Audio Hobby Thoughts, Philosophy & System Description
Current Room Anchors - Room 1 and 2 active
Room 1 - Matrix 800's anchors - for creating that ..........Maxell Tape Effect.
Room 2 - (Adjacent to Room 1) - Quad 57 + two Dynaudio BM12s subs - Midrange reference
Room 3 - Acoustat Model 3 - Modded - upstairs - For imaging larger than life (literally speaking) - see last picture. Unfortunately is next to my wifes TV room. So it gets limited use.
Stored - B&W Electrostatic DM70c Continental - Wife calls them the washing machines. John Bowers called them his favorite speaker. Very interesting and very rare. Could anchor a room but they need special placement and lots of room. ESL portion needs to be 100% functional and at ear level or they will sound soft.
Room 2 is mostly digital, guests, and used for trialing used unplayed records before they make the queue for room 1. Room 1 has been called by my family as Dads Hole. I prefer panic room as it helped to raise my kids and stay married...so far.
Psychology Part
Music is critical to ones health and well being. I went through a couple stretches in life due to events without it and the results were not good. The goal for me to get lost in the music and have it transport me to that special place. Now whether you get there by a typical 2 channel home stereo with speakers, headphones, or other means is not important. Getting there is the important part.
Audiophile not.....
Have always been the type that if I frequent a room enough, a system usually ends up in there. My wife finally put an end to this, and allows me to do what I want in the full basement of our house.....so..... In this described virtual system, I have had Room A since 1994. Adjacent Room B is in the process of being finished, but I have been using it for listening for a few years now adding in room treatments as needed.
History
Like many others, have been at this audio hobby since I was about 13 when I was consciously aware of the gear versus the actual music relationship. I am now 55 and currently with two adjacent music rooms setup with different gear. Both rooms can do full orchestra symphonies with large dynamic swings. Getting Room B with the Quad 57's to do this was a challenge; but I was able to get it to work with the right amps and powered subs. The Quads require a very different room acoustic setup over the Matrix 800's in Room A.
I am a pure amateur, audiophile, music lover, past trombone player, and have never been part of the Audio Business as a manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or have any special interest relationships with any of these people. I consider myself a full time music lover, and part time audiophile; although I have friends that could argue this point. I have tried to upload pics and information here, that give a flavor of some of my audio journeys, and associated bouts of Audiophilia Nervosa. :^)
"Audio Heaven, is for Music Lovers - Audiophiles are never happy.
With that, in the real, authentic, Heaven; there is room, even for Audiophiles"
8^0
Living in the country
Having moved away from the city core in the 90's, I have found that audiophiles away from the cities, are in general, scare to find and or keep to themselves. Many of my audio friends are now remote, due to the distance between us; so only virtual communications are possible most of the time.
The negative aspects of Isolation aside; one good aspect of living in the country is the clean power and lack of noise and vibrations caused by traffic, trucks, etc...Once experienced and its effect on your listening, you become very aware of the multitude of audiophile products available as band aids, to cover, veil, but never eliminate these artifacts in densely populated areas.
I was born in the 60's so I grew up with Classic Rock, Beatles, etc... But I love all music, new music and Opera hits home with me. I played trombone in Jr and High school so the Bass Clef has a bias with me. Listen more now to the ladies crooning at me, Classical and Jazz with occasional Classical Rock; I think a well recorded full Orchestra Symphony with huge Dynamic swings has the most magic for me.
***** MAIN ROOM aka Panic Room, Dad's Hole, ....*****
I have had Room A since 1994. It has 3 dedicated lines 20, 20 , 15. This room is personal use. Room B is more for entertaining and spending time with friends.
Room A is much better insulated and isolated from my wife. As much as I would like to move the Matrix 800's to the larger Room B space to try them, it would probably just get me that much more trouble.
Room A and B are both located on a concrete poured floor. A has a an underpad and flat carpet on top. Spikes from gear stands and speakers are able to penetrate to the concrete with no problem ensuring a solid mechanical connection. The speakers are located 6 feet from the front wall with the room being 24 ft in length. Putting in the 800's over the 801's meant that some of the room treatments were able to be removed due to the 800's double woofers high and low. This is also one of the reasons I call them very room friendly.
1/4 inch 2 track machine. The three pictures attached. Top Left - known as two turntables. my machine being worked on Middle pic - 807 Top Right Pic. A picture of Roger Ginsley with a 48 track machine he is about to split into two 24 tracks. My Studer 807 is calibrated by him. He is also the one that makes the interconnects I use with it.
JC Verdier La Platine Vintage Granito Original Design
2012
http://www.jcverdier.com/ADSL/platineVintage.html
Just a delight to use. With its presentation, sends the message home that it is all amount the music. Effortless, seamless, but experience is needed is setting up the thread. A real Goldilocks scenario of the thread being too loose, too tight or just right. Different thread tensions alternate how the motor and platter work together and change the speed. The objective is to get the correct speed with as little effect from the motor. ....
