Your lockdown purchases.

[McSwede]

Bought a bottle of this yesterday. It is beyond any shadow of a doubt the finest apple juice I've ever had. It's bloody awesome!!!

[KiwiDave]

Oh did I not mention my drums?

I spent all of yesterday with my daughter on drums and me in guitar/bass making Kurt Cobain slowly turn in his grave :p

I saw that video on your FB - I haven't (yet) clicked to unmute it...

[DaveE]

When I was young, my best friend's parents had an amazing Pioneer "blue line" hifi.

Ever since, I've always hankered after one.

Just recently my friend bought himself a Pioneer "blue line" amp and cassette deck - I saw them at the weekend and it re-ignited my desire for it.

So I've just bought myself one of these, a Pioneer SA-608 amp from the early 80s - they're complete tanks - and have blue lights!

[Jobbo]

When I was young, my best friend's parents had an amazing Pioneer "blue line" hifi.

Ever since, I've always hankered after one.

Just recently my friend bought himself a Pioneer "blue line" amp and cassette deck - I saw them at the weekend and it re-ignited my desire for it.

So I've just bought myself one of these, a Pioneer SA-608 amp from the early 80s - they're complete tanks - and have blue lights!

That's lovely. I was often tempted to buy old top-end Sony ES kit but never got round to it.

[drcarlos]

When I was young, my best friend's parents had an amazing Pioneer "blue line" hifi.

Ever since, I've always hankered after one.

Just recently my friend bought himself a Pioneer "blue line" amp and cassette deck - I saw them at the weekend and it re-ignited my desire for it.

So I've just bought myself one of these, a Pioneer SA-608 amp from the early 80s - they're complete tanks - and have blue lights!

Soft spot for the old pioneer kit from the 80s/90s too. I handed back the a300 amp I had on extended loan from my brother as I took on the bigger brother a400 and a Linn basik turntable from my mum as they were no longer used after my dad's passing a couple of years ago. Getting used now more than they ever did.

[GG.]

That's lovely. I was often tempted to buy old top-end Sony ES kit but never got round to it.

Toploader SACD with a stablising puck FTW!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234011324046 ... %3A2334524

Still bloody expensive and has to be easily outclassed by modern equipment at that price.

A little more sensibly, I bought a Marantz SA8400 SACD like this one about 7 or 8 years ago https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284246463012 ... SwkbNgauuP I didn't pay half what they're asking for that one though. After a while the philips based laser mechanism in it failed and I had to solder in a new one - not hard to do but a pain. Doesn't get much usage these days though as I generally listen to either LPs or Master quality Tidal streaming (though much more of the former as a rule).

[Jobbo]

Yeah, I wasn’t talking about an early CD transport

Something more like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-TA-F690 ... 890.l49286

[Simon]

An above ground pool.. Technically it was a birthday present for the wife last August, but it arrived so late it was too cold to set it up. Have since furnished it with ground sheet, 'gym' mats (as a soft base), debris cover, solar cover, solar mats, pump(s), electric heater, chemicals, etc etc etc. It's quite an expensive hobby when you get into it. Only 75cm deep so not too much for the little'un, but looking to upgrade it to a massive one in a few years when he's grown a bit.

[DaveE]

Yeah, I wasn’t talking about an early CD transport

Something more like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-TA-F690 ... 890.l49286

Those have never really been on my radar - as in, I've never seen/heard any I don't think.

Wooden sides though

[GG.]

Yeah, I wasn’t talking about an early CD transport

Something more like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-TA-F690 ... 890.l49286

Would be interesting to see what they sound like but I wouldn't hold my breath... I love the approach of "look at the wood"... but, er, ignore the visible screw heads and washers

I remember using an old Technics SU V650 (one of my grandad's cast offs) as part of my first proper separates system which was in a similar vein to that Sony you posted - similar specs too - about 90ish W in 8ohms and supposedly a big deal back in the day https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184823517584 ... Sw9GtglomU.

As time progressed I hooked it up to some B&W 603 S2s...which were, let's say, a bit out of its league. I was pretty shocked when I then plugged those speakers into an average (but new) Sony 5.1ch AV receiver we had bought for the lounge TV system and heard how much better bass control and generally who much less woolly they sounded even though the headline power specs were broadly the same.

[Jobbo]

I think the high-end Japanese stuff still sounds good today, assuming the components are still working OK; by no means a given at 40 years old. They never got the acclaim they deserved in the UK (at least not until Pioneer pushed the A400 like mad in around 1990 - https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ ... pe.673424/ - though that was nowhere near the top end of Japanese amps anyway). The UK designed and built amps all had their own sound and the Japanese kit tried not to colour the sound; funny how that's become far more desirable over the last 10-20 years.

Of course, the growth of class D amps has totally changed the market; it's become pretty easy (!) to produce an almost transparent, high power amp which doesn't even need much cooling and can therefore fit into smaller cases, be bundled into multi-channel AV amps etc. Which is the main reason I didn't bother going down the route of buying old Japanese amps; I even sold up my Musical Fidelity amp with valve output stage in favour of a small Marantz receiver with loads of power and plenty of built-in features. Drove my Spendor SA1s as well as, if not better than, the MF amp for a fraction of the price. I still maintain that speakers are where to spend the money; you can get an amp to drive anything pretty easily but if you skimp on the electromechanical transducers which actually get the signal to your ear, that's the biggest compromise.

[speedingfine]

Vaguely on that topic, I'm still powering my Spendor floor standers and Denon book shelf speakers in the kitchen with a Denon DM37, sounds good to me

[Jobbo]

I have a Denon DM38 powering a pair of Dali Zensor 1s too - those little Denons are amazing value and sound great.

[McSwede]

I've just bought a Traeger D2 Pro 780 wood pellet grill. So excited!!!

[JonMad]

I have a Denon DM38 powering a pair of Dali Zensor 1s too - those little Denons are amazing value and sound great.

Ooh, thanks, now added the '41' to my amazon wish list.

[Beany]

All this talk of hifi reminds me that I have a 200w 2.1 sub with a couple of blown resisters and a cracked transistor awaiting me to pull my finger out and actually repair it.

It's only been....er...four years....

[DaveE]

I've just bought a Traeger D2 Pro 780 wood pellet grill. So excited!!!

That looks like fun!

Look forward to seeing what delights come out of that...

[Ascender]

When I was young, my best friend's parents had an amazing Pioneer "blue line" hifi.

Ever since, I've always hankered after one.

Just recently my friend bought himself a Pioneer "blue line" amp and cassette deck - I saw them at the weekend and it re-ignited my desire for it.

So I've just bought myself one of these, a Pioneer SA-608 amp from the early 80s - they're complete tanks - and have blue lights!

That's lovely!

I keep meaning to look for something similar to use with a record player - maybe see if I can put together a slightly older system with some nice floor-standing speakers.

Today's exciting lockdown purchase was a Jarvis standing desk. Definitely getting older by the day....

[DeskJockey]

I've just ordered a Nintendo Switch for the kids. A bit excited.

Also getting a pair of Ruark MR1 MK2 powered speakers to replace the JBL Playlist as the kitchen/diner music source (fed by a Chromecast).

[DaveE]

If I had the space (and the money!) I would dearly love some JBL L100 Classics

I mean, just look at them!