How old are you?

I'm shockingly old - 43

But I still enjoy even the latest Hindi "Filmy" music as much as I enjoy "Beethoven, Vivaldi, Sacred Chants, Indian Classical" etc.

Music transcends age, sex, cast, color, creed, religion, politics or any other dividing forces.

My son who has just turned 2 years enjoys music as well and even sings surprisingly well. He is able to pickup the lyrics quite well without understanding their meaning.

As I have grown my horizon of music has widened over a period of years - from purely hindi film music to now almost everything. I haven't really grown into jazz as yet although it is begining to happen.

So musically speaking, I'm

18 Till I Die (or Dye )

Sanjay

Hey Shahrukh,

I think I beat you to it I'm 23.


Satyam.

I am 33. Mostly into Classical, Orchestra, Jazz and female vocals. Also luv old hindi songs (Kishore Kumar, Rafi, Ahsa Bhosale, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Talat Mahamood etc). Sometimes listen to new hindi songs because of my wife. In another 3 months will have 2 listen to children's songs because of my baby.
Sanjay, I don't think that you need to know a particular type of music to be an audiophile/audio enthusiast. Your choice is great..if you like them and cherish the music

Yes Milpai,

Music is a matter of personal choice. And the fact that I am not into jazz does not make me any less of an audiophile. All I meant was that I haven't really heard enough jazz to develop a taste or distaste for it.

Regards

Sanjay

Hello my sons (no daughters on this forum) I'm 48 chronologically but much much younger

Daughters are just too busy creating audiophobic noise

‘Right side’ of 40 here : )

Daughter love music too. She had been fiddling with valves as a toddler. I had built one chip amp for her, but relived to report that she now prefers the DHT’s. I think there is a certain ‘cool’ factor youngsters associate such things with.

Im 25.

At 22, I guess am the youngest of you lot..

32 here…………
I think the average Indian audiophile is above 30. Most seasoned ones who really know their stuff seems to be around 40 from my experience.

square_wave schrieb:

32 here………… Most seasoned ones who really know their stuff seems to be around 40 from my experience.

Well..clearly u don't have enough experience..

well over 40 we tend not to make too strong a judgement...life is not just any one thing.. audiophilia included! there is so much to learn and so much to enjoy..everything has its own place

I am 32.

slightly less than a decade to hit 40

Hi Screamgigi,

You have a very interesting setup going for yourself; I'd love to know if the 845 is your own design or a clone from some amp? Also why haven’t you tried your hands at making a 300B?


Regards,

Satyam.

benkenobi schrieb:

square_wave schrieb: 32 here………… Most seasoned ones who really know their stuff seems to be around 40 from my experience. Well..clearly u don't have enough experience..

Very true. 10 years older than you and still a lot to learn.......

Just imagine what a terribly confusing age/situation you are in........

My time and effort are better utilisted elsewhere..
its not worth wasting my time conversing with inane people like you...

No matter what age one always keeps learning doesn’t matter if one is 20 40 or 60, if not for forums like these most of us would be frustrated not being able to pass on their experience/ideas forward to like-minded people.

The more you interact/read the more you learn its fun this way.


Regards,

Satyam.

satyam are u sure u are only 23 ?;)
you sound decades older in maturity...

Cheers

sbfx schrieb:

if not for forums like these most of us would be frustrated not being able to pass on their experience/ideas forward to like-minded people.

now your dreaming dude

benkenobi schrieb:

sbfx schrieb: if not for forums like these most of us would be frustrated not being able to pass on their experience/ideas forward to like-minded people. now your dreaming dude

I don't quite comprehend by what you mean but if you feel otherwise then so be it.

Regards,

Satyam.

Arj schrieb:

satyam are u sure u are only 23 ?;) you sound decades older in maturity... Cheers

Me too thinks the same………..
He sounds way too mature for a 23 year old kid………… come on man…out with the real age………….

square_wave schrieb:

Arj schrieb: satyam are u sure u are only 23 ?;) you sound decades older in maturity... Cheers Me too thinks the same……….. He sounds way too mature for a 23 year old kid………… come on man…out with the real age…………. :)

Thank you arj and square_wave ,

Well maybe sometime when we meet up you'd believe me


Satyam.

