most beautiful HiFi gear

goolimangala schrieb:

http://www.graham-engineering.com/_wsn/page2.html http://www.recordplayer.com/en/turntable/S-7/photos/59 http://www.sme.ltd.uk/uploads/images/seriesvbig.jpg

I love the Arm - but on the looks front I prefer :-

http://www.kuzma.si/airlineang.htm

CD Player :-

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/metronome/kalista.html

TT :-

http://www.transroto...er/quintessence.html

Speaker :-

http://www.neeper-acoustics.com/gallery.html

small room

http://www.electronichouse.com/slideshow/category/2664/495

big room

This is just off the hat;
I need to ponder over 'better options'

Shall post a revised list - in a bit.



Nice Thread !!!

The neeper perfecton one is indeed a great looking loudspeaker.
Coincidently this speaker was the object of discussion with a friend of mine who has listened to it in Mumbai.According to him, great speaker.

I love the looks of this Jadis speaker - heard it too - a few [6] years back in SIngapore.

http://www.hifiplaza.co.kr/bbs/zboard.php?id=audiophoto&no=2921

goolimangala schrieb:

Reffering to my remark in the Pantheon thread I would like to start this new Thread. It would be nice when all of you could contribute which HiFi equipment you like best from the looks only. For me it's one of these three, but I just can't decide which is the best looking: http://www.graham-engineering.com/_wsn/page2.html http://www.recordplayer.com/en/turntable/S-7/photos/59 http://www.sme.ltd.uk/uploads/images/seriesvbig.jpg I hope all the links will work. Regards, Jochen

Those look beautifull. I am sure you have your eyes set on the SME...

bhagwan69 schrieb:

goolimangala schrieb: http://www.graham-engineering.com/_wsn/page2.html http://www.recordplayer.com/en/turntable/S-7/photos/59 http://www.sme.ltd.uk/uploads/images/seriesvbig.jpg I love the Arm - but on the looks front I prefer :- http://www.kuzma.si/airlineang.htm CD Player :- http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/metronome/kalista.html TT :- http://www.transroto...er/quintessence.html Speaker :- http://www.neeper-acoustics.com/gallery.html small room http://www.electronichouse.com/slideshow/category/2664/495 big room This is just off the hat; I need to ponder over 'better options' Shall post a revised list - in a bit. Nice Thread !!!

The Rockport is definetly my favorite speaker too. But I meant the thread like that that everybody shall select his/her (do we have ladies on the forum?) king of all Hifi-designs. Or can you also not decide like me who shall be your king or queen?

BTW the Metronome transport looks very similar to a CDP by Transrotor which is now not produced anymore.

square_wave schrieb:

Those look beautifull. I am sure you have your eyes set on the SME... :)

Yeah the SME V is an absolute beauty !

Do you guys really like the SME's looks ?
I like the TT - yes, great sounding, but looks !!! It looks too bland & plane jane.....Sorry !!

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Do you guys really like the SME's looks ? I like the TT - yes, great sounding, but looks !!! It looks too bland & plane jane.....Sorry !! :L

The TTs don't have such great looks except of the SME10 perhaps, I think so too. But the "upperclass" tone arms (V, IV, and 300 series) look outstanding for me.

This entire list can hereby be added to the list http://www.audiojunk...-girlfriend-to-shame

I want to a DIY a turntable.

Where can i get parts...motors, platter, etc.,...and which is an inexpensive tonearm to start with ?

sivat schrieb:

I want to a DIY a turntable. Where can i get parts...motors, platter, etc.,...and which is an inexpensive tonearm to start with ?

Hi Siva,

As an arm to start with I would always recommend a Rega RB250 or even better a RB300. These arm have an exceptionally good price-performance-ratio and are the most sold tonearms ever, surpassing even the sales figures of the legendary SME 3009 which is not produced anymore. These two Regas you will also find on most entrylevel and midrange decks of TT-manufacturers who do not produce their own tone arms. Still one tweak is obligatory for both these arms...change the internal phonocable

Regards,
Jochen

P.S. thank you again for the auditioning of your beautiful HiFi system. I was was honestly very impressed by it's performance

goolimangala schrieb:

P.S. thank you again for the auditioning of your beautiful HiFi system. I was was honestly very impressed by it's performance :)

Hi Jochen,
Did you visit Siva to listen to his system ?

abhi.pani schrieb:

goolimangala schrieb: P.S. thank you again for the auditioning of your beautiful HiFi system. I was was honestly very impressed by it's performance :) Hi Jochen, Did you visit Siva to listen to his system ?

