Welcome to my System,

The Apogee Acoustics GRAND is controlled by 4 Intel 8051 Microprocessors, 256K EPROM and Non-Volitile Memory. Each side has an active 4 Way Crossover and a massive 120 lbs external power supply. The speaker stands at 7.4 feet tall and weighs 1200 lbs per side. Via a Remote Control you can change the Phase, Rake and Driver Levels of each unit. It took me more then 6 years to fix these speakers and to get them to run. I have had Apogee Scintillas, DIVAs, Calipers, Stages and Fullranges. They are newly restored by Frank from the HI-FI Burg in Z rich.

The beauty of this speaker is that you can drive it with very good SET amps. Over the past years i had some legends in this room. CAT JL2, Krell KRS200s, Einstein The Tube, Sphinx Hybrid amplifiers and much more. The Brand which suits my ears best is NAT Audio. They make high powered SET amps using the General Electric NOS 1942 VT4-C or 211 Tube. I use 6 mono blocks, one for each ribbon. My system is built around ZERO Feedback and simple designs. The single ended triode and none feedback preamplifier is the heart of the system. Its a NAT Audio Utopia with a True Copper CAP Coupler to protect the electronics in the speaker.

Another aspect is that the midrange ribbon starts at 125Hz and goes to aprox. 5000Hz where the ribbon tweeter takes it up to over 42Khz. The subwoofer integration is perfect, its just like the panel. Zero difference. Its a massive sealed box, uses custom drivers and its being crossed at 70Hz and driven by a custom built Krell mono block per side.

DC is a major threat to active ribbons, which is why i had 6 custom boxes developed which monitor for DC and distortion and cut the signal to the drivers in events of a failure or distortion.

My phono preamp is a NAT Audio Signature Phono. It is battery powered, single ended and no feedback As to the sound, well it entirely depends on the recording. The system places whatever is on the disk before you ears. Sometimes it is identical to live (Mike Garsons - Jazz Hat from Reference Recordinds) and sometimes not. The system has the upmost transparency and dynamic power. You hear what you feed it.

The Apple TV is used as a digital source with the Monarchy Audio NM24 Tube DAC and DIP Combo which removed Jitter and Reclocks the Digital Output. You can hook up any digital source and the sound is exactly the same. Cables are from Virtual Dynamics and others such as Vacuumstate Electronics which i use for the Turntable.

Enjoy my system and let me know if you have any questions or comments

Best regards

Florian

PS: I want to thank the following people:

Frank from the HI-FI Burg Zürich for the ribbon installation

Mr. Bill Orner- for finding the schematics for the Apogee Grand. Without that it would have been much harder to get this beauty back up

Jason Bloom, Leo Spiegel, Gary Walker, Andy Lewis, Mike Daniels and Todd Eichbaum for building, what is to me, the best loudspeaker ever designed.

Graz - For providing me the new ribbons for my speaker, without him it would be just a pile of steel and magnets

Brad (Morricab) - For his patience and not giving up on me even tough i went back to Krell twice ;-)

W&W Audio in Holland - For letting me try tons of electronics and offering me not only good service but also great human interaction and guidence

Dipl. Ing. Ralf Kassel (Germany) for fixing my Grand electronics and for developing custom DC protection boxes.

My Girlfriend - For not killing me as i spent weeks in the basement trying to fix the speaker and lifting hundreds of pounds of amplifiers with me up the stairs :-)