Leaderboard

This 301 was a real basket case when I got it ... paint chips and discolouration, dust bug marks, broken knobs etc. and filthy underneath ... so I took the opportunity to do a black 301, with the help of Perfect Sound and Classic Turntable co for replacement springs, faceplates and other parts. Currently sitting on 'work' plinth while waiting arrival of the real thing.

I had one at my place just over 3 years ago and it was very good indeed. The build quality was phenomenal.

Jeff Lynne brings out Electric Light Orchestra for the first time in 28 years to play live in Hyde Park to over 100,000 people yesterday, Sunday September 14, 2014. He did play live in CBS studio for the 2001 Zoom. He has still got it Bloody Brilliant!! Awesome to have the full string section live. Almost brings tears to my ears it is so good.. Would have loved to be there. Not bad for a 67 year old who has the exact same hair style since 1970 Mr Blue Sky Turn to Stone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URcdL3lxID0 Telephone Line http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjZ_wQdNjHM Living Thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ivF7kGsVd0 Full Concert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5Er5Y2BnYs

I have had the Job 225 power amplifier in house for a couple days (thanks to Rocky/Rob) and have been putting it through its paces in the context of the system shown below ... with the caveat that the Accuton-Raven-Cabasse speaker presents a standard 6-8 ohm and 90dB/w/m load, meaning the Job amp with its 190w/ch rated power output is having an easy time of it. Firstly, this is a very compact amplifier measuring only 35cm W x 20cm D x 7cm H with the tiniest heat sink I have ever seen for such a prodigious claimed power output (other than Class D digital amps of course), the heat sink is only 16cm x 5cm in size. The amp runs relatively cool at idle, with temperatures measuring 32C at the chassis and 37C at the heat sinks, at idle. Pumping some heavy ambient electronica and reggae at high volume levels produced 47C on the chassis and 98C on the heat sink. All heat measurements were taken with a laser pointer temperature gauge. The speaker was run at this loud level (97dB) for about 15 minutes to get to these temperatures. The temperature while a little warm, appears to be similar to a lot of compact Class AB pro-amps that I have trialled over the years and during normal operation (moderate volume levels), the Job runs cooler than the Class A Pass Labs Aleph 3, I once had. The Aleph 3 was constantly hot because of its Class A circuitry and you could fry an egg on it! If you are not worried about your Class A amplifier running hot and eventually wearing out, why would you worry too much about the Job? That said, the situation could be much worse for the Job with a more difficult speaker load. As to its sound quality - this is a very nice sounding amp. It sounds ultra detailed, is open and fluid, has good timing and communicates the music well. It has life and energy and is not stifled sounding like a lot of s.s amps can be. The Job has a slight lively character and in my opinion probably strays from neutral tending towards a rise in the upper mids-lower treble, nothing too offensive though and can be adjusted to your liking with component and cable matching, I feel. Rob has matched it well with a Luminous Audio Axiom II passive preamp, which tames the amp and is one of the better passives that I have heard. The Job seems to have Class A attributes to me (refinement and inner detail) but is not as laid back as a lot of Class A amps can be. If you like the smooth Pass Labs sound, you may find the Job a bit energetic in the upper mids, other than that its a great sounding little amp! Steve.

Someone once said something along the lines of (!) "consistency is the sign of a closed mind". And my wife is always saying "but you said such & such last week - or years ago"! Though we scientists do try to retain some consistency with our observations/theories if only imperfectly - and sceptically. Actually I have found Atkinson one of the better/more honest reviewers over the years. He at least measures the equipment as best he can - with equipment & understanding better than most. And he tries to relate his measurements to what is heard, at least in the more obvious ways eg "the rising treble probably explains why the reviewer heard extra treble clarity". Or he is not afraid to say his measurements disagree with the reviewer eg" the high distortion of this product is not consistent with the reviewer's hearing high clarity". However like all of us he struggles to explain more subtle psycho-acoustic effects eg how the brain integrates/interprets multiple signals arriving within certain time intervals. I am currently reading Duetsche "The Psychology of Music" and it is obvious that the top researchers in the field still struggle with this. I have never had my products reviewed by Atkinson so have no particular barrow to push. And I have never met him, though he did occasionally visit Linn while I was working there, however always when I was on holidays. I used to think it was because my boss wanted to take credit for my work - but perhaps I was also being paranoid!