Yes I did, Abhi. And it is quite a good system I must say:
very neutral sounding, good soundstage and good looks too (that fits into this thread ) Congratulations Siva ... very good job.

Thanks Jochen; It is always a learning to interact with someone with lots of experience with audio equipment.

My question on turntable continues..

What would be the best way to couple the motor and the platter. Should we use a sub-platter assembly or use the belt directly on the main platter. What is the pro & con.

Power supply for TT - Quite simple really...i believe some companies are fleacing customers for this.

Tonearm - RB300 or RB250

Motor - a good DC motor (source : ebay)

pulley - sound be quite easy to find one (source : ebay)

belt - again from ebay..or even locally

Platter - good acrylic platters are available on ebay as upgrades for Rega turntables

Cartige - I already have couple of them - Shure & a Denon

The piece that is missing is the mounting solution for platter. Any suggestions/pointers will be helpful.

sivat schrieb:

My question on turntable continues.. Platter - good acrylic platters are available on ebay as upgrades for Rega turntables Cartige - I already have couple of them - Shure & a Denon

I would not consider an acrylic platter as an upgrade. From my experience the Regas need hard platters (glas or ceramic). Only then they will sound as agile as they are known for. Acrylic platters on a Rega make it sound too soft and even dull. They only look good.

If you got the Shure V15 and the Denon DL103 you got the best value for money for a cart that has ever been produced

goolimangala schrieb:

abhi.pani schrieb: goolimangala schrieb: P.S. thank you again for the auditioning of your beautiful HiFi system. I was was honestly very impressed by it's performance :) Hi Jochen, Did you visit Siva to listen to his system ? Yes I did, Abhi. And it is quite a good system I must say: very neutral sounding, good soundstage and good looks too (that fits into this thread ) Congratulations Siva ... very good job.

I have seen how this system transformed itself into something truly musical and remarkable in the last three years time. Truly appreciate the passion.
Looks great too......

Picture of the SME 30.



Does everyone find this product 'good looking' ????

A lovely CD Player :-



I like its 'looks'

2 more TT's that I like :-



&

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Picture of the SME 30. Does everyone find this product 'good looking' ????

Not really...only the arm is a dream

Not really...only the arm is a dream

Is the Graham Arm not 'preetier' looking ?
I love the looks of the WB - arm too - Carbon Fiber.

The SME is one of the 'simplest' tables to set up & plays really very 'silent' & tracks accurately. It is a great product from the 'engineering' point of view !!

bhagwan69 schrieb:

2 more TT's that I like :-

This is Rolf Kelch's clone of the Thorens Reference. But I find the Thorens 100 times better looking than the Kelch Reference http://www.thorens-info.de/html/thorens_reference.html
or
http://www.theanalogdept.com/reference.htm
100 units were built and every buyer could select his/her own colour and other styling. One was in Ferrari-red. It looks awesome. If I can find the link I'll post it.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Not really...only the arm is a dream Is the Graham Arm not 'preetier' looking ? I love the looks of the WB - arm too - Carbon Fiber. The SME is one of the 'simplest' tables to set up & plays really very 'silent' & tracks accurately. It is a great product from the 'engineering' point of view !!

I just can't decide between the Phantom, the SME V and the Simon York deck as the prettiest hifi products ever made

True the Wilson Benesch Act is also a beauty.

You are right the SME decks are almost as simple as a Rega to set up... though suspended and in comparison to the LP12 just very easy to handle.

Lovely DAC :-

goolimangala schrieb:

bhagwan69 schrieb: 2 more TT's that I like :- This is Rolf Kelch's clone of the Thorens Reference. But I find the Thorens 100 times better looking than the Kelch Reference http://www.thorens-info.de/html/thorens_reference.html or http://www.theanalogdept.com/reference.htm 100 units were built and every buyer could select his/her own colour and other styling. One was in Ferrari-red. It looks awesome. If I can find the link I'll post it.

Here it is ... Ferrari-red

some more pics of gear I love the 'looks' of :-

------------------------------------------------------------

[img=http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5508/img2306tkv9.th.jpg]

So it looks that nobody out there seam to have a real preference for only one product. Well after some time of contemplation I have finally made up my mind which is the most beautiful HiFi-product on this planet. Atleast for me it's the SIMON YORKE S-7 Turntable:



or this one with an (Odeon)-Nipper:



In my opinion it looks even better than the newly launched S-10 which will most likely perform better than the S-7, otherwise Simon Yorke would'nt have developed it. But still, when I think of the looks only the S-7 is the beauty queen (for me).

goolimangala schrieb:

But still, when I think of the looks only the S-7 is the beauty queen (for me).

