Pundit
Satori Oct 18, 2018 9:43:49 GMT 12
- Edited Oct 18, 2018 11:52:27 GMT 12 by Neil
rmc001 likes this
Post by Neil on Oct 18, 2018 9:43:49 GMT 12
A tentative return to the world of forums for me... Many of you will know my journey, and I am at a stage where everything sounds great, and I have little desire to change. Maybe add to the collection, but not deviate too far. I have also just picked up a pair of Falcon LS3/5a speakers, which are great. It's all listed on my little blog page thing here. My system as it stands: Speakers: Shindo Petite Latour Alnico Preamplifier: Shindo Vosne Romanee (2015) with mono phono input option Power Amplifier: Shindo Cortese F2a (2017) Stereo amplifier Turntable: Garrard 301 in Lignolab Palisander Plinth. Shindo bearing, platter, mat and clamp. A23 bronze armboard. Shindo isolation footers. Audio Silente idler wheel. The Garrard has been rebuilt by Loricraft. Tonearm: EMT 997i Cartridges: EMT TSD15i Spherical EMT TND65i mono for 78rpm playback EMT TMD25i for mono LP playback EMT JSD 6 Ortofon SPU-AE SUT: A23 Hommage T2 Tuner: Yamaha CT-610 Dac: AcousticPlan Digimaster Transport: AcousticPlan Drivemaster Digital PSU: AcousticPlan Powermaster Streamer: Bluesound Node 2 Server: Antipodes Audio Reference 3Tb Power conditioners: Shindo Mr T x2 Power cables: Supra LoRad 2.5 shielded from Mr Ts to wall. Kondo from AcousticPlan Powermaster. Transparent Hardwired from Bluesound to Mr T Interconnects: Shindo, Kondo and A23 Digital Interconnect: Nordost Blue Heaven BNC Speaker Cables: A23 7m pair Rack: Box Furniture custom in Sapele timber, with Lignolab D172 dampers    
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Satori Oct 18, 2018 10:23:50 GMT 12
- Edited Oct 18, 2018 10:34:27 GMT 12 by Owen Y
Post by Owen Y on Oct 18, 2018 10:23:50 GMT 12
Welcome back Neil, nice to 'see' you again... Beautifully matched system for sure. .....and I have little desire to change. We shall see! 
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Pundit
Satori Oct 18, 2018 11:42:38 GMT 12
- Edited Oct 18, 2018 11:45:27 GMT 12 by Neil
Post by Neil on Oct 18, 2018 11:42:38 GMT 12
Haha, no, really. It's all been fairly static for a while actually. I do want to get a dCS Network Bridge, and another Shindo power amp (just for variety) though. I have toyed with the idea of playing around with some Fostex T500a super tweeters as well, but that is an expensive proposition. I also forgot to mention my Gray 108B tonearm, which feeds a Sentec EQ11 phono stage. 
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Satori Oct 20, 2018 9:51:29 GMT 12
- Edited Oct 20, 2018 9:53:50 GMT 12 by Owen Y
Post by Owen Y on Oct 20, 2018 9:51:29 GMT 12
... a Sentec EQ11 phono stage. Reminds me of the Diego Nardi Mono Phono - which I never got around to building.  (Diego's schematic)
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Satori Oct 20, 2018 9:59:06 GMT 12
- Edited Oct 20, 2018 9:59:33 GMT 12 by Owen Y
Post by Owen Y on Oct 20, 2018 9:59:06 GMT 12
I have toyed with the idea of playing around with some Fostex T500a super tweeters as well, but that is an expensive proposition. I could only afford to spring for Fostex T925As - when Hifi Collective had a deal & the GBP was way down...  (With Fostex's Foil & film cap, T90A alongside.)
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Satori Oct 20, 2018 13:39:20 GMT 12
Post by jon on Oct 20, 2018 13:39:20 GMT 12
Hi Neil
Good to see you back!
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Satori Oct 20, 2018 15:24:45 GMT 12
Post by Citroen on Oct 20, 2018 15:24:45 GMT 12
Welcome back NeilMust give Laila Je T'aime another spin! PS Am still loving the JSD 6 (and Bluesound for streaming).
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Satori Oct 20, 2018 15:29:08 GMT 12
Post by cartridgeguyonline on Oct 20, 2018 15:29:08 GMT 12
Welcome back Neil, lovely system and very nicely displayed and photographed.
