Truly happy?

[JoelSim]

Funny isn't it, that we are all searching for nirvana, not the Kurt Kobain one, but the hifi one.

Who, on this forum is 100% happy with their set-up?

I'm happy about 95% of the time when I really love my system, but the odd disc sounds, well, not quite as good as expected or wanted.

It would be good to hear from all those who have complete and utter 'can't do better' feelings, so that it gives people a good idea of synergistic system matchings.

Listening at the moment is top class, as will the next CD be, and the one after that, but there are a couple I won't play as I don't enjoy them as much as I 'ought' to.

 

 

[nads]

i am happy but may switch a few cables about to see if i can spot any changes. Oh and i will be auditioning some phono amps. and i might have to upgrade the cartridge as well.

 

[JoelSim]

nads:i am happy but may switch a few cables about to see if i can spot any changes. Oh and i will be auditioning some phono amps. and i might have to upgrade the cartridge as well.

LOL!

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Yep,

My Denon DM31 is all I need. Can't work what all the fuss is about !

 

[JoelSim]

andyb190:
Yep,

My Denon DM31 is all I need. Can't work what all the fuss is about ! ÿ

I laughed heartily fella

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

We try to please

 

[nads]

Oh i also need some speakers for the kitchen

 

[Alec]

yeah glad yer all happy, but you forgot to mention your kit.

 

[Anonymous]

I am happy.

But then I just came in from a party.

ÿ

Smile, and the whole world smiles at you.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not even close to being happy with my system. I know that in certain aspects it is fine but i just know the speakers and cd player are capable of so much more.

I suppose i'm in a fairly unique possition where i've go decent cdp and speakers but the amp is, in my opinion, woeful.

That is for music, for movies it's good.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm ****** and can't spell@!

 

[batonwielder]

I see the light at the end of the tunnel...new speakers!!!

 

[bigblue235]

I'm pretty happy.

I was very happy with my system in our old carpeted living room. Doesn't sound as good in our new pad, as it's open-plan with wooden flooring. Not ideal acoustically. Also, hearing a fridge in the background kinda spoils things a little!

However, the area outside the living room is a whole lot nicer, so the hi-fi isn't getting used as much. Mustn't grumble

Only thing I can really seriously grumble about is there's hardly any shops selling hi-fi here!

 

[Anonymous]

bigblue235:
Only thing I can really seriously grumble about is there's hardly any shops selling hi-fi here!

I have the same problem. I live in one of the boggest cities in the country and yet there are no dedicated hi fi stores.

Boo to leeds!!!

 

[Big Chris]

JoelSim:
Funny isn't it, that we are all searching for nirvana, not the Kurt Kobain one, but the hifi one.

Who, on this forum is 100% happy with their set-up?

I'm happy about 95% of the time when I really love my system, but the odd disc sounds, well, not quite as good as expected or wanted.

It would be good to hear from all those who have complete and utter 'can't do better' feelings, so that it gives people a good idea of synergistic system matchings.

Listening at the moment is top class, as will the next CD be, and the one after that, but there are a couple I won't play as I don't enjoy them as much as I 'ought' to.

ÿ

It'll never happen. I really enjoy the sound of my set-up, but know that it was dictated by my budget, and it's now 6 years old, not ancient I know, but things move on and equipment degrades over time.

Even if I'm lucky enough to get a CD192 & A90 soon (£800 all in, a right bargain!), I'll be thinking about the stuff in the next price point and above. Probably not straight away, but give it a couple of years.

Tell you what. If you all club together and buy me that £30,000 DCS CD player, and the Audio Research Reference Pre/Power combo, with a pair of B&W 801Ds.....I'll stop shooting for the moon!!

 

[drummerman]

Good posting Joel. Well, the only time I was truly happy with the sound of any of my systems was when I had a valve set up. I kept that for a number of years unchanged and had to sell due to circumstances. Prior to that I had, on occasions 5 or so amplifiers (!) and several speakers at one time at home for auditioning and swapped components at a ridiculous rate. Nothing did it but my then wife got very annoyed and it truly almost became an obsession. Wheel in the said tube set up, Audio Innovations/Ruark Sabres/Trichord Genesis, on recommendation of my dealer and it was an instant yes. Everything I wanted.

Fast forward, many changes/system later and a little while ago I sold my previous set up, good by most standards and I was reasonably happy with it but financial circumstances meant I had to free up some cash short term. Oddly enough it did'nt bother me to much though I'd happily would have lived with it for a while longer.

Present time, my finances are sorted again and I have £3000 available to get a system again. I'll start a separate thread on that, perhaps today, but current favorites are AVI's actives though I'm open to further suggestions as I got two weeks to my next long w/end when I idealy would like to audition any alternatives and commit to a purchase. Here we go again ...