Lovely product;
I have seen this 'in person'
Howevern never heard it. I am sure it must be great. Made in Spain is it ?

This is a 'great choice' !!
Looks great;


What is your Best Amp ?
Best Speaker ?

All on Looks only.... Thanks,

bhagwan69 schrieb:

goolimangala schrieb: But still, when I think of the looks only the S-7 is the beauty queen (for me). Lovely product; I have seen this 'in person' Howevern never heard it. I am sure it must be great. Made in Spain is it ? This is a 'great choice' !! Looks great; What is your Best Amp ? Best Speaker ? All on Looks only.... Thanks,

Yes, I think Simon Yorke lives in Spain. So it's very much possible that his turntables and arm are produced there.

This is definetely one of the top turntables besides the Brinkmann TTs, the SME30, Walker and the Raven (actually the Falcon was even better than the Raven, but never went into production. I don't know why). Then of course the Goldmund Reference TTs are from another planet
Another top TT, but which never really took of is Brakemeier's Apolyt :

sivat schrieb:

My question on turntable continues.. What would be the best way to couple the motor and the platter. Should we use a sub-platter assembly or use the belt directly on the main platter. What is the pro & con. Power supply for TT - Quite simple really...i believe some companies are fleacing customers for this. Tonearm - RB300 or RB250 Motor - a good DC motor (source : ebay) pulley - sound be quite easy to find one (source : ebay) belt - again from ebay..or even locally Platter - good acrylic platters are available on ebay as upgrades for Rega turntables Cartige - I already have couple of them - Shure & a Denon The piece that is missing is the mounting solution for platter. Any suggestions/pointers will be helpful.

Sorry I'm joining this thread a bit late but I might have 2 paisa to contribute to Siva's DIY TT:
* no doubt that the Rega 250 or 300 is a good tonearm recommendation.
However, in my personal experience the upgraded tonearms from Origin Live are MUCH better. Specifically, the Origin Live Silver 250. I believe that it is in its Mk3 version now & retails for a little over $1000 here in the USA but that is due to it being imported. If you can buy it somewhere in Europe OR Singapore you'll get it much cheaper I'm sure. I believe that its performance is superior to the Rega tonearms.
If you do not want to get the Silver 250 due to expense get the Origin Live modified RB250. Here is a TNT-Audio review: http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/olrb250_e.html

* best way to couple the motor to the platter would be a rim drive. Last year at RMAF07 that was the big thing - rim drive. from whatever little I could discern in a show environment + what I heard from other fans was that the rim drive sounded more open & dynamic vs. a regular belt drive.
The TW Acustic Raven 3AC created a rim drive in an expensive way - 3 AC motors triangulated in such a way around the platter that the belt touched the platter tangentially at only 1 place thereby creating a rim drive.
Chris Brady of Teres Audio had a nice & compact looking rim drive from his TTs. here is a pix: http://www.teresaudio.com/verus-motor.html
the rim drive is on the left of the box that says "Versus".

* Yup, a DC motor is a good choice. Origin Live has a nice DC motor for DIYers. Check it out on their website: www.originlive.com.

* Platters: from my experience w/ the MMF TTs & the present TT I have, I've found that glass platters (mentioned already by goolimangala) are very good sounding. They do NOT ring as would be the 1st impression. W/ the MMF5 that I had I used a 3mm cork mat. Worked flawlessly cosmetically & sonically. When I sold it, the new owner was equally impressed w/ the sonics.
If not glass then some PVC compound - black polyvinyl- or black Sustarin, which is a made in Germany by Bayer. This might be tough to get but a solid black polyvinyl platter might be easier to source, I THINK!

* mounting the platter - how about using something similar to the VPI Aries Scout: "The massive platter is composed of 1 3/8" acrylic and is mounted to an inverted bearing of Teflon and brass on a 60 case hardened shaft."??

FWIW.

goolimangala schrieb:

Reffering to my remark in the Pantheon thread I would like to start this new Thread. It would be nice when all of you could contribute which HiFi equipment you like best from the looks only. For me it's one of these three, but I just can't decide which is the best looking: http://www.graham-engineering.com/_wsn/page2.html http://www.recordplayer.com/en/turntable/S-7/photos/59 http://www.sme.ltd.uk/uploads/images/seriesvbig.jpg I hope all the links will work. Regards, Jochen

I've not done too much research on this but this is one nice looking TT - the wood is Cocobolo. I heard this TT at RMAF07 & it did sound just georgeous!
http://www.teresaudio.com/certus/certus_460_big.jpg

Bombaywala,

Thanks for the info and the link to teres audio...looks intresting...but expensive

Regards
Siva.

