This is a complete rebuild of my hifi. During the past two years I have been looking for ads on fine old equipment. After buying the Tandberg tuner I was hooked on the 3000 series.
The bench is built with pieces from www.hyllcenter.se. I searched a lot of places to get a rack that could store vinyls in a nice manner.
My computer is plugged into the second tape loop of the pre-amp. Too bad it can't be chosen as a source here in the system builder. Anyway, it runs Ubuntu Linux and has an RME hdsp9632 sound card. Attached to the optical input I have a small DAB receiver. So from the mixing desk on the desktop I can control the chosen source of the pre-amp, the DAB and the sound of the programs.
Next improvement is finding a more audiophile turntable. I have a Clearaudio Stradivari pickup waiting, but it's probably a waste putting it on the Phantasie.
Single ended triode with 300B and 6922. Sold originally as a kit. This one was assembled by the constructor Erik Andersson. It is integrated and has 3 inputs so a pre-amp isn't really necessary. At times I think 9 wpc is a little to weak, but it's probably a good automatic keep-your-neighbours-happy filter. Currently replaced by Tandberg 3026A.
Thorens Phantasie
Piece to top the rest. It finds light like a diamond! Pickup is Ortofon MC-1 or something like that (high level mc)
Tandberg TPT-3001a
Fantastic sound. This one beats the rest when I want to have the best sound. It also digs out stations far away. This is my favourite! It might also be so because radio is my biggest hobby :-)
Tandberg TCA-3018a
It has all the inputs I need!
Tandberg TPA-3026a
I got this because I collect Tandberg stuff. It seems however like the 3026A will have a permanent place in the setup. It has all the nice features of the replaced Edison, and adds excellent power and dynamics.
Tandberg TCD-3014a
My original plan did not involve upgrading the tape deck, but when I found a nice 3014A for sale in Norway I changed my mind. This one is BIG and wrecks the geometry in the rack.
Tandberg TCP-3015a
Ok, it's madness to buy a 20 year old CD player, but I wanted to stick completely with Tandberg on the lower shelves.
Tandberg TD-20ase
This still has problems as the rec button is stuck. Still, it looks majestic with its large reels. Nixie clock in front is from www.logicapplied.se.
Proac Response D-28
Made in cherry veneer with side vented bass port at the bottom. I need to spend time to get them in the right position on the long side of my room. Replaced Proac Tablette 2000 Signature.
Svalander Home made Litz
This is highest purity silver 0.8mm thread inside cotton braided in a tight Litz. 2 + 3 meters.
Dogsplodge Solid Silver Litz 0.75m
This cable got good reviews in a discussion. It's hand made and sold on eBay by user dogsplodge. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZdogsplodgeQQhtZ-1
No, even though I don't use the TD20ASE much I still consider it crucial for my setup to be a real testosterone Hifi :-) You might be lucky if you search the classifieds at http://www.finn.no/torget/ or the auctions at http://qxl.no/.
Actually I still have my Tablettes. I didn't want to part from them so they're boxed on a shelf. Hard to say what side of neutral they are as I don't have much to compare with. When they replaced my Kef C30's it was a huge improvement. Later when I moved up to Proac D28 I didn't feel too overexcited. D28 sounds a little warmer, has punchier bass, but less image. I don't see the Tablettes up for sale as often nowadays, so more people seem to stick to them. I guess both Proacs are considered neutral like you suggest.
Vincedog3: No the thing didn't play when the rec button was stuck. I was lucky to find the PCB with the push buttons for a dollar on eBay. Now I have good sound, but not many tapes. I'm really not looking for tapes, but rather tapes with recordings of radio shows. Hopefully the people spending big bucks in the early eighties get tired of their stuff and sell it off cheap.
I have thoughts about it. I read a posting in a norwegian forum where a person listed his favourite sources. The different combinations of reel-to-reel (speed/track) all came out on top of sacd, cd, vinyl and the likes. Of course, the tape can't be recorded with any of these sources since claiming tape is best then only mean that you like its equalising abilities best.
So getting a good tape made directly from the master is on my wishlist. I know about the tape-project at http://www.tapeproject.com/. Are there other prerecorded tapes?
I have had my D28's connected for just a few days, but I think 9wpc is still enough. I think the Tablettes came alive at much lower levels, so although D28 has higher sensitivity they might need more power anyway.
I have had serious thoughts about getting a pair of Tandberg 3009A monoblocks, or a 3026A amplifier. But the beautiful look of the Edison will probably prevent it from being replaced.
Well, I've been browsing the net for over a year on how to get service for Tandberg. It's best to be prepared for the worst. Also I don't want to send my stuff all the way to New York. Here is a small list of what I've found;
http://www.teletor.no/catalog/index.php Has some useful spares in the webshop, and is also said to have the knowledge and equipment to align a 3001. Good choice for me in Sweden since Norway is close.
http://www.tandberg-hifi.de/ Germany is farther off than Norway, but on the other hand it's in the European Union which Norway isn't. This German dealer has nice prices on used equipment as seen on the web, and I heard that he is also very competent. This is probably my first choice.
http://www.gpfweb.com/shop/index.php The Tandberg Radio Shop is worth mentioning but I don't think I'd find anything useful for the 3000 series there.
http://www.finn.no/torget/ This Norwegian collection of classifieds usually have plenty of Tandberg stuff. The gentleman who sold me my 3014A have a bunch of ads where he's selling NOS spares. We have spoken many hours on the phone and it seems he has many parts, or knows someone who has.
http://www.qxl.no/ Another Norwegian marketplace. Good chance to find Tandberg here, but prices are sky high.
http://www.kallhovde.com/tandberg/ Ever seen a printed manual at eBay? They're quite expensive. This site tries to make a comprehensive collection of scanned documents.
I believe that because Tandberg was closed down 8 years ago there is a community feeling among us collectors. We have to care for our contacts. I like that! And even more them who make new parts, like http://www.marrscommunications.com/ who has new sets of belts for the 3014.
BTW, for those of you who understand Norwegian there is a nice forum about Tandberg. Here is a thread discussing the different products of the 3000 series, including lots of images,
The 3015A can surely be made to play computer-burned CDRs. My piece had the common problems of the door not opening, and a long warm up time before finding tracks. The local service man replaced a belt, added some lubricant, replaced 5 caps and finally replaced a transistor on the decoder board. Surprisingly that not only fixed the problems, but also made it able to play all my pirate CD:s. That would otherwise have been a big minus. The other fear was that the sound wouldn't match my 3 years newer Denon. Absolutely no need to change back :-)
This madness seems to dig deeper. Now I'm going for a TD20ASE on eBay...