Four decades

But my taste in music mercifully hasn't atrophied.

So much to listen to and so little time.

24 replies over the weekend! Hmmm! not bad. Benks, dude!! You're just 22 and already constructiong those speakers? Excellent man!
As far as audiophilia goes just take a look at the number of people in their 20s... Three! It kinda makes you think, doesn't it?? In a world of boomboxes and "boom and tizz" 2000 W PMPO speakers there are still quite a few of us who know better. The future of the Indian audiophile looks brighter than ever!

Hi All
I am 48, with a teenage daughter,a cricket mad son and an indulgent wife. Its wonderful to have such a wide range of ages in our 'club'. My interest in reading audio mags started some 20 years ago with Sterephile and Audio. With the internet, things have changed for the better, and hobbyists can get together like at this forum.
As for music, my tastes range from Brahms to Bhimsen and Brubeck to Bob Marley. What I look for in a system is clarity, detail, sweetness, and imaging. I am also looking to reduce listening fatigue.
Purnendu

I'm 30. I have been listening to music seriously for last 12 years but this (quality of audio) bug has bitten me very recently.

I will be 28 in a few months, listen to all kinds of music, Rock, Pop (little bit), Hindi film music (new as well as very old ones), Ghazals etc.

I guess I got the music and the quality audio bug from my dad, though I discovered it recently. And perhaps that is the only reason why my mom never gave me a lecture when I spent more than 30k on my HT setup with intentions to spend even more :D. I still remember my dad's Panasonic tape recorder which he used to connect to a radio. He used to keep experimenting with both and had compiled hundreds of recorded casettes.

sbfx schrieb:

You have a very interesting setup going for yourself; I'd love to know if the 845 is your own design or a clone from some amp? Also why haven’t you tried your hands at making a 300B?

Hi Satyam. A long one this.

I use the 300B to drive the 845

Back in the days when 300B’s were available for Rs. 50 or 75 in the local market, I was not aware that it was supposed to be an ultimate tube. I got a pair of WE 300B in late nineties from a dealer who had picked-up a whole bunch of assorted scraps, tubes included, from the P&T department. I eventually got 15 of them from him. Rest I believe he gave away to the dumpsters

There was another, major, issue. Output Transformer. Till about late 80’s you could get a reasonable quality Push Pull OPT from several Indian manufacturer. But SE OPT’s were a problem. Even in the heydays you could only buy a very average quality SE which was ok for a Radio, but not Hi Fi. So till about late 90’s building a DHT SET in India was quite difficult. If you had money (lots of its) and travelled abroad, then you could imported an OPT. We were yet to enter the ‘India Shining’ period. Earning in Rs but paying in $ was just out of question for a person like me with growing kids.

Post ‘India Shining’ folks like us now have more disposable income. We now also have more $$ and OPT’s figure quite high in the shopping list when visiting Far East.


Around 98-99 I finally got around to building a 300B SET. I used the proto for a while before junking the project and used the OPT’s for a SE EL34 project. This is now my PC Amp. Around that period, I bought a pair of Tango OPT’s from Japan and built an 845 SET.

This is a mix n match design. I use a MOSFET loaded #76 input triode IT coupled to 300B driver IT coupled to 845. With an HV of around 1100volts the 845 is biased for around 85mA using –135 Fixed Bias. I experimented for almost 2 years. So effectively the 845 is still a WIP effort and hopefully a proper chassis will be built this winter. As things stand now, each prototype monoblock weighs more than 30kgs! Each channel has got no less than 7 transformers. And I am not counting the plate chokes and fully shielded Filament transformers which are en-route. This amp uses just 4 R’s /channel, no C in the signal path and Oil Cans at the PSU. With the 845 I am hopefully nearing audio nirvana.

