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[steveledzep]

I've been a member of a number of HiFi related forums for a number of years now. I've been a member here for less than 2 weeks and it is the best laid out forum I've seen. Easy peasy to add photos and I detect a friendly atmosphere. Really enjoying my time here, well done to the organisers !

[hunslet]

I know it is an unusual forum isn't it? People are pleasant, polite and helpful. Very strange

[steve2006]

Good to hear this guys,we try our best :)

[Stuno1]

There certainly isn't the usuall in fighting or click atmosphere on this forum I experience on others. Also no attempts to goad people in to arguments.

Stu

[steveledzep]

My history is with HiFi forums.

It's a bloody good job there isn't a debate about the pros and cons of various spark plug cables !!! It would all be downhill !

Apologies to the diesel chaps.

[michaelH]

Ah, another hi-fi buff. welcome. The Meridian forum (hitch hikers guide to Meridian) was usually a very civilised place and like this one a useful source of knowledge in the days when I used to use it. I even bought some very expensive kit from a member. But I have not been on it for a few months now.

I see you have got yourself an IS 250 SEL. They are lovely cars, I had two of them. I now love my IS300h exec, but do miss a few of the top spec bells and whistles on the old SEL, so must get myself a 300h in Premier trim next time.

If you want to see a spicy forum with an occasional bitchfest (their term, not mine) the Fiat owners 500 forum is good for that. I have always admired the cute little 500 (the last manual car I ever drove, if only once) but they have problems now with new cars that can't do hill starts or reach the top of steep climbs and understandably some tempers are getting frayed there, especially when some owners have huge problems but others don't (and are slow to to credit or understand the grievances hose who do). Fiat customer service and dealers, BTW, come out of the affair more or less as their reputation might lead one to expect. "Problem, what problem? Our cars are safe to drive. You must learn how to drive them properly!" It took two goes on Watchdog for them even to consider investigating the fault. Now I did have a mysterious problem with my first IS250, and nothing was too much trouble for Lexus Leicester. It took a while, but in the end they found it and fixed it. In the meantime I got to drive around in an RX450h and then a GS450h.

[steveledzep]

I've been concerned whether members have been scratching their heads wondering "what's he going on about....cables....debate ??). The most fiercely contested area of debate in HiFi circles, with much nonsense spouted.

Hello Michael, I had a Meridian cd player once, lovely machine. Restrict myself to pfm (Pink Fish Media) forum now, make the odd contribution, but mostly for entertainment - just like the Fiat one you refer to ! I'm still into my HiFi but use my ears to decide rather than other people. It's ironic that my IS has the Mark Levinson kit and I rarely play music in the car.....usually Radio 4 !

Any other HiFi lovers on here ?

Had my vehicle just over 2 weeks now and loving it, when I can extract it from the wife !

[Captain Fizz]

Any other HiFi lovers on here ?

Got myself an entry level HiFi a couple of years ago.

Exposure 1010 IntAmp with Kef Q700 floorstanders.

Fed by an Asus Xonar DS in the PC.

Changed op-amps on the DS until I got the sound I wanted.

RE cables - I have loads of Cat5E lying about so tried:

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/ffrc_e.html

Better clarity in high end, fuller mids... Used BiWired from amp.

I thought it was all rubbish, copper is copper... Until I tried it :)

[steveledzep]

Exposure and Kef, nice kit Ian. I'm a vinyl fan with Gyrodec, Musical Fidelity amp and Quad speakers. I'm in the process of digitising all my vinyl to PC. Using an Asus Essence STX card in the PC.

With regard to cables, having tried QED Silver Anniversary, I'm a copper lover......SA was too bright !!

Don't want to turn this into another HiFi forum, but great to hear from yourself and Michael with a common interest.

[michaelH]

Oppo BDP 103D disc and media player, apple TV, Meridian HD621 audio-video processor, Meridian DSP600 digital active loudspeakers, Panasonic TXP 50 VT50 Plasma TV. I still have some old Musical Fidelity amps tucked away somewhere, and use a small Teufel setup with my Mac computer. I listen to a huge range of music, from King Richard I to Shakira, but for me the greatest works of the great classical composers (and the artistry of the greatest classical singers and musicians) stand head and shoulders above anything that most people ever listen to today. Which is a tragedy for all those who have never properly listened to them.

[Captain Fizz]

Bach = Boring asides from about 3 songs IMHO :P

Beethoven = Good.

But dance music is where it's at :D

Orbital, The Orb, Shpongle, Daft Punk, Deadmau5 - Many more people have probably never heard :/

I have been told the hifi would sound much better playing vinyl etc, but digital media = where it's at for me.

Enqueue 5 albums, have music for hours.

Steve - Ripping at 192/24?

The person who got me into hifi has a Gyrodec.. Amazing sound difference between a Technics 1210 and it.

