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System overview Jan 2008 2
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Latest system pic - 14-Feb-2007
Latest system snap.
The speakers are either side of the TV however it isn't really an 'AV system' as such it is primarily 2 channel straight stereo. I have my DVD player plugged into my Hi-Fi via digital optical cable into my CD Recorder to watch/copy the odd music video.
Since 09-Feb-2007 I have replaced the plinth on my LP12 with a light Oak one , hence the upgraded picture.
Current System:
Linn Sondek LP12
Hercules TT PSU
Linn Akito 2B Arm with Denon DL103 MC Cart
Rotel RQ970Bx Phono stage (heavy DIY mods)
Rotel RC/RB1070 pre/power amps
Tascam CD-RW900 cd recorder
Mission 782 speakers (DIY Granite plinths)
Dedicated 'Hi-Fi only' electrical spur.
Mana Acoustics Equipment Rack.
Various (cheap) aftermarket cables.
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System 09-Feb-2007
Latest system snap.
The speakers are either side of the TV hovever it isn't really an 'AV system' as such it is primarily 2 channels stereo and i have my DVD player plugged into my CD recorder to watch/copy the odd music video in straight stereo.
System:
Linn Sondek LP12
Hercules PSU
Akito 2B/ Shure V15VxMR
Rotel Phono stage (heavy DIY mods)
Rotel RC/RB1070 pre/pwr amps
Tascam CD-RW900 cd recorder
Mission 782 speakers
dedicated Hi-Fi electrical spur
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System 04 Jan 2006
Linn Sondek LP12
Akito 2B Tonearm
Shure V15VxMR cart
Rotel RQ970Bx Phono(DIY Modified)
Mana Reference wall shelf]
Rotel RB & RC 1070 Amps
Sony DVD Transport
Rotel RDP 980 stereo DAC
Mana 4 tier amp rack
Mission 782 speakers on DIY 3 layer, rubber de-coupled granite plinths.
Apologies for the artificially lightend picture , just couldn't get enough light into the room for my point'n' shoot camera.
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System side view 10-Jan-2005
Just an updated picture of my Hi-Fi system. The list is as follows:
Linn Sondek LP12 with Moth Flutterbuster/Linn Basik PSU.
Linn Akito Mk2 Tonearm
Denon DL103 MC cartridge
Ortofon T5 MC Transformers
Mana Reference Wall shelf.
Sony DVP- NS305 DVD player (transport)
Rotel RDP980 Stereo DAC
Rotel RC-1070 Pre amp
Rotel RB-1070 Power amp
Teac R560 Cassette deck
All housed on an Atacama Europa Rack
Mission 782 speakers on Mana size 1 Sound bases.
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System Front 10-Jan-2005
Here is a (slightly dark !) front view of my system. This is what i see when I'm having a listen.
You can see that the speakers are about 2.5 metrers apart and sharply 'toed-in'. I think they sound good like this, I've tried other poitions. I have the Bass units facing inwards too.
You can also see my Rack of 'Currently in use' records. The weight of the record rack helps to weigh down and dampen my suspended wooden floor. You can see the Moth flutterbuster PSU to the right of the Pre amp. This is soon going to be housed in a different enclosure that will be housed underneath the record deck.
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Hi-Fi System 26 Nov 2003
The lastest incarnation of my ever evolving Hi-Fi system. This has been the 'in use' system for a few months now.
Sources:
Analogue:
Linn Sondek LP12,DIY 'Geddon' PSU, Akito S2 Arm, Denon DL103 MC cart. Mana 'Phase 2' Reference Soundshelf.
Digital:
Sony DVD NS305 DVD player, Rotel RDP980 DAC.
Amps:
MF X-LPS Phono stage with DIY Y-PSU?, Rotel RC-1070 Pre amp, Rotel RB-1070 stereo Power amp. MF X-Can v1 Headphone amp.
Speakers/Phones:
Mission 782 Floorstanders, firmly attached ( blu-Tac) to High mass, DIY, Granite/silicon rubber/ Air bladder/ cone feet / Plinths.
Beyer-Dynamic DT150 Proffessional Studio monitoring Headphones.
Cables:
Various Aftermarket Commercial and DIY cabling options used throughout- No OEM 'string' leads used.
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'In use' Hi-Fi system 15 APR 2003
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System 03 sep 02
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headphone system 2
For late night listening you can't beat a decent Headphone system. This is mine, it consists of a Pair of Sennheiser HD580 'Phones, a Musical Fidelity X-Can v1 amplifier. This is connected to the Tape output of my NAD 317 Pre-Amp using a DIY interconnect. The DIY i/c is made from a double sheilded twin pair, with Ferrite clamps at each end. The sheild is connected at the Pre-amp end only.This system sounds great even at high volumes.
