Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Joe Mac said:
The word is that it and the leak stereo 130 are effectively same amplifier with the only differences being slight fine tuning to suit a house sound.

Ed reviewed it a little while back.

www.avforums.com

Quad Vena II Play Streaming Amplifier Review

Quad has taken its Vena II amplifier and added network functionality to create a product that is old school at the front and cutting edge at the back.
www.avforums.com www.avforums.com
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I didn't realize it was a wireless streaming integrated amp. Thanks for sharing Ed's review 👍
 
Joe Mac said:
You’d have 3 systems?
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No, no, it would definitely be one. While I'm more than happy with what I have, and everything I've learned due to all the shuffling in and out of components and carts, I would have built one system. The "glamor" of two systems outstretches the practicality by a long shot, lol.

It was a worth while journey, the biggest choices NOW would have been to go with a TT with a removable head shell or not, and if it would be tubes, solid state, or a hybrid of the two.
 
AnthonyI said:
No, no, it would definitely be one. While I'm more than happy with what I have, and everything I've learned due to all the shuffling in and out of components and carts, I would have built one system. The "glamor" of two systems outstretches the practicality by a long shot, lol.

It was a worth while journey, the biggest choices NOW would have been to go with a TT with a removable head shell or not, and if it would be tubes, solid state, or a hybrid of the two.
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Hahaha! I’m teasing. In all honesty I can see the appeal of two tables for sure but I think I’d probably have gone down the two tables into phonos (or phono if multiple inputs) into the same amp. But equally the journey and learning what you’ve learned is part of the enjoyment!

I wonder if anyone will jump on the new PrimaLuna hybrid, I’d be intrigued to hear what one of us, rather than a reviewer would make of it!
 
Joe Mac said:
Hahaha! I’m teasing. In all honesty I can see the appeal of two tables for sure but I think I’d probably have gone down the two tables into phonos (or phono if multiple inputs) into the same amp. But equally the journey and learning what you’ve learned is part of the enjoyment!

I wonder if anyone will jump on the new PrimaLuna hybrid, I’d be intrigued to hear what one of us, rather than a reviewer would make of it!
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Oh, I know, lol. Again, no complaints on how we got here, glad to have the two systems............and I think more vendors need to let us mere mortals have more cracks at these things ;)

@HiFi Guy and myself have contemplated how much revenue the members of this site have put into certain vendors' accounts :)
 
AnthonyI said:
Oh, I know, lol. Again, no complaints on how we got here, glad to have the two systems............and I think more vendors need to let us mere mortals have more cracks at these things ;)

@HiFi Guy and myself have contemplated how much revenue the members of this site have put into certain vendors' accounts :)
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Hahahaha! For sure! I have also wondered how much business we’ve, and him in particular, directed towards certain manufacturers and if there could be a way of leveraging it. I suppose the geographical spread and the fact that very few manufacturers sell direct makes that trickier though!
 
AnthonyI said:
Oh, I know, lol. Again, no complaints on how we got here, glad to have the two systems............and I think more vendors need to let us mere mortals have more cracks at these things ;)

@HiFi Guy and myself have contemplated how much revenue the members of this site have put into certain vendors' accounts :)
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I heard that theres a @HiFi Guy statue at wharfedale HQs
 
AnthonyI said:
No, no, it would definitely be one. While I'm more than happy with what I have, and everything I've learned due to all the shuffling in and out of components and carts, I would have built one system. The "glamor" of two systems outstretches the practicality by a long shot, lol.

It was a worth while journey, the biggest choices NOW would have been to go with a TT with a removable head shell or not, and if it would be tubes, solid state, or a hybrid of the two.
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This discussion reminds me of this sketch
2sheds.gif
 
Joe Mac said:
I think a lot of that depends on how many rooms they are in. I only have 1 room that I could realistically have a system in so I have 1. If I had an office or a separate listening room I’d probably have extra ones in each.
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Shipping a son out for college soon, so more room for gear! The real problem is that tuition supplements may dry up funding for system 3 before space considerations.
 
AnthonyI said:
No, no, it would definitely be one. While I'm more than happy with what I have, and everything I've learned due to all the shuffling in and out of components and carts, I would have built one system. The "glamor" of two systems outstretches the practicality by a long shot, lol.

It was a worth while journey, the biggest choices NOW would have been to go with a TT with a removable head shell or not, and if it would be tubes, solid state, or a hybrid of the two.
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Huh, I've got 4 running right now! Main system; second in our dining room with receiver and CD player through huge vintage Wharfedales; third in my office space with amp, CD player, cassette deck and turntable through Jamo 307a's; fourth in the basement for playing drums. Yeah, I know it's crazy. But even crazier (and no doubt sad) is that if I had the space/desire, I could set up a few more....
 
When choosing a stereo amp, what specifications or factor is most important to you? Power output, sound quality or features 🤔
 
Hollywood said:
When choosing a stereo amp, what specifications or factor is most important to you? Power output, sound quality or features 🤔
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1. Sound quality.
2. Robustness & Longevity
3. Usability

The other two you mention are completely irrelevant to me. Features date an amp so I’d rather have them in another box and power isn’t that important unless you have really inefficient speakers because most home listening is done at 1Watt or less.
 
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Joe Mac said:
1. Sound quality.
2. Robustness & Longevity
3. Usability

The other two you mention are completely irrelevant to me. Features date an amp so I’d rather have them in another box and power isn’t that important unless you have really inefficient speakers because most home listening is done at 1Watt or less.
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I’ll also say that aesthetics have more of an impact than a lot of nameless hifi companies seem to understand.

These things are not cheap and sit in prominent places in our living rooms so the nameless brands that hit their products with an ugly stick should be ashamed.

I am not talking about reinventing the wheel or anything too avant garde, because form and function should be in a symbiotic relationship, but just using aesthetically pleasing high quality materials in a simple and mostly symmetrical design shouldn’t be as high a bar as it often appears to be.
 
Joe Mac said:
I’ll also say that aesthetics have more of an impact than a lot of nameless hifi companies seem to understand.

These things are not cheap and sit in prominent places in our living rooms so the nameless brands that hit their products with an ugly stick should be ashamed.

I am not talking about reinventing the wheel or anything too avant garde, because form and function should be in a symbiotic relationship, but just using aesthetically pleasing high quality materials in a simple and mostly symmetrical design shouldn’t be as high a bar as it often appears to be.
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Agreed 💯 however aesthetics alone is enough to supersede functionality.
 
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Hollywood said:
A

Agree 💯 however aesthetics alone is enough to supersede functionality.
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I think the two work in symbiosis. Something being properly designed will make it both look better and be easier to use. Most ugly things aren’t properly designed by a good industrial designer and so are fussy which makes them both ugly and harder to use. Simplicity and quality materials really is the key to both those things!
 
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