Absolute Bargains!

We use the Tune Method to evaluate performance

Moderator: Staff

User avatar
markiteight
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 834
Joined: 2012-01-13 01:50
Location: Seattle, Wa. USA

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by markiteight »

I agree with Fredrik. IME a record cleaning machine must be able to very thoroughly extract every last bit of cleaning solution from the surface or the record will sound worse. That thorough extraction requires extremely effective suction, and only the wand type machines (Keith Monks and Loricraft) provide sufficient suction power. But even the best machines still require a certain technique to make sure the record is actually clean, and even then the results are inconsistent. I've been experimenting a lot with my Loricraft and the 4 step Audio Intelligent cleaning system and I can successfully reduce the background noise and some ticks/pops of very old/dirty records without affecting the music, but new records almost always sound worse after cleaning.

I have little confidence in the Spin-Clean's ability to preserve the musicality of a record as it has zero facilities for extracting whatever liquids were used during the cleaning process other than relying on the user to wipe the record surface with a towel, which is an ineffective method of extraction. Still...you never know! There is a non-zero chance that it works, in which case it could be considered the bargain of the century and its presence on this list more than welcome. But until it has proven its worth I would hesitate to include it here.
Arjen
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 431
Joined: 2021-06-10 13:23
Location: NL and Friesland

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Arjen »

lejonklou wrote: 2021-07-05 23:28 I must admit that I'm very skeptical of all record cleaning machines. I find they don't clean the records very well and tend to alter the sound in a politer and boring way, essentially decreasing dynamics.

I stick to the old Linn advice of letting the stylus clean the record and then clean the stylus (for which I use silly putty and green paper).
Most of the opinions of Fredrik I can agree or they convince me after following Lejonklou advices.
But my experience with my new ultrasone Vinyl Cleaning Machine, developed by a friend, is different from Fredriks’. Recently cleaned The Doors Debut album and its followup from the sixties, the dusty sound has gone and the deliverance is as I never experienced before, connected and thrilling. As with many other vintage early pressings.
Lenco 76/S TJN, Dr. Fuss, Supernait2, CD5X, Slipsik7.1, Millon Phantom, Soundeck, AudioSensibility
Topkho
Member
Member
Posts: 25
Joined: 2021-12-19 02:05

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Topkho »

lejonklou wrote: 2020-10-09 09:36
V.A.MKD wrote: 2020-10-09 09:24
beck wrote: 2020-10-09 09:14 A bought a used pair of K20 speaker cable terminated 2.5 meters long for £20.
Great, 2.5 m very very close to forum length and for 20 ... it's real absolute bargain.
I don't think that anyone has evaluated the optimal length of K20.

For K400 it's 2.48 m, but it is of a different construction than K20.
Is K400 better than K20?
User avatar
lejonklou
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6523
Joined: 2007-01-30 10:38
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by lejonklou »

Yes
Spannko
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 2292
Joined: 2008-01-24 21:46
Location: North East of The Black Country, UK

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Spannko »

Has anyone heard the new K20? I’m not sure about the actual differences, but the central web appears to be a bit wider and maybe a bit thicker to help keep a more constant distance between the conductors? The colour is slightly different, but I don’t know if the insulation has changed and I also don’t know if the copper CSA or number of strands has changed.
Topkho
Member
Member
Posts: 25
Joined: 2021-12-19 02:05

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Topkho »

matthias wrote: 2019-06-02 21:37 I like to recommend this DAC:

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/diy-dac/ ... 13062.html

USB and SPDIF inputs.
USB Vbus powered, for SPDIF you need a 5V PS.

This DAC needs at least 20h burn in.

Tuneful, musical, lifelike in my set-up.

Matt
I have this DAC and it’s impressive for the price. But you need a decent 5V power supply, not a cheap switching one.
matthias
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 2092
Joined: 2007-12-25 16:47
Location: Germany

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by matthias »

Topkho wrote: 2022-03-01 21:31 But you need a decent 5V power supply, not a cheap switching one.
Which one do you use?
Matt

MBP / Exposure pre + power (both modified) / JBL3677
Topkho
Member
Member
Posts: 25
Joined: 2021-12-19 02:05

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Topkho »

That’s a good question. Depends on your budget. At the minimum you can use a 20,000mh power bank (Anker is decent), otherwise I had Allo Shanti 5V. And many others culminating at Jcat optimo duo and Keces P8.

