My recent (futile but fun) exchanges with our resident 'Insect Biologist'
(discoverer of the 'Molton Larva' one wonders? ;-) in respect of the
various merits/demerits of SS/valve amplification led me to revist my
Technics SS power amp yesterday (with valved pre's, naturally).
I had it running until I realised I wasn't listening to it (my 'yardstick'
for such experimentation) and then cut my No. 1 valve integrated in. Now,
what do you want me to say?
HiFi+ mode
I put the needle down before I switched the amp on, deliberately, to give me
that little rush as the sound comes through when the valves start to heat up
(the valved phono stage had been on all morning and was 'hot to trot').
After a few seconds, the sound arrived all of a sudden like a crowded
underground train* and flooded out round me like a great swarm of
disembarking passengers, hurrying past me with me standing stock-still in
the middle of them. Immediately filling the room, it was vast, deep and rich
and stretched way back into the distance. Probably no louder than the
Technics sound, it was 'huge' by comparison and from the very start it was
much clearer (on my reference Laurie Anderson 'Mr Heartbreak' LP...) and the
greater detail was immediately obvious. Moving on to my Mosquito Fart and
Whalesong Compilation I was struck by........
(How am I doing? :-)
OK, seriously, I had switched off Radio 2 (or was it some distant foghorn
that had got jammed on?) and put an LP on, so no contest really! But it was
quite a pleasant shock, going from one to the other and has spurred me to
make yet another an effort to clear out some of my 'surplus' gear, starting
with the Technics amp which I love as a bit of kit but do *not* prefer the
sound of.
Since Swim got her bloody 'baby grand' I have been *literally* falling over
large bits of kit (and boxes of records) which were flushed out when I had
to make room by dismantling my main rack!** So I have listed a few bits and
pieces on my 'For Sale' page....
http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/keit...le/forsale.htm
.....in case anyone is interested. This time, I'm not dicking around and
these items will stay listed until they have been thinned down a bit. (I
don't have to get rid of it all! ;-)
If anyone thinks the prices are a bit ambitious (I've no real idea) please
let me know - I've been on a deliberate path of 'price obfuscation by means
of multiple p/x's' for a good while now!!***
:-)
*Hmmm, I suppose that ought to have been *tube* train......
**Ya can't kick up too much fuss when you're early retired and yer 13 years
younger (and very well-paid) partner pays all the bills.... ;-)
***Ya gotta box sodding clever when you're early retired and yer 13 years
younger (and very well-paid) partner pays all the bills.... ;-)
FS: A few amps and other bits and bobs...
Linear Mode
