I engaged in a foolish thought. I truly believed that I could take a couple of years off from audio and live in a shared space with three roommates and be sane. This proved to be untrue. What you see is my best attempt to get something that possesses passable performance and integrates into an apartment home shared by four people.
This system has been evolving for about six years. I started with a dorm room system in college and have expanded since then. The only original pieces are the interconnects and CD player.
I hope you enjoy browsing through this and I would love to hear any questions or comments you may have.
A pair of mono tube amplifiers. Output: 70 watts x 2 Freq. Response: 20Hz-85kHz +/- .5db
Canare 4S11
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Sonus Faber Concertino Domus
System Type: 2-way loudspeaker, front reflex port Cabinet: Lute-shaped design and construction with de-coupled side panels for resonance control Tweeter: .75 in. ring radiator, magnetically shielded custom designed ultra dynamic linearity driver
Mid-Woofers: 6 in. paper-coated cone, magnetically shielded, custom designed compression free driver Crossover: Crossover point 3.6kHz, initial first order, distributed multi-slope, optimized phase characteristics for correct space/time performance Frequency Response: 50Hz 20kHz, tuning port included Sensitivity: 88dB SPL (2.83V/1m)
Nominal Impendance: 4 ohms Power Handling: 30-150W without clipping Finish: Combination of black leather and teak or black piano lacquer Dimensions: 7.25 x 10.75 x 13 in. (WDH) 180 x 270 x 330 mm (WDH) Weight: 26.5 lbs per pair net / 33.25 lbs per pair - shipping 12 Kg per pair net / 15 Kg per pair shipping
My wife actually painted those iPod shots. They are of her and I. It is great fun when new people come over and they're going... whoa wait... those are you guys huh?!
Howdy Fujindemon - You know I've been lucky. Our place is a very social environment. Part of the fun is introducing people to higher quality audio in a social gathering! About twice monthly we pack 20+ people into this room for beer tastings, dinner parties, costume parties, and other miscellaneous gatherings. While this is a great way to inroduce people to music and higher-end audio, I do have to admit my "pucker factor" goes up when there are 20 or so folks with a few brews in them mingling beside the stereo dressed as pirates!
That being said, I have never had a bad experience. The folks we have over, be them close friends, acquaintances, or friends of friends, are very respectful. Part of the charm of San Diego I suppose. The speakers nor any of the other pieces has had a glass, plate, or anything of the sort sat on them. I just take the precaution and move the speakers back to the wall to reduce the chance of the speakers getting knocked off the stand.
You should try it sometime! Such a great thing having good tunes and good people in the same place!
First off those stands are not eh SF ones. They are by a company called Sound Organisation out of the UK. Amazing value there! I cannot screw the speakers into the stands and they are not tilted like the SF stands but I'd rather spend that money on some new music!
Unfortunately my experience with the Sonus Faber Concertino Domus on solid state amplification was on a vintage Sansui AU 200000 integrated amp that had not been serviced in about 15 years. Given that my solid state amplification was not on par with modern day equipment which one might pair with the SFs, I cannot really give you a side by side comparison. In fact, even my audition of the speakers at the dealer was done on tube based amplification (I was fortunate enough to audition the Sonus Faber side by side with offerings from Epos, PSB, Vandersteen and Totem). I can say that I truly enjoy the sound that tubes in general and tubes paired with these speakers are no different. I can also say that if you take a liking to the sound of the Concertinos, you may very well be keen on tubes.
My only caution would be that the Concertino Domus speakers are a bit romantic to begin with. In my experience, they are not purveyors of great detail. Pairing them with tubes upstream might leave some people thinking they have entered coloration hell. In fact this was my first inclination. Once I became accustomed to the sound, we will call it brain burn in, I really find myself enjoying the package. I trolled back into a dealer and listened to some livelier and more detailed acts and was just not impressed.
Unfortunately my experience with the Sonus Faber Concertino Domus on solid state amplification was on a vintage Sansui AU 200000 integrated amp that had not been serviced in about 15 years. Given that my solid state amplification was not on par with modern day equipment which one might pair with the SFs, I cannot really give you a side by side comparison. In fact, even my audition of the speakers at the dealer was done on tube based amplification (I was fortunate enough to audition the Sonus Faber side by side with offerings from Epos, PSB, Vandersteen and Totem). I can say that I truly enjoy the sound that tubes in general and tubes paired with these speakers are no different. I can also say that if you take a liking to the sound of the Concertinos, you may very well be keen on tubes.
My only caution would be that the Concertino Domus speakers are a bit romantic to begin with. In my experience, they are not purveyors of great detail. Pairing them with tubes upstream might leave some people thinking they have entered coloration hell. In fact this was my first inclination. Once I became accustomed to the sound, we will call it brain burn in, I really find myself enjoying the package. I trolled back into a dealer and listened to some livelier and more detailed acts and was just not impressed.