1980 Luxman PD264 saaved from the skip, it had no tonearm so I fitted an Excel 801 for a while, now it sports an Acos Lustre from the 70's.

Item: Meistersinger No. 2 limited edition copper face Location: Sydney (but can post) Price: $1950 Item Condition: Mint and would suit new buyer - includes original box and warranty card. I will guarantee its working order for 12 months from the date of purchase. Reason for selling: Maritial harmony Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: This limited edition was originally purchased from Max Schweizer in Sydney for $3,650. Includes original buckle and an original Meistersinger leather strap deployment clasp. A beautiful watch in a very rare colour with a display back showing the famous and super-reliable Unitas 6498-1 movement. It is single handed - a style that I absolutely love. Very much in almost mint condition and only worn a handful of times. Pictures:

Item: KEF Reference Model Four speakers Location: Central Coast, NSW - pickup only due to weight Price: $3,500 ONO Item Condition: Very good Reason for selling: See Extra Info Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Hi - an absolutely fabulous pair of speakers - but the system they were part of didn't work in my new house!! I had these teamed with some Manley Mahi tube monoblocks, and a Sonic Euphoria PLC (also for sale). In my old place (carpet, heavy furnishings etc) they produced stupendous bass. Hoever, in my new place (wood floors, lots of glass,etc) the bass has been overemphasized. I have gone to a DEQX based system which has been in-room calibrated, and needs multi-amped speakers. SO.........the whole lot has to go to pay for the new toys! At the time these were made they were (I think) pretty much KEF's top-of-the-line speakers. They run at about 50kgs each, and are not small. BUT they are fabulous, and have absolutely astonishing bass, as well as a beatifull, crystal clear mids / highs. They are in good shape, but not showroom condition. The pics don't do them justice - as its hard to photgraph all-black speakers. All cone surrounds are in good shape, and appear to be rubber, so should last a long time. I am happy to demo these to anyone in the area. I believe they were originally around $12K, so at this price I believe they are good value. At this price, you could even put them in as the L/R in a home theater system and throw away your subs! Finally -these are definitely pickup only due to their weight.

Al, which ever way you look at it, buying another identical 2D projector at great cost is not a practical solution for most people. And if they have a CinemaScope setup I guess they would need another anamorphic lens arrangement as well. I don't believe the setup and operation are going to be that easy either - definitely not a plug and play solution. I'm not sure the family could operate it repeatedly without issue either.

Taking my own advice One of rock's great rollers

What's that astronaut doing up there...

I bought the Cremona centre pictured from Chris a few weeks back and it was like new - buy with confidence

I think he needs to work on his "male model" pose, though.

Running in my new R300 I had the LS50 previously although a beautiful speaker with an amazing midrange the R300 has a bit more bass and volume the Kefs go so well with naim gear.

American Graffiti soundtrack

$1k for 4 I prob would if i got time, unfortunately for now i dont have

You are scaring me now George! I love that speaker and it is irreplaceable as the drivers are horridly expensive and no longer available ...

Item: Funk Firm Achroplat II Location: South Wharf or 3130 VIC Price: Sale Pending... $150, pickup only at this stage as I do not have the packaging. Item Condition: Excellent condition. Reason for selling: No longer needed as my current TT cannot use this. Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, direct deposit Extra Info: This was a great upgrade to my Rega P3-24 (when I had it). For one thing, no more static galore felt mat! These are meant to be used as is, without a mat. Will fit most Rega TT that use the standard 12mm glass plater. Pictures:

About time you got here!

I went to jaycar last week to see if they had something that could convert banana plugs to spades. The salesman said spades aren't used in audio. I walked out.