(Tested with same Hifi, same needles, same Orbital album, only deck changed)

[steveledzep]

Michael - I'm not familiar with your kit, but Meridian active speakers have a great reputation, sadly I've never heard any. I have a tv in my room for watching the footie, but my system is purely audio. My MF A308 is a monster of an amp that just oozes current. Quad 22L2s are 3 way floorstanders going to 30Hz. I can't do classical, doesn't grip me. I know Four Seasons and Nachtmusic (just reminds me of showjumping on telly). A client of mine suggested Mahler's 6th for some mood and aggro - doesn't do it for me either.

Ian - I'm recording my vinyl to Flac at 24bit/96kHz, this is far higher resolution than vinyl is capable of, 192 would be a waste of storage for the larger files. My Gyrodec has a Roksan Tabriz Zi arm with Ortofon MC25FL moving coil cartridge. It's a very good player, but I never say it's better than digital, it can't be. But....and it's a very big but, the music I like is better presented on vinyl as the cd versions produced tend to be poorly mastered with loads of compression. Have heard of Shpongle and Daft Punk, but don't know their music.

My music - I'm encapsulated in a time warp of early 70's rock music. Zeppelin, Sabbath, Purple, Family, ELP, Yes, Caravan, Genesis, Wishbone Ash, Argent, Budgie, Curved Air, Dr Feelgood, Free, Groundhogs, Jethro Tull, Man, Stray, Supertramp. My softer side likes Sade, Jennifer Warnes and more recently KT Tunstall.

Car's going great btw !!

[jpjsavage]

This forum and TZ-UK are my favourite fora!

[Neil E]

Great taste in music there Steve.

Does your love of high end audio extend to the components in the car?

[steveledzep]

Haha ! I thought I'd frightened everyone off with my music taste !

As I've said Neil, I'm not much of a music player in the car, a notoriously difficult environment to reproduce good sounds. I recall seeing Michael posting on another thread that he prefers his Meridian HiFi (not surprised !). I'm not keen on the ML kit either......it's very impressive initially, but bloated and overblown to create impact. In a word "unsubtle" to my ears. Beats the pants off standard Golf and A3 installations, but I wouldn't shell out if I was buying new !

I'm delighted with my new vehicle, particularly the smoothness and quietness. Getting to know it better all the time.

[Neil E]

Not at all, a list to be proud of. Looking at it has prompted me to dig out some Supertramp.

Yes agreed, it's extremely difficult and costly to create a balance of sound with depth and clarity in the car. ML/Pioneer/Fujitsu10 kit is very good as a factory system, particularly the ML set up in the LS I found but there is a small minority that chase the dream.

[steveledzep]

Maybe you're correct Neil.....about chasing the dream ! When I play music I tend to listen intently wanting no distractions, just like someone glued to an exciting film. As a consequence, I rarely listen in the car.

Enjoy your Supertramp. CotC is by far the best IMO, but try to hear their self titled debut too.

[Neil E]

Indeed it wouldn't be wise to become distracted whilst driving.

Crime of the Century. What a great piece of work. I recall doing blind listening tests to some of the tracks on there (including some in cars but not whilst driving) testing cables, amps, CD players....with younger ears of course, when I really could tell the difference.

I haven't visited it for a while but I recall Talk Audio was the place for all car audio matters. I haven't been on LOC very much for some time until recently and had forgotten how good it is. I've followed the Soarer community mostly, those frequently overheat.... the forum threads, not the cars.

[Captain Fizz]

With a car there are so many surfaces for reflections + road noise...

On cheaper cars yep, maybe speakers + head unit but on the Lexus, standard is fine for me.

Sofa for when at home :D May look at a DAC but for now, Soundcard that can do high definition (and diff soundcard for headphones) does me well.

[steveledzep]

I've been transferring my records to the pc since February and am about 75% done now. During this time, my main amp and speakers have been decommissioned with my TT and pre-amp permanently connected to the pc. Can't wait to complete the project so I can have the full kit in all its glory again ! For the interim I've been using a pair of Quad 9L Actives connected to my pc.....they are magic !!!

Up to now I have only loaded one cd into the ML Lexus set-up, mostly to see if it works or not ?? I chose to load Alice In Chains "Unplugged", one of the very best recorded and mastered cds I know, despite it being a live performance. I've been out and about a bit this afternoon and gave it a good listen. I'm well impressed and I am now considering what other cds to load. I may burn a couple from my vinyl rips, that will really evaluate the ML system for me.

Yes, I know, I'm a dinosaur !!! My IS250 doesn't have holes in the footwell though.....I've moved on from Fred Flintstone !

[Neil E]

Captain Fizz

Reflected sound, yes agreed it can't help the sound stage, road noise, what's that?

The LS has electric heated and cooled sofas in the front. Wish I hadn't sold mine. The SC is really nice but not the same. At cruising speed, the LS is so quiet you hear more from the car ahead.

I would definitely be accepted into the dinosaur club but I'm not familiar with Alice in Chains. (Quick check on you tube.....sounds very interesting) If I had to choose one album it would be too difficult - Pulse maybe? Tomorrow it would be something else.