Hi-Fi old and new


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Until I saw the Comet speakers I thought I might have sold you that system in the 70's lol. I used to work at Laskys on lower parliament st, next door to the Miltons Head pub and the Golden Egg cafe.

It was the early 90’s not 80's. He apparently retired. If he sold out or went bust I don’t know but he set up another company. If you google it you’ll find it. I was mad keen on hifi once and had a Le

Hi Letsav... My speakers have been the same for over 20 years.  I won a pair of Rogers Studio 3 from Hi Fi World Magazine around 1995 ish.  They are a small infinite baffle design, based on the c

  • 1 year later...

This is a topic I like:

I started with a $20.00 little am / fm radio with turn-table on top. Next came a Macy's stereo built in turn-table, two seperate speakers, my first stereo. Then with $500.00 in hand, I bought a Fisher 203 amp / tuner (long Island) - 8-track player - two speakers (unknown brand) and a turn-table. Got a job and a brand new stereo - Pioneer SX-750 - two tempest speakers made by ESS company - Heil - Transducer - Pioneer PL-117-D turn-table - SX-2300 - reel to reel. This was 1974 - 1975 - 1976.

Right now:

ESS - Rock Monitors 3's - Speakers - 1975

Technics -SL-1200MK2 - Turntable

Akai - Amp - Reference-Series - AM-93 1989

Akai - Cassette Player - GK-75 - Cassette Player - Reference Series - 1989

Akai - CD - 79 CD Player - 1989

Back up classic system:

Pioneer - CT-9191 - Cassette Player - 1976 - Before this I had a CT - 7272 - upgraded to the CT-9191 - I always wanted this model

Pioneer - SX - 950 - Amp / Turner - 1975 - 1976 (Bought on E-Bay)

Pioneer - PL-117-D - 1976 - (found this on E-Bay - this is my second one - I gave away my SX-750 and my original PL-117-D)

I always wanted a Pioneer SX - 1200 amp / tuner ..... just because - but never found one that wasn't beat to crap.....I was there when they first came out in the store......for $1,200......I loved to look at it.....never really needed it......160rms per ch - rattle your windows! I was so much younger then.........not the best sound system in the world - but everything I need or could want.

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I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but there is a company who make the old style Marantz tube amps, these were very much sought after years back, but alas were pretty expensive.

Marantz was having a warehouse clear out and tendered for bids on pallet upon pallet of old components that were gathering dust. Audio transformers, HV capacitors, inductors, mains transformers, tubes and sockets.

The bid was won by an enterprising feller who set out to build Marantz's tube amps, both mono and stereo.

Problem is cost, at a couple of thousand for a stereo preamp and four grand for a stereo amp...way out my range

He purchased the rights to manufacture and stamp them Marantz too.

Some of the components are new, capacitors are of the modern types as the old paper ones will be pretty leaky after thirty odd years.

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For value:

Technics SL -1100A Direct Drive Turntable

Technics SB -660 Speakers

Pioneer SA 9500 Amp.

PioneerTX 9500

Pioneer CT- F7171 Cassette player

All purchased in 1973 Tax free in Germany. (for `peanuts' Have travelled around the world with me (now in Australia) and are as good as new. 40 years young and still perfect.

PD M423 added (Pioneer) when compact discs came out.

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Here's a page of Marantz audio gear, check out the amp at nearly 40,000 bucks!!!! Must be pretty sought after!!!

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I have a Microwave (Or rather my mum has) that I bought in 1982/3 when I was on shifts at Pork Farms, used every day since firstly, for a family of 5, and going down as we left the family abode, but it is still in perfect working order.

Just been re reading this thread and , sad to say, my Mums microwave gave up the ghost not long after that post, shes had two since then !! (As have I for that matter)

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  • 8 months later...

Until I saw the Comet speakers I thought I might have sold you that system in the 70's lol. I used to work at Laskys on lower parliament st, next door to the Miltons Head pub and the Golden Egg cafe. My first system was a Yamaha Sa600 amp, Technics Sl2000 turntable with shure M95ed cartridge and Ambassador speakers which I soon upgraded to Kef caprice 2's I also had an Audiotronic dolby cassette deck (Lasky's own cost £39) oh and a pair of Sennheiser HD424 headphones. I remember selling Kid Jenson a pair of Koss headphones when he left radio trent to join Radio 1. He had to provide his own headphones apparently.

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Talking of Hi Fi. I used to love Nottingham Tape Recorders in Trinity Square.

My close friend bought two lovely Ferrograph machines from there in the late 60's.

Ferrographs were fantastic UK made tape recorders that weighed a ton and were described as being built like battleships.

I bought a second hand Ferrograph Logic 7 a couple of years back and after some refurbishment it now works as it should.

Amazing piece of vintage kit.

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  • 5 years later...
  • 8 months later...

...And another thing!!!

 

On my favourite Hi Fi site, quite a few people are using the very nice record players made by the late Tom Fletcher at his workshop in Underwood.

 

7197b_m.jpg

Tom's company was called 'Nottingham Analogue'.. and it's really annoying how many people insist on shortening this to Notts Analogue, when  we all know Notts is the abbreviation for Nottinghamshire and the accepted abbreviation for Nottingham is Nottm.  Naturally, I correct them all.  Not that I'm picky you understand... :rolleyes:

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So after you told us of the cost of a stylus I shudder to think about the price of that. It's got to be absolutely amazing ennit - like, you know, just sayin...

