Lock Down

[bob orbell]

Originally Posted by pre65

I had 4 new Avon tyres on my CRV a few weeks ago, fitted on my drive and done no mileage since.

I got Avons 'cos I didn't want foreign rubbish. Intrigued by what Richard wrote I went outside to check where the Avons were made.

Wiltshire ? Not bloody likely - Slovenia.

Philip, I was once an avid Avon buyer for motorcycle tyres, I now buy and use Bridgestone battlax , they are made in Japan and put Avon well into the past, Try some if you are still biking, on the road that is. Bob

[bob orbell]

Originally Posted by Richard

Chris, it's too late, they visited here when this site opened 20 years ago asking where all the Plessey, Hunts and Mullard components were and why we supplied ordinary carbon resistors in the kits. 5 years later eBay was flooded with cheap valve amps.

And our newest member has just arrived and is from, . Bob

[pre65]

I'm also against purchasing from Amazon and Apple.

It's nothing personal about Chinese people, but we have let Chinese imports kill a great deal of home production and we all should have seen it coming.

[Chris]

I agree with you on that Phil, Amazon decimated small shops selling books etc, but if they did not do it some one else would have done it, like supermarkets the small town markets have no chance.
What annoys me is fake audio cables etc, but Ebay allow it to go on... AudioNote cables $300, list price $5000..Even fake feedback now on both Amazon and Ebay.

Chris

[bikerhifinut]

Originally Posted by bob orbell

Philip, I was once an avid Avon buyer for motorcycle tyres, I now buy and use Bridgestone battlax , they are made in Japan and put Avon well into the past, Try some if you are still biking, on the road that is. Bob

I'd just say this Bob, I use Avons on my bike, and have pretty much done so for a long time but there's no point arguing the toss because it would be comparing apples with oranges.
My main bikes in the last 20 years or so have all been more modern ones with Radial Tyre fitments, and I found that Avon seem to make a bloody good tyre with a good compromise of grip, stability and tread life, which at £200 or so a set is important.
I'm riding on the current Sport/Touring Spirit ST tyres which superseded the previous, but still in production Storm 3D and compared to the maxxis supersportbike tyres that were on my Yamaha XJ6FA 600 they are a much more confidence inspiring set of rubber, plus I reckon I should squeeze somewhere around 8000 miles out of the rear, maybe more. I used the Storms on my previous bigger bikes, ranging from a Pan European 1100, through a Honda CBF1000A and latterly a Triumph Sprint before I downsized to a smaller bike, although its still got 78 very flexible horses to push me along if I ever wanted to.
So Its not so simple when you look harder.

Andy.

[Baggy Trousers]

Originally Posted by Richard

Hi Philip, yes it seems Slovenia is the place to get your tyres made these days. I remember the news about Avon closing in Wiltshire a couple of years ago so Googled the story. It was sold to Cooper tyres, one of only 2 USA tyre companies left going back to the 30's, in 1998 who kept production in the UK. Then Cooper was sold to Apollo tyres of India who closed the Avon UK site in 2018 with the loss of 800 jobs. Visit the Avon website today and you'll still see the cosy black and white film from the 40's or 50's of production but very little clue as to who really owns it or makes the product. Of course much of modern production is investment and machine minding these days and the work goes to the country with the lowest labour rates. Goodyear are the only producers left in the USA and own part of Dunlop who make and sell motorcycle tyres there. Dunlop sports equipment was separated long ago from tyres btw and is owned by the Japanese. Fort Dunlop on the M6 was always a landmark when visiting the Brummie relatives on a Sunday and is still used for local distribution I think.

I knew almost nothing of this, but it does cause me to see things in a different light.

Years ago, we were brought up on Avon Skidmasters and SM Mk2 boots with little reason to have anything else as this was all we knew. I had the SM MK2s on my 1926 Austin Seven too. Having discovered the manifest limitations of these, I moved to Roadriders and subsequently to the Roadrunners which I have used for years. Rooting for the home team is a splendid thing to do but if the team no longer is "home", I'm disposed to try something else and will follow Bob's advice as I have moved (slowly) with the times from old Britbikes to embrace Harold Wilson's "white hot technology" of the Japanese. But as my XBR is more than 30 years old, the technology might have cooled to a dull red.

[Baggy Trousers]

Now for something completely different.

In the PC (Pre Coronavirus) era, as a participant in the U3A, I used to host about 10 people for evenings of the Musical Appreciation section. On the most recent occasion, I noticed a fellow overtly crying at the end of a Haydn string quartet. I said I too thought it a moving piece but his response was quite unexpected - "I'm so moved because I have never heard a gramophone (he's an old chap like me) sound so wonderful. What is it?"

I kept the explanation simple but even so, I suspect much of it did not register. Nevertheless, I wrote down the componentry for him as he seemed to want to replicate the system. "But I'm not sure my wife would allow such large speakers." I said "Forget the speakers - they aren't obtainable anyway". But I did offer to get him some more information and then promptly forgot about the whole thing. Until he phoned yesterday.

What so impressed him was, I'm sure, terribly old hat now but he liked it, so what would you suggest as an alternative of similar audio quality? CD player may not be a problem but he thinks he likes the idea of building an amplifier, so what of the current range of WD offerings might be equivalent to the 6550? Is the 6550 still available? I suspect he might be better off with a PCB system. And what would it cost? Are they available ready-made? And at what price? I have to ask as I don't read the HiFi comics.

I don't know what his domestic arrangements are but he says he has a "reasonable" sized room. So what about speakers?

So many questions . . . . . . . . Do you think he might need a Watts Dust Bug?

[Greg.]

I would suggest a perusal of the website

http://www.world-designs.co.uk/

Both power amps or integrated versions would probably work depending on what speakers he chooses to use. The KeL84 can be surprisingly capable even in a largish room, and I’ve found a way to get some authority out of it’s sound which includes a bit of bottom end grunt. In his circumstance, I would choose integrated. KeL84 is PCB. WD88VA connector strip. Difficult to make a choice here if considering the build. PCB is easier and least complicated but connector strip (whatever version) is more forgiving and much easier to correct mistakes.

However, as you can see from the website, at an additional cost, the buyer can request a fully built version with no personal construction required.

WAD KiT/KaT6550’s occasionally come up on eBay. In my opinion, they are one of the best (possibly the best) amplifiers WAD ever produced, albeit I prefer it with Sowter O/P Tx’s and the mods recommended here. The amp I have worked on in recent months sounds sublime and I would certainly rate it as better than my own WAD 300B PP clone which I extensively tweaked with special components throughout.

As ever, all the help available here for anyone dipping their toe into the WD DIY experience, and otherwise, ready built by very competent and professional builders.

[Richard]

The road to hell is paved… perhaps you’re being too modest of your lifetime interest in music and equipment Baggus. Particularly the Tannoy 15”(?) corner speakers. I suspect 90% of what your friend was hearing was the speakers coupling with and filling the room. 5% was any half-competent amp and the other 5% the Sp25 MkIII with ceramic cartridge. I jest about the latter but you’d have to work pretty hard to make up for a system without those speakers to the unfamiliar ear.

Only if he is keen and of technical bent and ability would I get involved with soldering. We had a very similar situation 20+ years ago for father-in-law who’d heard ours. He too is in U3A for music and history and they take turns to share the music presentations. He loves classical and jazz. The answer was a new 40W Pioneer receiver, tape deck and Cdp, with a pair of Wharfedale mid-sized sealed box speakers, bracketed to the wall at the right height about 3 feet up, which drove the room well and gave a good image. He was delighted when friends came round and couldn’t believe they were listening to FM radio (on a good outside aerial) until the music stopped and the announcer spoke. I think many people simply haven’t heard what a decent mid-priced hi-fi can sound like with a bit of time and effort installing it.

[Richard]

Here's the Avon film btw


https://www.avontyres.com/en-gb/about-avon/