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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Hifi, Lofi - Show us What you Listen With…...

    Hobbies and Pastimes
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    • Stuart.TS
      Stuart.T
      Raw and Unwashed
      Joined:

      I ALWAYS made sure I wore ear plugs when going to see bands, being in bands, or going to clubs. My friends used to laugh at me. They now have serious tinnitus (one of them contributed to a national research study, and for a time his tinnitus was so bad he felt suicidal). 8 have occasional tinnitus but my hearing is generally ok.

      With regards to high end hifi, I always used to popo it until I sat in a sound room in an appointment only hifi store in central London (while only waiting for a pair of speaker cables to be made up). The demo guy played me a £20,000 home hifi system. It blew me away. The soundstanging was insane.

      That said, the performance of a system will always be limited to the room/environment in which it is used, and the audio literacy of the listener. As with all things, understanding and taste can be developed over years of listening, just like appreciation of good food, drink, and anything of high quality. High cost does not always equate to high quality either.

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      • FadezF
        Fadez
        啓蒙家
        Joined:

        Hey everyone. This thread is pretty cool. I’m a big Audio guy so here is my set up!

        So I use my MacBook Pro to make and listen to music. It’s gets sent through my Apogee Duet to Focal Alpha 55s propped up on some Auralex foam. And if I need to be quiet that I listen on my DT880 open back head phones. Hope you enjoy

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        • Bfd70B
          Bfd70
          Raw and Unwashed
          Joined:

          No school like the old school.

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          • organisysO
            organisys
            Raw and Unwashed
            Joined:

            Considering some upgrades…..

            Pride of Japan :-)

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            • organisysO
              organisys
              Raw and Unwashed
              Joined:

              Some nice Bowers and Wilkins floor standers added. Next a new amp I think, maybe a Bluesound streamer.
              I added a Tidal subscription too, well worth it.
              🙂

              Pride of Japan :-)

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              • Stuart.TS
                Stuart.T
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

                Ooh, nice, I only have BW headphones but they are very good. Any pics soon?

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                • Stuart.TS
                  Stuart.T
                  Raw and Unwashed
                  Joined:

                  Upgraded my system this week… Rega Apollo CD player and Rega DAC R. The combination sounds incredible, the DAC really tightens the low end up. Sounds like a live performance in my living room. Saving for a Rega Brio R integrated amp next. 99% of their materials are sourced from the UK, and the casing, transformers, and other components are manufactured and built 5 miles from my home.



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                  • organisysO
                    organisys
                    Raw and Unwashed
                    Joined:

                    B&W 683s2 and CA-CXA60

                    Pride of Japan :-)

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                    • Stuart.TS
                      Stuart.T
                      Raw and Unwashed
                      Joined:

                      @organisys nice set up. How are the Bowers & Wilkins speakers? I have Rega rx3, but I'm in the market for an upgrade. Also is that a record clamp on top of the speaker?

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                      • organisysO
                        organisys
                        Raw and Unwashed
                        Joined:

                        Speakers are a big upgrade from my previous 30 year old Wharfdale Deltas. Better control, detail and separation of instruments, especially at the very top and very low end. My tastes are mostly electronica and the B&W excel at detail and control so they suit me, especially as I enjoy subtle and detailed production on tracks.

                        The Cambridge compliments this, has a very open and clean sound. Built in DAC was a big benefit for me as I am using Digital Coax out from a Sonos Connect to play FLAC files. Plus I can connect my TV using SPDIF. I streamed Wonder Woman (4k) at the weekend for a bit of light entertainment and the soundtrack sounded great!

                        I also have a Misson Subwoofer, but it's not really needed anymore…cut off set to 40hz and low gain. Only comes into play sometimes for movies or Dub or some Drum and Bass.

                        How's your new amp ? 🙂

                        Pride of Japan :-)

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                        • Stuart.TS
                          Stuart.T
                          Raw and Unwashed
                          Joined:

                          I didn't get a new amp yet. I'm running my new , Rega Planar 6, Rega Apollo, and Rega DAC R through my Cyrus 6 SE using a Chord Company coax.

                          The DAC brings everything together and tightens the bass nicely. It sounds much less woolly than my previous Cyrus 6 SE CD player. The sound stage produced by the Apollo is beautiful. I'm working my way through favourite discs as it's like hearing them again for the first time.

                          Nest up is a Rega Brio R integrated amp. I auditioned the Apollo through a Brio R, and it was (for my budget and tastes) perfection.