Original design. Granito Model My version uses a motor only equipped for thread Granito base and solid aluminum billet armpod. The later newer motors are equipped now for belts too - but no one runs them this way that I know of. This decision was made imo to generate more sales as it is easier to setup. But imo the belt grip would play havoc with the motor / magnets marriage which was designed for thread. I would think that belt stretch and its physical changes with temp and humidity changes would also cause problems, and interfere with the natural braking action of the magnets. This is my opinion as mine is thread only. There is a greater learning curve involved with thread.
This is the only turntable I am aware of whose platter design includes both acceleration (inertia) and braking (natural forces from same pole magnets) to deal with the records behavior - going from soft to heavily modulated grooves. The motor design, like a marriage with the platter. Think of the childhood merry go rounds that once up to speed - even a little girl could keep them going. To understand how the motor and platter are like a marriage, one need only turn the motor off and the platter spins for 30 seconds with the thread attached. However cut the thread while the platter is turning, and the platter stops much quicker as the two magnets demonstrate their braking capability. Impressive to me is just the plain simplicity of design using physics to get the job done with a piece of string and magnets. I found it important in setup to have the thread positioned in a way that is the least intrusive on the platter; so as to allow the platter to not only do its job as designed; but to also provide the needed jolts as required from the motor to maintain speed stability.
In my opinion - you will know when you have set it up properly because you are able to turn the motor off and on and also deflect the thread with your finger - as the records plays - and not affect the music delivery to your ears. I base this when compared directly to 15 IPS Master Tape dubs. In testing for accuracy I run both simultaneously with one lagging 10 seconds behind the other and switch between the two - compensating for gain as tape is a high level signal. When the thread is setup in this fashion there is minimal stress put on it. The current silk thread I am using has recently passed the one year mark. Overall Big Sound from a small piece of thread.
Some facts Magnetic bearing design. Brass colored rings are big shielded permanent magnets; same magnet poles repelling each other. The result is "levitation" the space you see between them. No thrust bearing involved. A central spindle bathed in a special oil keeps them aligned. For me personally I did not know what TT bearing noise sounded like until I heard music on a TT without a physical bearing. The plinth is made of Granito. Granito is not real granite but a non-resonant material that looks and feels like granite. A limited edition model.
"Granito is a material composed by little pieces of marble of very different origin agglomerated inside a mold with cement. Machined and polished. The resonance of the plinth with its suspension is about 5Hz and it is well absorbed by the air cavities."
Mr. JC Verdier Note: Newer Platines are provided with a setup bearing. The manual is very clear on the setup bearing. It is just that - a setup tool only. COUNTERFEIT PLATINES Unfortunately there are non-authentic tables out there worldwide from 20 different counterfeiting makers. These tables are out there with people using them. If anyone is unaware of this, see the Platine Information on the JC Verdier website for more info.
The only advice I can give is when buying a Verdier Platine you should be careful to ensure it is a real Platine, especially if buying privately. If you already have one and have doubts, check with an authorized dealer or J.C. Verdier company in France to ensure it is authentic.
Custom Eminent Technology Model 2.5 for MC Carts
This is a custom build ET 2.5 Tonearm from Bruce Thigpen - A 19 PSI design.I am using the new Long I Beam. Weights are reduced by half and therefore the vertical inertia is higher - a goal of the design. The Aluminum Gooseneck was sourced from NZ. It was through Richard Krebs also an ET2 owner. I am using Single Shot WBT wiring, Aluminum mount plate. Magnesium armtube. Double Leaf Spring and damping trough. If you are an ET2 owner you know what I am talking about :^).... Advantages of the ET2 airbearing linear tracker tonearm - no VTF changes with VTA adjustment, no offset setup, antiskating and immunity to acoustic feedback, as it rides on film of air.
One shot wire. Run at 19 PSI. Damping trough with 1 cc of Oil. Lead weights at the very end of the I Beam.
VTA on the fly while the record plays and it doesn't change any parameters (VTF) like all other tonearms do. This is due to a patented VTA on the fly system. Have you ever noticed how with same thickness records....some can sound brighter, some bloated and some just right? When they press the records the different plants can have different standards. Records are then cut with varying angles.. even same thickness ones.
See ET2 Bass Management Below
Tonearm Wiring Loom - One shot WBT NextGen
2011 One shot wiring loom for the ET 2.5. WBT 0102 CU connectors. The design of the ET2 (2.5) allows for this wiring to be changed out in about 10 minutes. Silver and copper can be experimented with.
The PUMP ET2
Life Support for the ET2's. Timeter 3000 Medical Industrial Pump. The most important part of the ET2 arms setup. Industrial commercial grade medical pump. Its actually a patient respirator.
These have an hours counter and come up for sale cheaply on ebay. If you have space in your basement somewhere they are turnkey once set up.
I have tried large aquarium pumps, smaller medical pumps, compressors.