What are they talking about? Oh, now I see. Early morning at Warrnambool breakwater. These guys are here every day. The talking horse was very unsure about the water.

who knows pchan, would be speculating on my part. what I do know is for av duties only hdmi is king, I for one wouldnt go back to multichannel analog. and same goes for multichannel audio eg from sacd or dvda, I've long since moved on. for 2ch though most top end players keep analog be it rca or xlrs and can only hope they do stay. using your logic earlier would it make sense to mod the 105 ? given slated to be obsolete late next year ? having said that am sure there'll still be people buying oppos now and quite possibly still getting modded regardless whats happening in a year and a halfs time the other reason to buy players for a more mature tech is player makers like pioneer and oppo have had multiple gens of developement in players at this stage. where as the new gen players will be 1st effort, not everyone wants to stick out their necks at usually a high premium price to be guinea pigs on first to market products... a nice solid top end performer can be a good buy even if a mature product...until a new tech settles down

But it's such an interesting topic, Ken. Think of the potential for future threads:Who doesnt't have [insert iconic rock album here]? Who missed episode 48 of the third series of Neighbours? Etc etc PS. I don't have it.

When you're generating 19Hz at 117dB, you really need a fairly solid box. And House!

Sorry Wally , was just thinking the same thing myself. Apologies KD for dragging your thread off-topic.

Yes Mait, I have no problem with REW - its a great free tool. It's really just about familiarity with the product. Yes, DEQX has so many knobs, dials and whistles that it could take years. ATM I have created a profile set that defies the anechoic rule by gating the speaker measurement past the first reflection point so that the correction filter has reflection built in but also has some worthwhile data down to 50Hz. Tinker, tinker, tinker .... who me? Yes, TJ is a very smart guy.

I tried both, 120 and 200, couldn't tell one from another. The speakers were Vienna Accoustics Mozart's, they are not SAM ready. The sound was very clean but I felt something was missing, a bit of emotion? It probably depends on speakers as well, I chose VA's because I thought they'd be similar to my speakers, Proac D18 but obviously I'll have to try with my own speakers to be sure.

Yep , should do the job very well.

I agree with unclemack, HiFiDo are tops. They're the best in the world at what they do. They pack beautifully and their prices are reasonable. Packing audio gear, especially turntables, and especially valuable ones, really needs to be done by someone who knows what they're doing. None of the auction buying services I've used have been good at packing fragile gear like turntables. FJ are especially bad, but with all of the mainstream services, it's a roll of the dice. They're used to just sending comic books, clothes, toys, etc. Often they'll make the packaging look pretty but won't actually protect things intelligently. Over the years I've spoken to other Japanese audio fans around the world and they all agree—we've all been burned by an astonishing lack of common sense, which for some reason seems to proliferate even more than usual with the Japanese. Also note that the auction sellers are sometimes no good at packing, which adds another layer of risk to the whole thing. Even many of the regular audio sellers on Yahoo JP won't pack a turntable properly, which is stupid. Some of the private sellers en up being intelligent, pedantic audiophiles, and pack TTs beautifully, but how do you know who they are? If it's an especially good deal it might be worth the risk, but first consider HiFiDo, they're tops.

Speakers look beautiful. And the vinyl well..... Congrats on the changes. Cheers Steve

LOL. Do it!!!! You know you want to. One big reason I'm selling these is to fund my HE-6. Well, that's a lie. I've already bought it. More a "recover" than "fund".

The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (1991/9CD) Hensa's various artist compilation thread got me thinking about this deep, rich goldmine of a box set. Every A side plus key B sides from this hot bed of southern soul, remastered from the original mono single masters. Rufus and Carla Thomas and The Mar-Keys are there from the beginning. Booker T & the MGs and Otis Redding come in to lift things a notch on Disc 2; Sam & Dave on Disc 4; Eddie Floyd on Disc 5; Albert King and Mable John on Disc 6. The every A side format also brings up lots of relative unknowns. 'Blue Groove' by Sir Isaac & the Do-Dads (a nom de plume for young house songwriter dude Isaac Hayes) is just one of these gems.

You could add Focal, Kef and Paradigm to that list. IMO there's no substitute in getting around and listening to as many speakers within your budget as you can before you make a purchase.

