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Coming out of the blackhole called work...retirement

Hello All

I have just retired and emerged from the mud of work that encompasses everything and acts light a blackhole for hobbies and enjoyment. Now that I am seeing some light I want to upgrade my 70's something stereo to something I can really enjoy. I read in a post from long ago about a preamplifier called a George Lightspeed. It was Australian, quality sound according to the posts and cheap. Is this something I want to consider or must I look at products in the thousands or 10's of? 

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keithtexas
352 posts
 
Before you start spending money on gear, determine for yourself what kind of midrange and ’presentation’ you like. You may really like something like the disappearing act and clean presentation of a small Harbeth P3esr mated to a good single ended triode amp. Or other, more high efficiency speakers like Audionote; or horns, or single driver speakers. With or without a little subwoofer.  You may really prefer a paper cone midrange or soft dome to polypropylene or more exotic material (I do). If you’re in Australia, you are in a very good location to get some great deals on high(ish) end clones coming out of China - like a dartzeel clone or FM acoustics clones on ebay (both less than $1000). And also the tube integrateds like Line Magnetic, Cayin, etc. http://cattylink.com/ Finally, you should be able to find very good DACs as well, for equally cheap (less than $1,000) coming out of China and Singapore. Just do some reading and listen to as much as you can. Try to keep it simple and enjoy the journey. :)
crazyeddy's avatar
crazyeddy
381 posts
 

@amg56

You have a very good advantage, as you are building your home from scratch, if I understand correctly. Your room/treatments is the most important part of the system that you will be putting together (IMHO). It seems that you have some good $$ to spend, so deal with the room first. It’s the single most important issue that most of us have to had to "tame" with the conditions that we have with our existing rooms. You have the opportunity to get the room dealt with before the gear. After that, well, it’s all about your personal preferences sonically for the gear that you fill the room with. Good luck, and please keep us notified on your progress.

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astewart8944
499 posts
 
If you can, spend the weekend at AXPONA in Chicago (April 13-15 2018) before you buy anything. It will be the largest collection of hifi gear in North America (I think) and will enable you to hear many, many systems and figure out what sound you like and don't like. Before you part with $50K or $100K, buy an inexpensive ticket and hotel room and then immerse yourself in the magic AXPONA affords. I'm certain you will have a much better idea of what you are after once you hear lots of different systems.
Have fun.
Al
raytheprinter's avatar
raytheprinter
1,234 posts
 
A lot of good advice to think about. Do as much listening as you can.Trust your ears only! I was glad to see many suggestions on how to get good synergy.Which means so much.
     Many will suggest you get what brands and models they like or have.Or because they read a good review on.Take it with a grain of salt.Again ,trust Your ears . A  system that is a good fit for the room means a lot. Good luck and have fun! Ray


peter_s
1,340 posts
 
@cymbop   +1 on the room dimensions 
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