Late hello from Sweden

[phn]

I have never introduced myself. What bad manners. I just never intended to post anything when I registered. I registered only so I could see the images of all the great work you guys do. One thing led to another.

I'm a vinyl junkie and a big Thorens fan. The first turntable I got was a TD-166. Have only had Thorens after that. That is until I discovered the Garrard 301. I guess it was just a matter of time before I got one once I was hooked on this fine piece of machinery.

I would say I have a fairly firm philosophy when it comes to audio, but not to the level it gets rigid. If nothing else, the Sony PlayStation made sure of that. I just had to check out what the Shindo crowd reportedly was calling the best CD player around. I got an early PSX with RCA jacks. It's supposedly the one to have. I plugged it in, put on the Time Out CD and I couldn't believe my ears. It was like hearing the album for the very first time. I heard stuff I had never heard before. Placebo effect? Perhaps. But here's the kicker. I have been a firm believer in hard suspension ever since I discovered the 301, and still am. But the PlayStation has floating suspension, and a really lousy one at that.

As for the PlayStation, it's a killer with jazz. Perhaps better than any other piece of audio gear I have ever heard, analogue or digital! But it's not that hot with rock or electronic music. It doesn't have the punch of an average CD player. I think it has to do with the lousy suspension. I'm reaching, of course. But I will mod it and try it out one of these days.

I'm not an audiophile. The only thing "high-end" means to me is high price. That and "sucker!" I never buy audio adzines. I bought one once. It's not just audio. I try to avoid all slicks and rather buy a book.

This DIY is new to me. And I only got into it thanks to the Internet. It has shown me a world I never knew existed. As for my future audio plans, I couldn't even begin. But I'm in no hurry. I do have tons of questions waiting once I get there, though.

[SY]

It's never too late to let us know who you are.

The 301 is terra incognito for me- there's a real cult around them and I'm curious to know how justified it really is...

[Mr. Triatic]

kul med fler svenskar!
we are a bunch of Swedes here already, and now we are even more 8-)
welcome!!
and a happy new DIY-year to come..

[slowmotion]

Hi there phn

cheers

[peranders]

Välkommen says I too, to the best diy forum in the world and if you want to "tjôta" in Swedish you can also check the best swedish forum, www.hififorum.nu

[phn]

Justified? No, I don't think so. I actually declined an EMT 927 because of the price tag, only to later buy a Garrard 301 that in the end will cost more! Should make sense to nobody. Or to put it another way, I think the TD-150 and 160 are great, more than up to par with the rest of my audio gear. Those you fairly easily find in the €100 range. The 301 will set me back about 20 times that. Unfair comparison, though, since I'm spending money in areas I wouldn't on a 150/160. I went with the 301 with the idea that this is it, the last turntable I ever buy. You upgraders here, feel free to laugh at my naivety.

Justified? Yes, I think so. If I would buy a new turntable comparable to the 301 it would set me back some €20,000. But no matter how expensive and swank-looking the SME Model 30 may be, I prefer the 301. I sold my Thorens 320 because there wasn't much I could do with it. It's basically a TD-125 refined to perfection. Unlike the SME, the 301 is fun.

Indeed, cult is the name. I've never really been in love with the industrial-looking EMT 927/930, even though I have to rate them ahead of the 301. The 301 is, after all, a mass-market turntable, whereas the Germans are professional "cost-no-object" marvels of engineering. But the 301 brings a smile to my face. And I did bring the PlayStation up as a way to say I don't take this audio thing too seriously, or myself. It's all for personal enjoyment. And while we all may feel pride in having something special, I like the PlayStation just as much as the 301. In a cockeyed way, I think it balances the 301 and the rest of my system. You can almost say the PlayStation justified the 301. Without it I would've come dangerously close to being an audiophile.

And, yes, I've noticed the Swedes around here. He he. And some Norwegian dude.