Its easier to give advise than to make a decision.

Now back to your original question. I currently use s/h denon components and old MS speakers as a loan system at home. I could easily say they are rubbish and totally inferior, the whole cabundle being much cheaper than any one component I had previously but sad truth is they are not. I actually enjoy listening to music and never really think about the electronics. It does everything reasonably well and some things very good. If I had any sense I'd leave it at that but thats of course not going to happen. It does lack that certain 'pride of ownership' factor.

May I add, the one thing consistent I've learned is that systems that allow me to listen 'in to the music' ie. not trust everything in my face are the ones I prefer. That sadly excludes many components that give that instant wow factor in the showroom. Its also why I appreciate the AVI's, no boom, no tizz, just transparency though they are not without their faults. Interestingly, in the new hi-fi world edition the test a 28k Meridian active system and come to pretty much the same conclusion as I have on the AVI's.

 

[Anonymous]

Try an all Rega system if you can. You probably already have. Very hifi sounding but quite involving too. The Apollo, R5s and Mira 3 add up to just shy of £2k but you could try by swapping in the R7s and a Cursa power amp. Maybe you could get a deal on a couple of Exons.

Failing that, why not just go valve again? I heard a 3k system recently but the timing was wrong for me to buy. It was Sonus Faber Concerto Domus, Unison Research S2 (single-ended valve amp) and Unison's valve output stage CDP. It was sublime. The soundstage was big, broad and deep, the singer's voice was as realistic as I've heard and the treble was as sweet as it comes. I would say that more bass would have been nice, so perhaps the S6 or something would be on the dream sheet.

 

[drummerman]

igglebert:Try an all Rega system if you can. You probably already have. Very hifi sounding but quite involving too. The Apollo, R5s and Mira 3 add up to just shy of £2k but you could try by swapping in the R7s and a Cursa power amp. Maybe you could get a deal on a couple of Exons.

Failing that, why not just go valve again? I heard a 3k system recently but the timing was wrong for me to buy. It was Sonus Faber Concerto Domus, Unison Research S2 (single-ended valve amp) and Unison's valve output stage CDP. It was sublime. The soundstage was big, broad and deep, the singer's voice was as realistic as I've heard and the treble was as sweet as it comes. I would say that more bass would have been nice, so perhaps the S6 or something would be on the dream sheet.

Thanks Igg. Yes I have access to most current Rega/cyrus/Arcam/Flying Mole/Naim products and others plus a good variety of speakers such as Totem/Dynaudio/Rega/B&W etc. The system I just sold was cyrus/ProAc. I can honestly say that nothing I've heard comes close to the AVI's in what they do well but of course some do other things better. Thing is, not for 1.2k! That would leave me enough for a good new laptop/AE and a shiny beautiful new Sony LCD ...

Anyway I dont want to make this into another pro AVI thread (I launch one later inviting alternative suggestions) and there are other stuff I consider. Ruark Sabre III would probably be divine with a good Valve amplifier as suggested by your good self. Then there's the combination of ATC's new SIA 2-150 and SCM11 ...

 

[DistortedVision]

Hogman:bigblue235:
Only thing I can really seriously grumble about is there's hardly any shops selling hi-fi here!

I have the same problem. I live in one of the boggest cities in the country and yet there are no dedicated hi fi stores.

Boo to leeds!!!

Hogman there are hifi dealers in Leeds. I used to live and Leeds and I'm back there all the time because I still own my apartment in Headingley. Firstly, there is Richer Sounds and Superfi in the city centre which assuming your discarding. Sevenoaks has moved to Wetherby unfortunately. Theres Therapy the Hub also but never been in there.

Also there is Audio Republic in Headingley which is like 150m from my apartment. There was also one on St. Anne's Parade also in Headingley but I think its closed down. Also there's Audio Projects on Headingley Lane.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

'Truly happy' to the point that you will never upgrade? Highly unlikely. You will always wonder - can the sound be improved further?

I've just spent a huge sum on my current kit, and I'm already wondering if improvements can be made!

It was the same with my previous kit : Roksan LIII / Rega Apollo / EPOS M22 - I thought I was done then, but I clearly wasn't.

So, it just goes on and on.....fortunately or unfortunately....depending on how you look at it.

 

[the record spot]

A few weeks ago I posted to the effect that, yep, happy with what I have. Then the Linn Mimik I have started to sound a little 'veiled' at times, a little unsure of its' footing on other occasions. Part of this is down to bad recordings, no question. On the other hand, maybe I needed to have a look and see what else was out there that could give me a bit of a step up.

