What audio system do you have, or plan on getting?

[Fëanor]

Needed to replace my Realistic 2100 D Receiver in my workroom and wanted to go a bit on the vintage side without breaking the bank, so grabbed this tonight:


   
MARANTZ 2230

....

Nice! I lover these vintage pieces.

For a time I owned the Marantz 2252B below.  Unfortunately really had no place to set up another system, so I sold it to another vintage lover.  I do still own the nice little Marantz 1070 amp at the bottom.

[Fëanor]

I like the tube preamp and SS amp combo.  I run my CJ MF2500A with the Sonic Frontier Line 1.

Ah! Another Sonic Frontiers Line 1.  I've got one too and am quite fond of it.

In my case too it's mated with solid state; for me a pair of Monarcy Audio SM-70 Pro's.  These feed my Magneplanar M6 1.6QR speakers 120 wpc which plenty for the volumes at which l listen.

Sonic Frontiers LINE 1 with weird but effective remote control ...



Monarch SM-70 Pro, (I've got a pair used as monoblocks) ...

[Bogey]

How would you describe your sound when using your previous Marantz, Billy Batson?

[Fëanor]

How would you describe your sound when using your previous Marantz, Billy Batson?

Well, the Marantz of the era where generally slightly warm, with strong if slightly lush bass.  They were smoother balanced and less "forward" than, say, Yamaha.  Many considered the latter to be bright, even sharp, but not so the Marantz.  On the Marantz end of the spectrum was Sansui; Pioneer as is generally judge to be in the middle.

[Coopmv]

Well, the Marantz of the era where generally slightly warm, with strong if slightly lush bass.  They were smoother balanced and less "forward" than, say, Yamaha.  Many considered the latter to be bright, even sharp, but not so the Marantz.  On the Marantz end of the spectrum was Sansui; Pioneer as is generally judge to be in the middle.

The only Marantz gear I have ever owned was a second-generation CD player, which was built like a tank and made in Japan.  I still have one of the two Pioneer quad receivers at the house (but unused).  My Yamaha bidirectional record/play cassette deck came back from a repair shop in Chicago a few years ago and I have yet to check it out.  Talking about lack of time ...  LOL

[Valentino]

Sometimes my world revolves at 33 1/3 rpm, but mostly the old SOTA is just sitting pretty.

[Coopmv]

Sometimes my world revolves at 33 1/3 rpm, but mostly the old SOTA is just sitting pretty.

Sota TT always has a nice natural-wood plinth ...

[Valentino]

Mine is so old that it has a vinyl top. Nowadays they use wood (solid and veneer) on the complete chassis.

[Coopmv]

Mine is so old that it has a vinyl top. Nowadays they use wood (solid and veneer) on the complete chassis.

I thought Sota TT has had a wooden top for some times.  Sota went into bankruptcy a number of years ago, it may no longer be owned by the original founder ...

[Valentino]

That's right, but the current upmarket designs par one are refinements of the original Sapphire and later Star. www.sotaturntables.com.

[Coopmv]

That's right, but the current upmarket designs par one are refinements of the original Sapphire and later Star. www.sotaturntables.com.

Now how does VAT work on American imports since the US does not have a VAT system to begin with?  Your friendly importer in Norway just slapped the import duty on the Sota TT's retail price in lieu of a VAT?

[Valentino]

Oh, I bought mine used for youwouldn'tbelievehowlittle, and the bits I needed for it came diretly from SOTA.

[drogulus]

     Here's my vintage setup, bought in the mid '70s and sold in the early '80s:

     

     Soundcraftsmen 2217 Preamp Equalizer

     

     McIntosh MC 2105 Amplifier

     

     Ohm F Speakers

     If you question the inclusion of the equalizer remember that the ideology that forbade them didn't even exist in 1976. Equalizers were evaluated like tone controls, for their effectiveness and absence of phase shift. A young person teleported to those days would be shocked at the commonsensical way equipment was viewed. Only those components which could plausibly be said to have a sound had sounds attributed to them. So the sound of the amps here could be said to derive from the power the amp delivered to the speakers (in this case extremely demanding ones), as well as the effect of the EQ I used, which was typically a boost in the low bass and razor flat above that.

    The sound overall was the best I have ever heard, and I attribute that entirely to the Ohm F's. The McIntosh contributed the ability to exceed it's power ratings. The preamp did what it was supposed to do. The room had high ceilings and was squarish, and music sounded good in it.

[Coopmv]

          
     

     Ohm F Speakers

The driver design of the Ohm speaker has always fascinated me ...

[Fëanor]

     Here's my vintage setup, bought in the mid '70s and sold in the early '80s:

     Soundcraftsmen 2217 Preamp Equalizer

     McIntosh MC 2105 Amplifier

     

     Ohm F Speakers

...

Hah!  Terrific. I owned a pair of Ohm F between about 1976 and 1980 -- they were great speakers and it is one of my greatest hi-fi regrets to day that I sold them to  by a pair of crappy B&W DM7's.

[Coopmv]

Hah!  Terrific. I owned a pair of Ohm F between about 1976 and 1980 -- they were great speakers and it is one of my greatest hi-fi regrets to day that I sold them to  by a pair of crappy B&W DM7's.

I think the B&W 800 (Matrix?) series were great speakers, even Karajan used those speakers to monitor his recordings in the studio ....

[Bogey]

     

     McIntosh MC 2105 Amplifier

You gotta love those apples!

[Coopmv]

You gotta love those apples!

I prefer this Mac over the Mac made by Apple ...   

[drogulus]

I think the B&W 800 (Matrix?) series were great speakers, even Karajan used those speakers to monitor his recordings in the studio ....

     B&W Matrix 800 series speakers were the recording studio monitors of choice for many years and there are no doubt many that are still being used today.  The DM 7's were a less expensive, smaller speaker which had the same tweeter as the Matrix line. I still own a pair of DM 310's from the early 90's, even smaller speakers that also use the version of the Matrix tweeter found in the 800's.

     

[Coopmv]

     B&W Matrix 800 series speakers were the recording studio monitors of choice for many years and there are no doubt many that are still being used today.  The DM 7's were a less expensive, smaller speaker which had the same tweeter as the Matrix line. I still own a pair of DM 310's from the early 90's, even smaller speakers that also use the version of the Matrix tweeter found in the 800's.

     

Unlike KEF, Quad and Mission, which are now outright owned by the Chinese with all their models made in China,  B&W is still English-owned and the high-end models are still made in the UK.  Your DM 310's are no doubt English-made.