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‘Then in 2003 I got an SME 10.
I’d heard the SME 30 at a show
and thought it the most neutral
combination I’d encountered. I
couldn’t afford the 30, but I was
later able to move up to the 20,
and equip it with an SME V arm.’
Cartridge changes up to this
point had included a Goldring Excel,
then an Ortofon MC25 and then an
Ortofon Kontrapunkt B.
‘I thought that was splendiferous,
until I heard the Glider from Benz
Micro! It offered a totally different
sound, more spacious, more natural.
I ran that until I got the current
Transfiguration Spirit 3 – by far the

best cartridge I’ve ever had.’
But we’ve got behind
with the speaker side of the
story. Lawrie acquired the ABOVE: The SME DCD-1500 player. Unfortunately,
SD1s in 1988, and still had 20 deck’s power that died on me and the repair
them when he eventually supply sits to the would have cost too much. So I
moved to his present house left of Lawrie’s got a Shanling player, which was
some two years later. cherished Nagra nice until I heard the Wadia 861! A
CDP CD player different league, a whole new world
A WRONG MOVE of sound. Suddenly, I really felt that
‘I placed them where the LEFT: Speaker CD was capable of good things.’
current speakers are, and cables are from
it worked because we sat Canadian-based TRUE TO THE SOUND
on the settee miles away company Virtual ‘And then a couple of years ago, I
from them! But I had this old Dynamics came across the Nagra CDP. With
hankering for the sound that good discs, it can sound truly
was in my mind. And in 1992 staggering. And what it doesn’t do is
I managed to stretch to a pair make the lesser discs sound dire. It
of Quad ESL-63s. By that time the Krell PAM 7 preamp stayed in does at least make them sound OK.
I had moved the room around, with Lawrie’s system until 2001. BELOW: For And this is important to me.
the speakers at the other end. And ‘I eventually went to a Rogue Lawrie, Ayre’s ‘I’ve tried to remain true to the
that was my biggest mistake. It took Audio 88 power amp, which had solid-state K-1x sound I’m aiming for, and once or
me years to realise I could never get enough grunt. I disconnected the pre seen here, twice, particularly when buying CD
a good sound with them there.’ noisy fan and made an Aertex top to along with the players over the years, I have come
So, sadly, Lawrie didn’t get the keep the valves cool. I went back to V-1x power unstuck. Looking for audio Nirvana, I
best from the Quad Conrad-Johnson for amp, matched realise that there’s always going to
ESL-63s. He replaced ‘“Moving the the preamp, a PV-108 the sound he’d be something better on the way. But
them with the Avalon and then a PV-12A, previously had I think now I’m going to stick with
Arcus, from Stephen speakers was which I found to be from valves this, and I’m quite happy too!’
Harper of Audiophile particularly good.
Consultants. ‘I was my biggest ‘But I heard
knocked out by them. mistake”’ something better
But still, they didn’t again. Ayre’s solid-
really sound the way state amplifi cation

they had at Stephen’s place. I tried was the first to sound like valves
everything. Until, finally, I moved to me. It had the spaciousness, the

them to the wider end of the room. openness. I have the Ayre K-1x and
‘Suddenly the sound breathed, the V-1x pre/power amps and I still
the bass hump had gone, and it love them, even though, inevitably,
was totally different. Later, I heard I’ve heard something better still,
the Peak Consult Princess speakers, which is made by Spectral.’
which I have now. They were even Lawrie hasn’t yet heard anything
more neutral and open. And again, better, though, than his current CD
it was “I’ve got to have those!”.’ player, the Nagra CDP.
When the ESL-63s came in, the ‘I started off with the original
Conrad-Johnson MV75 had been Marantz CD73, then the Meridian
replaced by an Exposure XVIII, but MCD. Then in 1988 I heard a Denon

DECEMBER 2020 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 29