Leonard Smalls

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1357638255' post='1925605'] Would that be the room that accidentally has no parallel walls in by any chance [/quote] Funnily enough it is! Both exterior walls slope outwards, as you can see from the TT shelf, the partition wall behind the speakers (Leema Xaviers, btw, -3dB at 28Hz) is lats and plaster, and the other "wall" is a stone inglenook fireplace. [quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1357642987' post='1925707'] I always favoured buying more music when I was younger rather than getting a decent stereo. The quest for finding great albums was greater than the desire to hear them sounding at their best. [/quote] I spent my whole 1st term at uni's grant on a stereo, then much of the 2nd and 3rd term grants on music. And so it's continued, with 3 burglaries when I lived in Harlesden contributing to the upgrade path! (thanks insurance and 2nd hand market...)

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1357636146' post='1925566'] Well, they were Sennheiser earphones. Wasn't much pleased with them. My previous Philips sports earphones beat the crap out of the sennheisers by a long way, and they were only £20. [/quote] Perhaps they didn't fit your ears as well? Or you happened to have the duffer in Sennheiser's range? Or perhaps they just showed up source limitations?

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1357635810' post='1925555'] I automatically avoid headphones that say bass on them, because i know they are trying to appeal to the ravers when they write that, not the bassists, who know the difference [b]between a bass frequency, and a bass guitar[/b]. [/quote] Between a hump in response at 70ish Hz to make it sound bassy (like Beats), and true bass reproduction and extension...

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1357635670' post='1925553'] I spent £35 on earphones, and i still think they are crap. [/quote] You should get pretty reasonable sound from £35 headphones by a reputable manufacturer (i.e. one who makes headphones). Frinstance, the Sennheiser PX 'phones at £25ish will beat the crap out of £100 Skullcandys. And £45 iGrados are a lot more real than £300 Dr dre beats!

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1357605666' post='1925401'] I think part of the issue is that people don't know what good sounds like, as all the music they hear generally comes on tv - which is generally set up to pump out plenty of boom and tizz, because that is what a lot of current music uses in it's soundscape. Also, Kids don't listen to music the way I certainly used to - buying an album, reading the sleeve and sitting down to listen to it a side at a time. Music is disposable wallpaper, [/quote] Aye! I played the Kraftwerk "Minimum Maximum" live DVD to a youth t'other day. Previously he'd been going on about the ultimate sound quality of his Beats 'phones/iPod and the "awesome bass" of his Logitech 5.1 computer audio system. He's now going to go and buy a proper stereo like this one!

Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston. Nice!

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1357253243' post='1920042'] It's on itv again now fyi [/quote] That reminds me, must nip out and clean the gutters...

I wasn't able to watch it as my dog's teeth needing flossing...

[quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1356900789' post='1914997'] My land rover defender short wheel base is rubbish - no internal room at all I can get a guitar, amp, and two cabs, but not much more. I can get my drum kit into it if I need to, but I then have stands and seats and stuff sticking into me in painful ways. If I didn't have dogs and live up a dirt track I'd have an estate any day [/quote] I used to have a series 3 SWB which had an extra 6" of room in the back. However, it didn't have 5th gear (so max speed of 45ish), and was nowhere near as reliable as the defender. But then the Defender is a TDi200, which is probably the best incarnation, with Odyssey 1000Ah battery. And it doesn't rust from underneath as I waxoyl it every spring at a cost of about £70... As for on-road manners, you can't drive it and expect it to be like an average motor. It's designed to be a tractor - if you can keep up 60mph on ordinary roads you're doing well! But I find most folks in normal cars can't keep up 60mph; personally I'd be embarrassed if I couldn't keep up with a Defender, especially if it's on Lassa mud'n'snow tyres, but some folks appear to have no shame!

[quote name='goblin' timestamp='1356886769' post='1914749'] Skoda Octavia Scout? Well specced, fair amount of space, 4WD and the 140bhp 2.0 TDi CR has a pretty good poke too it as well. Or if you're something bigger and classier, the Superb is also available in Estate variant with 4WD (and a bigger engine). When my Fabia was in the dealer on Christmas Eve I had a look around one, it's bloody massive and got the same kit as Beemers. Having reluctantly gone from VW to Skoda ownership, it has to be said, Skoda really have hit the nail on the head since VW took over! [/quote] My 4x4 Octavia estate is most excellent - I've done over 100k miles in mine...

It was either no electrics, or no brakes. Engine was fine otherwise! I've got an '87 Defender that's never broken down yet...

I had a Lada Niva in council orange many years ago. Whike it was great fun, and excellent off road it most certainly wasn't reliable! I got very good value from my AA membership while I had it....

I can do that in my skoda!

I've got a Skoda Octavia 4x4 estate... Loads of room in the back, and we live 1000 feet up, with access by a 1 in 3 single track road. It's never gor stuck in snow, though I once spun it by being over-enthusiastic on ice, and that's on summer tyres! if it gets stopped from going over the very top of the hill by drifts I've got a Defender with 2" lift and mud'n'snow tyres, though there's actually more room in the octavia and you don't have to lift stuff as high to get it in... As it's petrol, fuel economy isn't very good (there is a diesel available!) but as the chap from out local Shropshire garage said "er's got some poke!" And it handles very well - definitely gives my Alfa Giulietta a run for its money.

