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  1. Further Information: I am selling my iconic Shindo Laboratory Western Electric 300b limited mono block amplifiers in immaculate condition. I really struggled with the idea of selling these, to the point that I would get them out of the system to photograph, have second thoughts and put them back. Unfortunately due to having to buy a house in this inflated market means that they have to go to a new owner to enjoy. There is plenty of information online, however my observations are that they are not your typical 300b as although they retain all of the 300b character, they are dynamic and hugely revealing when needed. Recent production Shindo WE300b Ltd amplifiers do not come up for sale in this condition very often, let alone in Australia and are now almost impossible to get as no longer produced. Dead quiet on my very sensitive horns. All original NOS tubes: W.E.300B (made in 1988) x 2, RCA 5R4 x 2, Western Electric 310a x 2, Millard CV 181 grey glass x 2. Included in the sale are additional NOS matching RCA 5R4 x 2, NOS WE310a x 2 and a pair of matched new production WE300b's. I have been using the new production 300b's and keeping the original WE300b's for special occasions. "It was 1979 that we produced a single ended power amplifier with 300B. Since then we made every effort to refine this original model. Advanced circuit and selected parts result in a natural presence and dynamic sound reproduction. We recommend using very efficient loudspeakers of more than 90dB and Max input lass than 50 watt." Effective output Power:8W in class A. Input Level controller is fitted. Input (Cannon Jack/ XLR) Unbalanced, Input Sensitivity/Impedance:1V/120KΩ. Total Harmonic Distortion:0.1%. Signal to Noise Ratio:110dB. Intermodulation Distortion:0.09%. Frequency response:20-30,000Hz ±3dB @ 1watt output. Power Consumption:80W. Power requirements:AC 117V or 220-230V 50/60Hz. 240v Dimensions:W 405×H 220×D 260mm. Weight:19.5Kg. Output Tube: W.E.300B (made in 1988) All the original packing, EU power cords and paperwork are included.
    29 points
  2. I was an audiophile from around age 7, though I never knew it until around age 17-18. I was given no choice, as Dad was an audiophile, and I am glad for that. I still recall talking with him at around age 11 or 12 about which tweeters sounded better - from memory it was a choice between Realistic bullet tweeters and some generic ones he'd pinched from some other generic loudspeakers (likely picked up for a few dollars at one of the trash and treasure markets). Fortunately, his ear became more refined in the years that followed and I learned to appreciate good sound. I found myself a few short years later with my own system. As we lived in an old Victorian home, we were blessed with stupidly big bedrooms and I got to experiment with speaker and listening positioning, and spent hundreds of hours extracting the best sound possible, all before the internet and the distractions of gaming and particular websites that teenage boys probably spend hundreds of hours on now instead. I loved the music then more than ever. It was all new. The music of the time was everything to me, but then discovering decades of music that predated me, it was like an endless ocean. I'd picked up guitar by now, and then fell in love with the bass. Playing in a band led me to the studio, and after just one rehearsal session I eyed the other side of the window - the desk! For me, that was it. I wanted to be an audio engineer. The very next Saturday I was volunteering at the studio, and every Saturday after that. For me, school was just something I had to get through each week before I could get back to the studio. It was here I learned about room acoustics. I remember thinking Neal (the owner and engineer) was absolutely mad. He was walking around the room talking about bass nodes, and talking about where instruments were placed on what I believed to be a ficticious 'soundstage'. But like looking at 3D images for the first time, the ones where you have to make yourself go cross-eyed, and then miraculously it appears, the same happened to me one Saturday afternoon. It was like I had gone from listening to dual mono, sound from the L and sound from the R, to this blended sound that had 180 degree placement. It was an absolute revelation, and made me have to go back and relisten to everything I'd ever heard. Some years earlier, Dad had picked me up a portable record player. Cheap, plastic junk, from the same trash and treasure market he'd found all his other treasures. It was faded baby blue, and had a needle I reckon you couldn't break if you tried. It ran on D size batteries and someone had left a set in the player for a few years - a bit of a mess. My task was to pull the thing apart and make it work again. I'd never touched a soldering iron before then, but knew how it worked and what it did. I spent the day bringing it back to life, and the only record I had was a 45 RPM Theme from Local Hero, Going Home - Mark Knofler. I didn't know the song at the time. I can't quite recall whether it had one or two speakers. I think one may have been lost prior. After firing it up for the first time, I still recall that exact moment I clumsily dropped the needle into the groove, and while the sound was likely worse than even the cheapest Bluetooth speakers of today, I was emotional. That song, to this day, remains one of my most treasured tracks, and can still bring a tear to my eye like it did that day. I sat out under the carport listening to it over and over again. That moment probably shaped my entire life, at least on the career side. In the ensuing years, my love of audio continued beyond working in the recording studio, but after studying mechanical engineering (boring), and unsuccessfully applying for audio engineering courses, I turned my attention to cars and my love of audio. Mid-20's I'd opened a large car audio shop. This is where I really learned about active crossovers, DSP, acoustics (yes), and eventually founded the largest national competition for (automotive) sound quality. Complete with trained judges, and travelling all around the country running events. We even built Australia's "loudest car" - a Mini panel van with 4 x custom built 15" woofers, 20,000w RMS of power, 16 batteries, 4" thick concrete floor and 2" thick perspex windows. I think there was enough cable in the system to stretch from Melbourne to Albuury. That record stood for many years. We learned so much about sound and how it works through those projects. It was a great time, even if just for the social side of it, which much like StereoNET itself today, brought together like-minded people who often felt isolated with their chosen hobby. @Keith_W, @~Spyne~, @Sierra were around for some/all of that fun. Life goes on, and you start spending less time in cars and more in your home by the time you start your own family. It was now I revisited hi-fi, and that journey was documented here in threads shortly after I started Planet Audio / StereoNET. My first real speakers were Genesis III that I picked up from the classifieds here, from IIRC, @fatgen. Many of you saw my journey that then followed - endless upgrades, sidegrades, and as @Dr.Funk so eloquently described, lack of direction. My knowledge grew fast, and it had to as StereoNET itself evolved. I was fortunate to play with an endless selection of gear, and as part of my job, travel much of the world hearing some of the "greatest" systems. Some were many times the cost of my home - and equally, many of them were really not that impressive. Without understanding much of the scientific background of how and why things do what they do, but instead relying on ears alone, I think it's a long way to travel to get to the same destination. Those with a good understanding of science, tend to arrive faster - this I've come to learn and observe on StereoNET over the years. Still, in all those upgrades and system evolutions, not once did I again experience that emotional response like I did to Local Hero that afternoon. That way my holy grail. It was like a drug I was craving and just wanted to feel that again, no matter the financial cost. Then the actual world changed, and mine did too. A pandemic sent us all into our homes, and hi-fi became an even more enjoyable interest for many, and a brand new interest for even more. The forum traffic was in overdrive. Despite all our extra time, we couldn't even keep up with the New Member Introduction approvals, and the amount of mail order buying/selling going on in the classifieds. I spent more time listening to my own system then ever before. Then I got COVID, and a double ear infection on the end of it. Then another double ear infection a few months later. And finally, a third bout in late 2021. This last one took its toll. My ears never really felt like they cleared up and after a few visits to an ENT and then an audiologist, it was confirmed - my hearing had taken a beating. Compounding the problem was everyone was wearing masks, and all of a sudden I had gone from what I considered to be an audiophile's ear (you know we can hear better than everyone else!), to barely making out what people were saying and having to turn the TV volume up a few more clicks than usual. I went soul-searching, and to a degree, what would seem to trivial for others, felt life-changing for me. How could someone who runs a Hi-Fi website, reviews equipment and makes a living from audio, have hearing damage. To me it was a like a champion marathon runner losing a leg. It was dark and lonely. Something I still haven't talked about openly until now. Obviously I stopped reviewing equipment, and I entirely fell out of love with audio and music. Things just didn't sound the same anymore. About this time last year, I was driving home from the audiologist on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. I'd just been told my upper frequency hearing loss was likely permanent, and I was contemplating my future. I couldn't help but feel a bit like an imposter. An audiophile with hearing loss! I was contemplating selling StereoNET, all my gear, and looking for a new direction in life, so devestating was the news to me. As I wound down the window for fresh air, lo and behold, you'll never guess what track came on the radio - the only time I have ever heard it played on radio my entire life. Going Home, Theme from Local Hero. The emotion came flooding back. As I cranked it up, it was like I imagine a shot of heroin must feel like to an addict - I felt the warmth totally envelop me from head to toe. The weight on my shoulders had lifted, the sun was shining, the car was floating on clouds, and the tears rolled down my face. This, was what I had been chasing for around thirty years. It was being played back on a sub-par car radio, and yet, it didn't matter one bit. It wasn't about the sound. It was about the music, and those tracks that grip you like a vice, but comfort you with a warm embrace just the same. Despite the setback, my love of audio has not wavered, but my love of the music itself has taken over. It took me quite some time (and still is) to adjust to what is the new normal for me, and to what things sound like now. I almost need to forget what I already know and how I remember things sounding. The human brain is exceptional at adapting, and even better at filling in blanks over time. I no longer care so much if it's pinpoint accurate, or if the snare sounds like that one I mic'd up and recorded one Saturday afternoon decades ago back at the studio. To answer the question posed by the OP, "Did your pursuit for "perfection" die over time?" No, but I learned over time that it had always been about the music. It just took me 30 years and a medical issue to realise. If you've read this far, then thank you. It's taken me quite some time and courage to put this out there on the forum.
    25 points
  3. Long awaited YG Acoustics Summit speakers in beautiful Ebony finish landed in Australia!
    23 points
  4. A little blood rush to the head on Sunday resulted in a vastly different view from the chair. The way the mcm drawers hide the cables is quite satisfying!! I also finally got a couple of prints hung with space between for some diffusion at some stage in the near future.
    22 points
  5. The PS Audio FR20 speakers still amaze me with every listen, and I’d guess the supporting cast helps also
    19 points
  6. Further Information: Line Magnetic's biggest horn speakers they make, purchased in early 2021 to display at the Melbourne Hifi show. I had to terminate the distribution agreement with Line Magnetic so these never made it to the show. They have been used in our workshop so are perfectly functional however dusty and may be a little bruised in places. They come with the grills, cables and manuals. We no longer have any use or room for these anymore and I want to move them on ASAP so am open to offers/swaps/proposals - send me something and you may be surprised. Strictly pickup only and you'll need to organise this yourself - note they are around 1m wide, 1m deep and a little over 2m tall. Photos below of them setup in my listening room and final shot showing them waiting for you in our workshop.
    19 points
  7. I stumbled upon this thread but find it so relevant to where I'm at now. I 'got it bad', and was on the endless cycle of upgrades for around 10 years - the same I've witnessed so many here do. At some point I cared less about the music and more about the gear. In COVID times, with more time on my hands, I started appreciating the music again which led me to look deeper, and realise I cared for the music more than the gear - but only after a certain point. The law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point. Perhaps it's advice for newcomers to the hobby - set your ceiling early on - your limit you can afford in the quest for good sound. Stick to it, and spend the rest on what you will consume with it. How much one can afford and/or justify will differ from one person to the next, of course. I've seen too many become too (over?) invested, and then fall out of love with the hobby entirely. I can think of a handful of prominent members over the years who completely moved on for this very reason. I'm simplifying my system these days and designing a system around our needs and how we live in a new home that we are in the design stages of. But I've stopped analysing the sound and started appreciating the music once again. Most of the stuff I like is not "audiophile" production and recording quality, and it stopped me listening to it for a few years. I've missed it.