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That's the Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck. It's very nice and it's essentially hand made, though I've never been moved to buy one...  I've maybe not heard it in the right context.  A thing of beauty. It's pretty innovative, in having a solid cast Iron platter, a 'unipivot' arm of Tom's own manufacture and a 'permanent stall' motor so that you start or stop the rotartion by hand.   It's the cheapest of Tom's designs and comes in at £1500, which compares very favourably with players in a similar league, such as the Michell Gyrodec, the entry level Linn LP 12 (which can go up to about £18k in it's fully specced rip off version..), or the classier Regas.  Generally speaking, a worthwhile 'budget' player will come in around the £300 mark, a good 'mid price' one between say £500 and £1500, a top end model at around £3-5k and the 'money no object glam-fi' stuff such as Rockports et.al. anything up to £50k or higher.. Current price for my Michell Orbe (Which I did not pay...) is £3900, plus £800+ for the tonearm and £1200 for the cartridge/stylus. I make that £5900.. which is probably about the cost of following a Premier League footy team for a year.  And I still have the player at the end of the year....  :)

 

Here..  fill yer boots..  https://dougbradyhifi.com/collections/vinyl-turntable

 

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5 hours ago, DJ360 said:

That's the Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck. It's very nice and it's essentially hand made, though I've never been moved to buy one...  I've maybe not heard it in the right context.  A thing of beauty. It's pretty innovative, in having a solid cast Iron platter, a 'unipivot' arm of Tom's own manufacture and a 'permanent stall' motor so that you start or stop the rotartion by hand.   It's the cheapest of Tom's designs and comes in at £1500, which compares very favourably with players in a similar league, such as the Michell Gyrodec, the entry level Linn LP 12 (which can go up to about £18k in it's fully specced rip off version..), or the classier Regas.  Generally speaking, a worthwhile 'budget' player will come in around the £300 mark, a good 'mid price' one between say £500 and £1500, a top end model at around £3-5k and the 'money no object glam-fi' stuff such as Rockports et.al. anything up to £50k or higher.. Current price for my Michell Orbe (Which I did not pay...) is £3900, plus £800+ for the tonearm and £1200 for the cartridge/stylus. I make that £5900.. which is probably about the cost of following a Premier League footy team for a year.  And I still have the player at the end of the year....  :)

 

Here..  fill yer boots..  https://dougbradyhifi.com/collections/vinyl-turntable

 

Crazy prices now whish I had bought a dozen SME3009 arms back in the seventies or a few Garrard 401 Turntables when they cost around £35, why the price? idler wheel drive goes against all modern Hi Fi  principles. !!!!

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TD 150s are well regarded, but not as well as the TD 124s.. which are closer to the Garrard 301/401 tradition and used for broadcat work.  I have an SME 3009 on a player I built from an old Lenco B55.  I use it for playing 78s.

 

A good Garrard 301/401, or a Thorens TD 124, with a good arm and cartridge, will still 'whup' many modern players.

 

I sold an 'new old stock' Shure V15 III stylus for almost £100 on Ebay a while back.  I got about £7O for a new unused V15 Cartridge. 

 

That said, I presently use a Dynavector 17D3 moving coil cartridge which retails around £1200.  I got a few quid off by trading in my 17D2.

 

Yer pays yer money.....

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I knew Tom Fletcher of Nottingham Analog quite well. For a period of time in the 1980’s I’d go regularly to his home/workshop in Underwood where he had a listening room setup and held ‘demo’ evenings on Tuesdays. His home was a converted dairy and very nice too. Without doubt the best HiFi I’ve ever heard in my life. Tom was a very pleasant guy. I lost touch and was saddened to learn he died. I didn’t know he’d been ill and it was a shock to find out when I called in to see him when passing his place one time. I believe he’d sold or somehow parted with NA prior to his death. Not sure who runs it now.

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Yes, I visited Tom a couple of times in the 90s and also chatted to him at shows.  He was a very quiet and unassuming chap who often used to say. "all we are trying to do is create a little bit of music".. or words to that effect. I too am not sure what happened to his 'brand', but I'll make enquiries and report back.

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9 hours ago, letsavagoo said:

I knew Tom Fletcher of Nottingham Analog quite well. For a period of time in the 1980’s I’d go regularly to his home/workshop in Underwood where he had a listening room setup and held ‘demo’ evenings on Tuesdays. His home was a converted dairy and very nice too. Without doubt the best HiFi I’ve ever heard in my life. Tom was a very pleasant guy. I lost touch and was saddened to learn he died. I didn’t know he’d been ill and it was a shock to find out when I called in to see him when passing his place one time. I believe he’d sold or somehow parted with NA prior to his death. Not sure who runs it now.

It was the early 90’s not 80's. He apparently retired. If he sold out or went bust I don’t know but he set up another company. If you google it you’ll find it. I was mad keen on hifi once and had a Leak stereo 20 valve amp but sold it when I made a transistor JHL which sounded better but that was a quick build test rig which I dismantled to rebuild neatly and still haven’t finished it. That was about 8 years ago. It will be neat though!

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OK, I asked on Pinkfishmedia and these are the replies so far:

 

https://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/nottingham-analogue.236615/#post-3878099

 

Col

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What speakers do you use Col. I have all the wood cut for a pair of folded horns. Haven’t got the drivers yet. I’ll put them together with my son. I need his help as my hands are not too good and the timber is quite heavy. 

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