Fond memories of my CDS1. I had an Arcam transport and Deltec PDM1 dac which were really good…then I heard the CDS1, what a difference.
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Hi Clarkie, nice system indeed! I also had a Cyrus One at the time that I still have in perfect conditions. Unfortunately, there was no forum so no real urge for pictures…
Bye
Alessandro
Thanks! I managed to get a complaint from the downstairs neighbour within 10 minutes of setting it up. She said she could hear every note (of Born to Run) which is kind of a compliment 
Sold it to my friend’s brother and bought a 62/90. ATB
Shame, they were proper Tannoys! Mercury’s were good for budget speakers. Best ones I had at that time were Akroyd Rydal’s, wish I still had them.
Aged 15, took the bus into Liverpool to buy a Garrard SP25, but saw this; 
Amstrad TP12D. Cost me a 2 mile walk to the shop that my dad was running at the time, as I was £2 short of it’s cost.
This served me very well, until 3 years later I replaced it with this;
Web photos, not my own, but exact versions.
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Part of the CDS1 magical ‘glow’ was the CDSPS. For a while I ran the CDS2 with the CDSPS until the XPS arrived-and my expectations were a little crestfallen. The XPS(1) was spiky and hard sounding next to the beautifully intonated CDSPS-which technically sported smaller transformers. This was largely corrected by the XPS2, although by that stage I no longer had the CDSPS for comparison.
The CDS1 really came into its own when it was equipped with a Black Burndy…out of all the gray-to-black Burndy upgrades I did (52, CDS1, Snaxo, XPS) it was the CDS1 version that stood head-over-shoulders of all the other black upgrades.
it reminds me my last rega p9 , i had maybe 15 years ago 
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Indeed Ron, the CDPS & 52PS sported seperate transformers for the analogue & digital stages (the digital stage in the 52PS being for the control logic).
Sadly, this philosophy had to be dropped when it became “not allowed” to have two transformers with different specifications covered by a single fuse in one box.
Regards
Neil.
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At times like this, I can’t help wondering if it’s time to revive the reverse upgrade snappy.
looks very familiar as I still have mine too… one of these days I might rig it up in my office, if I can make some space… I think I already have a spare fraim level
enjoy/ken
I remember seeing that Amstrad at Comet for around 49UKP circa 1977. At that time there was a Rega Planet (a turntable, not to be confused with their CD player with the same name) that I am sure was the ‘inspiration’ of the Amstrad design.
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I had one of those too, also bought from Subjective Audio, but later, when they were in Camden. The suspension was interesting, as I recall, and when I traded it in for an LP12 it was a relief not to have to tiptoe around the room so carefully.
The Focus actually sounded pretty damn good, especially when fitted with an Entre1 MC cartridge. But every time I compared it with the more pedestrial looking Planar 3, the Rega always bettered it. Later Focus Ones had a much more robust bearing than the early model I had, which was supposed to improve its subjective performance.
I also had one of these…purchased from KJ Leisuresound just off Shaftesbury Ave.
Oddly enough for a TOTL model it was only a 2-head maching. But it was equipped with a massive flywheel. I used to plug my first electric guitar (Gibson L6S) into the microphone input, crank the gain to max where it clipped, and used the cassette deck as a fuzz-box/distortion pedal. As a recorder, it never quite managed the sparkling top end that TOTL 3 head machines offered, but it did have great speed stability. The DNR seemed to roll everything off around 12k, and made playback sound quite dull.
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Same turntable I sold for £80 in December
In part ex for. P3
Had many-a SA90
I bought mine in 1976 for £29 and I’m sure that Mr Sugar would not hesitated for a moment in “being inspired” by a competitor. It was very good for the price, so I invested in another of Amstrads early products, the Ex 330 amplifier;
It was not quite such a bargain, but was competent enough to see me though to my first year at Uni.
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Mechanical VU meters still look cool to me.
Nice to see another Sansui SR-222 MkII on this thread!
Great turntable - mine was fitted with an Ortofon VMS20E and Stanton 500 cartridges (mounted to separate SME 309 style head shells). I used the Stanton for DJ’ing at the University and the Ortofon for personal listening at home,
ATB. George.
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Unsurprisingly, I never got the best out of the Kans as I was trying to drive them with a Musical Fidelity Synthesis amp. I was learning……