Some DIY stuff ... turntable..as well as under the "most beautiful HiFi gear" category ...


http://audio-nirvana.fortunecity.net/pag_eng/soplatg.htm

All though the above project sounds expensive, trust me the end product must be real value for money compared to similar ones that you might buy from your friends hi-end dealer

http://www.krishu.de/de/index.php?id=28

http://www.theanalogdept.com/j_j_jimmink.htm

http://www.diyaudio....page=25&pagenumber=2

We DIY guys would also like to show off

sivat schrieb:

http://audio-nirvana.fortunecity.net/pag_eng/soplatg.htm

Sir,

What a job;

This is the best DIY thing I have ever seen.
Please do show me 'speakers & amplifiers' like this and I promise you, I will become a DIY follower.
What a job !!
Mind Blowing - very very well done. I love it.

What would this TT's indicative price be ? Any idea....
1000 to 1500 US $'s ????
This table might have a 'retail' price of 5 to 6 K US $'s I feel.

All members should take a look !!

bhagwan69 schrieb:

This is the best DIY thing I have ever seen. Please do show me 'speakers & amplifiers' like this and I promise you, I will become a DIY follower. What a job !!

sivas transport, Dac, pre and Monoblocks are pretty amazing to look at too !

bhagwan69 schrieb:

sivat schrieb: http://audio-nirvana.fortunecity.net/pag_eng/soplatg.htm Sir, What a job; This is the best DIY thing I have ever seen. Please do show me 'speakers & amplifiers' like this and I promise you, I will become a DIY follower. What a job !! Mind Blowing - very very well done. I love it. What would this TT's indicative price be ? Any idea.... 1000 to 1500 US $'s ???? This table might have a 'retail' price of 5 to 6 K US $'s I feel. All members should take a look !! :hail

Bhagwan,

Take a look a various other projects @ http://www.krishu.de/de/index.php?id=28

There are far more complex designs than what you have have highlighted...but - you are not able to see the complexity of the other ones being made !!

This is how DIY projects are often under-estimated, without realizing how complex the projects can get

Regards
Siva.

bombaywalla schrieb:

sivat schrieb: My question on turntable continues.. What would be the best way to couple the motor and the platter. Should we use a sub-platter assembly or use the belt directly on the main platter. What is the pro & con. Power supply for TT - Quite simple really...i believe some companies are fleacing customers for this. Tonearm - RB300 or RB250 Motor - a good DC motor (source : ebay) pulley - sound be quite easy to find one (source : ebay) belt - again from ebay..or even locally Platter - good acrylic platters are available on ebay as upgrades for Rega turntables Cartige - I already have couple of them - Shure & a Denon The piece that is missing is the mounting solution for platter. Any suggestions/pointers will be helpful. Sorry I'm joining this thread a bit late but I might have 2 paisa to contribute to Siva's DIY TT: * no doubt that the Rega 250 or 300 is a good tonearm recommendation. However, in my personal experience the upgraded tonearms from Origin Live are MUCH better. Specifically, the Origin Live Silver 250. I believe that it is in its Mk3 version now & retails for a little over $1000 here in the USA but that is due to it being imported. If you can buy it somewhere in Europe OR Singapore you'll get it much cheaper I'm sure. I believe that its performance is superior to the Rega tonearms. If you do not want to get the Silver 250 due to expense get the Origin Live modified RB250. Here is a TNT-Audio review: http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/olrb250_e.html * best way to couple the motor to the platter would be a rim drive. Last year at RMAF07 that was the big thing - rim drive. from whatever little I could discern in a show environment + what I heard from other fans was that the rim drive sounded more open & dynamic vs. a regular belt drive. The TW Acustic Raven 3AC created a rim drive in an expensive way - 3 AC motors triangulated in such a way around the platter that the belt touched the platter tangentially at only 1 place thereby creating a rim drive. Chris Brady of Teres Audio had a nice & compact looking rim drive from his TTs. here is a pix: http://www.teresaudio.com/verus-motor.html the rim drive is on the left of the box that says "Versus". * Yup, a DC motor is a good choice. Origin Live has a nice DC motor for DIYers. Check it out on their website: www.originlive.com. * Platters: from my experience w/ the MMF TTs & the present TT I have, I've found that glass platters (mentioned already by goolimangala) are very good sounding. They do NOT ring as would be the 1st impression. W/ the MMF5 that I had I used a 3mm cork mat. Worked flawlessly cosmetically & sonically. When I sold it, the new owner was equally impressed w/ the sonics. If not glass then some PVC compound - black polyvinyl- or black Sustarin, which is a made in Germany by Bayer. This might be tough to get but a solid black polyvinyl platter might be easier to source, I THINK! * mounting the platter - how about using something similar to the VPI Aries Scout: "The massive platter is composed of 1 3/8" acrylic and is mounted to an inverted bearing of Teflon and brass on a 60 case hardened shaft."?? FWIW.