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Ffrc
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FFRC- Closer
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FFRC Connected
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Voltage Stabiliser
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AV System
A very Basic Set -up consisting of :
Panasonic TX-W32R4DP, 32" WideScreen, Dolby Pro Logic TV
Panasonic NV-F630B Hi-Fi VCR
Sony DVP-NS305 DVD player
Grundig Sky Digital Satellite Box ( Not pictured)
Front L+R speakers are built into TV, Centre and 2 x Rears are plug ins.
This system is more than adequate for my AV needs and won't be expanded in the forseable.
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Audio Technica Arm lift.
I bought this little device second-hand. It is an Automatifc arm lifter and is made by Audio Technica. Basically it converts a fully manual deck like my LP12 into a semi-auto. The Arm lifts at the end of each side however the device is not connected to the arm until the record is finished, neat !.
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Tonearm Re-wire.
He is a more detailed view of my re-wired Linn LVX arm.
I used VdH MS007 teflon jacket, silver plated wire along with Cardas gold plated copper cartridge tags. It sounds as good as new.
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Project 1.,2 in action
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The Headphone System
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Attenuator circuit digram
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NAD Booklet cover
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Suppressor 1
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Suppressor 2
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Rotel Amps
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Teac Cassette deck
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Atacama SE24'S
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System Feb 13 2003a
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System Feb 13 2003b
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Mission 782
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digi front end
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Mission 782 cnnections
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FFRC 16 apr 03
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FFRC 2 16 apr 03
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FFRC 3 16 apr 03
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Atacama Europa Rack
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Electrics study books
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overview
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FM 1
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FM 2
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Hi-Fi Components 22 July 2003
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Akito-Nagaoka MP11-30
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DIY Geddon Clone and Musical Fidelity X-LPS
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Linn Akito-2 with Denon DL 103
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Mission 782 on DIY Air Platform
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Rotel RB-1070 Power Amp
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Rotel RC-1070 Pre Amp
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Sony NV-305 DVDp and Rotel RD-980 DAC
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Speaker Air Plat closer
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System 22 July 2003
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System Showing closer supports
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spooka
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Front
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Speaker wire crimps 1
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Speaker wire crimps 2
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Speaker wire crimps 3
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Some Camera gear
I bought this little lot S/H a while ago, mostly to take pictures of my Fish Tank. Just like my Hi-Fi hobby it expanded from just having a simple camera with one one lens !! I got bogged down during 2002/2003 doing professional Examinations for work and so had to study. I'nm hoping to get back to the Camera and learn a bit more about photography once I've passed all of my exams, hopefully in 2004. Digital cameras are great, 35mm SLR's are more fun though ! Oh yeah forgot to mention, the Camera is an East German Praktica BX20, the lenses are a mixture of Japanese Sigma and German Prakticars/Pentacons. Can't wait to re-read all the books and have another go !! As you can see from the books, I am a firm believer in asking questions and reading up on the subject to get a better idea of how to do things properly.
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LP12 Cleaning
Almost too sad to be true this picture, but i'll explain it anyway. My Linn LP12 TT may not be the most advanced or well specified deck out there , but it looks and sounds good and i kinda like it ! How do i keep it looking good ? with this little lot:
1)Feather duster is a must , stylus guard on !
2)Servisol anti-static spray cleaner to keep the lid nice and clean & static free . I use the Blue stripy 'J' cloths on the lid.
3)T-Cut auto paint restorer is used every now and again to keep my platter rim an almost mirror finish.
4)Lord Sheraton 'Liquid Gold'. I use this on my Afromosia(?) plinth. It is great stuff and really brings out the grain of the wood and alows it to 'breathe'. Applied using the large paint brush- leave to soak in for an hour or so before removing with the Blue paper roll.
5)Carbon brushes for pre-use swish of the records.
6) Audio Technica AT637 Ultrasonic stylus cleaning gizmo- keeps the diamond clean.
7)Last s...
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Various Digital I/C cables
From the centre out:
1) Unknown cable - seller told me it was a TEAC but it was free so i don't care - it works
2)Ecosse 'The Producer' MkII
3) Mark Grant Cables. True 75 ohm digital coax belden broadcast quality cable and Canare crimp plugs
4) DIY Shark cable using &% ohm coax and standard RCA plugs
5) campaign Audion design 'Silurian' 75 ohm Digital I/C.