This Timeter Medical 50 psi pump has been customized to allow me to regulate air pressure coming out and send 19 psi to the ET2 tonearms. Another regulator with gauge at the arm allows me to accurately adjust for the PSI coming into the arm. Located in another room -cannot be heard in sound room when running.
The smoothness of air delivery is excellent. No resonance. The pump dumps/expels moisture like a car's AC. Have never seen a drop in the moisture collector; other than one incident when the pump outlet clogged with minerals from the moisture. I now soak the pump outlet in CLR for 2 hours every two months.
ET2 In Room Air Regulator & Filter
2nd Regulator and Filter on wall near the ET arm. Confirms and controls the 19 psi and also filters out moisture in line. Have never seen any moisture in this filter. This device lets me change the pressure going to the arm by just turning the top mounted knob. This regulator is mobile. It can be placed in my lap while the music is playing and pressure adjusted to hear how it affects the music delivery.
Audio Research DAC8
From a DAC only function perspective identical to the ARC REF DAC except the output stage is tubed on the REF. Interesting read. :^)
Owned many many years. Modded power supply box. Variable Gain for dealing with hot, and compressed source material - Digital and Analog. On the fly cartridge impedance loading. Used in ARC's hotrod mode. Direct output and bypass switch engaged. Amperex Bugle Boys.
Matrix 800
Unique one time all assault effort from B&W at a time when 2 channel was the focus. Smooth, musical yet still detailed. Room Friendly if you can believe it. Imagine 4 subs two high and two low pointed at you for 2 channel music. Each driver 2 woofer, mids, tweeter have their own crossover easily accessible from the back.
They were a 2 1/2 year study from Bowers & Wilkins under John Bowers (RIP). I have looked for a long time for a pair. The only time they become available are through owners going to a smaller condo (retiring or divorce).
All B&W 800 models that followed the Matrix series are the same only in model designation - 800. They are not a replacement or upgrade. They are a different build, design, objectives, sound. Post Matrix 800's are a smaller speaker system (require a sub for full range); they do have better WAF (more easily placed into a shared room with the wife)
800 matrix can be played at low and high levels with the right amp. 93db 2.83 volts/1m, Mine are Quad wired. They can be run on four separate amps if one desires as each driver has its own crossover.
Top and bottom woofers each excite a different set of waves. These waves cancel each other out. Thats the theory. My listening supports this. Smooth tight bass. It is quite something to experience since their size make you think they will over take the room. Also IMO each woofer works only half as much with four versus two for the desired SPL. All of this results in a very flexible listening position. All drivers are physically isolated with separate crossovers and Van Den Hul silver wiring from the factory. I run them with both tubes and Solid State. Krell and the modded Music Reference RM9.
Krell Amplifier Story My research found me talking with Dan D'Agostino who used matrix 800's as his reference speakers when he designed this era of Krell amps. Specifically the FPB series like my FPB600. On a dedicated 20 amp circuit with upgraded 20 amp power cord using Furutech Gold IEC.
RM9 Push Pull Tube Amp. Used to power Acoustat, 801, 800 speakers. WBT 0700 Connectors. KT88 output tubes. Hardwired for 4 ohm tap. Total Overhaul done April 2015
MATRIX 800 INSTALL
Installation
800 Series Bass Alignment Filter / Equalizer.
The graph shows the 801 matrix frequency response with and without the filter.
All 800 series B&W matrix speakers are an active design and are intended to be used with an equalizer by the designer (John Bowers) to achieve the best frequency response.
This attached graph was sent to me by B&W Europe years ago
It is the frequency plot for the 801 matrix "without" using the supplied Bass Alignment Filter. (not sure if it is 801 s2 or s3)
B&W England are the ones that drew the two dotted lines on the graph.
The 801 matrix speakers were designed to be used with the BAF. The speakers with BAF devices were shipped to original owners. But these devices became lost as speakers changed hands. They pop up on their own on ebay.
The two interesting parts.
Part 1
Not only does adding the BAF filter as designed give you a smoother response and allow the speaker to hit 20 hz. The BAF makes the 801 matrix speaker much more efficient. The ohm ratings can be seen on the right 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 ohms. The 801 matrix s2 and s3 are a very easy 6 ohm steady load with the active equalization provided by the BAF. This opens up amp choices.
Part 2
Audiophile opinions on the BAF device are kind of split. Not sure if its an even 50% like it, 50% don't like it, but you have the two camps. Why the difference? The room; its acoustic properties, and how the 801 (aka relationship destroyer) deals with it. There is a reason B&W no longer make the 801. You need a dedicated room. Its makes no business sense.
801 matrix owners today (there are many out there and some reading here), that could NOT make the BAF work with the speaker; or who never used it, or even heard of the BAF before; are taxing their amps way more to make bass with the 801.