The power bank gives a fuller, more developed sound vs thinner and more bleached (comparatively). But fully agree that this is a remarkable DAC and musical for the price.

At a similar price range, I also like the Schiit Modi Multibit (latest version) or even the famous Lite DAC Ah (with TDA1543).
User avatar
lejonklou
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6523
Joined: 2007-01-30 10:38
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by lejonklou »

Topkho wrote: 2022-03-02 16:39 The power bank gives a fuller, more developed sound vs thinner and more bleached (comparatively). But fully agree that this is a remarkable DAC and musical for the price.
Please describe the musical differences, judged using the Tune Method.

Full versus thin sound is not a qualitative judgment and therefore not useful. On the contrary I find that such quantitative evaluations tend to lead people astray by increasing the focus on sound and matching between components. Which in turn leads to a system with poor musical performance.
Topkho
Member
Member
Posts: 25
Joined: 2021-12-19 02:05

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Topkho »

That’s a good point re: forum rules. I didn’t use the tune method back then so it’s hard to say to be honest. My recommendation is that it’s worth a try and report back (I don’t have the Khadas anymore) since it was subjectively more musical to my ears but unfortunately NOT under the definition of the tune method.
Spannko
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 2292
Joined: 2008-01-24 21:46
Location: North East of The Black Country, UK

SoHo 45 Headphones

Post by Spannko »

After 30 years of looking for a decent pair of headphones, I finally settled on the Grado 125’s. For only about £/€150, they’ve been an excellent musical purchase. However, the later iPads and phones don’t have a wired headphone output so my Grado 125’s have become somewhat redundant. I’ve been extremely reluctant to buy a pair of Bluetooth headphones, given the poor reputation Bluetooth has for sound quality, but I noticed that Tongalet HiFi were recommending the SoHo 45 headphones and even suggesting that they rivalled some of the more expensive Grado’s. Naturally, I had to give them a try!

The SoHo 45’s use Bluetooth 5 and include two levels of noise reduction. They’ve got a touch control for vol up/down, track selection, and I think they port Siri too (I need to check this). The rrp is £130, although I bought mine for only £86 from https://www.juno.co.uk/products/soho-s ... 853399-01/

They arrived today (20 hours after ordering!) and after only a short listen they could possibly be one of the most musical headphones I’ve heard. They’re nowhere near run in and already they’re giving my 125’s a good run for the money. The presentation is quite different, but musically they’re quite close with perhaps a slight advantage for the SoHo’s. Tongalet’s description of their sound quality appears to be pretty accurate.

One point of note is the noise reduction appears to be practically nonexistent, which is strange. On or off, there doesn’t seem to be much difference. I’ll look into this and report back.

PS. SoHo present themselves as a very music orientated company. Most of the staff are musicians and they list many endorsements from music industry professionals. Included with the headphones were a couple of plectrums in a holder. Much healthier than Haribo’s I guess!
stefan
Active Member
Active Member
Posts: 88
Joined: 2007-02-13 03:22
Location: Lerum/Sweden

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by stefan »

Spannko wrote: 2022-07-22 21:53 After 30 years of looking for a decent pair of headphones, I finally settled on the Grado 125’s. For only about £/€150, they’ve been an excellent musical purchase. However, the later iPads and phones don’t have a wired headphone output so my Grado 125’s have become somewhat redundant. I’ve been extremely reluctant to buy a pair of Bluetooth headphones, given the poor reputation Bluetooth has for sound quality, but I noticed that Tongalet HiFi were recommending the SoHo 45 headphones and even suggesting that they rivalled some of the more expensive Grado’s. Naturally, I had to give them a try!

The SoHo 45’s use Bluetooth 5 and include two levels of noise reduction. They’ve got a touch control for vol up/down, track selection, and I think they port Siri too (I need to check this). The rrp is £130, although I bought mine for only £86 from https://www.juno.co.uk/products/soho-s ... 853399-01/

They arrived today (20 hours after ordering!) and after only a short listen they could possibly be one of the most musical headphones I’ve heard. They’re nowhere near run in and already they’re giving my 125’s a good run for the money. The presentation is quite different, but musically they’re quite close with perhaps a slight advantage for the SoHo’s. Tongalet’s description of their sound quality appears to be pretty accurate.

