Audiophile jewelry - most beautiful Cd players, turntables and other gear

[Sal1950]

The Mitsubishi DA-F20
Still my idea of one of the koolest FM tuners ever.
It was one of the first affordable tuners with a digital readout.
Also highly regarded as an excellent performer by the Classic Tuners crowd.
This picture is one I took for my EBay sales ad.
Another one of those I'd have loved to keep if I had the room for it.

 

[Outside75]

Gorgeous gear and I wish I had seen more of it than magazine articles and such. The closest that we got to the higher end Technics was selling a couple of the SL-P1200 CD players to a DJ. He loved them.

it's absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Doodski]

it's absolutely gorgeous!

Yes, that video narrator was not joking when he said if one dropped it it would maybe survive and kill whomever it fell on. They are built solid...

 

[Kling75]

Auris Audio HA-2FS Headfone Amplifier

 

[Deleted member 4708]

I figured this was a high-end espresso machine, but darned if it seemed to be serving any:
View attachment 122048

It says there: "Server" so it must be a printer connected to the server... Or just a XEON server, Dell D'Agostino.

 

[MerlinGS]

The original Oracle turntable. I lusted after one of these soooooo badly back in the day.
They were always out of my budget at the time and shortly later the CD came and I lost all interest in vinyl.
AFAIK they started the open design style still popular today but now taken to insane lengths.
The Rube Goldberg wacky (IMO) anti-skating bit on the tonearm would have to go.
I want mine with a air-bearing straight line tracking arm that doesn't need all that goofy stuff.

I owned both, but not together. The Oracle turntable (one of the most gorgeous turntables made, especially considering the design was from the early 80s) and other spring suspended tables are not ideal tables for air bearing tonearms. Air bearing tonearms are VERY sensitive to being level, and as the arm travels across the spindle, the weight of the arm shifts ever so slightly in the direction of the traveling arm affecting the level of a turntable based on spring suspensions.

 

[Kling75]

View attachment 181123
Adore this Amp, it will survive me for shure....

 

[JP]

View attachment 179795
WITH A P-MOUNT!

P-mounts are fun. I prefer the 505 as the CW is adjustable.

 

[JohnVF]

3 of my 4 turntables.

 

[Robin L]

P-mounts are fun. I prefer the 505 as the CW is adjustable.

View attachment 181569

It's a great concept. I had a couple of the low-end Technics direct drive turntables with P-Mount arms. Maybe not the ultimate, but reliable and easy to use. I suspect the P-Mount didn't catch on because it made for fewer adjustments for the obsessive to obsess over.

 

[Robin L]

3 of my 4 turntables.

View attachment 181573View attachment 181574View attachment 181575

Wow! Variations of all three were in my audio system one time or another. I'm guessing the first is an AR revival turntable with Merill Mods. I had an AR AX with Merill Mods. Had a Strathclyde 305M, mine with a SME III arm. And one of the classic Empire 'tables was in a place I lived in the early 1980's.

 

[JustJones]

Wadax $140,000 Dac

 

[JohnVF]

Wow! Variations of all three were in my audio system one time or another. I'm guessing the first is an AR revival turntable with Merill Mods. I had an AR AX with Merill Mods. Had a Strathclyde 305M, mine with a SME III arm. And one of the classic Empire 'tables was in a place I lived in the early 1980's.

Correct on all counts. The first is an AR ES-1 with every Merrill mod except the more current sub-platter replacement. The subplatter and plinth are about all that's left of the ES-1, except for the basic design philosophy. There's a few other mods as well such as a thicker bottom plate and the feet. I didn't do the mods but knew the gentleman who did.

And another Strathclyde owner, nice! I've only had this about six weeks and the SME-V has only been on it since the holidays. I really like this table. The photo above is before I did a basic set up of the suspension, so its a bit crooked.

And the Empire 398 is basically stock except for new motor mounts and cart sled. And the shiny polish I did on it.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

View attachment 181575

Running at 45rpm?

 

[JohnVF]

Running at 45rpm?

Um....well...the Empire was? I can tell by how low the belt is on the big platter.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Um....well...the Empire was? I can tell by how low the belt is on the big platter.

Exactly.

 

[Timcognito]

Open the POD bay door, Hal

 

[JeffS7444]

Gorgeous gear and I wish I had seen more of it than magazine articles and such. The closest that we got to the higher end Technics was selling a couple of the SL-P1200 CD players to a DJ. He loved them.

In the late 1980s, a television station I worked at had that (and an SL1200!) hooked into a Ramsa console. Had plenty of time to fuss with the things. CD player was a good choice for it's jog/shuttle knob and variable speed playback, which are exactly the sorts of things you want for post production work.

 

[Angsty]

The VPI Avenger Direct is the new hotness. Note that on this $36,000(!) turntable, VPI has gone with a gimbal Fatboy tonearm instead of the traditional unipivot.

 

[Waxx]

Open the POD bay door, Hal

View attachment 181598

Reminds me of these monsters, only build to order by Line Magnetic and based on very old Western Electric designs:

212 DHT tube driven by 211 and 274 DHT Tubes delivering the unbelieveble power of ... 20W. Rectifing is off course done with a tube, they need 4 x 5U4 plus some tubes to do the voltage regulation...

Price is arround 80K€ for one. You need 2 for stereo, and a preamp to drive it. And these sell, but mainly in China (Line Magnetic is Chinese), Korea and Japan.