************ SECOND ROOM ***********************
A backwards seven with the main section 20 -23. This room is the "top of the Seven". It is separated from the bottom portion of the Number 7 shape (12 x 24) by a heavy curtain. It is also adjacent to my other room of which the door is left open. The back of the room has the stairs that go upstairs. One of the pictures has me standing on the stairs. All this makes for a much bigger room as far as sound volume and space is concerned. An in progress dedicated listening space that accommodates different speaker types.
03/31/2011 Dynamic, ESL, Planar IMO - We listen to our rooms. The speakers in the rooms are like boats. They both represent freedom to me. A 12 foot aluminum boat is perfect for a small lake and your favourite person. But out on the ocean or a big body of water The water/boat analogy in this case is like your room and speakers. Water waves versus sound waves. There is no perfect boat and no perfect speaker. This is because all our rooms are different and the room is the big rock in this audiophile game. Speakers represent the last piece in the audio chain. Their sound represents everything in your audio chain especially the room, before it reaches your ears. Every piece will have an effect on what is heard. This IMO is why it is so important to have a good source. The last few years my speakers have remained intact and I have concentrated on improving the source components. Each time I improved the source my main speakers improved as well. This tells me they are not a bottleneck and I have not yet reached their limits.
Dynaudio Acoustics BM12s - Two of these in my Quad Room B .
Two of these in Room B - 18hz - 60 hz.
4th order Linkwitz- Riley crossovers have a really steep slope past 60 hz.
On paper this made them look like a really good match for the Quad 57's; but how does such a small box make 18 hz. They have class a/b amps are 4 ohms.
I brought them home and demoed them. Very Punchy, Clean and they go really low. A great match with the raised Wayne Picquet Quad 57's. They are placed under the speakers - see pic in my virtual system.
Quad 57 Wayne Picquet rebuild with Music Reference RM10 AMP
Quad ESL-57 - Wayne Picquet Panels Partnered with the amp that was designed for them - Music Reference RM10 by Roger Modjeski.
With certain music magic for me.
8/20/2012 These Quad 57 speakers were designed and put out before I was born. The parts inside which I have replaced like the EHT modules were stamped 1971. Fourteen years after they originally came out. The panels themselves are only a few years old. They were rebuilt by Wayne Piquet in Florida. The normal music presentation for stock Quad 57s is as if listening to music from the first row of a balcony. If using stock feet a 2 or 4 x 4 piece of wood or brick under the rear leg angling the speaker downwards toward you actually raises this image. This may be a more realistic presentation in your room.
Check out my review. http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/frr.pl?rspkr&1309018315&&&/Quad-57-
801 Active Monitors - Currently Stored
Currently Stored - "Winnie the Pooh" of speakers. Relationship Destroyer. Owned since 1994. Serious Sound Pressure Speaker can re-create an event in your room when positioned and driven properly. Mothers milk bass. During my time with them have used Solid State and Tube amps (Push Pull and OTL's). In comparison to the DM70 Electrostatic, If the 801 and DM70 were cowboys. The 801s are wearing black hats and the DM70 white ones.
801 Matrix S2 and S3 - Designed by John Bowers to be Active Monitors with use of the BAF and become a sixth-order Butterworth alignment. Without the high pass filter they are a vented fourth-order design, specifically in a Bessel alignment. "Fourth-order" is an engineering term that refers to all vented and passive-radiator speakers; sealed boxes are "second order."
From Stereophile (re: S2) "Higher in frequency, the response trend (averaged across a 30 degrees lateral window on the tweeter axis) is basically flat, but with a slight excess of energy in the presence region and a corresponding lack of energy in the top octave. All things being equal, this will make the speaker both a little too revealing of recorded detail and somewhat fussy when it comes to the quality of source and amplification components, just as LL noted in his auditioning comments."
Some of the changes. S3 used a different crossover than s2 - less component count. Better isolated mid and hf boards. Bass inductors with an iron dust core . Rotating midrange tweeter head assembly was permanently connected. (from 3 to 4 pin delivering separate ground signals to midrange and tweeter) Magnetic fluid cooling of the tweeter (like the 800 matrix) - the reason the apoc protection eliminated (circuits needed for this were also removed)
In nearfield very revealing of room setup, system components - SS and Tube, cabling, TT drive systems, poorly recorded music. They reveal all the flaws of the recording.
Depending on your audio hobby objectives this can be a good thing or a bad thing...
See picture of the Bass Alignment Filter.
B&W Electrostatic DM70 John Bowers / JansZen Hybrid
B&W DM70 Electrostatic Continental Hybrid Speaker Clockwork Orange Movie The late John Bowers (RIP) favorite speakers. JansZen ESL - 500hz and up. B&W Woofer - 500hz and down. Require a large room - elevated to ear level and a good distance from the front wall. Very refined midrange - muscular bass. Non-directional with a large sweetspot.
n]Designed in 1970. No cost or time constraints during the development. From what I can make out they were discontinued due to costs involved. Version One - Power handling 25 watts at all frequencies. Version Two - The later DM70 Improved, which looked identical, is suitable for amplifiers of 25-100w, but seems otherwise identical.
