Manfred's Presentation

Hello,

here is Manfred from Germany who wrote the e-mail which was cited above by António. Unfortunately I don't understand a single word português, so I hope it is ok when I write in english. Since I do not have much practice in english writing, so please don't judge too severe.

Perhaps I should introduce myself a little bit as new member of the Áudio Analógico Forum.

I'm 48 years old, live in south-west germany near Freiburg at the border to France and can't imagine to live without good music since I'm 15 years old. And almost since that time I like and search for good sound too.

My system:
Mythology Zeus turntable
Mission Mechanic tonearm
Lyra Lydian beta cartridge
StSt Agmen II Preamp with integrated MC Phono Pre
StSt Opus Mono Power Amp
Reussenzehn Tube Slave S Amp
(Class-D amplification currently in evaluation)
Tannoy Turnberry SE speaker
ViaBlue cabling (NF S-6 and B-6, X-40 mains cable, SC-8 prototype LS cable)
There is also a decent sounding digital source, of course.

My personal reference point for phono preamp is the integrated phono MC of the StSt Agmen, which is completeley unknown in Portugal, I assume. But when it was introduced about 1990, it's phono section was a clear sonic statement and often compared to the then famous Omtec Antares. StSt is still active and builds beautiful and very good sounding turntables with a proprietary developed direct drive and a tone arm. Surely, the MC stage of the Agmen is not entry level, and Brutus is clearly superior in my opinion...

Please don't be misleaded by the low price tag of Brutus. It is one of the unfiddliest components I ever saw. Once connected up to the system, you push the mains button, wait a few minutes until the tubes are warmed up and have reached a stable operation point - and simply enjoy the music. No long burning in, no tweaking, no "always on for best sound" necessary.

I was glad to learn over the past year that Portugal has a vivid audio and analog scene and that there are enthusiastic manufacturers of very interesting gear like Rui Borges, Joaquim Pinto and others. Many components I own come from very small manufacturers you can personally talk with and the value for price and longtime support by them generally is outstanding and much better than what you get usually from big companies.

Please feel free to ask me anything if you want.

Manfred

Wellcome to AAP Manfred !! 
Fine gear you have.. 
Thank you for you statement.
Feel free to post some photos of your system.

raines1978 escreveu:

Gostava de saber como se batem eles, especialmente com produtos dos mesmos valores:)


Particularmente quem já teve a sorte de fazer estas comparacoes ao vivo.



Por exemplo tenho um pre de phono rega minifono.  Será que um Brutus faria uma enorme diferenca no meu sistema? Ou faria sim mas se fosse acompanhado de companheiros à sua altura?


O dinheiro nao abunda.... tem de ser tudo muito bem estudado e aos pouquinhos:)

Caro Raines

Pois eu tenho exactamente o mesmo tipo de atitude, seja em relação a HiFi, seja a tudo o resto.

No caso que nos une, sempre que tive de adquirir um dado componente, parto do valor que tenho disponível para depois tentar encontrar a melhor opção para esse orçamento.

No meu caso, o unico componente nacional que possuo, o RB Uno, dispensa apresentações e, quer o aparelho quer quem o produz, são do melhor que se pode encontrar, sem palavras.

Quanto aos restantes componentes que constituem um sistema ,e desculpando a minha ignorancia, só após ter ido ao encontro de Santarém o ano passado me apercebi do valor do " Made in Portugal ".

Sem julgar qual dos JP, JG ou o Megaudio apresenta o melhor som, só posso dizer que são muito, muito bons e se fosse adquirir hoje de novo o meu sistema muito provávelmente iria para material nacional. Isto sem falar que qualquer destes intervenientes nos aconselham muito construtivamente.

Como já aqui disse noutro tópico, aos nossos falta divulgação, não qualidade.

Dito isto, pense bem e ouça o mais possível e , no final compre " Made in Portugal".