    18 points
  8. It's been a long time between updates (circa 2020 to be exact) as life, family and work has taken up a lot of my time and shifted my priorities. My old setup is here: My humble system - now with added Polymax XHD! - Page 5 | Showcase Your System & Build Threads (stereonet.com) I was fortunate to move house just before Christmas and have recently finished setting up my audio gear in the new house. 2 channel Front and centre remains the lovely JDM Sansui AU-alpha 907MR with 33kg and 160WPC of Tamura, Elna Silmic Alpha Super Gold, Riken and WBT powered sonic bliss. Unfortunately the Sansui is too deep for the built-in entertainment unit, so my wife piped up and suggested that I simply plonk it on top as it "doesn't look half bad anyway". Suffice to say, she only had to say this once! I recently sold my beloved Elite Aesthet 1 Mk 2 speakers which I had a long love affair with. In their place reside a beautiful pair of Legacy Studio HD speakers with a bespoke 8" silver-carbon weave woofer and AMT tweeter. https://legacyaudio.com/products/view/studio-hd The cabinets are super inert and beautifully finished in a deep gloss metallic black pearl paint. The Legacy speakers take no prisoners, with a very clean, clear and articulate presentation. The clarity is just amazing and never fails to bring a smile to my face. These standmounts can really get up and boogie when asked with dynamics that surprise given their size, but they are equally adept at lower level listening where they provide superb insight into the music. Concealed in the entertainment unit is my digital front end. The source remains the venerable Squeezebox Touch with EDO enhanced USB output and Gieseler power supply, sending the zeroes and ones to a Gieseler Kompakt DAC, which spits out its analogue sweetness via DIY Neutrik and Van Damme XLR cables to the "power amp direct" inputs on the Sansui. Very, very happy with the sound of this setup. The Legacy speakers truly show what the upstream gear is capable of. My restored Technics SL-120 turntable with SME-3009 tonearm and Denon DL110 cart is still packed away for the time being. Home theater On the home theatre front, the new room came pre-fitted with in-wall speakers and a receiver. Rather than mucking around and integrating the home theatre setup with my 2 channel rig, I'm quite happy keeping them separate. However to make this perform to my satisfaction, I scored a lovely Onkyo TX-NR7100 9.2 receiver with built-in DIRAC Live for a cracking deal in the boxing day sales. Coupled with the big-bertha HSU VTF-3 mk3 subwoofer in the corner and with DIRAC measuring and correcting the show, it sounds far better than it has any right to given the in-wall speakers. In particular, the bass response is MUCH improved with a few peaks and room modes nicely smoothed-over. It won't win any points for outright grunt or sound quality, but it's a surprisingly capable setup and the HSU sub is a barrel of fun. The entertainment unit is fitted with 12V silent PC fans which are underspun at lower voltage, and are triggered when the gear is fired up to draw air through the cabinet. I also have some simple room treatment in the form of 3 x DIY framed Polymax XHD panel artworks on the rear wall, along with four bare polymax panels on the rear wall and first reflection points for the Legacy speakers. These will be trimmed in fabric in future. All in all, very happy with the outcome - a very comfortable and enjoyable room that sounds fantastic!
    18 points
  9. My father’s system today Cambridge Audio cd player Mulder valve pre and power supply Redgum custom made monoblocks (600W class A/B into 8 Ohms) Mission 770 Freedom speakers (restored 1984 version)
    18 points
  10. Back to Lou - he always centres me
    15 points
  11. So rocking a bit of Van Halen on a Sunday morning. Since I don't post on this thread mu, my current main 2 channel system: Exposure 2010S2 - as preamp Exposure Classic XXVIII -Power amp Hifi Rose RS250 - streamer/dac Consonance cd5 - spinner I've swapped out speakers for a change, usually PMC Tb2S+. Pulled out The Richter Merlin Mk1's from 1989. Geez these things rock! Some pics. Excuse the mess.
    15 points
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  14. We saw this at the cinema yesterday: I found it very enjoyable. It deals mainly with the years following the 1976 attempt on his life, his 2 years in England following that and the recording of this seminal album, then his return to Jamaica. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus Island Records, UK, 1977, ILPS 9498 I-119 ILPS 9498 A-2 F2 STERLING I-64 ILPS 9498 B EG
    15 points
  15. Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood .... "NANCY & LEE" wonderful SQ from an Aussie pressing.
    14 points
  16. I'm in a lower budget area to some, but I think this is relevant no matter what level you play in. On reflection often upgrades were just sideways moves and even sometimes slightly backwards, yes some were forwards but I think we can easily over state the degree of the changes. I see chasing for better in this hobby can reach a place where the hobby becomes more like an addiction to substances, an endless cycle of chasing what we will never attain, costing money and consuming much of our time and thoughts, without much else.
    14 points
  17. A few years ago I came to a personal revelation that constant upgrades were a “way of thinking” that could never cease given the chance. I was flamed pretty hard at the time when I expressed it on the forum. I will say that if you enjoy the chase then more power to you. I came to the same realisation as you @Marc I would scour ads constantly and be unhappy if I missed something I was after. I enjoy my system now but I’m also happy to stream direct to my Sonos or through my headphones while walking. I’ve even let my Audirvana and Qobuz subscriptions lapse and am using Spotify only. I find spending the cash on my kids and family a much more rewarding pastime these days.