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Mission Binding posts
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Beyer DT150 cable
Beyer-Dynamic DT150 3 core cable, who makes it ? and who sells it off the reel, by the metre/foot ?
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TV Aerials
Another boring shot. OK here we see my TV Aerials. The difference being that i installed them all myself. Quite scary being perched at the top of a 25 foot ladder with a big metal pole containing Two large antenna's. Top one is a Group C/D horizontal for Channel 1,2,3 & 4. Bottom one is Vertical class A for Chan 5. Both connected together using a diplexer (the little box). As you can imagine they are lined up to their respective transmitters with pinpoint accuracy :-). My Satellite man said this was i an ideal place to put the sky dish , so up it went too !
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Cheapo speaker wire
I've not used cheap 'Bellwire' type speaker cable for over 15 years. Just for fun i thought i'd buy some more and try it out again.
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Bellwire Terminated
As you can see I haven't bothered with any fancy plugs. I have just tinned the ends with solder to stop them fraying and identified the channels with electrical tape.
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Bell wire on Mission
Here you can see that i have connected up the bellwire onto my Mission 782 speakers. I have gone for a single wired configuration and wired staright through. Looks pretty weedy eh ? lets see what it sounds like , I'm not expecting very much from it.
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Mission 782 on Mana Sound Base
Decided to give a bit of Mana a go under my Mission speakers. I am using a pair of Mana sound bases. They seem to work quite well and are certainly smaller than my previous High mass plinths.
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Granite+cones
Here is the bottom of one of my Granite speaker plinth bases. As you can see I have just used 3 metal cones for support, this minimises the contact area and is also self levelling. To minimise any risk of tipping i have placed some rubber feet in the 'un-used' corners. These feet make no contact with the floor in normal use and are about 1-2mm shorter than the cones. If the plinth gets knocked or tilted though then they will prevent it tipping over as the rubber feet will soon contact the floor.
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Rotel RDP 980 Circuit Board
This is a picture of the Circuit board inside my Rotel RDP-980 DAC. I don't know why i took it really, just being nosey i think. It seems that Rotel have given more than just a little thought to it though as the board is liberally sprinkled with over 30 top class Rubicon Black Gate capacitors, and they don't come cheap these days.
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Rotel RQ970BX internal
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Rotlel RQ970BX installed
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Okki Nokki Paraphinalia
My new Okki Nokki RCM. Here you can see some of the stuff to support the cleaning operation.
i) 5 litres of pure RO water. This water is available from all good aquarium specialist shops. Mine is force filtered through a 4 stage filter system, then passes through a de-ionising resin filter to remove the last traces of contaminants. (cost 80p for 5 litres).
ii) Lart du Son Record Cleaner concentrate. Biodegradable and so stored in my fridge when not in use. You get about 90ml in a bottle which is enough to make up 5 litres of ready to use fluid.
iii) Ready Mix/Made up fluid. Stored in brown 500ml medicine bottles, to better preserve it. Store in a cool dark place (fridge) then let it come up to room temp just prior to use.
iv) soft plastic Pipette to administer the fluid to the record.
v)5ml Oral syringe to measure the Concentrated fluid to the RO water ( 18-20ml per litre of RO water, or 9-10ml per 500ml)
vi) Cleaning brushes & pads. The supplied wooden Okki Nokki...
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Women !
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LP12 - Eroica- Mana 3
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Linn Akito Cueing device
I had a problem with the lift/lower cueing device on my Linn Akito 2B tonearm. I thought i'd strip it down for a look. No obvious damage so i jut think i need new silicone lubricant.
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Cueing Device inner piston
No obvious damage here. The right angle at the bottom should be sharp and well defined with no obvious signs of wear, or notches.
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Shiny LP12-DL110
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DSCF0099
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DSCF0100
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New LP12 Plinth
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New LP12 Plinth 2
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Turntable Rig
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6094203 o
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DSCF0173
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DSCF0169
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DSCF0174
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DSCF0175
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RHQ-10 input resistors
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SG1L0672
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SG1L0671
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ELa Snapshot
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Rega ELa Drivers
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System overview side Jan 2008
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System rack Jan 2008
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KEL84 just too tall for Mana
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LP12
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Tascam CD-RW900
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Rotel Michi Phono
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KEL84
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Rega ELa
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Rega ELa 2
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Turntable Rig 1
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GSX600F -2
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WAD Kit34 Amplifier
This is my newly aquired World Audio Designs Kit34 integrated amplifier. I bought it as a non working unit and managed to fix the fault fairly quickly , it was just a single broken solder joint.
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