I play a little piano and used to play alto sax and clarinet. I have season tickets to the symphony and patronize our local jazz and blues scene. I'm familiar with live music. In a past life I was a radio engineer. These experiences gave me an appreciation of good, emotionally-charged music reproduction as well as the enabling technology. My music interests run from classical to jazz, blues, and other stuff (rock, folk, funk, electronica, etc). Favorites include Michelangeli, Argerich, Furtwangler, Montoya, Piazzolla, Melvin Taylor, Junior Wells, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Brubeck, Jeff Beck, Stanley Turrentine, Santana, the Doors, Zeppelin, Groove Armada, etc., depending on mood.
The evolution of this system centered around the loudspeakers. Prior to this setup, I owned and heard a variety of speakers: Apogee ribbons, Vandersteen, Nola, Wilsons, Devore, Verity, Quad, Focal, Sonus Faber, vintage and contemporary Tannoys, Avantgarde, Lowther, and many more. After experiencing a properly implemented multi-way horn system there was no turning back. My epiphany was hearing Josh's Electronluv system at VSAC, later followed by Romy's Macondo. My current speakers were Edgarhorns acquired in 2005, and have evolved with the addition of a new upper-bass channel and a pair of Danley tapped horns for ULF. Naturally, the crossover was updated with the addition of the new channels. Still to accomplish is fabricating 1/4 wavelength mid-bass horns to replace the Edgar 80hz horn.
HF
> 8850hz Fostex T900A
MF
1000 - 8850hz JBL 2441 in 350hz tractrix horn
Upper Bass / Low Mids
280 - 1000hz Faital M5N12-80 5" driver in 142hz tractrix horn built by John Hasquin
Mid Bass
80 - 300hz EVM-15L woofers in Edgar 80hz straight horns
Sub Bass
At this level, the complexity increases and my focus is properly integrating the speakers, drivers, amplifiers and crossovers. My efforts are built on the experience and support of horn pioneers who were generous in sharing their knowledge with me (Dr. Bruce Edgar, John Hasquin, Steve Schell and Rich Drysdale, Romy, Jeffrey Jackson, and others).
Listening room is 16' x 18'. Like all systems, this one has weaknesses. It's large, tweeky, geeky, interferes with non-audio pursuits, and there's less social interaction. I have met new friends through audio. Thanks to all who shared in this journey!
構えの大きい主要主題 (A Majestic Theme) Loudspeakers
English: A Majestic Theme 5-way speaker system ~ 107dB sensitivity First-order crossovers Alnico magnets Time aligned HF: Fostex T900A horn tweeter MF: JBL 2441 (NOS) compression driver, 350Hz tractrix Edgarhorn Lower MF: 5" Faital M5N12-80 in 142 Hz round Tractrix horn (courtesy John Hasquin) Mid-Bass: using Edgar 80hz straight horns and EV-15 woofers Sub Bass: Danley Sound Labs TH-SPUD
Danley Sound Labs TH-SPUD subs (pair)
Stereo pair with dual 8" drivers per tapped horn
Lamm Industries ML-2 (> 75hz)
Driving mains
Bryston 4B-ST (< 80hz)
Dedicated power for Danley ULF channels
Lamm Industries L-1
Sublime-sounding tube-eating linestage
Velodyne SMS-1 ULF processor
Sub bass processor
Micro Seiki SX-8000 Turntable
200 lb. turntable with 45 lb air-suspended platter and high speed inertia flywheel.
SME 3012R / Ortofon SPU-85 Limited (Stereo)
SME 12" arm and limited edition SPU for stereo.
Micro Seiki MAX-282 / Ortofon SPU Mono (Mono)
For mono LP playback
EAR 834PT (Thorsten-ized) Phono Stage
Circuit mods and parts selection courtesy Thorsten Loesch
Sony SCD-1
SACD player used as transport
Museatex BiDat Plus DAC (modified)
Ed Meitner design DAC, with upgrades by John Wright.
Purist Audio Design Dominus (ICs and speaker wires)
Pain to use due to ridiculous size, weight, and stiffness. Wonderful colorful tone and extended sound, effortless dynamics, with weight and texture. Anti-hifi.
Very beautiful looking system. I see what you mean by communicate idea emotion and personality. I work in a historic theatre where the county symphony play. Everytime they rehearse I sit in the middle section about 8 rows back. What a wonderful feeling when your are the only one in the audience.
Finally a shot of the entire system! Looks great! Can't wait to get back to the vinyl stores up here in Seattle after a beautiful summer. Hope to see you around!
System edited: Since returning from vacation in SE Asia, I reassembled my system in the front of the room, on a better designed shelf unit. This setup is more practical and integrates better with the rest of the room. Acoustic space and imaging take a big step forward from removing the large TV that was between the speakers. The SRA platform beneath the amp is essential here, and the system is pretty much unlistenable otherwise. Without the SRA, music takes on a harsh and edgy character. I'm modifying the EAR 834P according to Thorsten Loesch's guide. So far, the power supply mods are complete, and the new capacitors are enroute from suppliers. The unit took a significant step forward with Thorsten's circuit mods (direct coupling the tubes and reducing the supply voltage). This is really not subtle at all. It is simple to do these mods, and even without completing the upgrades to the signal path components, the results are real and tangible.
It's been over a month since I posted. Since then, several changes were made. Most significant is a very long spell of withdrawal fever caused by the amp being out of the system for some work and upgrades. I knew I should have kept the old amps as back-ups! The amp was returned to Cy Brenneman for repair of an intermittent short caused during shipping. Even though I am not the original owner of the amp, Cy is repairing it at no charge under warranty. Also, the Noble volume pot on the Cavalier Plus is being upgraded to a 24 position Goldpoint stepped attenuator with 0.1% tolerance smd resistors. I have reservations about having only 24 steps... But a volume control is a necessary evil and the low noise resistors should in theory be a significant upgrade in performance from the carbon film Noble pot. The short circuit happened the same day my Bidat returned from John Wright, after it was "lost" for 3 months in Canada Customs!!! I ordered John's usual upgrades, plus other non-standard mods I requested. John was pleased with the results from these changes, and he said he may offer them as part of his standard upgrades for the public.
The big screen Pioneer Elite RPTV that was positioned between the main speakers is gone, sold on Craig's List. I moved the almost-as-large Edgarhorn sub from the right side wall to the middle of the front wall where the TV was located. It is a common myth that sub-woofers are omni directional. This is absolutely false. I tested mine with a 24dB/oct 4th order network crossovered at 80Hz. It is still (slightly) audible above 200Hz!!! It is definitely directional. I want the new sub position to address any balance issues.
Since the system is down, I also had the digital interconnect reterminated from SPIDF to AES/EBU. I don't need the additional gain or noise rejection. Mostly, I just want a more secure physical connection because Dominus is so heavy and a pain to manage. If Dominus didn't work so darn well, I would wonder why anyone would put up with it.
I'm finally getting around to modifying the EAR 834P. I decided to do this myself, in 3 phases, to gauge the efficacy of each upgrade. Phase 1 will be upgrading the power supply (storage capacity and diodes), phase 2 will upgrade caps and resistors in the signal path, and phase 3 is direct coupling the circuit per Thorsten's mods. Phase 1 and 2 parts are ordered.
I'm also taking time to buy more music. I added more Kyung Wha Chung, Ashkenazy, Julie London, John Lee Hooker, Bobby Darin, Gene Ammons and Albert King to my LP collection.
Finally, I'm leaving next week, travelling abroad for 3 weeks to Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. Looking forward to a great vacation, but also already looking forward to putting my system together when I return and listening to music.
Skushino 43 years of skiiing at "The Pass", City league on Wednesday nights, 4 to 5 Crystal weekends, 2 to 3 Whistler shots each winter and I have fallen in love with the Oakanogan region of B.C. I was planning to do the slot this spring because of the heavy snow fall but never got to it, work and all etc.
System edited: Replaced Venustas speaker cables with Dominus fluid. The system is now fully wired with Dominus, including ICs, digital, speakers, and the amp power cord.
Scott, Thank you for your responce, I need to stop bye the edgarhorn room for a long listen next time I'm at CES. My next system will be horns, but my house in Capital Hill is just too small for anything else!
Hi Scott, Lovely set-up. It was nice to meet you at Mike's this weekend. I would like to tie in with you on were your choice's for record shopping are in this area. You had some really great albums with you. If you are ever over on the eastside drop a line you are always welcome.
Jeff - In addition to Edgarhorn, I listened to Avantgarde Trios, Duos, and the single driver model (forgot the name). I also listened to Exemplar horns and Klipsch. For some reason, the Avantgardes never clicked with me. My demos were at dealer stores in Vancouver, BC and Tokyo, rather than in a home, so it may have been poor set-up. In any case, to my ears, they all had a lean and thin sound that did not work for me. I could easily live with the Exemplars. They are wonderful. And the large Klipsch are nice, too.
T7279 - Yes, the T-350s were from Ebay. I don't know if the seller has others. If you like, contact me offline and I'll forward the seller's contact info.
Mjw55 - Yes, this is the Slot Coulior on the the North side of Mt Snoqualmie. It's an exciting ride, and that day the conditions were pretty spot on with plenty of powder, except for some ice at the entrance. Are you a skier in the area?
Excellent system. I have heard the Edgarhorns at CES and thought they were wonderful. I would love to try horns, just not sure which ones to go with (Avantgarde, ORIS or Edgar). Did you try out many different brands?
Titans are sounding fantastic as always, thank you. As far as the Cavalier Plus SE amp goes, I still think it is the best sounding amp for the $$$(I've tried many).
If you ever come to LA, you are more than welcome to come for an audition.
Fine looking system! After buying your Shelter, I saw your sweet looking set up. I bet those horns sound mighty fine indeed! Congrats on a great looking and sounding rig!
Mike - How are your Edgarhorns coming along? And did you end up with Cy's Cavalier? I began with the Fane ST-5022 that Bruce specs for his horns. To my ears, the leading edge of notes was too edgy, rather than the smooth and graceful rise I prefer. The Fostex T900A replaced the Fane, and was a move in the right direction for me - a rounder and more graceful sound reproduction. On rock / pop music, one might prefer the Fane to the Fostex. But on the music I listen to, the Fostex was a better fit. My reservation with the Fostex is subtle. I wasn't satisfied with the way acoustic stringed instruments are reproduced. Also, sound should fill the room occupy the space. The EV T350 works for me. Strings are silky smooth, with their own distinguishing texture and vivid colors. And they are wider dispersion than any bullet driver, and fill the room better.
Restock - I did try a PP amp last month. In my case, it simply had too much gain for my high-sensitivity system, and noise was an issue. Naturally, this doesn't mean a PP amp can't work with horns. But in this instance, it wasn't the right move. Thanks for the invite. If you realized how much I enjoy skiing, you might not be surprised to find me at your door! I had a great time the last time in Banff. Next time I want to explore further beyond the resorts. You are welcome at my place the next time you come to Seattle.
Scott, seeing your skiing pictures: If you are crossing the border to Ski north of the border (say around Banff), make sure to stop over in Calgary at my place!
I would love to hear your new Micro Seiki turntable. Enjoy! Also, whatever happened to that 90W push pull amp you were planning on in December?
This is Mike in LA(also with Edgarhorns and sub) that you contacted a while back about the Cyrus Cavalier plus SE amp.
Just curious, what model Fostex horn tweeter did you use and what was wrong with it in your system. I was thinking of trying their top of the line that has the same effeiciency rating but wider frequency spec. in place of the Fane 5022 bullet tweeters.
Congrats on your new Micro Seiki SX-8000 turntable. That table is indeed very rare and massive, and it sounds great, too. Post some new pictures when you get a chance.