Sondek's fine 2nd hand - though decks at £600+ will give it a serious run for its money... New it's a rip-off I'm afraid! As for weapons of mass destruction, check out the Clearaudio Statement at 350kgs.

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1356199991' post='1907933'] Love it. I'm thinking of getting a new/old turntable and have been looking at decks fitted with SME 3009's. What cartrige, phono stage (if any etc are you using? Is that a Clearaudio? [/quote] It's a Clearaudio Reference (doesn't work well as a boomerang), with Audio Origami-ed SME 3009/2 tonearm and stainless Clearaudio Aurum Beta S cartidge (MM), all sitting on a wall shelf and going into an EAR 834P deluxe phono stage, Bow Warlock pre and Bryston 14bsst power amp. Plays record's () very well! If you're looking at about the £1k price point, as well as the Clearaudio Emotion check out the [url=http://www.bd-audio.co.uk/acoustic-solid-solid-111.html]Acoustic Solid[/url], though many (not me!) swear by the Michell Gyrodeck or at a higher price (and definitely not the best IMMHO), the Orbe...

As you can see it's a dual-purpose device; it functions as both a record player [i]and [/i]a boomerang! And it's a Clearaudio, made out of real Germans!

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1356181011' post='1907676'] I was right! Apart from the Deep Purple.... [/quote] Almost:

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1356170644' post='1907543'] I have absolutely no idea what any of that means, but it sounds weirdly thrilling. I'm imagining a kind of 'Dr Phibes' style lab with an ancient, steampunk turntable in the middle, connected to a massive generator. And on the turntable is a Japanese, audiophile copy of 'Deep Purple In Rock'... [/quote] Japanese audiophile pressing of James Blood Ulmer, perhaps! They looked a bit like this - can't actually find a pic of the Lumleys, but similar except the body was chrome, and the transformers and smoothing capacitors were also chrome covered. And being monoblocks, there were 2 of them:

I used to have a pair of Lumley Reference 120W valve monoblocks. Sounded excellent! But you had to wait 20 minutes before use for them to warm up, and 20 minutes after use to warm down before switching off. And I'd have to send them to Tunbridge Wells once a year for servicing... My Bryston has a 20 year guarantee. I still use a valve phono stage though - much more reliable due to less stress on the valves. However, many strange and bloody-minded audiophiles swear by flea-powered 5W single ended triode amps; weirdos, only sounds any good with twee, breathy girly singer-songwriter nonsense played quietly

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1356076737' post='1906415'] Thats that. Science dictates. [b]My linn sondek is in the bin [/b]and my local acoustician is coming around tomorrow to treat my normal living room for xmas. A few bass traps here and there will surely be to the Mrs. liking and that leather three piece never sounded right. Might have to re-plaster (Unevenly of course) the walls with the hair of a camel , and mount my house on spikes for isolation purposes, but so be it. After all, its what any decent Hi Fi buff living in the real world should do. Now I am chucking away the entire Zeppelin and Beatles catalogue on vinyl (original pressings of course) so if there are any takers, just call around to my place you can have the lot. [/quote] Very wise You'll also need at least [url=http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/machinadynamica2/ib.html]One Of These[/url] - it's Quantum!

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1356027622' post='1906025'] Yes, but as you well know being lucky enough to have a room with all non-parallel walls etc etc is very equivalent to the design of many decent control rooms, you are a big jump ahead of the crowd there, and arent in a 'normal living room' at all then. Makes a lot of sense now. Especially if by sheer luck you also happen to have a room that doesnt have dimensions that work together to create nasty peaks and nulls. By sheer fluke - lucky git! [/quote] Sheer fluke? We spent ages looking for the right house - the Mrs didn't quite understand what I was doing in certain rooms with a tape measure and calculator! Not sad at all, me!

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1356026145' post='1906006'] Yeah, but car reviews ARE about as crappy as Hifi reviews aren't they? [/quote] [url=http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/3tweaks/1.html]Possibly not![/url]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1356025507' post='1905987'] It wasnt even aimed specifically at [i]you[/i]! I didnt describe [i]you [/i]delusional, I described anyone spending that much money on a system in an untreated room as delusional. [/quote] That would be me, as my system was quite a bit more than that However, just because a room is largely untreated doesn't necessarily mean it's acoustically poor. My system sounds quite a bit better than a lot of studio control rooms I've worked in, despite them being treated. All those large hard surfaces most certainly don't help. My room has no parallel walls (even the ceiling isn't parallel to the floor!), they're horsehair and lime plastered - which is quite sound absorbing - plus judicious use of soft furnishings in the right places can work wonders.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1356023908' post='1905953'] You dont drive a 4x4 as well do you - Range Rover Sport by any chance .... [/quote] I've got a Land Rover Defender and a Skoda Octavia 4x4... But then we are in the middle of nowhere, 1000ft up an almost-mountain!