One point of note is the noise reduction appears to be practically nonexistent, which is strange. On or off, there doesn’t seem to be much difference. I’ll look into this and report back.

PS. SoHo present themselves as a very music orientated company. Most of the staff are musicians and they list many endorsements from music industry professionals. Included with the headphones were a couple of plectrums in a holder. Much healthier than Haribo’s I guess!
Thanks for reporting Spannko! Is primarly thinking of new headphones for home use (Linn DSM and my piano) but something better for use in public transport would also be welcome. Do report how you find the longer term comfort and of course if noise cancelling works in a useful way.
Spannko
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 2292
Joined: 2008-01-24 21:46
Location: North East of The Black Country, UK

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Spannko »

Re: noise cancelling. I’ve discovered that the noise cancelling only works when the headphones are powered up. Doh! Then, it seems to work ok. Cancellation of lower frequencies works very well, reducing road noise in the car to a whisper. However, cancellation of higher frequencies is nowhere near as effective. There’s a slight reduction, but they’re still audible. I once heard a pair of top of the range Sony noise cancellers (1000 series) and the hf reduction was about twice as good. The advantage though is that voices can still be heard without turning off the NC circuit and there’s non of that strange phasey stuff going on, which for me can be really off putting even when no music is playing. This aids the comfort by being audibly as well as physically comfortable. The ear cups are made out of memory foam covered with a very soft faux leather which fit around the ears which proves to be very comfortable.

I haven’t directly compared the effect of the NC circuit on the music yet, but I’ll feed back as soon as I have.
Efraim roots
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 312
Joined: 2009-10-23 01:37
Location: Sweden

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Efraim roots »

I think these headphones "new old stock" Beyer Dynamic DT131 availaible from agrenshifi.com (Sweden) is a absolute bargain for less than 18 EUR. (DT231, DT331 is less musical)

https://www.xn--grens-lra.se/horlurar/h ... mic-dt-131

I think they sound great and are hard to beat regardless of price. I guess phones like Grado SR125 and Sennheiser HD660S would be a wothwhile upgrade but otherwise these beyers 131's is very enjoyable. My old AKG 420 which was a bargain recommendation from many years ago on this forum has been replaced by the Beyers, which are even cheaper with the deal from ågrens hifi. Only availble for a few more months or until sold out.

Do you run a shop and want to stock up on these, send me pm or contact info@agrenshifi.se
the players of instruments shall be there..
Spannko
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 2292
Joined: 2008-01-24 21:46
Location: North East of The Black Country, UK

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Spannko »

UPDATE ON SOHO 45’S

After using them daily for nearly a year now, I’d say that the SOHO’s are great general purpose Bluetooth headphones. The sound is pleasantly acceptable with a fairly neutral balance which gently smooths over any nasties without sounding dull. The only criticism I have is that musically, they’re just slightly off the pace. However, this criticism applies to 95%+ of all headphones, regardless of cost, and from what I’ve heard, only the Grado’s are better in this respect until we get up into real high end territory. Because of this, they can sound a slightly emotionless. However, I find nearly all headphones emotionless, so to be only slightly emotionless is a genuine plus point!
Rutger
Active Member
Active Member
Posts: 66
Joined: 2007-03-03 07:42

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Rutger »

Good rca interconnects are few and most of the more expensive ones are terrible .

However, lately I have found a big surprise in the form of Focal Elite rca cable , 1 metre - made for car audio.
Definitely a bargain and better at playing tunes than the Mogami based Linn black interconnects .

https://www.focal.com/en/car-audio/car- ... ables/er-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elite-Channel- ... B007S7TUW2
User avatar
Hermann
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 616
Joined: 2018-05-13 06:52
Location: Ruhrgebiet

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Hermann »

Thanks for the tip. Apparently a little cheaper on Amazon Germany if it is the same product

https://www.amazon.de/Focal-2-Kanal-Cin ... 155&sr=8-1
Trust your ears
Rutger
Active Member
Active Member
Posts: 66
Joined: 2007-03-03 07:42

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Rutger »

Hermann wrote: 2023-10-14 10:59 Thanks for the tip. Apparently a little cheaper on Amazon Germany if it is the same product

https://www.amazon.de/Focal-2-Kanal-Cin ... 155&sr=8-1
Yes its the same.
Lego
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 1147
Joined: 2007-04-18 11:42
Location: glasgow

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Lego »

Rutger wrote: 2023-10-14 09:15 Good rca interconnects are few and most of the more expensive ones are terrible .