Sorry for replying on this very late. I was cut off from the WWW and my phone lines got restored only yesterday evening.....that's Bangalore

You are right these upgraded arms from Origin Live are excellent but then Siva would also get into a price region where there are other very good arms available such as Roksan, Linn (I'm not so sure about the price now), VPI and even Ortophon.

Regarding rim drive this is definetly a possible alternative to the belt drive to start a DIY project with. But a real problem which has to be tackled is that these TTs tend to rumble heavyly.
Though, Siva is a very capable engineer. Why not try to realize the most difficult drives: direct and magnet drives.
Sorry Siva I am only joking . No, let's be serious again: magnet drives have been tried many times by many engineers. But the problems with magnetic interference with the cart seem to be to much. So far only two guys have managed these problems: Helmut Brinkmann with his new Oasis TT and audio wizard Tim deParavicini with his first TT.
Direct drives such as used in the old EMT studio TTs would too expensive to build nowadays.

Jochen,

I had been studying the magnetic drives....it is very intresting. But unfortunately, i'm not willing to spend that kind of money on a prothat that i will NOT use so very often (It is impractical to maintain a good collection of records in our country, given the amount of dust that gathers).

I was never intrested in direct drives....it would be a mechanical nightmare .. and so far, i 've only been a bit okay in physics (not even electronics, for which i rely on my expert uncle)

So i was thinking of restricting myself to a "traditional"
- belt drive
- wooden platter (many diy'ers rave about it)
- a pre-fabricated good motor solution (from the likes of teres or scheu analog or origin-live)
- For bearing setup, i was thinking of parts from harley-davision or our own "bullet".
- There is a very simple tone-arm solution that is available in brigade road (S design, anti-skating, oil lifter, etc., ... all for 6k )

Please do not tempt me to spend more... i will get killed @ home.

Regards
Siva.

Siva not to worry, we will back u with all moral support u need.....a bit of advice, @ home when you get the feeling that you are going to get killed any moment "RUN LIKE HELL"!


Btw would it also not be the right time to diy a good tube phono stage ?


Manek

Manek schrieb:

Btw would it also not be the right time to diy a good tube phono stage ? Manek

This is well under-way using 12AX7 and 12AU7 .. no opamps in my setup. 100% tubes.

Manek schrieb:

Btw would it also not be the right time to diy a good tube phono stage ? Manek

Yup...........

What about amps ?

Which amps do you guys think are really good looking ?


I for one love the unison research absolute 845

Manek

Manek schrieb:

What about amps ? Which amps do you guys think are really good looking ? I for one love the unison research absolute 845 Manek

Hi Manek,

This amp is of course a real beauty. But I find the VA-1 still more consequent in design. Has the quarrel who has copied whom ever been resolved?
Another favorite of mine is this on, my old Einstein Integrated



Again I find this design more consequent than the new Einstein line

nice simple TT

Amps..for me the most beautiful one is this



they have a matching CDP as well..unfortunately never heard these..

Arj schrieb:

Amps..for me the most beautiful one is this they have a matching CDP as well..unfortunately never heard these..

And even a matching TT

I heard them in Taipei;
With T & A CD Player + Transmission Line Speaker [including an ESL Panel & Tube Amp built into it]. One of the best renderings of Dire Straits I ever heard....
Truly a great product for rock music.....

btw - T & A is the OE supplier to EMM Labs from 2008 summer onwards. All EMM Labs CD / SACD Players will now be made in Germnay & shipped to Canada for finishing - the EMM Build quality was very very poor - 3/10 to be 'generous' !!
Hopefully that will improve soon....



http://img84.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bowmy2.jpg

Hey

Nice set....

Jochen, yes it is the story that won't end as to who was aping who on this unison research thing.
Incidently I used have an old audio mag which had reviewed the absolute 845 in the late 90's and that article also mentioned that an el34 version of that amp was to be launched soon....but that amp I don't think was ever launched unison research....food for thought.....btw the 845 has bais pots and meters bang center and that is so cool...such a nice touch. I am sure other amps may have it but haven't seen any till date.

Siva, nice going on the phono stage.

Manek