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Satori Oct 20, 2018 20:17:56 GMT 12
Post by colinf on Oct 20, 2018 20:17:56 GMT 12
Very nice system! Tell me more about the Shindo isolation footers; I can’t find much about them on the web. PS The cat must like the sound too.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Satori Oct 23, 2018 12:34:40 GMT 12
Post by Graham on Oct 23, 2018 12:34:40 GMT 12
Welcome aboard Neil. Your sound advice and warped sense of humour is most welcome.
Give my regards to puss.
Cheers
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Pundit
Satori Oct 23, 2018 14:42:57 GMT 12
Post by Neil on Oct 23, 2018 14:42:57 GMT 12
Very nice system! Tell me more about the Shindo isolation footers; I can’t find much about them on the web. PS The cat must like the sound too. You can't buy the Shindo footers by themselves... they're sort of a ball bearing type affair, but different to things like Ceraballs and the like. You can normally only get them when purchasing the Shindo 301... Kali loves the stereo and often sits with me to listen!
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Satori Oct 23, 2018 15:56:15 GMT 12
Post by Owen Y on Oct 23, 2018 15:56:15 GMT 12
The Shindo 301 'footers' are one of the most unusual 'isolation' footer designs I've ever seen. They aren't mine but I still haven't figured out how/if they work.
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Satori Oct 23, 2018 17:06:40 GMT 12
Post by sub on Oct 23, 2018 17:06:40 GMT 12
Welcome Neil, magic set up!
You still have my L P, Kronos quartet, Salome Dances? Thought I was getting out of vinyl when I retired in 2010, started selling the collection, then got cold feet, and now firmly back with vinyl as #1!
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Pundit
Satori Oct 23, 2018 18:39:15 GMT 12
- Edited Oct 23, 2018 18:52:16 GMT 12 by raveydave
Post by raveydave on Oct 23, 2018 18:39:15 GMT 12
Anechoic listening chamber, be damned...
I really want to echo all the previous comments!
Such a carefully thought-out and curated system, Neil.
Feels like you're almost there. ;-)
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Pundit
Satori Oct 25, 2018 13:20:07 GMT 12
Post by Neil on Oct 25, 2018 13:20:07 GMT 12
Yes, it has taken a long time to get here. But all is good. Lots of stuff to play with, but at a far more sedate and relaxed pace. Other things take up most of my budget these days. And yes, I still have that LP. I'll take some nice pics of my Falcons when I get around to it. Got to finish paying for them first! One of my 'when-I-get-around-to-it' projects is to make a new arm pod thing for my Gray tonearm to sit on. Eventually.
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Pundit
Satori Dec 13, 2018 7:54:45 GMT 12
Post by Neil on Dec 13, 2018 7:54:45 GMT 12
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Pundit
Satori Mar 5, 2019 9:20:44 GMT 12
Post by Neil on Mar 5, 2019 9:20:44 GMT 12
As promised, some pics of my Falcon LS3/5as. These are amazing things! 
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Satori Mar 5, 2019 20:41:38 GMT 12
Post by colinf on Mar 5, 2019 20:41:38 GMT 12
I heard a pair briefly in London last year, in a small room. They sounded great! Although they are a little inefficient and the Primare integrated I heard them with did a good job in running them to a decent level. Perhaps a finely adjusted subwoofer would fill in the deep bass, but they seem quite listenable without one.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Pundit
Satori Mar 5, 2019 22:40:20 GMT 12
Post by Neil on Mar 5, 2019 22:40:20 GMT 12
Yeah, no sub for me, they definitely don't need one for my purposes. I need more power for them, my little 10 watt SET doesn't really cut the mustard, so I will probably save up and buy either a 20Watt Shindo Montille 391 power amp to compliment the SET, or maybe a little Leben integrated with a 16 ohm tap. They really are a great little speaker.
