Hi-fi £4k recommendations

Is the zephr derived from Borbelys active designs like some of their other kit or is it their passive variant?

 

If you do want to buy now, I'd get a CDP and an amp, and leave the speakers till you get the place, as these are the things which are most room dependant.

If you want brands, how about

second hand Wadia ..you could get an 850. Here's a 301 which I think is ok but not in 860/861 territory
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WADIA-301-in-...oryZ3272QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

EAR 534
http://www.definitiveaudio.co.uk/stuff.htm

no pre needed, run the cd player direct with integrated vol.

That would leave about £1100 for speakers when you are ready for them

 

I think it is one of these inside a nice case

http://www.welbornelabs.com/remote.htm

 

I wonder how it compares with AS passion...

 

I'm not sure as I haven’t heard the AS but like I said, I heard this in a system that cost about £60K and it sounded damn good!

I can't remember most of the system but it was the one at the last Heathrow show with the big £30K Ypsilon Audio power amps in one of the larger rooms.

If you are really cheap (like me!) you could get the internal parts all assembled and find your own box. That would work out at about £200 with postage.

 

Hmm I heard that room.

 

Does that mean you didn't like it?

I think it was pretty good. Nothing ever sounds really good at a show but it had good dynamics, scale and sound staging. Quite detailed too but a bit coloured and slow. Mainly the room I think. I have heard the same amps elsewhere and they are damn nice!

Still, that for say, £350 in their nice box (they have some 'B-Stock' at a discount at the moment) or £600 for the Django.

If you wait a couple of weeks I will probably have one and could bring it down for you to have a listen or you could come here.

 

Impossible to say - I cant decompose the effects of the room and all the bits of kit that comprised the system when they are all unfamiliar. TBH I didnt hear a single system at the show that caused me to challenge what I have already - which surprised me greatly. Walrus sounded good, as did the funk firm and the Defintiive room sounded worth a further audition though frankly for the cost it was dissapointing. I dont think that kondo gear will play my punk records that well!

Sounds great but I will need to go active first as those units dont have 3 pairs of balanced outputs! Do you have both django and the welbourne unit?

 

I don't have either at the moment but once I get the Zephyr perhaps you could also invite Thorsten down for a listen at the same time as he has the Music First passive pre which is essentially the same as the Django.

 

I am already speaking with thorsten however he has a clear preference for me to come to him - perhaps you can persuade him otherwise? I live quite close by to him

Any phono stages you can get your hands on also gratefully listened to.

 

Well, speak to Real Hi-Fi and get a unit on home demo.

 

Isnt that thorstens company anyway?

 

I don't think so. Thorsten owns 3D-Sonics. Real Hi-Fi is a distribution network for Hi-Fi products. They should be able to tell you where your nearest dealer who has the Music First Passive Magnetic Pre is. I think Walrus might have it.

Doesn't someone else on this forum have a Django? I remember about a year ago someone was looking at transformer controlled things. Was it Michael?

In your shoes I would just get the Django with S&B transformers. Judging by the rest of your kit, you are not on a particularly limited budget so go for what is generally thought to sound better.

The only reason I am keen on the Zephyr is because it is about £400 less, has a remote and looks nicer.

Once I get mine we could demo them against each other.

Are you sure your source has enough juice to run a passive pre? Would it be coming direct from the phono stage?

By the way, sorry this is going off topic people! Would a mod care to split the thread at a good place?

 

Its linked to on thorstens profile page. Must be some connection. Yes walrus have the mfaudio.

I plan to try a passive pre first against my existing unit and then compare with tvc. Picking the best to keep. My cdp is a PT de capo dac which basically has a pip preamp section as its output stage so will drive anything. The brystons crossovers have 50k input impedance and I plan to put them right under the volco and connect with 20cm cables and then run long leads to the power amps from the crossover. My phono may have a problem however as it only has opamp output stage.

 

Probably because they are his distributer.

If the phono box has an op-amp output stage it should be alright. They are quite tolerant little things compared to valves!

What is TVC?

 

Could be.

Transformer volume control.

Opamps generally dont drive long cables and difficult loads very well. I have ad847 on the output - which is better than most.

 

Oh.. I thought Op-amps could drive nearly infinite impedance loads so long cables don't matter. Valves on the other hand...

I am not so hot on the electronics side though

 

Me neither and my head is too foggy from having a cold to remember much of anything right now. They dont like capacitance much generally and I think loads can be a problem especially regarding distortion and power dissapation. A brief glance at an opamp data sheet should give you an idea what they are capable (or not capable) of. Try,

http://www.analog.com/UploadedFiles/Data_Sheets/110698496AD829_g.pdf

 

I'll give my version Wadia 16 used £1600 (used direct), Belcanto Evo2 power amp £1200 imported inc vat and taxes £800 for an Evo200.2. Pair of Meadowlark Kestral 2's £1k imported or Shearwaters £800-£1k.
simply very good following groovy music.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Forgive me if this sounds like a silly question: In general, what type of room size would suit stand mounts as opposed to floorstanders? I understand that there are numerous variables to consider, hence my apologies at the outset!!