A Hi-Fi History
In the past, I spent very large amounts of money on high end equipment. In more recent times, I have had to make do on a more modest budget. While I have a very nice Boothroyd-Stuart Meridian CD player, I continue to prefer the sound of vinyl. I still buy more vinyl, usually second hand, than I buy CDs. I have to thank a couple of dealers who, over the years, helped me in selecting appropriate equipment. In 1968, Mr O'Brien started me off with Rogers electronics and Tannoy dual concentric loudspeakers. Later Howard Popeck, then of Subjective Audio in London, introduced me to the joys of Linn turntables, though he is not a fan, Meridian active loudspeakers and my beloved Etude Mp3s, of both of which he is a fan.
My First System:
1972. Garrard 401 turntable, SME3009arm and Sure V15 cartridge . This was great, once I had added a lot of extra mass to the plinth to get rid of the terrible feedback.
1979. STD 305 turntable, Audio Technica,arm and Micro Seiki LC80W moving coil cartridge. It was sublime, though a little bright through the Tannoys.
1979. Meridian 101 pre-amp, 102 tuner and a pair of 105 power amplifiers.
1981. My STD turntable was stolen, so I purchased my first Linn Sondek LP12 with Syrinx PU/2 arm and Linn Asak cartridge. It is now living happily in Australia with my ex-wife.
1981. Meridian M2 active speakers. Also in Australia. Amazing, and perfect with the Linn front end.
1979. STD 305 turntable, Audio Technica,arm and Micro Seiki LC80W moving coil cartridge. It was sublime, though a little bright through the Tannoys.
1979. Meridian 101 pre-amp, 102 tuner and a pair of 105 power amplifiers.
1981. My STD turntable was stolen, so I purchased my first Linn Sondek LP12 with Syrinx PU/2 arm and Linn Asak cartridge. It is now living happily in Australia with my ex-wife.
1981. Meridian M2 active speakers. Also in Australia. Amazing, and perfect with the Linn front end.
1985. Etude MP3 Speakers. Brilliant, large floorstanding speakers 40 inches tall and weighing more than 110 pounds each. They are now modified and used in the studio.
1985. Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, Linn Ittok arm and Linn Karma catridge later upgraded to a Troika. It is fitted with most of the recent bells and whistles. Unfortunately, the
Troika is shot. Linn no longer provide a rebuild service, and I cannot afford the newer Akiva. Compromise is inevitable; probably a Lyra Delos at less than half the price.
1990. Linn Lingo power supply for the LP12. This is the earlier, half width version. Initially, I was unsure about how much difference it made, but after listening for a few hours,
the improvements became obvious.
1990. Meridian CD player and separate Digital to Analogue converter. Getting old now, but would cost a fortune to replace with something better.
1990. New Meridian pre-amp and mono-block power amps. Like the CD player, they are getting rather old now, but would also cost a fortune to improve.
1985. Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, Linn Ittok arm and Linn Karma catridge later upgraded to a Troika. It is fitted with most of the recent bells and whistles. Unfortunately, the
Troika is shot. Linn no longer provide a rebuild service, and I cannot afford the newer Akiva. Compromise is inevitable; probably a Lyra Delos at less than half the price.
1990. Linn Lingo power supply for the LP12. This is the earlier, half width version. Initially, I was unsure about how much difference it made, but after listening for a few hours,
the improvements became obvious.
1990. Meridian CD player and separate Digital to Analogue converter. Getting old now, but would cost a fortune to replace with something better.
1990. New Meridian pre-amp and mono-block power amps. Like the CD player, they are getting rather old now, but would also cost a fortune to improve.
Outlaw Audio processor/amplifiers for the home theater.
Seven new speakers for music and the home theater:
a pair of PSB Image 7PT with powered sub-woofers for the front L/R,
a PSB Image 9C for the center,
a pair of PSB Image 2B for side L/R,
a pair of PSB Ambient II Dipole speakers for the rear L/R.
Seven new speakers for music and the home theater:
a pair of PSB Image 7PT with powered sub-woofers for the front L/R,
a PSB Image 9C for the center,
a pair of PSB Image 2B for side L/R,
a pair of PSB Ambient II Dipole speakers for the rear L/R.
1968. Rogers Ravensbourne Amp & Tuner.
1968. Connoisseur BD2 turntable & arm with a Sure M75E cartridge.
1969. Tannoy IIILZ speakers. Sold in 1981 for a lot more than I paid for them! They are worth even more now, particularly in Japan.
1968. Connoisseur BD2 turntable & arm with a Sure M75E cartridge.
1969. Tannoy IIILZ speakers. Sold in 1981 for a lot more than I paid for them! They are worth even more now, particularly in Japan.
Upgrades:
The Barnes System:
The New York Additions:
After the system went to Australia, and I moved to Barnes in 1985, I needed some new equipment.
This is much the same as it was before I moved to the US, with the addition of:
