I was giving this some thought and though I do know of any specific examples apart from SME (which is completely atypical) However there is a forum called Hi Fi Wigwam which hosts vintage audio enthusiasts and I am sure that someone there will be able to help you. These guys are serious about their vintage kit and very keen to spread the gospel.
The SME example I used is not a good one because they have been heavily modified (much to Peter Walker’s disgust) to the point where Alastair Robertson-Aikman had heavy duty steel frames made in his factory. The system is also unique in that it uses Krell Master Reference Amplifiers. These things are 1000w per channel, date from 1974 and only 6 pairs were ever made. The price in 1974 was $100,000 per pair. Krell tried to convince ARA to take their new flagship models later but when he tried them he concluded that they were not as good as the ones he had. When he told Krell of his finding their response was to say that “We have to make a living”. In other words they were no longer making them to the quality that that had previously.
I will be interested to learn if you have a luck through Hi Fi Wigwam.
I know quite a few of the guys out there in WBF-Land took a real interest in Ron’s thread about my system and move to the chapel.
Post #7 had a photo of me and Ra, and Ra’s adorable Tabby cat, Razz (aka RazzBoy, aka RazzMundo, aka Azrael).
Razz has taken a bit of a turn for the worse as he’s got a bit older, a pretty serious oesophageal constriction which has meant he hasn’t been able to keep any food down at all, and necessitated an op to open up this restriction.
The good news is he’s making tentative signs of early recovery (eating without vomiting up food), but one downside is he has lost his sight, apparently a common side effect in cats of general anaesthetics.
The vet says this is likely temporary, but it’s all a waiting game.
I know that if there’s one thing committed audiophiles can feel even more strongly about than their gear, it’s their pets. Hence relaying here about poor Razz.
Ironically, ANOTHER reason for me to have scaled back spending on audio, it’s hard to splash out on gear AND find £4.5k for the vet’s bill .
Well, that’s a worst case scenario, he likely will need 2 ops maximum.
I tend to look at the finances less in terms of £s, and more in multiples of tweaks spend LOL.
I mean I’ve spent this sum many times over on tubes, cables, supports etc. I can hardly deny the little troublemaker this outlay when I don’t even blink at spending in this hobby.
He may need multiple ops, he may need to be fed nutrient-enriched Cat Pâté and Cat Milk for the rest of his days. We’ll know in the next week as the practice tries to feed him/decides on follow-up op.
CJ, when Raz was born, his “bits” were well hidden, the vet thought he was a girl.
Only on rummaging around was it established he was indeed a “he”.
And then his bits got the chop anyway .
Thank the Lord there was no LGBTTY lobby then, he’d have felt extremely special.
As opposed to just confused and philosophical.