Boa sorte

Aspra

Amigo Raines, eu só lhe poderei dar o meu testemunho em relação ao Viriatus. Como já aqui mencionei neste Fórum, comprei umas colunas monitoras Xavian XN 125 Junior, ouvi-as a primeira vez com um aplificador de topo a vávulas, no sítio onde comprei, no mesmo sítio ainda ouvi a segunda vez com um amplificador a transistores muito bom também, claro que qualquer um deles tinha uma sonoridade melhor que o meu velhinho Harmon Kardon. Depois fui ouvir à garagem do amigo Joaquim Pinto as Xavian com o Viriatus, só posso dizer uma palavra para o discrever "fenomenal" como é que umas colunas pequenas ficaram com dois metros de altura  
Eu sei que posso ser suspeito, mas se tiver opurtunidade de comparar com as suas colunas vai ver que fica com a mesma cara de parvo como eu fiquei a ouvir música.  
Um abraço

Hallo Manfred.

Vielen dank für die Beschreibung deiner Anlage und des phono pres. Gute Sachen hast du in deiner Anlage und die Leute vollen fotos sehen, den hier gibt es viele Fetischisten. 
Wenn du Probleme mit dem reinstecken von fotos hast, Erklärer ich dir gerne wie es funktioniert.

Oh my god! I will post photos but that will take some time...

Hello

Manfred from Germany

 

Fredie

mannitheear escreveu:

Oh my god! I will post photos but that will take some time...

Don´t be lazy, that´s suppose to be a Latin characteristic.   (I have send you a email).

Hello Manfred...

Manfred never heard your turntable and believe it to be good, but if you get a chance (€ € €) think about it ...

 


http://www.ruiborgesturntables.com/Ingles/turntables.htm

excuse my bad english
Greetings
Fredie

I have divided the topics, and created your own presentation one.

mannitheear escreveu:

I was glad to learn over the past year that Portugal has a vivid audio and analog scene and that there are enthusiastic manufacturers of very interesting gear like Rui Borges, Joaquim Pinto and others.

You can see more of the gear build in Portugal and that we had in exposition in an audio-show organized by our Forum last year that we named PorugÁudio.

You will see audio gear that is now familiar to you. 

https://www.audioanalogicodeportugal.net/t4163-portugaudio-mostra-de-audio-fabricado-em-portugal

https://www.audioanalogicodeportugal.net/t4449-portugaudio-2012-o-nosso-evento?highlight=Portugaudio

I hope that you be able to pop by for this years event.

Bem-vindo mannitheear.

Saudações.

Hi   Manfred,

Please, accept a very warm  

Now, most of your electronics are very much unknown from most of us down here!! ...
They seem to be very exclusive and exquisite gear!
Congratulations!!

One thought came to my mind!?



Your pre isn't it related with the German made Restek's Vector?
Which seems to be, also by some looks, the heir of the Threshold's FET line of preamps, popped out of the hands of Nelson Pass?
 

 
Bem-vindo ao Audio Analógico de Portugal!!
 
(mete aí uma "cunha" à Angela... )

Wellcome !!

Nice to have more analog fans in this fórum !!

Hope you can Share your experiences with us!
Specially concerning músic.
As for your equipment, nice to see things out of the mainstream .

Small companies are doing very Good things!
Probably better than the mainstream american and some european brands that took control over the market.

Most of us can write english , so feel free to Share your experiences with this increasing breed of guys and women that doesn't let analog die!

Once again,

Wellcome

As for the StSt name, is not a stranger To me, but unfortunatly, never had the chance To listen a StSt turntable system.

But they look awesome!
As for the other names, i recognize the names but never saw or hear!

So, António, help the newcomer inserting Photos in here.

microseiki escreveu:

So, António, help the newcomer inserting Photos in here.

I already offered my services if he needs, but I think it is time related.

isto está a virar um forum internacional  
Inglês - Welcome
Espanhol - Bienvenido
Italiano - Benvenuto
Francês - Bienvenue
Alemão - Willkommen
Japonês - 歓迎
Russo - приветствовать
Árabe - الترحيب
Chinês - 歡迎

Hello mannitheear

Please feel at home around here. We are all good people except for one, but that one I believe you already know  

I was once in your town and had a very pleasant stay. Right size of a town to live in my opinion.

I also have a Brutus. I believe it will be my last phono stage

Rui Mendes escreveu:

I believe you already know  

 

Welcome to AAP  

A very warm Welcome from Algarve

I´m very proud to give you the best welcome to our house and to AAP achieving other points of Europe. That certanily is the result of the wonderfull work of our Rui Borges and Joaquim Pinto and reforce the quality of Portuguese Endmade and products...and Antonio also as a AAP public relations in Germany.
Try to invite Angela to our Forum ,because we have go music here for her... 

Best Regards and Auditions

mannitheear escreveu:

I'm 48 years old, live in south-west germany near Freiburg at the border to France

Freiburg...doesn't that mean "free trade zone"?
Hi-fi gear must be really cheap over there.



Ricardo



P.S.: it apears you have forgotten to mention your digital source...

Hello, I'm really overwhelmed by the unexpected warm and kind welcome wishes, thank you all very much!

  

Of course I will post photos, but I have to take them first and the system looks like (and is!) a construction site currently. (And if you might really think that lazyness is supposed a Latin characteristic, you don't know me...) I try not thinking in such categories, nice people live all over the world and in the very inside we all feel the same.

Hey, if António is really the bad guy here, you others must all be saints!  

The StSt amps are a proprietary design of Stefan Strohmetz and have nothing in common with more common german brands like Restek or others. One design goal was to use as least parts as possible.

Oh, Rui Borges Turntables seem to be very interesting, one of the few mass loaded designs I would really like to own, along with Dr. Feickert, Nottingham Analogue and VPI Classic.

At the moment I'm totally happy with Brutus, though owning and hearing that "beast" is not free from a strange side effect: in the very rear of my brain there is now a small voice, whispering "Viriatus" all day and night. And ist seems to get louder over time...

And Freiburg is a really pleasant place, but far from being a Hifi eldorado. With the exception of Dr. Feickert Analogue of course, which is located near Freiburg.

Best regards,

Manfred

mannitheear escreveu:

in the very rear of my brain there is now a small voice, whispering "Viriatus" all day and night. And ist seems to get louder over time...

I urge you too seek specialized help. The good doctor will prescribe you the right pills.  

mannitheear escreveu:

Hello, I'm really overwhelmed by the unexpected warm and kind welcome wishes, thank you all very much!

Manfred

In a few day you´ll be wishing you´d never be present to (some)us (the others  !! not me  )
   

seriously!  this is just a (virtual) gathering place!!

Distance, language or else is not a problem to be with friends.

Can you give us some more information on those StSt amps?

simplicity in design is something that i believe! like the 47Labs introduction logo phrase "Only the simplest can acommodate the most complex" or something like this.

StSt says, that in the signal path of a typical amplification circuit (pre, power...) are typically no more than 7 electronic parts. There is no use of OpAmps or other integrated circuits.

The Power Amp Opus has only 70 W, but a 500 VA transformer per mono block and can deliver a impulse current of up to 200 A! I believe that, while owning the Opus almost 20 years I achieved a few days ago to shorten the loudspeaker output and within seconds the amp became hot and the circuit wasn't anymore. 

Some days later I dared opening the case and what I saw was not encouraging. I wonder if the amp can be repaired.

So meanwhile I listen with tubes and a class D-amp which is not a bad thing either.
As good as the StSt gear is, tubes are tubes and transistors stay transistors...

Manfred

mannitheear escreveu:

StSt says, that in the signal path of a typical amplification circuit (pre, power...) are typically no more than 7 electronic parts. There is no use of OpAmps or other integrated circuits.

The Power Amp Opus has only 70 W, but a 500 VA transformer per mono block and can deliver a impulse current of up to 200 A! I believe that, while owning the Opus almost 20 years I achieved a few days ago to shorten the loudspeaker output and within seconds the amp became hot and the circuit wasn't anymore. 

Some days later I dared opening the case and what I saw was not encouraging. I wonder if the amp can be repaired.

So meanwhile I listen with tubes and a class D-amp which is not a bad thing either.
As good as the StSt gear is, tubes are tubes and transistors stay transistors...

Manfred

Joaquim has a similar approach in his audio circuits. In his opinion, the audio path should be as short as possible.

Sorry to hear about your amp, but everything can be repaired.

Yes, inside of the Brutus are only very few parts visible, some others may be hidden at the lower surface of the board. The photos of Viriatus show similarly few parts. I am a great fan of minimalistic design that works.

Ok, someone mentioned MUSIC...

Can you give me some tips with music from Portugal which one should not miss?

I only know Bévinda, Misia and Madredeus, which I like all. (Almost) all kind of musical genres are welcome, World Music, Jazz, Classical, Rock...

Thanks, Manfred

mannitheear escreveu:

Ok, someone mentioned MUSIC...

Can you give me some tips with music from Portugal which one should not miss?

I only know Bévinda, Misia and Madredeus, which I like all. (Almost) all kind of musical genres are welcome, World Music, Jazz, Classical, Rock...

Thanks, Manfred

I think that you will get a lot of suggestions. I can mention the most common once. Amália Rodrigues, Zeca Afonso, Carlos Paredes, but more names will arrive.

Hello

Here are some more names of Portuguese music that I think are important ...

Delfins
Rádio Macau
Sétima Legião
UHF
Xutos e Pontapés
Trovante

Fredie

Some names come to my mind

Fausto

Rodrigo leão

Rao kiao

Madre de Deus ( of course)

Julio Pereira


This. Ones are some of the important names in portuguese music

And of course theres the alcoholic guy that i Cannot remenber the name

microseiki escreveu:

And of course theres the alcoholic guy that i Cannot remenber the name

Jorge Palma? ...
 

reirato escreveu:

microseiki escreveu:

And of course theres the alcoholic guy that i Cannot remenber the name

Jorge Palma? ...
 

That's the one... 

Yep! thats it

my brain is f#$"ck up!  

Lack of sleeping!

And there´s the girl from montijo that made the record with Ennio Morricone

Like that album!!

Nice voice on some songs

Remembered!

Dulce Pontes (on that album and some live recorde songs)

mannitheear escreveu:

Yes, inside of the Brutus are only very few parts visible, some others may be hidden at the lower surface of the board. The photos of Viriatus show similarly few parts. I am a great fan of minimalistic design that works.

Hi mannitheear  

With only a caravel, a compass and a astrolab, our ancestors have sailed and discovered the entire world, so we can say that the portuguese have invented "the minimalism that works... on sailing at least"!!!

I'm joking of course, but i wish you to spend a good time with us and WELCOME TO AAP  

Greatings from france

Welcome to the madhouse of audiophiles Manfred

TD124 escreveu:

... ...
With only a caravel, a compass and a astrolab, our ancestors have sailed and discovered the entire world, so we can say that the portuguese have invented "the minimalism that works... on sailing at least"!!!
... ...

Acerca disso escreveu Pessoa, o poeta, pela mão de Álvaro de Campos ...


Pertenço a um gênero de portugueses
Que depois de estar a Índia descoberta
Ficaram sem trabalho. A morte é certa.
Tenho pensado nisto muitas vezes.
 

 

P:S: I would like to translate but I think I can't!? ...

reirato escreveu:

Acerca disso escreveu Pessoa, o poeta, pela mão de Álvaro de Campos ...

Ou terá sido Álvaro de Campos pela mão de Pessoa? 

António José da Silva escreveu:

reirato escreveu:

Acerca disso escreveu Pessoa, o poeta, pela mão de Álvaro de Campos ...

Ou terá sido Álvaro de Campos pela mão de Pessoa? 

É uma questão de perspectiva! ...
A entidade física que escreve é uma, de carne e osso...
A mão é do fantasma!? ...
 

 

My friends
This post belongs to Mannfred.
In english please
 

microseiki escreveu:

My friends
This post belongs to Mannfred.
In english please
 

You're right, especially such deep philosophical discussions. Sorry Manfred. 

Hello Manfred,
Don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of the Brutus: inside it, there's a very complex world. And don't forget: the caravel and the astrolabe were the most sofisticated instruments of the epoch.
Keep on having fun with the Brutus.

Hello Manfred,
Firstly, I wish you a pleasant stay in this place of fellowship and sharing.
Secondly, I'd like to congratulate you for the terrific setup you have.

StSt is a pretty much unknown brand in Portugal, although I always had some curiosity about their products. In particular, StSt turntables are admittedly some of the most beautiful I've ever seen (obviously after the ones from Rui Borges).  

What's your opinion? Are they worth the (high) prices they are normally asked for? And what's about their tonearms?
Thank's a lot.

 
Bem-vindo ao AAP, Manfred.

Dear Manfred, I think that slowly but sourly, you have a little community in this forum.  

António José da Silva escreveu:

Dear Manfred, I think that slowly but sourly, you have a little community in this forum.   

You are not so little