My Current System
My current system varies from time to time; however, I am rather pleased with things at the moment so, if you check here regularly, you will see this set up used for the foreseeable future.
California Audio Tempest II Limited Edition CD Player.
I have had many CD players in my system over the years, some have lasted weeks, some months, and some have proven themselves worthy Keepers. For a few years now i have been using this remarkable player that was first launched in the late 1980’s, yes, you read correctly, it was arguably the first true Hi End CD player, built for the serious Music lover of the time. The Tempest II is a two box unit, ie; CD player, and separate power supply, The unit is quite unique in many ways, one major attribute in my opinion comes from its all valve directly coupled analogue stage, which consists of 6 E88CC/6DJ8 Double triodes, and even the current to voltage conversion for the dual DAC chips is done using these valves. Arguably Digital Audio has moved on quite considerably since this player was launched back in 1988/89 However, the main reason this player still takes pride of place in my systems today is down to how it portrays music, with an almost effortless presentation, huge soundstage, and with an Analogue quality about it that is very difficult to match,
Pre-amp
The ‘Soul Mate’ was the latest addition to the Tube Distinctions product range, and it was the first product to benefit from the all-new ‘hyper regulators’ designed specifically for the Soul Series. It is directly coupled throughout, non-inverting and is exceptionally linear and quiet. There are five stereo inputs on the standard production model, all line level and two outputs per channel for bi-amping.
Power-Amp
This is the ‘Soul’ single-ended, pure class A, hybrid amplifier (of which the first prototype was reviewed by Roy Gregory, editor of Hi Fi Plus magazine, 2003) and took just under 4 years of design and development for the final production versions. The amp pictured is one of only three red Soul power amps built – two 30 watt mono-blocks, and one 15 watt stereo. All three were originally built to power the creative speaker designs of Overkill Audio, [2004] featured in the high-end show at Heathrow! They now reside in my own system.
Tannoy Kensington SE
These speakers have also stood the test of time in my system, over the last 10 years they proven to have been a very worthwhile inclusion, their strength’s are well documented by reviewers and customers worldwide. With careful positioning and correct choice of cabling the kensingtons have the potential to leave you hanging on the edge of your seat! with their huge scale, impressive soundstage etc, and with a sensitivity of around 93db they are an excellent choice for systems based around well designed valve amplification.
Rock Turntable
This is the original Rock turntable, developed at Cranfield University [hence the name] I was already using one loaned to me by a friend of mine for a few years, when an elderly gentleman upon reading through my site contacted me, and offered me this one. Of course i grabbed it with both hands!!! When it comes to describing its strengths in musical terms, the main observations that were immediate to me was its solidity, and power in the bass, it also has a kind of effortless musicality about it that just encourages you to keep playing record after record…
And it all sits on a “Hifi Racks LTD” Stand