Philip welcome to this international site ,enjoy SNA

hey john, looks like a cut and paste of someone else's from some place else ps the flagship pios have as much relevance as the 103/105 oppo. the oppos too will be just as obsolete in 12 months time. many will still buy these things though whom don't chase the latest and greatest….just what ever does the very best …which in this case would be sacd/dvda/cd/dvd/blu-ray. multichannel over hdmi and analog over rca and balanced xlrs. pioneer has a pretty mighty player in its history of blu-ray players in the 09fd. http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Blu-ray-Disc/Elite-Blu-ray-Disc-Players/BDP-09FD apart from the top end denon/marantz machines, and the flagship sony 5000es player no one else has made anything remotely in its league. we never got that player here, and good chance these newer players probably never see light of day here either. I for one glad enough to see a maker such as pioneer take the fight upto the likes of oppo. competition is good. and hey come end next year hey who knows these two flagship pioneers might actually be a basis of the new 4K format blu-ray players to come. Pioneer as their name goes have always been there leading the charge with new formats with lovely players. and great to see them continue with tasty players and heres wishing they continue on in that vein with the new format HD players as well.

From yesterday. I've been meaning to get down to see this for a while. Glad I did as the girl has talent (unlike the lowlife who was tagging in the vicinity). Full sequence here... http://tripp.com.au/photos/uniacke1.htm Thanks Deb.

<snip> My "SNA enjoyment/fun factor" score would be a 9/10 for the Job Amp. As I am sure there is better out there but it has been one of the most enjoyable purchases I have made. At $1699 US delivered it is not cheap. So my offer is there if anyone wants a listen to it in there system before it goes back into service at my place, they are welcome. The threads on SNA can get a little daunting on some new products, its hard to really know what to expect with a new product. I am glad I found a thread on Audioshark that kept building with actual people hearing the Job amp. They had some really nice gear to compare (way above what I would consider) and the Job amp was well received. This is a fun hobby and its nice to get other people similar to ourselves in their homes giving their impressions of products as they hear them. Much prefer this over review sites. Now if I could only pin down my next speaker purchase....

New Toy Today :-) Allnic Speednic that a good friend picked up for me from Allnic HQ in Seoul. Amazing how the 30+ year Micro Seiki motor performs like a surgical instrument.

ML-212E audio electron vacuum tube Not a funny pic but music related!

mono-type by the looks of it....

A parcel showed up from the United States of 'Murrica. I couldn't help myself so naturally i had to open everything even though i knew what was inside... Progress will be slow going from here as i've just moved house and other things have taken priority.

My Twins have arrived! 10 long months of waiting, waiting waiting (despondent at times) for these beautiful output twins from the Netherlands. They finally arrived this morning Each weighs approx 8 kilos. Over two years in sourcing parts globally to build Romy the CaT's "Melquiades" SET 6c33C 15W amplifier...just to hear what it may sound like!

I gotta agree with a lot of the above and recommend Bela Fleck who is probably the thinking man's bluegrass player! I really like bluegrass and can recommend some for you and the order has nothing to do with how good they are...............here we go! Bela Fleck "The Bluegrass Sessions" Paul Kelly "Smoke" Paul Kelly & The Stormwater Boys "Foggy Highway" Fin MacCool "Doin It Live" [warning, listen to this before playing it for the family!:o] Alison Krauss "I've Got That Old Feeling" [plenty of banjo and she's one of the best fiddle players going around] Alison Krauss and Union Station The Horses Leotard "Give A Dog A Bone" "The Essential Flatt & Scruggs"................just brilliant!! Rank Strangers "Uluru".............is going to be really hard to find. Larry McNeely "Confederation"...........you can still pick it up on vinyl on Sheffield Lab and it's highly recommended. Uncle Bill............"Heartbreak Train", "Special Treatment", "One Day In Adelphia".............great Melbourne based band and still doing live gigs. Anything from Jim and Jennie and the Pine Tops.............great stuff and heaps of banjo. And if you really want to try something very different and I did read above the term "hillbilly", then try Roscoe Holcombs's "An Untamed Sense of Control".................but be warned, I love banjo and bluegrass but I'm still struggling with this and I've had it about 8 years!! Anyhow, that should get you started.............have fun!! Cheers, Keith