However, lately I have found a big surprise in the form of Focal Elite rca cable , 1 metre - made for car audio.
Definitely a bargain and better at playing tunes than the Mogami based Linn black interconnects .

https://www.focal.com/en/car-audio/car- ... ables/er-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elite-Channel- ... B007S7TUW2
Interesting Rutger ,but could we have some clips to substantiate this please .Not that I don't believe you 😁
I know that tune
User avatar
lejonklou
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6523
Joined: 2007-01-30 10:38
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by lejonklou »

Rutger wrote: 2023-10-14 09:15 Good rca interconnects are few and most of the more expensive ones are terrible .

However, lately I have found a big surprise in the form of Focal Elite rca cable , 1 metre - made for car audio.
Definitely a bargain and better at playing tunes than the Mogami based Linn black interconnects .
Interesting tip Rutger!

To my knowledge the only Linn cable that uses Mogami is the black T-kable. But if Focal Elite really is better than Linn’s standard black analogue interconnect, it would be great. So far all such tips and all my own attempts at making a better RCA interconnect than Linn black have failed.

Clips would be most welcome!
BruceP
Member
Member
Posts: 34
Joined: 2018-04-25 06:53
Location: Paris, France

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by BruceP »

Does anyone here have a recommendation for a musical Bluetooth speaker?

Aside from listening on our ‘big rigs’ where every subtle improvement is worthy of pursuit, sometimes we’re not at home where the big rig tends to reside. But - just because we’re not at home doesn’t mean we aren’t looking to have a musical moment.

I’m in such a quandary at the moment and so wondering: how are others addressing this challenge?

To get the conversation going, I recall a massively satisfying whole-evening listening session with a pair of Sonos Play 5 boxes set up as a stereo pair. The two unassuming boxes were able to deliver all of the music, all evening long, and I didn’t miss my home setup a single bit.

Those boxes, however, require a wi-fi signal which disqualifies them from a whole host of listening use cases. It’s those ‘remote’ sessions that I’m trying to energise at the moment.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Spotify - KRDS - Sagatun 1.3 - Silvers - Tundra 2.2 - K400 - Ninkas
Spannko
Very active member
Very active member
Posts: 2292
Joined: 2008-01-24 21:46
Location: North East of The Black Country, UK

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by Spannko »

The JBL flip 5 isn’t too bad. They’ve been replaced by the flip 6 but can still be purchased for around £80. They have a rechargeable battery, are waterproof and can be linked to form a stereo pair. A workman was using one outside and its musical sound caught my attention so I got one for listening in the garden. I’ve not heard the flip 6, but the reviews mention that it has a more impressive sound than the 5, so I thought I’d give it a miss!
User avatar
knoslean
Member
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: 2019-02-03 14:38
Location: Sweden

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by knoslean »

Give the little round B&O A1 a chance - it would not fully qualify as a "bargain" but close to it.
LP12 | Entity | Källa | Sagatun 1.7 | Tundra 2 |  Boenicke W8
neonmeatedream
Member
Member
Posts: 21
Joined: 2017-05-08 19:16

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by neonmeatedream »

Minirigs are by far the best portable speakers I've heard.

One is good, a stereo pair opens things up dramatically and the addition of the sub rounds things off perfectly.

I've had a 2.1 set up for many years and they are just as happy out camping as they are as a third system in the house.
BruceP
Member
Member
Posts: 34
Joined: 2018-04-25 06:53
Location: Paris, France

Re: Absolute Bargains!

Post by BruceP »

Thanks for the suggestions!

As always this forum is a precious source of wisdom and insight.
Spotify - KRDS - Sagatun 1.3 - Silvers - Tundra 2.2 - K400 - Ninkas
Post Reply