I think the biggest problem I had with them @silverback, was entirely in my own head!
They’re too old…
There must be much better products out there, it’s time I changed…
They weren’t expensive enough to bring the best out of my now much better system…
All in my head!
They never even had a chance as they were gone before the new kit showed up and I think the biggest problem from an SQ stand point was probably the Roksan K3 Integrated/Power combo with my solo input of the LP12.
It’s time to get them back to their best and see how they fit with either system (Main Naim or Media Room) before I make any major/costly decisions.
Your comments sound identical to my thoughts at the time, I think the upgrade path can lure us in the wrong direction sometimes, now I have a totally different front end it would be very interesting to hear how they perform now.
I think from memory I payed £575 for them, I think after a short time Linn increased the price to around £8-900 not totally sure been a long time ago.
From memory the build and finish was excellent, be very interested to hear how things work out on their return.
I have decided to keep the Niagara 3000, it is a very clean presentation I hope with time this very clean and detailed sound does not reveal to be fatiguing.
Second hand (circa 2008) Kondo - KSL SFz - step up transformer.
Includes 1 metre of captive (fixed) multi strand Litz silver Kondo KSL VZ output wires (36 strand 99% silver x4 cores shielded cable of 0.09 mm diameter making a total of 144 strands of pure silver per channel).
The internal transformer wires are pure silver and it’s also internally lined with copper.
You want to upgrade your Allnic 700 or just have a choice with 2 different flavours, the Allnic all in one and with the Kondo?
Just by curiosity, have you heard once the Ypsilon phono with its separate transformer?
For Fremer it’s the best tubes phono he has heard to now.
I have another valve/tube phono stage which doesn’t have an internal SUT so the Kondo is used with that or any other phono stage I might buy in the future that doesn’t have its own internal SUT.
I tested the Allnic H7000 last week using the Allnic’s internal SUT with its moving coil input then with the Kondo into the H7000’s moving magnet input and there wasn’t a lot of difference.
But the Kondo works really well with my other valve/tube phono stage and my Ortofon Cadenza Black on my Technics 1210.
Before buying I also tested/demoed a copper and a silver Consolidated Audio SUT and the Kondo at Definitive Audio.
I preferred the Kondo although I had previously heard the Consolidated Audio silver SUT at a HiFi show and it sounded really nice.
The Hurricane High Current? That’s an excellent combination. Keep in mind they need at least a 100 hours of run in to loose some of the brightness. FWIW I use a medium sized fan to speed up the run in process. Just plug in the fan and let it run. If you want you can move the fan to different outlets on the 3000 every 24 hours or so.
After all the talk about these matts I thought, what the hell and went and ordered one (with the discount code). Is it better?, well yes for me it is. It has replaced a 2/3 year old Linn matt so to be honest I wasn’t expecting much of a difference, but everything just seems better, more authoritative and firmer. So I am well pleased and its staying!
A lot of movement so far in early 2023 - in addition to some Triode Wire Labs interconnects which I am currently evaluating, I picked up a like new Audible Illusions L2B, which I loaded with hp branded/tested Amperex Holland 6dj8 tubes and sounds absolutely lovely. Of course, being a line stage, the L2B required an outboard phono stage - a Vertere Phono 1 mk.II L, which I use with a Cotter step up x-former and all gain and loading shut off (visible at bottom of photo).
However, the big catch for me was that the preamp came with a Unicorn - an Audible Illusions S-120 SS power amplifier, I’ve been after one of these for 25 years, and to get it at the giveaway price at which I landed it is just a bonus. The story I was told (which I have no way of confirming because Art Ferris of AI is near impossible to get to impart any information - Ican’t even get him to focus long enough to sell me a download of the owner’s manual!) is that this particular unit belonged to the owner of a shop named Quintessence Audio (about whom I know nothing else) and that it received “special factory upgrades” in late 1990. I have been able to confirm that the dedicated subwoofer outs have been disabled (presumably for better sound at the regular speaker outs), and the thing is packed full of wonder caps which may or may not have been standard for this amp, none of which really matters because, so far, the amp is more than living up to my expectations - the thing has limiteless reserves of power, at least in my smallish listening room, it does delicate and nuanced as well as it does loud and full and, despite its advanced age (~33 years), the background is unsullied by any unwated noise whatsoever. Very happy.
Here’s how it all comes together (although I have located the missing shelf from my CWD cabinet so that the CD3.5 and Flatcap2 are no longer stacked - they each have their own separate shelves - and any MIT cable you see in the photos has been replaced with either TWL or Tara Labs). The system being ‘in flux’, none of the ancillaries (cables, isolation cones, discs, pillows, etc.) has achieved ‘permanent’ status yet.
@RichardPW - I know others will tell you that it’s not the best cd player ever produced, and maybe not - depending on how you define ‘best’ - but the cd3.5 has been my second primary source (after the tt) for several years. My father bought it new in 2000(?) and used it maybe a dozen times before he gave it to me a few years ago as a placeholder when my BAT VK-D5 crapped out. I liked it so much that I added the Flatcap2 a short time later and have been living with it happily ever since. I briefly considered ‘upgrading’ to a cd 5xs or other newer model, but this one is so satisfyingly musical, all the time, that I couldn’t justify the expense. I am considering whether or not there’s a benefit to the witchhat or other SNAIC upgrades (am I allowed to ask about that here?), but I’m quite happy with it as is.