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Satori Mar 6, 2019 9:31:22 GMT 12
Post by foveaux on Mar 6, 2019 9:31:22 GMT 12
As promised, some pics of my Falcon LS3/5as. These are amazing things! I'd be interested to hear the Falcons, their lineage is impressive with Malcolm Jones involvement. Burr Walnut finish?...lovely. Though I'd like to see the Yew finish in the real. I bet they sound stunning on the end of your Shindo set-up? I heard Rogers LS 3/5s in LHR back in the day. I recall them at shows and dealers. But I was just becoming ingrained in audio and despite their wonderful tone etc, I was persuaded by cheaper speakers with more bottom end. I worked with a chap who had Rogers LS8s and was looking for a buyer so he could go to LS3/5s. I missed that chance by a whisker. I heard Proac Tablettes driven by a Naim Nait, (Linn LP12, Ittok and Linn K18 source): those little speakers were stonkingly good. And the same combo with Linn Kans, but (sorry LinnBoy) I preferred the Tablettes! So stored away in my mind, I will one day have a pair of LS3/5 flavoured speakers...they are so refined and musical; and obviously ideal for smaller UK lounges. However, I brought bigger Missions back for bigger NZ lounges. Wouldn't it be great if we could do a side by side (blind) comparison in NZ: Falcon:  Stirling:  Harbeth:  Proac:  Now I'd travel for that audition...
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
862 posts
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Satori Mar 6, 2019 20:08:44 GMT 12
Post by colinf on Mar 6, 2019 20:08:44 GMT 12
That would be very interesting.😊
AMR-iFi R&D
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Pundit
Satori Mar 6, 2019 20:58:15 GMT 12
- Edited Mar 6, 2019 20:59:21 GMT 12 by Neil
Post by Neil on Mar 6, 2019 20:58:15 GMT 12
I’ve heard the Harbeths and the Proacs, theyre not in the same league as the Falcons or the Rogers. They do sound pretty amazing on the end of my Shindo, but really they need more power to really come to life. I regret selling my Radford STA15 now! I might save up and buy one of the small Leben integrated amps, or if I find an old nait 2 or something maybe...
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Satori Jul 2, 2019 20:33:23 GMT 12
Post by foveaux on Jul 2, 2019 20:33:23 GMT 12
More on LS3/5a's
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
862 posts
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Satori Jul 3, 2019 22:12:57 GMT 12
via mobile - Edited Jul 3, 2019 22:13:41 GMT 12 by colinf
Post by colinf on Jul 3, 2019 22:12:57 GMT 12
Seems like they work best with solid state power, or at least an amp with lowish output impedance, perhaps a valve amp with negative feedback.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Pundit
Satori Jul 6, 2019 9:17:28 GMT 12
Post by Neil on Jul 6, 2019 9:17:28 GMT 12
I have a Leben CS300F with 16Ω output taps that works pretty damn well. It's my second system now in my reading room, with a little Yamaha streamer thing, and I am currently refurbishing a Garrard 401 for it too, with an Ortofon TA-210 tonearm, and my Sentec phono stage. Not too bad.
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Pundit
Satori Jul 22, 2019 16:25:42 GMT 12
- Edited Jul 22, 2019 16:26:11 GMT 12 by Neil
Citroen likes this
Post by Neil on Jul 22, 2019 16:25:42 GMT 12
My Leben has arrived with its custom 16Ω output taps, so I thought I would put up a pic. I can choose between 4, 8 and 16Ω. Sounds fantastic with the Falcons. My Garrard 401 is coming along nicely too, just finished repainting it and servicing all the linkages and what not. Next is plinth. I have an Ortofon arm on the way. 
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Satori Jul 22, 2019 18:54:17 GMT 12
Post by Citroen on Jul 22, 2019 18:54:17 GMT 12
And this is Neil's second system! For a reading room. I don't even have a reading room...
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Satori Jul 22, 2019 20:17:42 GMT 12
Post by Owen Y on Jul 22, 2019 20:17:42 GMT 12
We have a drawing room (where I sometimes draw ) And a sewing room. And a CNC room. 
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Pundit
Post by Neil on Jul 22, 2019 22:35:40 GMT 12
I'm pretty lucky... but it all goes at a slow pace these days. Focussed buying. I spend waaaaay more money on fencing stuff and travel.
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Pundit
Post by Neil on Dec 1, 2019 7:43:56 GMT 12
Been making slow progress getting my beaten up old 401 restored and mounted into a plinth. I was going to buy a fancy DAS Acoustic one, which are beautiful, but I didn't really want to invest any more money into it. Plus, a bit of arts and crafts is always fun. I have some Isoacoustics Gaia feet underneath, and the tonearm is an Ortofon TA-210. I had to make a spacer as I didn't rebate the 401 into the plinth, but that was easy enough. I still have to change the idler wheel and I will replace the motor bearing bushes as well, it's a little noisy. Before:  401 BeforeAfter:  401 after
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