I have really enjoyed the amp, loudspeaker and cd history threads. So let’s try all sources.
1978-2016 Kenwood tuner
1978-2000 sansui cassette deck
1979-today Phillips turntable
1987-2010 Yamaha cd player
1987-2010 Yamaha tuner/receiver
2016-2017 Naim 272
2017-2019 Naim NDS
2017-2018 Rega Rp 8
2019-today ND 555
2020-today LUMIN t2
2020-today McIntosh MT 5 turntable
TT
1974 Goldring G102 turntable Goldring cartridge
1978 ish Mitchell Focus One
1980-1 ish LP12 Syrinx PU2 Asak
1984-5ish Ittok
To date various upgrades to LP12 and cartridge changes, about to get Lingo 4, Keel and Karosel.
Tuner
Meridian 104 Sold one and replaced it a few years later think I got the first one around 1981. Still have it lurking about somewhere.
Cassette deck
1980ish Aiwa unsure of the model
1987ish Sony Walkman Pro, still have.
2014 Unitlite
2017 Star
2023 222/300 imminent
Goldring G920 cartridge fitted to parent’s cast off music centre - made me realise things could be so much better
in the 1980’s up to possibly early 90’s :-
Rega Planar 3 (with A&R P77 I think)
LP12, Basik and basik cartridge (AT91?)
LP12, Ittok, Asak,
LP12, Ittok, Karma
LP12, Ekos, Karma
LP12, Ekos, Troika - still present
in the 90’s - Naim CD3 - since sold
2011 - Homebuilt Music PC and Ndac
c2020 -Homebuilt PC into NDS
2022 Melco N10/2 into NDS
CD: Pioneer, Micromega, Naim CDI, CDX, CDS3 NOW NONE.
Streaming: NDX2 with XPS and now 555DR.
Turntables: Dual 505, EB101, Xerxes and now Linn LP12.
Not really a tuner or tape guy.
Started with Vinyl, found that CD could sound good once I’d Trichord Clocked my CD52. Moved onto Mac ‘n’ DAC solutions then onto dedicated streamers. There’s a NAT02 in there around 2014 to 2016 too.
Heybrook TT2 : 1985
Linn LP12 : 1987 - 1996
Marantz CD52SE : 1992 - 1996
Naim CD3.5 : 1996 – 2003
Naim CD5i : 2003-2006
Nain n-Vi : 2006 – 2014
Mac Mini / Lavry DA10 : 2007-2008
Mac Mini / Weiss DAC2 : 2008 – 2010
Mac Mini / Weiss DAC202 : 2010-2012
Linn Akurate DS : 2012-2014
Naim NDX : 2014 – 2016
Devialet D220 Pro (streamer built in) 2014 – present
Naim NDX2 (as transport) : 2020 – 2022
Linn NG Klimax DSM : 2022 - present
In 2021 I posted my 60 year audio journey (with pictures) & this basically incorporated source, amps & speakers in a single post.
For anyone interested, here it is:-
CD:
Pioneer …mid 80s (loved it - was digital)
Sony CDP 337 ESD (sold him recently for good money)
currently:
naim CDX olive (still waiting to be used again someday)
naim HDX
Turntable:
Normende family system
Thorens TD166 MKII
Phonosophie No2 (modified Thorens TD 160s)
currently:
Phonosophie No3 (modified Thorens TD 2001)
plus prefix (integrated as in LP12)
plus Naim P3PS (naim PS for TT)
plus SC powering the SC (huge step)
Streaming
all in use:
naim DAC with XPS
naim HDX
naim MuSo2
naim Qute 2
naim ND5XS2
Pioneer Receiver
Garrard Turntable
Teac Reel to Reel
Pioneer Tuner, Cassette player, CD
Sony Tuner, Cassette Player, CD player
Naim ND5XS streamer
Cambridge Transport
Naim NDX
Naim NDX 2
Over the years I really had some, but do not remember that well.
The CD players are on the CD post.
But also had some of these.
Cassete Decks, had various from Sony and Pioneer, still have one here today the Sony TC K6ES and never used it, but also never sold it.
Had some mini disc players
DCC Players for a little while.
More recently streamers I own.
Blue sound Node 2i
Sotm SMS 200 Ultra
Ifi Zen Stream
Naim NDX 2
Unity Atom HE
DAC’s
Ifi micro iDSD
Ifi micro iDSD Black
Ifi hip Dac
Ifi go blu
Ifi pro iDSD
Ifi xDSD Gryphon
MSB Link DAC many years ago
I had many things over the years but CD’s were my first source, now is streaming, the other gear was not as important to me but a way to have most of the time music on the go.