500hz crossover - ESL panel can not be overdriven and is nondirectional.
ESL Panel was provided by JansZen. Sensitivity is 17 watts into nominal impedance required to produce a sound level of 95 dB. at one metre at 400 Hz Double fuse protection C and CA versions.
Modded Acoustat Model 3 - Used In Shared Space Upstairs
Finally hooked up the Model 3's to the OTL's in a temporary fashion.
These are in our living area shared space Custom modded Model 3;s. They have rebuilt interfaces. Unique granite bases with integrated spikes that weigh 80 lbs. Burl Oak Veneer facing and the inside is filled with small sand bags.
Technics SP10 MKII with 2nd ET2 High Pressure Manifold
March 11, 2013 Update
Next version ? will replace the current black base plinth with a more aesthetic one.
Pet Project - Has taught me a lot about resonances and vibrations. SP10MKII Version Five Solid Stainless Steel Legs have threads at both ends and are bolted into the sp10 top plate as well as the solid plinth/platform. The armpod is bolted into the plinth. The plinth is then isolated by the AT-616 Pneumatic footers. 19 lb Solid Brass Pod 1 inch Diameter Solid Stainless Steel.
Previously I had the SP10 MKII in a heavy 7 layer plinth. Birch ply + one mdf layer. This SP10MKII came from a private studio.
This is the second ET2 I own and it is a high pressure manifold
Jean Nantais Custom turntable. Includes: 100 Pounds - Veneered - Two Tonearm Plinth Lenco L75 motor and top plate rebuilt to his standards. Reference model spindle, bearing thrust plate. Bonded Metacrylate mat Bearpaw footers. IEC outlet.
************ SOME NOTABLE MEMORIES **************************
For me some notable equipment. Currently stored or sold-indicated as such.
McAlister OTL 195
OTL195 There is a review contained in my system thread. In comparisons to good Solid State Class A and Push Pull amps they were like driving a 911 but you are limited to 1st gear when pushed. Very fast and punchy. But lack the bass that push pull deliver on. Get the bass right and everything else comes into place. These amps are designed around the needs of Acoustats. My Acoustats are in the shared room upstairs. I no longer own the OTL's.
Fidelity Research FR64s
Gimbal Pivot Arm. I found excellent build quality and a nicely implemented antiskate system. I also found a low frequency resonance that accentuated the bass. A warmer sounding tonearm. It was in my second room with the second ET2 not the ET 2.5. Whenever I started a session with the FR64s it was always nice. But curiosity would always prevail and I would switch over to the ET2. It would always remain there. This happened more times than I can remember. I am not a tonearm collector so it was sold to raise funds for another project. I am in agreement with what Cartridge designer Johnathan Carr had to say about it. http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1243274438&openusid&zzJcarr&4&5#Jcarr
Modded VPI's
Thread driven TNT and a JMW 12 using rollerblock jrs. SOLD
Acoustat Spectra 33
Acoustat Spectra 33
Eminent Technology LFT 8a
Set up in midfield - soundstage at both sides of the room. So the speaker shown is the left or the right one depending on side of room you are on. Excellent Magnetic Planar Hybrid Woofer Speaker. Very natural sounding but difficult to drive.
****************AUDIOPHILE FUN + ET 2 TONEARM MODS ************** ****
From here down are some inserts from past audiophile fun.
Also contained here is important information on the ET2, 2.5 tonearms as well as some of the mods I have done to them. If any questions on any of them let me know. No Holds Barred tonearm. User needs to be mechanically inclined and be willing to read ET2 manual instructions for proper setup of this tonearm. If bought on the used market a friend that is familiar with the tonearm for proper inspection of condition is important.
Goldilocks and the Three Turntables . See Sept 20, 2019 post comment below on my virtual system for findings / details.
Belt Drive (converted to thread) VPI TNT Idler - Jean Nantais Custom 100 Lb Direct Drive - SP10MKII When compared in the same room(nearfield), with same gear, tonearm and cartridge, same time, differences are revealed. Out into rooms on their own, this is not as noticeable as our ears deal with different room acoustics. ymmv
OTL VERSUS PUSH PULL Tube Amps
In room comparison.
Thread Drive Comparisons
2010 testing out different threads. Fabricland became a favorite place of mine.
ET 2 Tonearm Proper Bass Management - ATB
According to Bruce
My ears agree
ET 2.0 Manifold Before and After Cleaning
Pictures courtesty of a friend.
ET2 VTA Block Destroyed
Thigpen Genius showing VTA Block rack of teeth and worm gear. This one was abused. If you are buying a used one ensure the rack of teeth seen in the pic are uniform with no wear and baldspots. This is an indicator that the VTA block was misused and rigidly tightened stripping the teeth. The bolt was tightened to a point that shattered the CF.
