General Asylum

Posted by Bambi B (A) on May 20, 2009 at 06:43:16

In Reply to: RE: Getting back to basics - Have I gone to far posted by fin1bxn@msn.com on May 20, 2009 at 05:49:02

fin1bxn,

I was interested in your post as I have recently sensed that I've reached a kind of audio saturation point:

ARC SP8
ARC SP10
ARC D115
ARC LS3
ARC D130
McIntosh MX110
McIntosh MC240
McIntosh MR67
McIntosh MR77
Dynaco PAS3
Dynaco ST70
Fisher 800C
Scott 330D
Peavey VMP2
ART DI/O
EICO HF-14
Marantz 2235
Marantz 2275
Oracle Delphi III/ SME V
Dual 1019
Technics SL-D2/ Shure V15
Cambridge Audio 640C
Toshiba 3960 (2)
Vandersteen 2C
Infinity Primus 360
Spectrum 208AB
Sennheiser 280HD

plus:

about 675 NOS tubes
4 power conditioners
8 reasonably serious sets of interconnects
3 reasonably serious sets of speaker cables

I'm conscious of all this as I'm moving in two weeks and am working ou how to revive my sleeping Audio Research SP10- gain pot, capacitors and tubes- $500, ARC D115: capacitors and tubes $800, and Oracle turntable: cartridge, belt, and mat: $900.

Not only is this a bite financially I shouldn't do at this time, there is so much other stuff to organize. I will never have more than a main system, an office system, and perhaps a bedroom system, and so I'm now thinking of ways to reduce the pile of gear.

Like you, I like the idea of very high quality sound, but I think for example that today I could simplify by replacing the wonderful Audio Research D115 tube amplifier with one of the good Audio Research solid state amplifiers like the D200/300/400 series, D130, D240, 100.2, or 150.2.

Still, it's difficult to decide what to let go- I can't sell the Marantz 2235 I bought as my first piece of audio gear in 1971, the SP8 that changed my audio life, the SP10 which is still for me among the best three or four phono preamps ever, the McIntosh MX110 and MC240 which are such wonderful evcocations of the finned Cadillac era, the Dynaco PAS and ST70 were gifts from the person who assembled them in 1964- and so on. My problem is I have the collectors' disease- if I start remembering why I bought something- I can't conceive of selling it. The only thing I can see selling at the moment is the McIntosh MR77 as I've barely used it.

Difficult to "go back", but at this point in my life, I'm dreaming more of a log cabin in the woods filled with books, a piano, and a kerosene lantern than the Manhattan penthouse with Rothkos, a six-figure pair of speakers, and the Julliard Quartet over for dinner,..

I think your idea of settling into listening to a good turntable > integrated > speakers sounds just fine! I think I could do that with the addition of a good tuner.


Cheers,

Bambi B