SpeakerTalk

iso · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:15 pm Post subject:

Tim

Thank you for offering this nice amplifier... but I got mine rebuilt and this is enough for Armstrong 600 series now. But if you happen to have Mission Cyrus 2, Rogers A100, Ariston RD11 Superior, Thorens TD125, H/K ST8 or FR64 in good original condition, let me know.

BTW I am waiting arrival of nice Rogers Ravensbourne and Quad FM4.

This site has been quite quiet recently... would it be good idea to increase activity on "List, exchange and buy" forum.

Best Regards

Kimmo

BTW how did you like Armstrong 621?

exkefman · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:07 pm Post subject:

iso · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 2:52 pm Post subject:

TD125 would probably be best deck of ones I am seeking. Quality was most likely reason for end of Ariston story, but RD11 series do have some historical value and I find it somehow more interesting than LP12. They all are descendants of AR-XA/XB family... I actually now have 1 modified AR-XB and 2 original ones. ST8 do have some improvements over ST8... I suppose it would be pain in the ass when adjustments are needed... but it is mechanical wonder if you look how everything is powered with one motor via several belts, shafts, rollers etc...

FM4 is probably not too good compared to say H/K Citation 15, Revox B760 etc... but I happen to have 34/405 combo and FM4 is perfect for this set up. Ravensbourne I am going to receive is actually late model integrated amplifier, not tuner. I am anxious to see how it performs after rebuild.

I do also find Armstong 621 to be slightly on bright side and maybe a bit warm on LF. However there is surprisingly small amount of HF edginess, maybe this is why I like it so much. I must say that there were strong personal reasons why I bought the amp in the first place. http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=8432 This may be one reason for my feelings about it.

I have recently accepted that absolute performance does not have to be even goal of audio hobby. I do actually have Conrad Johnson Premier 7B http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/592cj/ which is quite good and rare (only 220 pre amps made between 1988-1995). I have found that working with amps like H/K Citation 11,12,15 or 17, Armstrong 621 or Quad stuff is as much fun... you can only buy maybe 20-30 these amps for price of one Premier 7...

Best Regards

Kimmo

exkefman · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 4:23 pm Post subject:

Hi Kimmo,

The TD125 is a great turntable, but it is let down by the original poor turntable mat and the "ringing" platter. the former can be replaced easily, and that can help with the latter, esp if you get a "sorbothane" mat, such as the original Spectra mat, which can be very "clingy" to LP's, but it does work very well.

My TD125 worked really well and despite not having any quartz lock, the speed stability was very good (as you can monitor "through the lens" to the built in stroboscope, which is attached to the underside of the inner platter).

Ariston made some good turntables, but they were not so good, long term, esp with bearing "fit", which was an issue IIRC and eventually the company collapsed, though just the brand name lives on today (like many other British brand names that failed and have been resurrected years later, by new owners: Gale, Cambridge Audio, Lecson, etc). We sold the RD11E (an electronic speed change version) and the RD11S (which was more expensive, and more like a LP12 and with a plain plinth). IIRC, both had square section belts. The "Superieur" came later and used a more "ornate" plinth. Somewhere I've got sales leaflets for the latter.

Yup - the Rabco linear tracking "movement" was a very simple and yet very interesting system to watch, as the belts and rollers worked their magic...and with the back of the arm "catching up" with the headshell end, as the arm moved across the record...

Ah - you mean the Ravensbourne amp - sorry, when you mentioned "nice Rogers Ravensbourne and Quad FM4", I had assumed you meant that *both* were tuners...as Rogers did make a Ravensbourne tuner to match the same named amplifier. Did you know that the Ravensbourne and Ravensbrook were named after local rivers near the factory in South London?

http://www.londonslostrivers.com/river-ravensbourne.html

Your description of the sound of the 621 correlates fairly closely to mine...though in my case, I'm remembering back 30+ years !! I originally used the 621 with a pair of...Tannoy Berkeleys, which had a 15" HPD385A Dual Concentric driver...they sounded great, but the horn tweeter and the "edginess" of the 621 didn't go so well together. Years later, when I was actually selling the A&R A60 amps, I found that it would have been a better match for the Tannoys, than the 621, as it was far smoother, even if the A60 had slightly less power - but then when you have high efficiency Tannoy's who needs lots of power !!

It was funny, when a few years after I sold the Tannoy's that I was employed by KEF to help promote the Uni-Q driver, which was also a "Dual Concentric" type driver....though KEF called theirs "co-incident" - but essentially both were trying to act like "point source" drivers.

The NT25 (1") versions of the Uni-Q always sounded better (to my ears) than the NT19 (3/4") driver. So, I wasn't keen on the C35/C55 and the 101/2 and 102/2 designs...but the C75/C95 and 103/4 and 105/3 (that had NT25's) just sounded sweeter to me...
The NT25s were also a bit more reliable, as initially some NT19's just "fell apart" as there was very little surface area for the glues (that held it together) to actually bond so well...but they got it right after a little while...remember this was all "cutting edge and new technology" at the time...and KEF was at the phase when it was just starting to use cyanoacrylate glues.
_________________
regards
Tim

(I used to work for KEF from 1988-1995 - you can see my "profile" here: http://www.hifiloudspeakers.info/speakertalk/viewtopic.php?t=1706)

proffski · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 4:54 pm Post subject:

Guys, I am following your discussion and enjoying it as I have a few bits in common with your postings.
However, its getting a bit confusing, could you please pretty please continue your must informative postings here. Audio equipment

Link: http://www.hifiloudspeakers.info/speakertalk/viewforum.php?f=4&sid=cb3692ae674679807abe141ae80a7633

With thanks. Smile

_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

exkefman · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 5:24 pm Post subject:

speakerguru · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:07 pm Post subject:

I've split the last part of this thread which had gone off topic. I am allowed to do some admin tasks on some parts of this forum. but please try to keep to one topic per thread.

Start a new thread when necessary rather than just rambling about from topic to topic. I'm not looking for a full time admin job here. Thanks.

proffski · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:08 pm Post subject:

Good move, thank you.
_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

speakerguru · Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:51 am Post subject:

exkefman · Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 4:25 pm Post subject:

iso · Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 12:56 pm Post subject:

Tim

I actually thought that Rogers named Ravensbourne after Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication... but joining of communication section and change of name has occurred after Rogers designed this amplifier.

As we are now talking on correct forum I like to propose new thread about nice amplifiers made between 60´s to early 90´s. They may have some historical meaning... but not necessarily so. Good, reliable performance is bonus. Good present day availability is must. 1974 John Curl JC2 or Beveridge amplifiers would be nice... but easy to source as original Bugatti camshafts.

Quads have already been discussed here... so is it reasonable to omit them now. So... Tim, if you have any additional ideas... let us know and open new thread.

Best Regards

Kimmo

PS maybe these nice amps should have something different than mainstream amps of their vintage do present

exkefman · Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 3:28 pm Post subject: