Unfortunately I have never been in the position of being able to earn enough to keep me in the manner to which I wish to become accustomed. This is especially true of hi-fi systems which definitely fall into the luxury class fir me. However, I am a firm believer in the theory that if you have a good source you can get away with much cheaper equipment for the amplification and speakers. I realise that with this approach I may never get the best out of my LPs and CDs, but at least it's fun!
I have built various bits of audio equipment over the years - very little of which has survived. I would like to share just a few of these survivors with you in the hope that it will encourage other people to "have a go".
None of the equipment shown here could be accepted as "hi-fi" to a "true believer" but some of it comes dangerously close... I have gone through some of the trials - spending afternoons in listening rooms trying to decide on speakers and a record deck. Playing with cables has filled many a happy weekend. Gluing MDF blocks onto plinths, sticking car body dampening pads into speaker cabinets and soldering cartridge leads are all second nature to me now!
At the end of the day, what I, personally, want is to listen to music. You can get a fixation about wooly/firm bass and silky/steely treble. This can become a replacement for the music. I would much rather go to see a live band rather than listen to a CD or LP. It doesn't matter how much you spend, you can NEVER fully recreate a live performance in your living room.
This equipment is cheap and cheerful. I don't bother with specifications. They are a good guide if you are buying something but at this end of the market they are not really necessary. Speakers sound a bit dull for you? OK, put another 0.5uF capacitor in the crossover. It doesn't matter if there are 6 in parallel if it sounds right to you! Output valve anodes glowing a bit? OK, put the cathode resistor up a bit and see if that fixes it! This is the rough end of hi-fi.
Now, at last, a few bits to look at: