Mirage OS80X mc cartridge. Oh those heady days!! Do today's generation of cd players get much more out of CD's than those of twenty years ago? Or is it a case of diminishing returns?

I'd love to hear from somebody who's had this older kit and also the new stuff to give a comparison.

Hi Spongo . . . Old kit? comparison . . . a personal view maybe? . . . CDp's certainly seem to have come on, as do 'some' CD offerings the rest, IMHO, you sort out the ones you like, or use the CD if you feel lazy. I find Spotify as good if not better? The music on offer is endless, I have been able to go back to the 40's with some amazing SQ.

Vinyl was and is my first love, starting in the early 70's with a 'Michel Focus One', on to a Gyro Deck, an SME arm followed by the Syrinx. My final system for over10 years was a Townsend Rock TT, arm, trough, fully nude Ortofon SPU Gold mC cartridge and TT power supply. EAR valve Mono Blocks, EAR preamp, EAR Head MC step transformer, driving a pair of Rogers LS35a or later a pair of PMC LB1. Not gut wrenching base, but the sweetness and image reality was an experience I never heard bettered.

A long break, untill just last year. As you said, how things have changed . . . to reproduce the system of those audiophile years now would cost a small fortune . . . My dilemma was first getting the grey matter working as it did in the 80's, not easy as I have been playing mind games with myself for 20 years!!! Plus working out where hifi was in the present day??

To cut a long story . . . my signature shows my present system. I kicked over the traces, by having a revealing pair of speakers (the old PMC's), cheap speaker cable, and and a very nice Sumiko cartridge in what looks like a fairly middling front end TT. The Croft amp is the bees knees, although limited by its 50w, the speakers are easily driven, my 12x12ft room does not require mind warping volume.

Over 12 months, I have tweaked and adjusted, like we used to do in the good old days, driven the forum to distraction with my seemingly pointless questions . . . "the youngster dont understand how it was in those days Spongo . . . we agree to differ and dont mention it much these days" . . . :shhh:

The tweaking, adjusting and comparisons I have indulged in were to try to achieve something like the quality of sound I had way back. Looking at the present system . . . one would think it falls short? . . . In fact, whether the sound is as good or not, its impossible to tell after so long. What I do know is, I get at least as much spine tingling musical satisfaction, the same relaxed style and imaging on certain records (the originals from those days) that is defiantly as good as then. I can achieve more punch and drive if required with the PMC's . . . I used the LS35a most of the time in the 80's

What more can one say, thats how it was for me and how it is now . . . I supose I have achived my goal, I'm a happy ex audiophile.

CJSF
 
T

the record spot

Guest
Check out Harman Kardon's HD990 CDP, a very good player that originally retailed in 2009 for around £500. You can now probably pick it up for about £300 and worth the money it is too. Heard it a couple of years back and was very impressed; good clarity, impressive bass and there's a DAC you can plug additional sources into as well.
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