AKA DeWald V
Hello! My name is Dewald Visser and I live in a small town called Lydenburg in the Highlands of South Africa.
For as long as I can remember I have always had a passion for good music. I taught myself, from a very young age to play piano and the moment my father showed me how to solder I since then have fiddled with old radios and turntables.
I have been introduced to proper high fidelity systems by a friend of my father. He demoed his all-Technics system to me and I was hooked. I can remember he had a very heavy Technics linear-tracking turntable with huge speakers – probably not the best sound but I didn’t know better at the time. Soon after that I managed to borrow a NAD C310 amplifier from a cousin. My father helped me to construct a set of crude loudspeakers from a set of car speaker-units. I was on my way…
In late 2000 I walked into a 2nd-hand store and found a nice B&O Beogram 1102 turntable with a few records for +/- $10. That was the start of my vinyl journey. I laid my hands on every single record I could find and many turntables came and went.
In 2006 I was invited to a local sound expo after the organizer saw my modified Lenco L75. I told him to give me a moment and I quickly designed and constructed a whole turntable of my own – the "Moxey". Initially I didn’t realize what I have gotten myself in – it is certainly not that easy to develop a world-class turntable. At the moment the Moxey Project is on hold until I have better resources to continue.
Past gear included:
Technics SP-10 mkII broadcast turntable with Audio Technica ATP arm
Pro-Ject RPM 9X turntable
Bang & Olufsen Beogram 4002 linear tracking turntable
Lenco L75 turntable with custom balsa-wood arm
QUAD ESL57 Loudspeakers
QUAD mkII Tube Monoblock amplifiers
Proton AP-1000 pre-amplifier
Kenwood KA-8300 amplifier
Electrocompaniet Preampliwire II pre-amplifier
KEF C55 monitors
KEF 203 bookshelf speakers
Pioneer SA-502 amplifier
NAD 5080A direct-drive turntable
Thorens TD524 broadcast turntable
Ortofon MC Rondo Blue
SME 3012 Series II
Thorens TD125 mkI
Watts Dustbug
Achromat (5mm black)
Pro-Ject Phonobox II
Martin Logan CLS II electrostatic loudspeakers
I am fascinated by recording studios and how music is recorded. I don’t see myself as a passive listener of music – I like to know the technical background of albums and recording procedures.
I loathe tone-controls or any unnecessary devices in the audio-system chain that can possibly degrade the signal. The amplifier I use is one of the most simplistic units on the market and that is how I prefer it. I want to hear the music in its raw form. If the speakers is up to it (and let me assure you, my B&W P6’s are more than capable) then the music will speak for itself.
I have a high regard for vintage audio equipment and immense respect for the QUAD II tube amplifier. It is a serious piece of electronic equipment and a symbol of perfectionism.
My music tastes include the following: Diana Krall, Sara K, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Chris Rea, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, ABBA, CCR, Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Classical, Female Vocal Jazz, Piano Solo & any good, acoustic music.
Update – September 2008
Hello all! It has been almost a year since my system was published on The Analogue Dept. Thank you Steve for such an excellent site dedicated to us passionate analogue audio enthusiasts.
A lot has happened in the past 12 months with my audio system. I went through
three different turntables. A few years ago I dabbled with the idea of
manufacturing high-quality turntable. I managed to make two units with one
getting a good review in a local audio/video magazine – the Dewaudio Moxey.
The smaller unit of the two, the Dewaudio Credence, 
replaced my Thorens TD125 which I sold to a friend without the SME 3012 arm. The
Credence was fitted with the SME 3012 arm which turned out to be a very musical
combination. I actually designed the Credence to accommodate classic arms such
as the SME 3012 and Audio Technica ATP16.
Things did not turn out as planned so I decided to give up the audio business venture for the meanwhile. Just as my hopes were at it lowest a guy contacted me about a Technics SP-10 mkII that he had for sale. When I requested pictures I was delightfully surprised that the motor was a sealed unit that was never removed from the box before.
What luck! I quickly made some plans to acquire the SP-10 mkII and had to sell
my SME 3012 arm and other audio equipment sitting around. A few days later I had
a brand-new SP-10 sitting in my listening room. I bought a new Rega RB300 from a
dealer friend and mounted my trusty B&O SP12 moving iron cartridge.
The plinth is made up from 7 layers of 12mm MDF that is bonded under pressure with high-strength glue. Audio Technica isolation feet support the whole unit beautifully.
Upon visiting the local sound & video expo earlier in September 2008 I
stumbled across a breathtaking jewel. I must admit that I was not aware of the
existence of the Dynavector Karat 17D3. 
The technical specifications is what got my attention and made me investigate
the unit. I quickly popped into the stall of the Dynavector agent on the show
and he made me an offer for a brand new Karat I could not have resisted.
The show turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I got the chance to
meet Mr. AJ vd Hul. We did not just greet but also discussed various matters of
audio. 
Current phonostage is an E.A.R 834 P Signature that is on long-term loan from
a good friend. I have my eye on a Valve Audio Whisper hybrid phonostage but it
will have to wait until funds becomes available as I would like to order the
flagship with dual mono MM and MC stages. This phonostage features a radical
chassis construction to ensure ultimate flexibility and channel separation.
After many months of pondering I decided to get a dedicated equipment rack. The unit is custom made my Lerange and finished in cherry wood and satin black trim.
The sound from my current system is controlled and focused like never before. I contribute this to the major change in the analogue front-end. The Karat 17D3 with its 1.7mm diamond cantilever has the ability to extract every last nuance from a records groove. The ridged diamond cantilever enables energy to be transmitted to the generator system with extremely low loss thus providing better focused treble and phase coherent midrange. Bass is tight and well controlled. The rotational stability of the Sp-10 mkII makes listening to records an absolute pleasure. Many audiophiles shriek at the idea of a RB300 on "such a seminal deck" but I have good reason for choosing the arm- mechanical stability being one. The RB300 is often sneered at but once you have seen the internals of this popular arm you’ll gain great respect for it – believe me as I have dissected one! The EAR phonostage might project a slightly romantic image but it has a good signal-to-noise ratio and very healthy gain.
My current DIY effort is a single-ended amplifier using a single 6C33C triode
tube with a cascade 6H30Pi driver tube per channel. 
The
circuit was developed by A Hobkirk and a functioning unit was constructed on
wooden boards. The prototype was given to me earlier this year by a good friend
and I am now in the process of "beautifying" the amplifier so it is
presentable and safe to use.
My main amplifier is still the stunning Valve Audio Exclame 100! 
Current system:
Cartridge: Dynavector Karat 17D3
Tone-arm: Rega RB300 (Cardas wiring + Michell Tecnoweight)
Turntable: Technics SP-10 mkII
Attachment: Fidelity Research FRT-3 Step-up transformer for MC
Phonostage: E.A.R. 834 P Signature (Mullard tubes fitted)
Amplifier: Valve Audio Exclame 100
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins Preference 6
Cables: Nordost Blue Heaven + Black Knight
Speaker Cables: Van Den Hul CS112 Hybrid