Musical afternoon shared...

Great Stuff Ken - Friendship and music thats whats its about and a bit of vinyl    

Tabby cat posted:

Great Stuff Ken - Friendship and music thats whats its about and a bit of vinyl    

Thanks TC -- we played NDS very briefly after John arrived -- but otherwise we were mostly vinyl. probably the longest vinyl session i have had since i got the DV TKR cartridge!

enjoy

ken

Many thanks for your hospitality Ken. I would have been here sooner but for a nasty common cold which has laid me low for the last few days.

I find it most instructive and enjoyable to visit similarly afflicted (!) audiophile friends with an infectious love of music. Continued exposure to a wide range of different listening spaces and systems continues to dilute any fixed opinions I might have held. Some of you will know that Ken has a magnificent 'active 500' system which he runs in his small office.

Listening spaces seem to be a complete acoustic lottery in my experience. I've heard nice systems in big rooms which have not worked convincingly for me at all. Moreover; 'active' does not automatically mean 'better' in my experience. The basic recipe has to be right. Add 'activation' to that, and musical nirvana can result.

Ken was onto a winner for me from the start with SL2's, which I have previously owned, used and loved for many years. As a CD555 user it was very useful to kick off with some known Alt-J material via Ken's NDS powered by two 555PS. I immediately heard more information than I'm used to at home, but the important aspect was that the sound was beautifully tonally balanced from top to bottom; and the music was layered and presented, as opposed to being projected at the listener.

In short; the music existed in space with a lovely sense of ease and organic engagement. It was very useful for me to hear that streaming executed properly can be the equal of, or better than  my CD555 reference point.

And so to to the real deal - the big black platters enjoyed via LP12/Aro/DV TKR/Superline/SC. Back to what I said earlier about fixed opinions from limited exposure - I've owned a TKR (and other DV carts) in the past, and was never 100% happy with the sound; finding the marque to sound somewhat stark/clinical. Nothing like it from the TKR in Ken's system. The cartridge sounded beautifully refined and is obviously very well matched to the Superline; a superb phono-stage. I use a Linn Radikal/Urika but can easily understand and appreciate the appeal of Superline/SC. The two options do a great job in different ways.

The vinyl sound was deliciously organic, layered, detailed and presented, but with the necessary PRaT and urge. SL2's are a strange beast. I've heard them sound thin and screechy in the wrong room, but surprisingly in Ken's theoretically imperfect room, they sounded delightfully full-bodied and well balanced. I cannot think of another loudspeaker which would work as well in that space.

Thank you Ken for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in good company, listening to, and discussing good music.

John.

thanks to you John for being such good company -- good chat/good music -- win/win.

this is actually the first time i have had a forum friend visit to listen to my system -- and i am sure pleased you enjoyed it John. The fact that we shared some insights into some of the musicians behind the music we played is a good thing in my book.

Time went fast -- and as they say,all good things come to and end i guess. 

I am actually thinking of visiting a few other hifi friends with similar systems -- trouble is at my age, driving long distances takes a lot out of me -- but we'll see...

enjoy

ken

Ken/John - thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had great fun.  

You've highlighted another benefit of this forum: occasionally getting to hear another contributor's system and to discuss music etc.  Time constraints and distances quite often make such occasions difficult or even impossible but perhaps that makes it all the more special when it can be made to happen.  And sometimes you discover that a fellow contributor/enthusiast is just around the corner, which can be lovely surprise. I know that's happened to me.

It's nice to hear different set-ups in dealers and sometimes shows but there's nothing to beat hearing another system in a domestic setting where you know the owner will (like you) have experimented, tweaked and tuned their system to get it sounding just so.  Great stuff.

that's my experience too MDS. I last visited fellow Naim owners back in 2013 -- as it happens it was John and Michael --  at that time, i was using NAP300s and so it was very useful to hear what the 500 was about. The rest is history as they say.

A previous dealer of mine (long time ago) used to insist that any system that he sold should sound better at a customers home that in the dealers dem room. Of course, this cannot be true in general, but you get the gist of what he as on about.

enjoy

ken

What an inspiring read! It sounds like you had a fun-filled time. I would like to be able to enjoy a similar shared experience, but everyone I know thinks I'm a nutcase for spending so much money on music replay equipment! I try to explain, but then I see the look of pity in their eyes.

Clive B posted:

What an inspiring read! It sounds like you had a fun-filled time. I would like to be able to enjoy a similar shared experience, but everyone I know thinks I'm a nutcase for spending so much money on music replay equipment! I try to explain, but then I see the look of pity in their eyes.

sounds familiar Clive, very familiar... but when or systems sound the way they are supposed to, then i guess its irrelevant what the "uninitiated"(?) think...

enjoy

ken

Thanks Ken & John for sharing.  We should do this more often (and share) ...

Best regards, FT

Sounds like you two had a great day chaps. We've had some super get-togethers over the years; I've gotten to know some lovely folks in the process and made some good friends (all completely bonkers of course...). It's certainly not all about music and equipment, it's also about meeting people from many different backgrounds with a common interest, and for those of you who might be nervous about doing something similar, worry not - whatever your tastes in hi-fi or music, rest assured you'll receive a warm welcome.

tonym posted:

Sounds like you two had a great day chaps. We've had some super get-togethers over the years; I've gotten to know some lovely folks in the process and made some good friends (all completely bonkers of course...). It's certainly not all about music and equipment, it's also about meeting people from many different backgrounds with a common interest, and for those of you who might be nervous about doing something similar, worry not - whatever your tastes in hi-fi or music, rest assured you'll receive a warm welcome.

And cakes.  Lots of cakes!

Great thread chaps these get togethers are always enjoyable and time flies so quickly in like minded company. One useful thing I do find is that it allows you to hear certain genres of music that perhaps you don’t buy yourself and it is interesting to hear how it performs on each other’s systems, a case in point being my vast collection of classical organ music and jazz.   If you do wend your way to Norfolk again Ken you will be assured of a warm welcome here.

Foot tapper posted:

Thanks Ken & John for sharing.  We should do this more often (and share) ...

Best regards, FT

Hear, hear! I already have some 'hifi visits' tentatively penciled in ...will be done when i feel i can drive the somewhat long distance(s) involved. old age is taking its toll :-)

enjoy

ken

tonym posted:

Sounds like you two had a great day chaps. We've had some super get-togethers over the years; I've gotten to know some lovely folks in the process and made some good friends (all completely bonkers of course...). It's certainly not all about music and equipment, it's also about meeting people from many different backgrounds with a common interest, and for those of you who might be nervous about doing something similar, worry not - whatever your tastes in hi-fi or music, rest assured you'll receive a warm welcome.

yes, used to enjoy reading about these events -- there hasn't been much going on lately. Maybe its a generation thing -- or perhaps there are not enough punters who are 'bonkers' ? :-) -- a threatened species...

enjoy

ken

Michael posted:

Great thread chaps these get togethers are always enjoyable and time flies so quickly in like minded company. One useful thing I do find is that it allows you to hear certain genres of music that perhaps you don’t buy yourself and it is interesting to hear how it performs on each other’s systems, a case in point being my vast collection of classical organ music and jazz.   If you do wend your way to Norfolk again Ken you will be assured of a warm welcome here.

 

absolutely correct Michael -- and as it happens i have just ordered some additional records derived from some of the music that John kindly brought along. i enjoyed my last visit to yours Michael listening to your fab NBL system. Its just a pity that the visit was somewhat rushed as i was also visiting john on the same day. Lesson learnt...  and of course if you ever wend your way to Welwyn Garden City, etc etc...  But of course not if you are claustrophobic!! :-)

enjoy

ken