I suppose this thread was inevitable after the others, though it does in part duplicate the CD Player history thread. Here goes with mine:
1969 Garrard SP25 Mk2 TT plus Shure M3 cartridge, in DIY plinth with DIY perspex dust cover. My start on the hifi road…
1970 Goldring G800 cartridge. Clearer sound overall.
1971/2 Thorens TD150 with TP13 arm, plus Shure M75E cartridge. This early suspended sub-chassis TT with single ball precision bearing plus better cartridge was a major upgrade, and, though I did not think of it that way, it was an early example of “source first”, way ahead of the rest of my system at the time - but it was driven by an obvious component limitation - The rumble from the SP25 idler wheel was all too audible having speakers that did bass, so as soon as I started work the first thing I saved for was a replacement, and with no commitments other than hifi and music meant I might as well make it a significant step.
Late 1970s upgraded TT: the TD150’s flimsy plinth revamped with thick sandwich construction, solid damped base, and fitted with spikes), and changed to Coral 777EX cartridge.
Mid-late 1980s changed arm for Rega RB300 and cartridge for an AT mc, possibly AT-OC9 (pics online fit my memory).
1989 Cambridge CD2 CD player
2000 Shearne Phase 7 CD player
(details of these two in the CD Player history thread)
~2008-9 ripped all my vinyl to CD, selling TT at end
2013 Naim ND5XS - my introduction to streaming, the new medium of the future, demise of my CD player ending my CD playing. After a lot of research this was my choice, ex-dem within my budget originally expected to spend on a replacement CD player upon death of the last. I was happy with my choice, it really sounding very similar to my last CD player, as far as memory allows comparison. At the same time I bought a cheap NAS (NSA325), which did the job, though it was physically noisy.
2014 XP5XS added to ND5XS. Big mistake: perhaps in part influenced by learning about Naim power supply upgrades on this forum I was persuaded by the dealer to buy (remotely because I was a long way away), without first hearing, The improvement was so marginal as to not be worth the cost, even though I had bought ex-dem. It was gone in a month.
2014 Chord Hugo added as external DAC with ND5XS now acting as renderer. I was curious after all the positive comments I heard, and used part of the money from the departed XP5XS to buy this, on sale or return. It stayed! It’s improvement was significant, the sound becoming much more natural, or that was the best way I could describe it.
2015 Mac Mini (late 2012 model) with twin 500GB SSDs set up as NAS, replacing the NSA325 - silence at last. Did the job well, using free Serviio serving software.
2015 Audirvana (fully optimised) on Mac Mini (headless and dedicated, store and renderer in one box so no streaming across a network) replaced ND5XS as renderer, with slight improvement in sound, but it had to go through an isolator (Gustard U22) to remove RF because Hugo was more susceptible than most DACs.
2016 Chord Dave replaced Hugo as DAC (and Gustard not needed).
No source changes since Dave came. My only anticipated change will happen when I finally give up on Audirvana’s frustrations, or when Mac Mini reaches end of life, when a replacement renderer will happen - but what I don’t yet know and will depend on what is around at the time. I sometimes wonder of I should try MScaler, but nothing makes me leap to spend the money…
I haven’t included a pair of R to R tape recorders I had for many years because they weren’t part of hifi system, nor a cassette player that I had mainly for recording cassettes for the car.
Turntables
NAD (Rega made)
Rega RP3
Roksan Radius
LP12/Valhalla/RB250
Break
RP6
Roksan Xerxes 10 (power supply kept dying)
LP12/Ittok/Armageddon
LP12/AOPU7/Keel/Klimax Radikal
CD player
AMC CD7(?)
Naim CD3
Naim CD2
Streaming
NAC172XS
NAC272
ND5XS2
ND5XS2/nDAC
NDX2/XPSDR (traded in the XPSDR after a few weeks)
NDX2
NDX2/Hugo TT
Kyocera 310 cd
Rega Planet
CD3
CD2
CDS I
CDS II
CDS III
CD555
NDS
ND555
LP12 - Aro - Armageddon - Superline - Supercap DR
Solstice - Superline - Supercap DR
NAT02
NAT101
NAT01
Digital-
Berkeley Alpha USB fed by Mac has been my staple as it’s probably the best spdif convertor available.
DACs
Audiolab MDAC
Chord Hugo
Schiit Gungnir Multibit
Audio Note DAC 2 (97)
Audio Note DAC 2 (around 09)
later upgraded to 2.1X Signature
Current - Sw1x DAC 3 balanced with upgrades I absolutely love this DAC. I’ve heard a few Uber expensive streamer DACs and I think they are quite a lot less engaging.
Recently splashed a lot of money on CEC TLOX cd transport. I’m now a believer. Cd sounds better than streaming, I cannot explain why but I hear it and my streaming setup is no slouch.
Turntables
Rega RP10
Linn LP12 majik
Rega p9
Vertere MG-1 mk1 - current
Phono pre
Rega IOS mk1
Puresound P10
Anatek M1
SW1X LPU2 Special -current
I think the Vertere MG-1 with grado cart into the LPU2 special is my best source and I couldn’t be any happier. It makes me just want to spend all day listening to music. It’s a shame my record collection sucks as I’m still building it up.
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