Hi fi equipment question

[Alex66]

Grovelling apologies for hijacking the thread

One question then I will shut up

I see you have the Marantz 6005 CD Player. I have the 6004 (made in Japan). My question is does yours play FLAC CD-r ?

If your looking for something to play Flac files have you thought of a headless player? you can make one from a Rasberi Pi you can get a DAC that fits on it and run it using your phone or PC to play files. It looks like a promising thing as a form of music server. If not you could just burn the files on a PC to Red book standard, but if you have hundreds it would take forever. I ripped all my CD's to the Mac and put them under the bed due to little person and needing space it took ages but no noticeable drop in quality and now I have it set up to play high def its been a winner. I have not tried the Pi thing yet but am tempted to see if peoples claims are right but will use a digital out card instead of the DAC card, it seems very cheep for what it is claimed to do.

[robertzombie]

Grovelling apologies for hijacking the thread

One question then I will shut up

I see you have the Marantz 6005 CD Player. I have the 6004 (made in Japan). My question is does yours play FLAC CD-r ?

An audio CD-R made using FLAC files, yes. A data disc CD-R containing FLAC files, not according to the website.

[Silence is platinum]

Grovelling apologies for hijacking the thread

One question then I will shut up

I see you have the Marantz 6005 CD Player. I have the 6004 (made in Japan). My question is does yours play FLAC CD-r ?

An audio CD-R made using FLAC files, yes. A data disc CD-R containing FLAC files, not according to the website.

Yep, thats correct!

I m looking for a neutral sound, as true as possible within the price range limits i can afford of course.
I was thinking trying second hand speakers which is a good way financially going up without breaking the bank. My Naim amp was second hand and i never regret the decision, it s a great amp for a starter but it s time to move on.
The marantz has one major issue, it dosent play some (3-4) of my cd s and i cant figure out why, and i do take great care of my records, even my cds are housed in plastic sleeves so the plastic cases or the digipacks stay in top condition.
Btw, i dont download,i'm realy old-fashioned,i can't even be bothered with streaming

[Pista]

I'd say the CDs that don't play are more likely the actual discs themselves especially if there are only 3 or 4 that are affected. That player is excellent & I'd hold onto it.
Have you tried the latest Cambridge Audio CXA60? That fit your budget?
They are always really well made products (I use a C500 preamp with Aura PA 200 power amps) & effectively sonically invisible.
Plus they have a rather swanky Black October-esque logo

[Silence is platinum]

I'd say the CDs that don't play are more likely the actual discs themselves especially if there are only 3 or 4 that are affected. That player is excellent & I'd hold onto it.
Have you tried the latest Cambridge Audio CXA60? That fit your budget?
They are always really well made products (I use a C500 preamp with Aura PA 200 power amps) & effectively sonically invisible.
Plus they have a rather swanky Black October-esque logo

Assembled in China

[Alex66]

The Audiolab stuff is also made in China, designed by John Westlake the designer of the Pink Triangle DeCappo DAC that 25 years later still holds its own but a lot are beginning to fail. A fully working DeCappo is a stunning DAC though as was the original Naim CDS? but unless you can get the CD mech replaced would be a dicey choice. do think its good you are sticking to your principles, we try to as much as we can as we don't like to buy from places that have terrible human rights abuses.

[Silence is platinum]

Grovelling apologies for hijacking the thread

One question then I will shut up

I see you have the Marantz 6005 CD Player. I have the 6004 (made in Japan). My question is does yours play FLAC CD-r ?

An audio CD-R made using FLAC files, yes. A data disc CD-R containing FLAC files, not according to the website.

Can you tell a bit more about the Elicit-r ? Are you happy with the phonostage ? Does it have a good 3d soundstage? i m a sucker for details too!!
I was realy impressed when i switched to the current system how much detail i was missing, f.e. the drum beat in "something fast" starts realy far in the back and i love those small details , or how "dry" dominion sounds comparing to Flood I which has a real massive 3d sound.
There s a review in What Hifi but i dont trust them, if you look at their reviews you get the impression that there are only 5-6 companies in the world that build hifi equipment.

[Silence is platinum]

This the one i m most fond of. It has two separate control volumes, comes in any colour as long it is black and
its made in England, comes at a great price and i had a go with this at a store but didnt had my own cds to check it better out.
I just have to listen to Heartland, if it plays that song correctly and extracts all the details and the multilayered vocals then it should be ok with all the stuff i m listening to.

Here's a review :
http://www.stereophile.com/content/crof ... SIu6aYr.97

[Silence is platinum]

The Audiolab stuff is also made in China, designed by John Westlake the designer of the Pink Triangle DeCappo DAC that 25 years later still holds its own but a lot are beginning to fail. A fully working DeCappo is a stunning DAC though as was the original Naim CDS? but unless you can get the CD mech replaced would be a dicey choice. do think its good you are sticking to your principles, we try to as much as we can as we don't like to buy from places that have terrible human rights abuses.

I was under the impression Audiolab were still build in the UK, what a shame.

