What was the last bit of gear you bought?

It’s better than PEEK also.

Phil

Here it is…

That looks nice…reminds me of my cds, long gone

2 Likes

You will replace the Naim balls in the Fraim by these silicon nitride balls.
I am curious to read the results.
And why not ceramic balls? However they are probably expensive?

As stated on the other thread, silicon nitride is a ceramic, and the small ones aren’t at all expensive they cost me 66.6 pence each.

I thought that the high prices of Stillpoints isolation devices was due to the ceramic balls inside. More the Stillpoints have ceramic balls, more it’s expensive.
Stillpoints use the same ceramic balls material?

Even silicon carbide balls (one of the most expensive of the ‘normal’ engineering ceramic materials) would still only cost about £50 per 100, and even less in greater quantity.

I notice that Stillpoints are very careful to not show photographs of the actual ceramic balls they use in their current products! The older ones looked like alumina (which are cheaper than both silicon carbide and silicon nitride).

1 Like

Finite elemente cerabases are much cheaper. But don’t know why.
They seem to employ similar technologies.

I have had a fairly big year in purchases, but the latest is not strictly a purchase, it is instead a rather unexpectedly exorbitantly priced refurb of my first major audio purchase. In 1977 I bought a Pioneer SX-1050 stereo receiver, a 125 watts per channel big boy weighing over 50 pounds, now a vintage receiver that can sell on eBay for upwards of $2k. Good thing because my refurb cost half that. I think it’s a very nice looking thing with its real walnut paneling and fancy face

It is driving all the audio in my TV system and I think it sounds super. Dialogue is stunningly clear, and audio quality is way better than my pricey Arcam AVR, the SR250. I route all the HDMI cables to the Arcam and route all the RCA composite cables to the Pioneer. The Pioneer is only good for four sources (TV-DVR, OPPO DVD, Roku streamer, Pioneer Laser Disc Player) which leaves out the Panasonic VHS/DVD Player, but the TV manages that and I don’t use it anyway, so all is good. The only downside of using the SX-1050 here is that it’s too big to fit in my stereo console and the absence of a remote control. But it sounds so good, it’s a keeper.

My other purchases in 2019 were a Berkeley Audio Reference Series 2 DAC, a Berkeley Alpha USB and a Roon Nucleus, and to go with the Roon Nucleus, an Audio Alchemy DMP-1 Media Player + PS-5 Power Supply. It has been a pricey Audio year.

14 Likes

Loving your Pioneer receiver Echolane. There’s definitely something about '70s Pioneer gear.

2 Likes

Man I wish I couldv done that :wink:

I am very privileged to have some reference fidelity impulse taus speakers , they would be pretty near magico i think in terms of transparency and sound. they are about 23 years old but extensively modified with external crossovers . bought them soon after the a3 demo

they sounded very holographic and muscular with supernait 2 but room is slightly bright so at times the sn2 was just a bit much of a good thing


Bought a 1996 naim nap 180 today, coincidentally it is using holden and Fisher transformer confirmed by the last owner. Not serviced as it still sounds great and switched on without any problem.

5 Likes

A pair of mint S/h Kef Reference 201’s to replace some PMC Twenty-21’s. The improvement is nothing short of staggering.

3 Likes

That’s interesting. IIRC, H&F went under around '93. Naim had a fairly good stock of transformers for most kit to tide over until Nuvotem. One or two items had to temporarily resort to St.Ives transformers (Hicap?). I wonder if the H&F stock of transformers Naim held for the 180 lasted longest?

1 Like

That’s why he said that I’m lucky to find him to buy the nap 180, since it is still on holden and fisher. And also stock red caps and it works very well. Most importantly, it sings so well. Way better than the 110 and I keep smiling when the song is on.

Sorry for the late reply Spacecadett. Welcome to the SHL 5 Plus club. What are your impressions a month later? Claude

1 Like

Agreed. They play very well for he money and the look is hard to beat.

My first system was all Pioneer in 1977 (PL 112D, SA 7500II, TX 5500II, HPM 60), and I was able to re-build it all in 2018-2019. Like Naim, Pioneer equipment have a synergetic capability - Pioneer engineers knew what they were doing in the 70’s. I still listen to rock and blues on it.

16 Likes

Sadly FR, Stillpoints products are expensive because Stillpoints choose to charge so much for them.
The price of Stilpoints products has nothing to do with the costs of manufacture or even amortisation of R&D.

I say this as someone who is a Director of a tooling manufacturer, who machines and treats a lot of tightly toleranced steel and aluminium products.

Best regards, BF

2 Likes

PMC Twenty5.26 speaker’s! :see_no_evil:

8 Likes