So, some of you might've seen a few posts from me of late asking all manner of things; new player, new DAC, change this, what about that, etc.

In the end, I went to a dealer in Edinburgh (having been round the country via a few dealers websites!) who has an impressive range of used stock as well as acting as the city's (possibly Scotland's only) outlet for high end brands like EAR Yoshino and Leema Acoustics.

He came back with a handful of used gear to choose from; the original Exposure 2010 (a Thaiman fave), the Rega Jupiter & Io transport and DAC combo, the Midiman Flying Cow DAC which is a professional DAC used in studios and the Audio Analogue Paganini which I'm trialling currently.

After MUCH reading, enquiring, research, I went in yesterday and picked up the Audio Analogue Paganini. This is an Italian company, not to be confused with Audio Innovations from a few years back and a fairly recent one at that, coming into being only in 1995. The write-up for the player was intriguing; smooth top end, very detailed mid-band, good bass. Very analogue sounding said another. No-one mentioned warmth, but I don't normally go for smooth, yet the "detailed" description got to me in the end.

Hooked it up to the system yesterday and left it running overnight; the initially sharp sound has calmed to leave a sound that really is impressive. VERY detailed; not night and day from the Linn Mimik, but with a better control in the bass, a more articulate presentation which has a lot to do with subtlety and it deals better with complex pieces. A very neutral presentation, so good if you like transparency. Build quality is second to none; heavy steel construction with a brushed aluminium faceplate. In addition, it's an upsampling player (24 bit internal DAC, 96Khz upsampling rate).

Originally cost around £950, I picked it up for £375 (I pay the guy next week if we decide to stick with it) and at the moment it's looking like I probably will stick with it. I might give the Exposure a trial run just to try a second player out, but I'd seriously recommend anyone looking for a £1000 player on the used market to consider this if they see a Paganini.

Am I happy? Y - well, maybe I could think about a pre-power amp combo, or some new speakers....there's plenty more to get out of this CD player yet I think!

(OK, I am for now!)

 

[the record spot]

DistortedVision:Hogman:bigblue235:
Only thing I can really seriously grumble about is there's hardly any shops selling hi-fi here!

I have the same problem. I live in one of the boggest cities in the country and yet there are no dedicated hi fi stores.

Boo to leeds!!!

Hogman there are hifi dealers in Leeds. I used to live and Leeds and I'm back there all the time because I still own my apartment in Headingley. Firstly, there is Richer Sounds and Superfi in the city centre which assuming your discarding. Sevenoaks has moved to Wetherby unfortunately. Theres Therapy the Hub also but never been in there.

Also there is Audio Republic in Headingley which is like 150m from my apartment. There was also one on St. Anne's Parade also in Headingley but I think its closed down. Also there's Audio Projects on Headingley Lane.

Hope this helps.

And for Vinyl, there's Mantra Audio in just over in Selby and Vickers Hi-Fi in York.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a good find Record Spot. I had a very brief search for one of those when I was buying my MF but decided to just take the easy option in the end, buying new and online. What can I say, work drains me!

One of the paths I'm heading down, sorry, wandering down, is a conversion of my Quad 405 to the new Net Audio Mk3 version partnered with a valve pre-amp of some sort. I keep coming back to the Quad thinking that there's a lot of potential in there for the cost and I can do it in little bite-sized chunks.

Will I be happy when I get there? No idea but it's bloody good fun playing with this stuff. If groundhog day is today I'd be quite content with the musicality of my set up. I've found a set up that I'm getting quite sentimental over so I forgive it for it's foibles. I have the Revox direct drive turntable in the cupboard that's responsible for getting me into hifi too. Small steps.

Unfortunately it's within human nature to want what we don't have so upgraditus will haunt forevermore. Find some kit that you couldn't bear to part with for sentimental reasons and you'll probably quell it. That's what Spendor and Quad do for me and Unison Research are getting a grip over me too...

 

[Tesler]

I'm very happy with my Kit. I've had this setup for years, despite trying and buying other kit,
I found I could not find the same synergy, certainly not without having to pay a lot more money than I paid for my current setup back in the 90's.

My CD player died earlier this year and I was very lucky to be able to source a brand new Laser assembly for my CD63SE, so it now lives again and sounds as good as ever.

My A-400 is still rocking and still managing to excite with any kind of music I play through it.

So in a nutshell, yes I'm happy.

 

[batonwielder]

igglebert:Try an all Rega system if you can. You probably already have. Very hifi sounding but quite involving too. The Apollo, R5s and Mira 3 add up to just shy of £2k but you could try by swapping in the R7s and a Cursa power amp...

ÿ

I think I'm going down that road...ÿ