ET 2.0 2.5 Tonearm VTA Block Torquing Procedure
VTA Block - Ensure each of the four bolts is torqued equally or the patented VTA system will be off. This procedures takes just minutes and should be done off table or you will throw your alignment off. Once bolts are torqued the manifold housing can be mounted to the pillar post and the rest of the setup completed.
ET 2.0, 2.5 Tonearm Magnesium versus Aluminum Armtubes
Mag - MC Cartridges Aluminum - MM Catridges The middle ground is the Carbon Fibre arm tube. MM and MC.
ET 2.0, 2.5 Custom Aluminum Joint - aka GOOSENECK
Black one is the stock one. Sourced from Richard Krebs
ET Tonearm Counterweight Bolt Mod
Get a longer counterweight bolt especially if you like to use heavier cartridges. The stock ET2 bolt is on the right. The longer bolt weighs a bit more, holds more lead weights and allows you to use less lead further out on the I Beam. This provides for the highest vertical mass which is really important with the ET2 as it has medium to high horizontal mass. a 4 - 1 horizontal to vertical ratio. In my system higher vertical mass means cleaner, less resonant, overall better bass. The brass rings are meant for balancing only. I prefer to use Blue Tack for this purpose.
Et2 Leaf Spring Mods Single, Double, Triple
General Cartridge Guideline
Single Leaf Spring - High compliance
Double - Medium Compliance
Triple - Low compliance
ET2 Pedestal Custom 3
Solid Brass Arm Pod
Koaltar Tweak
my pal 6 months, 79 lbs.
Kitty Tweak Bengal
a real sweetheart
RCA Victor Dog
I introduce Lucky. He is a mixed breed Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix breed. He will be acting as the Victor RCA dog,
The original Victor RCA dog.
He was named Nipper and was born in 1884 in Bristol, England, and died in September 1895. He was a mixed-breed dog and probably part Jack Russell Terrier, although some sources suggest that he was a Smooth Fox Terrier, or "part Bull Terrier". He was named Nipper because he would bite the backs of visitors' legs.
Richardkrebs - In your list of must do mods for the Acoustats, what capacitors do you recommend to be used in the rebuild ?
Ct0517 After I posted I recalled a discussion with one of the ET dealers in Canada many years ago. The early ET speakers required amplifiers that have good voltage swing, 100w into 16 ohms. High current amplifiers do not swing voltage. So Krells could not drive the ET's whereas the Perreaux's, being more of a voltage amplifier with less current, were very good. Conversely with the early Apogees the reverse was true. A very graphic example of the dangers of using the same amplifier to compare speakers with different electrical requirements. In my view the most compelling successful systems are where one has found a speaker they like, and then trialled as many amps as possible to optimise the sound, ensure the selected speakers are being driven properly and that the selected amps have plenty of headroom.
Ct0517, As far as I recall, the more panels, the easier the Acoustats are to drive. I cant comment on the electrical requirements, but can only comment on what Ive heard. 1+1's The only 1+1s I heard that were ok to listen to were with the Perreaux 2150B's run in mono. Effortless sound, plenty of drive, but everything sounded oversized and waffly. The system made everything sound the same, even with different front ends, so therefore must have been coloured. 2+2's EAR 509/519's - These drive the Acoustats ok, but I find these perfunctoral to listen to, lacking musical flow. The sound is dynamic but individual notes lack body and natural decay. Harmonics are truncated. Think ARC power amps, lots of raw wham but lacking subtlety and timing. Comparing the EARs to the Quicksilver 8417 monos on the CLS the Qs were more transparent, better placement in space whereas the EARs had good placement within the soundstage, but individual instruments were like cardboard cutouts, flat. Would not used the Qs on Acoustats though. Perreaux's - you can hear the mosfets compressing, not recommended Plinius monos - warmer and smoother and more effortless but perhaps not as transparent as the tubes. Model 3's Sumo Class A - very sweet sound, reasonably transparent, but not suited for louder levels. ( There was a very rare Perreaux pure class A amp produced here that I heard as well but it went very gluggy very quickly as it ran hot ). ARC D115, very dynamic, plenty of drive, transparency quite good but a bit thin sounding. Plinius mono's similar to the Sumo but not quite as transparent.
One thing you have to bear in mind is that tube amps that use output transformers are going to have phase shifts that vary with frequency. All transformers have phase shifts in the audio band. Therefore when you find a tube amp to run with a speaker, particularly harder to drive or those with varying impedances such as electrostatics, the results are difficult to predict.
A number of the 1+1's and 2+2's here were home-brew and there was a suspicion that many of the DIY folk did not angle the panels correctly when stacking. Many rooms in NZ are only 8ft stud height which I think also becomes an issue with stacked Acoustats. In some cases deflectors at the top of the panels can help. Space above the speakers is a consideration as well.