I next to look into my Phono stage which is getting long in tooth. I want to try some interesting tubes, uses ‘new’ technology such as MOSFET’s to complement the goodness of valves. I wish to experiment with RIAA curves to get exactly the sound I like which may not necessary be the correct sound.

I also wish to pass on the knowledge to interested kinds. Its sure 30’s technology, but its good technology.

Life goes on : )

screamgigi schrieb:

Hi Satyam. A long one this. I use the 300B to drive the 845 Back in the days when 300B’s were available for Rs. 50 or 75 in the local market, I was not aware that it was supposed to be an ultimate tube. I got a pair of WE 300B in late nineties from a dealer who had picked-up a whole bunch of assorted scraps, tubes included, from the P&T department. I eventually got 15 of them from him. Rest I believe he gave away to the dumpsters There was another, major, issue. Output Transformer. Till about late 80’s you could get a reasonable quality Push Pull OPT from several Indian manufacturer. But SE OPT’s were a problem. Even in the heydays you could only buy a very average quality SE which was ok for a Radio, but not Hi Fi. So till about late 90’s building a DHT SET in India was quite difficult. If you had money (lots of its) and travelled abroad, then you could imported an OPT. We were yet to enter the ‘India Shining’ period. Earning in Rs but paying in $ was just out of question for a person like me with growing kids. Post ‘India Shining’ folks like us now have more disposable income. We now also have more $$ and OPT’s figure quite high in the shopping list when visiting Far East. Around 98-99 I finally got around to building a 300B SET. I used the proto for a while before junking the project and used the OPT’s for a SE EL34 project. This is now my PC Amp. Around that period, I bought a pair of Tango OPT’s from Japan and built an 845 SET. This is a mix n match design. I use a MOSFET loaded #76 input triode IT coupled to 300B driver IT coupled to 845. With an HV of around 1100volts the 845 is biased for around 85mA using –135 Fixed Bias. I experimented for almost 2 years. So effectively the 845 is still a WIP effort and hopefully a proper chassis will be built this winter. As things stand now, each prototype monoblock weighs more than 30kgs! Each channel has got no less than 7 transformers. And I am not counting the plate chokes and fully shielded Filament transformers which are en-route. This amp uses just 4 R’s /channel, no C in the signal path and Oil Cans at the PSU. With the 845 I am hopefully nearing audio nirvana. I next to look into my Phono stage which is getting long in tooth. I want to try some interesting tubes, uses ‘new’ technology such as MOSFET’s to complement the goodness of valves. I wish to experiment with RIAA curves to get exactly the sound I like which may not necessary be the correct sound. I also wish to pass on the knowledge to interested kinds. Its sure 30’s technology, but its good technology. Life goes on : )

Hi Screamgigi,

You have 15 300B tubes!!!????!!!! you are one VERY lucky man :D, but its very sad that the others went in the dump

Also thats a very interesting design 845's being driven by 300's would love to listen to this I dont many commercial products with a design like this besides the Cary 845 anniversary edition.

A SE EL34 as a PC amp wow that’s surely a fun thing to have on the office PC and listen to music with tubes

Well about using a mosfet in the driver stage to drive the 845 is another rare thing only other amp I know that does this is the Cadence Canasya but I think yours a little more complex as you have a 300B with the mosfet.

I wish someday I could get to listen to your amp.

As for your phono-stage what tubes are you planing to use?, is it going to have a step-up? or just for MM?

Warm Regards,

Satyam.

PS:30's technology but what sound

Hi Screamgigi,
Could you provide some eye candy by posting pictures of your setup/s.
Regards,

Benkenobi

Yeah Screamgigi, I too wanna see what your setup looks like!

Well guys I am 35, . Still learning each and every day. Learnt so much after the the LINN training.
Rgds

Prithvi

i am 26
learnt a lot and still learning a lot

edges

benkenobi schrieb:

Hi Screamgigi, Could you provide some eye candy by posting pictures of your setup/s. Regards, Benkenobi

how do you post pics here?
[/img]

Go to imageshack.us and upload your pics there..