[robertzombie]

OP: Are you looking to replace your speakers or your amp? A totally neutral speaker will cost a lot. Most speaker designs have to compromise somewhere. Personally, I prefer a speaker that gives a full mid-range and compromises on the lowest bass and highest treble as the mid-range is where most of the music lives.

I've not heard the Elicit but my Elex-R is excellent: very rhythmic and detailed with a warm phono stage. The sound stage is excellent, deep and wide, with small details such as the ones you mentioned in Something Fast placed accurately in the room.

My speakers are vintage m*****n 752 Freedoms (http://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/r ... oudspeaker). One of the best series m*****n ever designed and they still compete well with speakers costing up to £800.

If you can give us an idea of budget and what you're looking to replace I can suggest some pointers

[markfiend]

I'm surprised - and disappointed - to hear that Cambridge Audio gear is now made in China too.

[Silence is platinum]

No, it s the speakers i want to replace, if you have anything to suggest it s highly appreciated!

[robertzombie]

No, it s the speakers i want to replace, if you have anything to suggest it s highly appreciated!

What's your budget and what form factor?

[Silence is platinum]

Around 1000 quid, the Neat motive are also a good option, anything you have in mind as long it s made in Europe!

[doctoravalanche]

You should use a tube amplifier and speakers which are made for rock music such as Klipsch (RF7 MkII, or RF 82 MKII or Heresy) to my opinion this is the best combination of this style of music.

[robertzombie]

Around 1000 quid, the Neat motive are also a good option, anything you have in mind as long it s made in Europe!

I would take a look at What Hi-fi's best speaker lists for 2015: http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2015/stereo-speakers. They cover a decent range of speakers above and below the £1k figure. You might also want to seek out previous years' winners and find bargains on eBay.

[Silence is platinum]

You should use a tube amplifier and speakers which are made for rock music such as Klipsch (RF7 MkII, or RF 82 MKII or Heresy) to my opinion this is the best combination of this style of music.

The Klipsch look ...erm..ugly... my gf would hate them, that's for sure!

[Alex66]

The Klipsch have stunning dynamics or the corner horns do, but the are very impossing and do not project the best soundstage. There are better horn designs, look up Wooden Designs (I think) also Tannoy Westminster's, both also have the advantage of being point source designs that make makes them better for creating a good soundstage.

[doctoravalanche]

You should use a tube amplifier and speakers which are made for rock music such as Klipsch (RF7 MkII, or RF 82 MKII or Heresy) to my opinion this is the best combination of this style of music.

The Klipsch look ...erm..ugly... my gf would hate them, that's for sure!

I find them very beautiful

[doctoravalanche]

The Klipsch have stunning dynamics or the corner horns do, but the are very impossing and do not project the best soundstage. There are better horn designs, look up Wooden Designs (I think) also Tannoy Westminster's, both also have the advantage of being point source designs that make makes them better for creating a good soundstage.

The Tannoy are not around 1000 euros But for sure they are great !

[Alex66]

At a show years ago I saw either the Klipsch run at good volume off a walkman, I think that is a 1/4w output still with 100+ DB 2.83V its expected. They do sound better with single ended class A though regardless of it being a 300b or one of Nelson Pass's Fet jobs. Just for my taste the soundstage was a bit lacking compared to others. I wonder if a used pair of Lowthers is doable for the money, they are interesting to say the least and no crossover.

[robertzombie]

At a show years ago I saw either the Klipsch run at good volume off a walkman, I think that is a 1/4w output still with 100+ DB 2.83V its expected. They do sound better with single ended class A though regardless of it being a 300b or one of Nelson Pass's Fet jobs. Just for my taste the soundstage was a bit lacking compared to others. I wonder if a used pair of Lowthers is doable for the money, they are interesting to say the least and no crossover.

I was at a bar that had Klipsch corner speakers in the room, 4 of them. The recording was in mono, quite a cool experience!

[Alex66]

At a show years ago I saw either the Klipsch run at good volume off a walkman, I think that is a 1/4w output still with 100+ DB 2.83V its expected. They do sound better with single ended class A though regardless of it being a 300b or one of Nelson Pass's Fet jobs. Just for my taste the soundstage was a bit lacking compared to others. I wonder if a used pair of Lowthers is doable for the money, they are interesting to say the least and no crossover.

I was at a bar that had Klipsch corner speakers in the room, 4 of them. The recording was in mono, quite a cool experience!

Now that is a place Id like to go provided they play reasonable music, I get sick of bars with Bose in them F awful things they are. I knew someone who built a pair of corner horns the things were 110db 1w1m powered them with 400w amps initially it was ridiculous the concrete floor shook at not much power.

[Silence is platinum]

Oh sound equipment in bars, a tragic story, with the exception of one small night club that has a great system everywhere else i've been the sound was all about volume and nothing else. Bose or Jbl are their favourite speakers, it's like the all are shoping from the same store.

[robertzombie]

No highs, no lows... Must be Bose