ChrisP9
06-25-2007, 09:15 PM
Hello to everyone,
I've been invited to post on the site for the first time, so here goes! It seems I joined this site back in 2003, and promptly forgot all about it! We've moved houses a couple of times since then, and my hi-fi gear hasn't been setup seriously until about three months ago.
I would describe myself as a 'wannabe' musician, my problem being that I cannot co-ordinate anything, particularly my two hands! I tried learning violin and piano many years ago, and managed to achieve couple of certificates. I sang for many years in choirs and choral societies in the UK, until too many cigarettes and too much amber liquid took their toll. I observed a long time ago that I'm a much better listener than a performer, so I stick to that, hence my interest in audio.
My audio setup is mostly old and simple, a bit like me!, but it gives me lots of listening pleasure. I only have a small study for my gear, but again, despite the size and shape of the room, I spend hour upon happy hour listening to my music!
Back in the 70's I invested, what for me at the time was a lot of money, in a Marantz 1060 amplifier which my friends used to drool over! Foolishly I sold it when my marriage broke up and times got a bit hard! These days I have a Marantz 1070 amp that I picked up a few years ago, and I'm very happy with it most of the time. A bit of crackle in the volume control but I can live with that, unless someone can tell me how to fix it? I do like the old style hi-fi gear from the 70's and early 80's. My turntable and receiver are relatively cheap Pioneer models from years ago. The turntable is direct drive, sporting a Shure M75 cartridge, and I'm very very happy with it, tracks perfectly and passes the Shure torture tests with flying colours! I don't consider FM radio in Australia to be 'hi-fi' so I don't expect serious quality from it, but I have setup a dedicated FM antenna to drag in a few extra stations to where I live out in the 'bush'. My speakers are Wharfedales, the Valdus 200 bookshelf model which I bought a while back on ebay, and they are sensational! I've built a couple of sets of speakers over the years, and have been happy with them, the last set however are waiting to be re-built as they vibrate like crazy! When all is said and done, the measure of hi-fi gear is the pleasure it gives you, it doesn't have to cost a fortune, it just has to make you feel rich!
My listening room is also my study, so as well as my hi-fi there are computers and all sorts of other gear. It's cosy and a good environment to concentrate on the work I take home, and also to switch off and listen to good music. These days I fiddle around trying to hook up my laptop to the hi-fi gear. My efforts to convert vinyl to mp3 varies with the type of music, and the amount of time I spend cleaning the vinyl first! I've just invested in a Creative Audigy2 ZS card for my laptop, hopefully that will help improve the sound quality. The software I use, Audacity, is ok I guess, especially the price!, but the settings on the audio input to avoid 'clipping' aren't that good! Maybe I'm going to have to spend some money on a better program.
OK, now you know where I'm at with my setup, so I'll shut up, browse the site, and see what I can learn from all of you.
Cheers, and thanks for the welcome
Chris
I've been invited to post on the site for the first time, so here goes! It seems I joined this site back in 2003, and promptly forgot all about it! We've moved houses a couple of times since then, and my hi-fi gear hasn't been setup seriously until about three months ago.
I would describe myself as a 'wannabe' musician, my problem being that I cannot co-ordinate anything, particularly my two hands! I tried learning violin and piano many years ago, and managed to achieve couple of certificates. I sang for many years in choirs and choral societies in the UK, until too many cigarettes and too much amber liquid took their toll. I observed a long time ago that I'm a much better listener than a performer, so I stick to that, hence my interest in audio.
My audio setup is mostly old and simple, a bit like me!, but it gives me lots of listening pleasure. I only have a small study for my gear, but again, despite the size and shape of the room, I spend hour upon happy hour listening to my music!
Back in the 70's I invested, what for me at the time was a lot of money, in a Marantz 1060 amplifier which my friends used to drool over! Foolishly I sold it when my marriage broke up and times got a bit hard! These days I have a Marantz 1070 amp that I picked up a few years ago, and I'm very happy with it most of the time. A bit of crackle in the volume control but I can live with that, unless someone can tell me how to fix it? I do like the old style hi-fi gear from the 70's and early 80's. My turntable and receiver are relatively cheap Pioneer models from years ago. The turntable is direct drive, sporting a Shure M75 cartridge, and I'm very very happy with it, tracks perfectly and passes the Shure torture tests with flying colours! I don't consider FM radio in Australia to be 'hi-fi' so I don't expect serious quality from it, but I have setup a dedicated FM antenna to drag in a few extra stations to where I live out in the 'bush'. My speakers are Wharfedales, the Valdus 200 bookshelf model which I bought a while back on ebay, and they are sensational! I've built a couple of sets of speakers over the years, and have been happy with them, the last set however are waiting to be re-built as they vibrate like crazy! When all is said and done, the measure of hi-fi gear is the pleasure it gives you, it doesn't have to cost a fortune, it just has to make you feel rich!
My listening room is also my study, so as well as my hi-fi there are computers and all sorts of other gear. It's cosy and a good environment to concentrate on the work I take home, and also to switch off and listen to good music. These days I fiddle around trying to hook up my laptop to the hi-fi gear. My efforts to convert vinyl to mp3 varies with the type of music, and the amount of time I spend cleaning the vinyl first! I've just invested in a Creative Audigy2 ZS card for my laptop, hopefully that will help improve the sound quality. The software I use, Audacity, is ok I guess, especially the price!, but the settings on the audio input to avoid 'clipping' aren't that good! Maybe I'm going to have to spend some money on a better program.
OK, now you know where I'm at with my setup, so I'll shut up, browse the site, and see what I can learn from all of you.
Cheers, and thanks for the welcome
Chris