-edible zone-
Are you aware of Loricraft Audio? They own the right to the Garrard
name and have developed the Garrard 501.
(Loricraft).........
beautifully refurbished my 301, housed it in one of their plinths and
sold me a Lorricraft power supply too.
(editor's note 2023- Loricraft Audio
was purchased by SME in 2018)
My system is;
Garrard 301
Lorricraft PS
Hadcock arm
Len Gregory Music Maker cartridge
EAR
864 pre-amp
Leak Stereo 20 power
Border Patrol Power Supply
Quad 57 speakers
I also have a Naim CDS CD player (which is actually
rather good...)
MY STORY
I worked in my first Hi-Fi shop part time while
studying at Oxford University. Westward & Mason, a Linn and Naim dealer.
I learned how to set up Linn LP12s and spent my time designing weird and
wonderful tonearms and loudspeakers. If my subject had been engineering
rather than Politics, Philosophy and Economics I might have had the
skill to actually build some of them!
After University, still
very much a Linn/Naim "Flat Earth" man I went on to work for Royd
Loudspeaker Company in Telford and briefly experienced the British Hi-Fi
industry from the inside!
For the last 10 years I have been
working for a bank but Hi-Fi is still a major hobby of mine. About 4
years ago I decided to try an alternative turntable to my LP12 and
telephoned Loricraft Audio in Swindon. I couldn't afford a 501 but they
refurbished a 301 for me, fitted it into one of their plinths and sold
me a Loricraft power supply.
Fronting my still Flat Earth Naim Audio system the Garrard with Rega RB 300 tonearm absolutely hammered the fully loaded Linn LP12, Naim Aro, Linn Lingo source. More pace, more rhythm, stage "depth" for the first time and far more powerful and controlled bass.
(hint: click on thumbnail for full size image)
I gradually moved away from the all Naim system to what I have today,
however I must say the Naim CDS is a recent addition and is amazing.
Along the way I dabbled with Audio Research and DNM pre-amps and owned a
SME V for a while. I know lots of people really admire the V, but to my
ears it lacked excitement and sparkle.
Where next? I have always
valued excitement over neutrality and would like to try some Lowther or
similar horn loudspeakers in my set-up as a possible alternative to
Quads... we shall see.
_________________________________________
The journey continues...
I did try some Lowther horns and they
sounded very good, rhythmically strong and dynamic but they just
couldn't match the huge amount of detail that the Quads deliver, they do
"shimmer" and "sparkle" like nothing else.
I then made a mistake.
I "upgraded" the Leak to single ended 845 monoblocks. Initially I
wallowed in the power, space, air and rich tonality but before long it
dawned on me that the music had lost much of the rhythm, pace and
vibrancy which has always been very important to me.
What to do?
Well I went back to my roots! Put the valve stuff on eBay and bought a
full-on "flat-earth" Naim Audio system like the ones I used to sell at
Westward & Mason in my University days. Ah, nostalgia!
Naim have
always been very strong on PRaT (!!), "Pace Rhythm and Timing" and this
system with NAC 82 pre-amp, Hi-Cap power supply, and NAP 135s power amps
is no exception.
I have some Naim SBL speakers as well as the
Quads and while they (the SBL) are weak at stereo sound-staging they
have fantastic bass control and top class PRaT, of course!
Naim
Audio provide legendary customer service and there is a real community
spirit amongst Naim owners, feel free to log onto the Naim website and
view their customer Forum, great fun! www.naim-audio.com/
Have I
lost anything? Yes. Rock and Pop is unquestionably more engaging but
spin some Sinatra and a bit of the magic has gone. I am sure that a
Super-Cap or NAC 52 would restore this but at a price!
The
Garrard continues to delight but I have now replaced the Music Maker
with a Koetsu Red which I am delighted with. I wonder how long it will
be before I have a Naim Aro unipivot tone-arm? Hmm.
Regards
Andrew