Clearly from Richardkrebs response he is in agreement with my comments the Acoustats lack speed, resolution and are prone to waffly bloated base in standard form. Basically he is saying that the only components worth retaining are the panels and transformers - the rest must be rebuilt with upgraded components, new frames, redesigned power supplies and interfaces. I would also add that the OFC panels and medallion kits are a must.
Richardkrebs has not mentioned that old chestnut - oversized images. - Ella Fitzgerald with a 10ft mouth. Whilst impressive for some that is not how she sounded in real life. The Model 3 are better in this regard, image sizes are a not so inflated.
10-06-13: Richardkrebs The fact that all of these mods are clearly audible implies that the panels and audio TX's themselves are intrinsically transparent.
I would question this logic. This argument implies is that if one were to put a Koetsu Onyx Gold on a $500 Project Turntable, and got a better sound, then the Project TT is transparent. The $500 Project may well show some of the benefits of a Koetsu Onyx Gold but it will not show anything like the full potential of the cartridge.
The question has to be asked - is it worth putting all this time and money into a 30 year old product with such shortcomings in standard form, or are you better to start with a better speaker. I find both the original Martin Logan CLS and the Soundlabs to be considerably more transparent and less bloated in standard form. The CLSs the most transparent, the Soundlabs down a little in transparency but with fuller extension down low than the CLS. The Soundlabs I have heard with solid state can go quite hard, I get the impression they sound better with tube amps with the appropriate headroom.
PS Richardkrebs I am using the Duelund CAST Graphite/Silver resistors in my Tannoy crossovers, they are audibly smoother and dig deeper than the standard and would recommend these as the first point in crossover upgrades. Steen Duelund is on record that when upgrading crossovers he believes the resistors should be the first port of call before using his capacitors.
PPS Ct0517 your Classe Audio is not state of the art by any stretch. The older David Reich designed Classe DR9 with capacitor upgrades would be a better option in my view. As you are in Canada trying one of these would be worthwhile. I believe that some folk monod these as well, but not sure on driving low impedances in this form. The 805's you mentioned are low efficiency monitors with fairly polite uninvolving sound, they are not highly resolving compared to the Proac Tablettes, Ensemble PA50's, Pawel Acoustics etc. and this is not system dependent - I have heard them many times. The Silver 30's are much better if you must have B&W.
Hi Ct0517 I thought you were rationalising your speakers hence the suggestion to try a high quality samll monitor such the the Proac Tablette. I think you would find this illuminating in gaining an insight into your other speakers. I have heard a number of Acoustats, they were quite popular here in the 80's. I agree with your comments on power and space in the room. I've heard 1+1's, 2+2's & 2's and 3's and Spectras on a variety of amps including - Perreaux 2150B's, monoed 2150B's, 3150B's, 5150B's, Plinus 250w mono's, Sumo Class A, EAR 509's, EAR 519's, Audio Research D115, Quicksilver 8417's, Counterpoint SA12 & 20, Rowland Model 1's monoed. We had a few Acoustats traded in when I had the audio business as well. Most of them were run nude ( no covers ), in space, and with various upgrades. The ones I liked the most were the Acoustat 3's in standard format, with OFC panels, Medallion kit and a few mods to the power supply to juice it up. I Thought this configuration sounded more natural than the 1+1 & 2+2 configurations.
Other electrostatics owned by friends & colleagues I have heard were the Stax F81's driven by New York Audio Labs OTL1's & Plinius 250w monos, Soundlabs A1's driven by Atmasphere's, Jadis & others, Quad ESL 57's, 63's. I also imported the Martin Logan's into NZ. I do like the Quad ESL 57's. I traded in a pair of stacked 57's but did not like these, they sound very closed in. The best 57's I have were on stands lifting them of the floor, with the panels angled more vertically than standard, the plastic dustpanels removed, as well as the metal grills, and driven by Quicksilver 8417's. In this format the Quicksilvers did not overdrive the panels - I had no arcing issues. I can also recommend highly the addition of the Sequerra Ribbon if you can find some. I heard these on single quads driven by the original Electrocompaniet 25 Class A power amp & the Electroresearch Class A power amp.
So of the speakers you currently own my preference would be the ESL57's for small to medium rooms and the B&W 801's with crossover mods and decent power for larger rooms. Fyi in one of my many experiences I took my Tablettes over to someones house to audition, they had Acosutat 2+2's driven by Plinius mono's in a room approx 25'x15'. Front end was Sota, ET2, with Talisman/Carnegie Model 1/various Koetsu's. The owners brother ( non audiophile ) who was looking to buy some speakers described the Acoustats as sounding like wet blankets after only a few minutes in comparison and I would confidantly predict that if you could find some you would understand. This all needs to be put into context that I value speed, transparency, timing and musically, and I would trade a little bottom end extension to optimise these facets..for me the most transparent electrostatics I have owned were the original Martin Logan CLS's with Australian interfaces ( these were slightly different to the US interfaces ).