    14 points
  18. I am practically jumping out of my skin, and unfortunately I need to wait for Mark Doehmann to come install it for me- hopefully next week sometime! This is the Helix One mk2 version with two tonearms. I managed to open up the main case and take a peak inside. Sorry l can't reveal more, but I'll update as soon as l have it all setup properly.
    14 points
  19. Steely Dan - Gaucho - original US pressing.
    14 points
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  23. The Beatles The Number Ones Australia Maxicut 1983 with 7 inch single
    14 points
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  25. 14 points
  26. Hi All, Been a while since on here, Classic Album from Nick Drake, Pink Moon.
    14 points
  27. Ramones - Ramones Original Australian pressing on Philips label, 1977
    13 points
  28. One of the early LPs I purchased when I started to collect wax in 2019 - It still makes me feel warm & fuzzy as I let it wash over me Cat Stevens Greatest Hits Australia 1975
    13 points
  29. After 4 days of thunder, lightning and hail in Coimbra, we've arrived in Porto and the sun is trying to come out.
    13 points
  30. Bob Dylan - Slow Train Coming Columbia 2015
    13 points
  31. Well finally after lots of designs, tweaking, testing I finally have a nice working design. The big challenge was to get a dual twin triode tube line stage all working nicely from just a single 12v external transformer. The same 12v transformer will also have to power the TDA1541A DAC. The usual criteria for my designs is to power them from Australian approved, low-voltage external transformers & this is achieved with this design. Tubes - ended up running with 6922/6DJ8/ECC88 which is one of my favourites & in plentiful supply in new & old stock. The tube stage measures really well so the next step is to actually try it with the TDA1541A DAC as a source & compare the sound to the original TDA Kompakt II. Will certainly be interesting. Stay tuned!
    13 points
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  33. Marvin Gaye, "WHAT'S GOING ON" , brother???
    13 points
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  35. Richard Clapton - Prussian Blue.
    13 points
  36. .......and that is how you post a for sale listing GLWTS, Stunning!!!
    13 points
  37. 13 points
  38. My spider sense tells me that I will regret the discovery of this thread My humble Ortofon MC 20
    13 points
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  40. Brian Eno Before and after Science
    13 points
  41. 13 points
  42. Who's next?? These guys !,
    13 points
  43. Is it too soon? Is it close enuff 2 the Weekend? Deep Purple Deepest Purple Australia 1982 another Maxicut
    13 points
  44. Yep most of my working day is now doing admin on approving ads, fixing ads, moving ads, chasing up seller's fees, resolving disputes and so on. While most do the right thing, the vast amount that are not is alarming. The Seller's Fees do not even go part way to paying someone's wage to manage it all even if we wanted to, or cover all the other associated costs, and it would be nice if there was anything left over to actually give the Volunteers something back for what they do (not that they have ever asked). Then when I do remind someone about Seller's Fees I'm always one "View Message" away from being on the receiving end of abuse. None of it is fun any more. Every ad now has a "Purchased" button which is intended for the Purchaser to let us know they have bought an item here. This has been working well to pickup a lot of ads that the seller has 'forgotten' to mark their item as sold. One purchaser contacted me last week. They let me know that once they got to the other member's house to pay and pickup the item, the seller encouraged them not to leave feedback so they wouldn't have to pay fees. Ultimately two things will eventually happen. Classifieds will move to pay up front a listing fee (have always been opposed to this), or, we drop the Classifieds altogether. My time is becoming more important to me as I get older, and I can't and don't want to do 14-15 hour days any more. Not taking anything away from the Volunteers either who do much of it when I am pulled away from here, for which we should be appreciative of.
    13 points
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  46. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  47. 13 points
  48. A borrowed ZYX Cartridge on the PU7 thanks to @rossbwho kindly set it up. The actual setup is difficult with the bolt and nut arrangement. The cartridge is sounding stunning, a definite improvement over the Benz Wood SL. My system leans on the darker side with Sugden Class A amp, LS 5/9 speakers and a valve (Tron) phono stage so the Benz might be a tad too much warmth. This particular cart was retipped by @cafe latteso I can’t comment on how the original sounds, but I can say that the retipped cart is brilliant. ZYX carts are now high on the list for my upcoming trip to Japan. Any store recommendations are appreciated.
    13 points
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