YOu can then cut and paste the links that will be generated on this forum.

Regards,
Benkenobi

Aaha..thanks to a smart youngster at home, I now know how to put pics

Ok here we are.

Most of my amps are perennially under construction. I post below some of the pics that I have in the laptop right now.

This is a PP amp using EL34 or 6L6 in triode connection. EF86 front-end with a 6SN7 phase splitter. SS rectification and Fixed Bias. No Feedback design. No elcos in the signal path. NOS Carbon Composition Resistor at Plate and Grids, MF elsewhere. My brother was using it for while. Recently it has come back to me. He wants to have the same amp in a wooden frame chassis. This chassis is now the test bed for some new idea and Output Transformers have been set aside for a PP 300B project.

http://i29.photobuck...igipics/DSC04517.jpg

This is an interesting amp. Built as a Car amplifier. The chassis was fabricated with CNC wire-cutting machine. 6L6 or EL34 in PP pure pentode mode deliver about 50WPC. But I could never get to stabile properly. Plates need 450v DC. To get this HV an inverter was used. This worked fine in bench, but working out of the car battery the voltage would sag. Finally gave up. Now modified and working with wall AC. But I am determined to overcome the issue and build a new amp sometime.

http://i29.photobuck...igipics/DSC07159.jpg

This is a nice little SE. Very clean sound. Now being loved by a charming lady who traded them with me for a pair of QUADII monoblock that came her way. The wooden frame has some blemishes, but after this pic was taken, it got a new coat of polish.

This is a DHT work-in-progress. Pentode front end, triode strapped pendoe driver. 0D3 voltage regulators mainly for the nice bluish/purple glow But many also think that they do a better job than present day Zeners.

My 845 DHT is under a make over. Each monoblock will have 3 power transformer, 2 PSU chokes, 2 Plate Choke, 1 OPT, 2 Interstage Transformers and 2 Chokes for the 845 filaments. They are complemented by ex-military Oil Capacitors, biggest of which weighs almost 1.2Kg. I am thinking of putting the PSU for each monoblock in separate chassis and connect them with umbilical. For that I need to figure out and acquire HV connector that will not allow arcing over at 1200v supply voltage : (

I hope to finish off the 845 this winter. The finished amp will look a refined version of something like this.:

http://i29.photobuck...pics/dscn10803bl.jpg

wow!..
that's some great stuff sream..

Those tubes make me want to make one too ..

YOu certainily have put some work into those beauties.

Regards,
Benkenobi

Thanks benk
But I wonder why some of the pics appear on-line, while others just show a link

It depends on which of the generated links you choose to post..
Some are hot links(like the ones without the picture) while some are thumbnails and some show the full picture.

Moderator Help,
I think we have a problem in this thread. One is a kiddie discussion about ages, the other is a very grown up discussion about equipment. Both are nice in their own way. Would it not make sense to make a separate thread for the beautiful amp pictures. Yes the pictures are drool, but the age thread is cute too. I am a social anthroplogist you see, so I like to get to know the people behind this eccentric indulgence as much as Kit.
Purnendu

Kiddie?
Not really Mr. Social Anthropologist. It's a rough statistical representation of the chronological diversity of a particular target group, namely hi-fi enthusiasts a.k.a audiophiles.

Sharukh,
You misunderstood me. I am actually enjoying the age talk. Its just that the two series are so different. The tech. talk is really heavy. I cant be part of it, and can only look on admiringly, whereas the age talk is easy to be part of. I didnt mean to patronize or offend anyone. Getting to know fellow afficionados is as much fun as getting to know their equipment. Thats social anthroplogy for me.
Purnendu

Yeah, yeah, I know.
Notice the at the end of my post

BTW, the good doctor has posted on this thread but hasn't stated how old he is. Or did I miss that??