The Entreq Tellus II Infinity Line is one of the most intriguing additions to the Tannoyista system I've ever had the pleasure of owning. It has no moving parts, no mains cable and is encased in beautifully finished solid wood.
Showing posts with label Featured. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Featured. Show all posts
In 2014, I added a Khozmo volume attenuator to my Croft preamplifier and found it to be one of the most worthwhile upgrades I'd ever done. Fast forward to 2021 and things have certainly developed. Khozmo has developed one of the best passive preamplifiers I've heard.
The Studer A80 Master Recorder is one hell of a beast. After previously owning a Studer A807 MKII, Nagra Kudelski, Revox G36 and a Pioneer RT-909, in 2018 I wanted to revisit an old friend which I was familiar with back in the early '90s.
The Studer A80/R is a 96.5kg machine. It was built for precision, performance and reliability. And after 50 years since its initial release, it's the transport and audio capability which is still regarded as one of the best.
Abbey Road, for example, has always used the A80 and in most recent times an A80 was used for transferring 1/4" master tapes to digital for the Miles Showell 1/2 speed Abbey Road/Universal remasters.
The A80 stabiliser card is something you wouldn't think about upgrading. But Sepia Audio has made something really special which has to be experienced on such a legendary machine.
The Studer A80 is one of the most famous reel-to-reel machines in the world. Renowned for its delicate transport and amazing reproduction quality, its time on this earth is now legendary.
From Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Queen to My Bloody Valentine and beyond, the A80 is still being used to record with and to also remaster classic albums at Abbey Road.
The electronics inside the A80 is discreet but also wonderfully simple compared to the later more advanced machines such as the A820 or the smaller A807 and A810.
My previous turntable was Thorens TD-124 MKII which I was in position for nearly 10 years. It was fully refurbished by Schopper and the sound was sublime. Running with an SPU GT with an SME 3009 it really rocked. Well, things change and I decided I really wanted to finally get my hands on an L-07D.
The Trio/Kenwood L-07D turntable hs always sparked my interest. I first saw one in a magazine back in the mid 90' and I was always impressed with its design. Not only that but the fact that it was made around the late '70s, mid-'80s.
Trident Studios was a recording studio in London. During the late 60s and all through the 70s and 80s and 90s, Trident Studios was one of the most unique recording studios in the world. The legacy of this studio is now legendary. Today the studio is no more, in fact, it's now a very upmarket townhouse which is sad to see.
But the ghostly reverberations of the studio still ring loud in our music and culture today, and in many ways just as loud as Abbey Road.
Within a small window of time from 1968 to around 1977, Tridents control room setup included 4 Lockwood Major monitoring loudspeakers for hearing back mixes. That amazing window in time included some of the most prolific artists using the studio such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed, T-Rex and others.
This is the story of two of the actual loudspeakers used to make those amazing albums.
There's nothing like hearing BIG speakers. The amount of energy and spatial energy is totally immersive. Back in the early 90s, I used to work in a small studio where we used such speakers. The sound was totally astonishing. Of course, a studio control room is treated to a vast degree but even with a typical living room space, you can still get a lot of the magic.
So, in 2013, my love for large loudspeakers began. At that time, I was using some Lockwood Universal loudspeakers which were pretty good but when I had the chance to move to the ultimate beasts, I just had to do it. So in 2015, I sold the Lockwood Universal cabinets to go bigger and, yes... much better. Bring on the Lockwood Majors.
In 2009, I bought a Thorens TD-124 turntable. Since then it's become a highly regarded and converted turntable. It's certainly earned its noted soubriquet 'legendary'. It stands out as one of the top audiophile decks in sound and design. Needless to say, this little deck consistently captures the hearts of many including myself.
This review is a look back at my experience of owning the TD-124.
I first started reviewing music streamers back in 2015 with the IQaudio DAC. Subsequently, the ALLO BOSS + Piano with the BOBW PSU and then the KATANA + Isolator + Shanti.
You can read my review on the Katana The ALLO Katana + Isolator Review.
And my review of the Shanti PSU The ALLO Shanti ultra low noise linear power supply
With every iteration of their product range, they seem to take a few more steps forward rather than back, and again, their latest product is something really special.
And my review of the Shanti PSU The ALLO Shanti ultra low noise linear power supply
With every iteration of their product range, they seem to take a few more steps forward rather than back, and again, their latest product is something really special.
There is plenty of choices when it comes to something like this from Audiophonics, Topping, French Audio. But for me and at this price point, the Revolution DAC as a package is much more attractive.
All of the products from ALLO have always surprised me in regards to performance. Since the BOSS was released in 2016, ALLO and their technical team seemed to go into overdrive.
All of the products from ALLO have always surprised me in regards to performance. Since the BOSS was released in 2016, ALLO and their technical team seemed to go into overdrive.
If you're serious about vinyl then this has to be one of the most important additions to your deck you will ever make. It doesn't matter if you own a £50,000 deck or a sub £1000 deck. The Funk Houdini and the Funk Achromat have to be on your purchase list.
The SPL Volume2 came to me on a recommendation of a friend who runs her own studio in Dorset, UK. Although she also used other monitor controls on occasion, this monitor was always the one she used for reference.
The Tube Distinctions Copper Amp is my current amplifier. Falling neatly in between my Croft Epoch Elite preamplifier and my 15" Tannoy Monitor Gold Lockwood Major loudspeakers, the Copper makes its presence felt.
Designed and handmade in Great Britain, the Tannoyista crossovers give these classic Tannoy Monitor Gold loudspeakers a refreshed sound without losing their magic, uniqueness and dynamics.
Each set is unique and numbered. Housed in a solid oak dovetailed casework and employing point to point wiring they are upgradable and adaptable to your system using some of the very best components available today.
The original black version of the RT-909 was made in small numbers for the U.S military.
This version is named the 'Swiss version' by Vlad Frincu, ‘the best’ update for the RT-909. This is ‘the works’, the best of.
The Croft modified QUAD II monoblock amplifiers in conjunction with my Tannoy Monitor Gold loudspeakers. A classic combination.
In 2009 my amplification setup consisted of a Chord CPM2600 Integrated amplifier bi-amped with firstly an SPM600, and then the Chord SPA1032.
As you may know, Chord amplifiers are extremely high quality and the CPM 2600 working as an integrated alone is a wonderful package. The build quality is second to none with thick aluminium construction and very heavy.
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