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                          • organisysO
                            organisys
                            Raw and Unwashed
                            Joined:

                            Sorry, I misread your post. Only issue I have is with some of my favorite older discs or rips is that now I can hear bad production or mastering more easily, which has disappointed on occasion…

                            Pride of Japan :-)

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                            • Stuart.TS
                              Stuart.T
                              Raw and Unwashed
                              Joined:

                              @organisys I finally bought a new integrated amplifier. I went with the Rega Elex R and a Lehmann Linear phono pre amp.

                              I spent 2 hours in the audition room at my favourite hifi store. Pure bliss. It has really elevated and brought everything together. I like the natural sound the Rega components bring. It works well with Rock, Jazz, Soul, classical, anything I throw at it really.

                              Like you have found though, it isn't kind to poor or damaged recordings. The flip side though is it is like listening to familiar recordings all over again. It keeps making me literally jump when I notice minor details that were lost before.

                              I'm purely an analogue person, so don't own a streamer (I don't understand the concept of not owning a physical copy… What will people listen to in 30 years when the tech and downloads are obsolete? I just sold 1200 cds for 4 figures - good luck investing in downloads people).

                              I'll try and upload some picks later.

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                              • organisysO
                                organisys
                                Raw and Unwashed
                                Joined:

                                Nice! Glad to hear it has worked out well for you. I do own a lot of CDs and some older vinyl. With my favorite or often played music I prefer to buy the CD and rip myself using FLAC, and then store on a NAS drive (server).

                                Myself and the wife (and now kids) can access all of the music, plus Tidal using Sonos. The convenience is great.  One thing I like is the ability to build playlists of tracks from multiple sources and shuffle through them at leisure. Plus you can sync the music in multiple rooms.

                                Only downside to Sonos is the resolution tops out at 16bit/44khz on the DAC, and there are obviously affordable more high resolution streamers available now…......maybe later...

                                I was listening to some Drum and Bass yesterday, and like you say it is nice to find new details and nuances is familiar tracks.

                                🙂

                                Pride of Japan :-)

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                                • Stuart.TS
                                  Stuart.T
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

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                                  • den1mheadD
                                    den1mhead
                                    Raw and Unwashed
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                                    ^ Delicious set up ^

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                                    • mclaincauseyM
                                      mclaincausey
                                      見習いボス
                                      Joined:

                                      @Stuart.T:

                                      @organisys
                                      I'm purely an analogue person, so don't own a streamer (I don't understand the concept of not owning a physical copy… What will people listen to in 30 years when the tech and downloads are obsolete? I just sold 1200 cds for 4 figures - good luck investing in downloads people).

                                      All physical media degrade–many of those CDs you sold won't work in 30 years either.

                                      Best bet is probably some kind of checksummed digital transcription (like FLAC) that's archived on a redundant system.

                                      Think it, be it.

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                                      • AdamJA
                                        AdamJ
                                        IHUK Crew
                                        Joined:

                                        Long live mp3!!!!

                                        The devil is in the detail..

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                                        • Stuart.TS
                                          Stuart.T
                                          Raw and Unwashed
                                          Joined:

                                          @mclaincausey:

                                          @Stuart.T:

                                          @organisys
                                          I'm purely an analogue person, so don't own a streamer (I don't understand the concept of not owning a physical copy… What will people listen to in 30 years when the tech and downloads are obsolete? I just sold 1200 cds for 4 figures - good luck investing in downloads people).

                                          All physical media degrade–many of those CDs you sold won't work in 30 years either.

                                          Best bet is probably some kind of checksummed digital transcription (like FLAC) that's archived on a redundant system.

                                          I have cds issued in 1987, and vinyl records issued in the early 1960s.ive also owned 78s issued in the mid 1920s. If cared for and stored properly they retain their integrity.

                                          Go look at the artistic licence for digital media. You own neither the format nor the content, even if you have paid for and downloaded it.

                                          The music and media companies have done an amazing job of convincing the public that they should pay the same for less. It is pretty much a given in the audiophile world that hi res digital is purely about convenience, not quality or longevity.

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                                          • Stuart.TS
                                            Stuart.T
                                            Raw and Unwashed
                                            Joined:

                                            https://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-digital-content-20160513-snap-story.html

                                            It is contributing to the upsurge in vinyl record sales, and now also CD and cassette sales.

                                            Rip music you own in a physical format as well, go for it. Only buy the digital format, who knows when it might be removed.

                                            The litmus test to this discussion will only be realised in 30 years, when I am still playing my records and cds without issue, and passing the increasingly valuable ones on to my son (who thankfully loves music too).

                                            Ultimately, like most things, the important thing is to remain informed, then make a decision as to what is the right choice for you individually.

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