Having heard many Acoustats over the years, including the 3's, 2+2's, both with the medallion updates and OFC panels, the Spectra's and some heavily modified ones, I would suggest you have a listen to some Proac Ref 8 Signatures. These monitors are more transparent, quicker and more faithful to the music than any of the Acoustats I have auditioned over the last 3 decades. With my original Proac Tablettes and the Sota Star (vacuum) with ET2 and Denon 103 I could clearly hear more information through the whole musical spectrum. Although down in absolute level the bass was more articulate, informative and most importantly more accurate in timing. The Tablettes do not have the one note bass the Acoustats produce. The Acoustats tend to make everything sound the same - they are highly coloured - even with subtstantial mods, they still remain coloured.
Ct0517 The main advantage of dynamically balanced ( spring applied tracking force ) is to control the cantilever and provide a damped behaviour on warped records. Dynamic balancing is more appropriate with low compliance cartridges. If you wanted to generalise you would say that higher compliance cartridges would be more suited to static balancing. Some folk apply a bit of each - say 1/2 gram of spring plus the rest static. This is very much arm/cartridge dependent. My argument is the main advantage of dynamic balancing is academic if you are not playing warped records. The FR has a high effective mass and very low resonant characteristics. My preference for FR64 plus Koetsu Black is static balance. Having said that if I observe the behaviour of the cantilever the Koetsu does not appear to be as low a compliance as claimed in their specs.
Yes my FR64s is silver wired with the original VTA adjuster. To me the adjuster adds another layer of possible reduction in rigidity and I suspect the arm would be better without it, but as I change cartridges quite often it is very useful. I have found headshells to be quite variable and cartridge dependent - the Orsonic very smooth up top but a bit fat in the bottom end, the Ikeda big and tight but not quite as smooth as the Orsonic. I use an Audiocraft for the FR1mkiii, Orsonics for the Koetsu & Dynavector Nova 13, and the Ikeda headshell with the Ikeda cartridge. I can recommend the Sumiko headshell as being excellent value for money, medium mass, and has azimuth adjustment ( a must ). I think your AT is probably a bit light. I haven't played with MM's on the FR64. The Nantais Lenco sounded very musical with a Benz cartridge, but the system resolution overall was down a little on what I'm used to. Interestingly Jean Nantais prefers other direct drives to the Technics SP10mkII and says the Technics sounds jittery by comparison to say the Sony Direct drive that he has. This is in line with what I hear with the Technics.
Chris, I had a good listen to the Jean Nantais Reference a couple of weeks ago in Ottawa. Having a look at your set up I noticed a couple of issues with your FR64 set up. The lateral balance weight should end up dead centre if the bearings are horizontal. You cant level the arm board, you must adjust the armboard until the bearings are dead horizontal. When you achieve this you will find the arm floats at 0 balance, with the weight dead centre on the beam. Also I found a substantial improvement leaving the stylus pressure at 0 and applying the tracking force by adjusting the counterweight. This opened up the soundstage considerably. Last one - the FR headshell is awful - try Orsonic/Ikeda.
Hi Chris - I would change everything. Their solution is space constrained and a bit of a dogs breakfast. Could you PM me and I'll draft up some suggestions for you to consider.
Ct0517 - re the crossovers for the 801's. You can do these yourself easily. I redid my Tannoy 15" Monitor Gold crossovers. Key things were to run separate sections including earth for each driver ( base/mid/treble ), the earths tied at the binding posts, I managed by careful design to space out all components but maintain point to point wiring to minimise additional wire and solder joints, and orientating the inductors such that the magnetic fields emanating perpendicular from the windings fired up and down and not at other components. All this installed on teflon boards with Duellund Resistors/MIT Caps all matched to 1%. Significant gains in speed, transparency, lack of grain, but the biggest surprise for me was the significantly ( like jaw dropping ) lower noise floor even though the crossover is passive.
Hi - I got into audio late 70's early 80's - the DM70's were primarily in expensive non audiophile environments. In those days NZ had trade restrictions, tariffs ( 45% duty ) and products like these were outrageously expensive. My recollection is burnt out panels, but bear in mind in the 70's tubes were out and horrible solid state ( phase linear/amcron etc ) were in. I think these are rated at 25watts. Looks like plenty of support now for them. By the way I have had extensive experience with Quad ESL57's - never like the stacked versions. Single prs on 14-20" stands, with the panels tilted more vertical always sounded better - more bass and spectacular soundstage. A friend and I did pull some 57's apart and mounted them in a vertical array bass/mid/bass ( looked like acoustat 1+1's ). This configuration opened up the soundstage again and removed significant colurations coming off the wide baffle. With the Quicksilver 8417's I could pummel the Quads and they never arced. The Sequerra ribbon did improve the image specificity of the Quad as well.
Quite a few of these in NZ back in the day. Very smooth & polite sounding. The electrostatic panels are very fragile, from memory, cant handle much power. They were the top of the line B&W of the day and mostly purchased by architects etc.
