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View Full Version : The Steve Toy system as of 6th May 2008



Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 15:36
This Copper beauty is on loan while I wait for my own to be modified by AnthonyTD. (I'm not really in a major hurry to get it back):


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1520/06052008304iw5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
06-05-2008, 15:52
Looking very good, Jemima. I know that amp well :)

Are you using it for weight training purposes, too then, Dorothy? ;)

Marco.

Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 16:05
I don't wish to do my back in, Jeremy.

Music Works Cryogenically treated Reflex mains block (works extremely well with all kit not just that supplied by Audio Works):

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7268/06052008302vb2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Bel Canto CD2, Spectral DMC-15 pre, Tube Distinctions Copper amp all on acrylic Quadraspire Reference stands:


http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/946/06052008303sw2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

CD and pre




http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/7567/06052008308qs2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


One of the Piega TS5s now appears:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6581/06052008309gx3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
06-05-2008, 16:28
Looking good, Patsy.

Just a thought though, Daphne, regarding your block... I notice that the sockets are in two rows of three, and you've currently got all your leads plugged into the bottom row.

I would guess that the first socket on the top row is nearer the mains inlet than the 2nd or 3rd sockets on the bottom row, and therefore is potentially a 'better sounding' socket than either of those two. It will depend though how the block is wired internally.

Do you see where I'm going here? :)

So I would unplug your preamp from the 2nd socket on the bottom row and plug it into the 1st socket in the top row, then try your power amp into both the 2nd socket in the top and bottom row and see which sounds best.

This is very anal, I know (haha) but we both know from experience these things can make subtle differences.

If Larry or Ed has told you to plug your kit in the way it is then ignore everything I've just written! :lol:

If they haven't then try it and let me know if you hear any difference.

Marco.

Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 16:55
Piaga TS5 close-up:

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/38/06052008311dt9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
06-05-2008, 17:20
You haven't answered my post, Florence! :ner:

Marco.

Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 17:26
Post answered, Booboo:

Socket 1 (bottom left) - CD player
Socket 2 (bottom middle) - preamp
Socket 3 (bottom right) - amp.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8315/06052008314sf5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/4783/06052008302ta6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
06-05-2008, 17:32
Cool. I thought the AudioWorks guys would have thought of that. It's something to remember though for other people reading using some kind of mains block...

The order of equipment plug-in makes a difference! :)

Hey you're a bit of a whizz on the old camera tonight, eh Rhonda?

Marco.

Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 17:39
Not bad for a mobile phone, eh, Ermintrude?

Whole system:

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8976/06052008310je5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
06-05-2008, 17:42
Indeed. I'm sure Rob would approve, Samantha.

Marco.

Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 17:46
Making connections without networking - Siltech SQ 28 interconnects x 2 pairs, Chord Epic Twin cable.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9776/06052008312yf9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
06-05-2008, 17:56
Ish that yoor danshin shooz there, Sharah? :lol:

Watch that L/H speaker cable almost touching the back wall! ;)

Marco.

Steve Toy
06-05-2008, 18:00
Almost but not actually touching. As they say, a miss is as good as a mile!

Those are my foot-tapping shoes à la Steve Jackson :smoking:

sastusbulbas
06-05-2008, 18:24
So what is the lovely copper valve power amp then? Details! Cost etc?

PS those shooz, those are pish catchers :lolsign:

:sorry:

Marco
06-05-2008, 18:32
Pish catchers?

F*ckin hilarious!!! I'm nearly greetin'...

:lol:

:D

Steve Toy
07-05-2008, 00:37
So what is the lovely copper valve power amp then? Details! Cost etc?

The Copper amp is hand made by AnthonyTD of this forum. As for cost, it's a case of POA I guess.

Ian Walker
07-05-2008, 08:40
Steve,Anthony will not be impressed seeing his copper amp sitting on a Pisher lid.

And dont forget the Duraglit......

Marco
07-05-2008, 08:45
Hehe... As long as he doesn't make a wee mishtake and dwibbles on it on the way back from the pub :lol:

Marco.

Steve Toy
07-05-2008, 11:31
Anthony knows it's on a pisher lid (hang on Ringo, you aint even Scottish!).

Ian Walker
07-05-2008, 16:49
OOPS sorry i keep forgetin, Tom.

None of this makes sense cos i misread it as anthony postin .........PISH!

Marco
07-05-2008, 17:07
S'ok, eez a Scouser sho he just pishes in his pants... :laugh:

Marco.

pure sound
07-05-2008, 17:27
This Copper beauty is on loan while I wait for my own to be modified by AnthonyTD. (I'm not really in a major hurry to get it back):


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1520/06052008304iw5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Looks very nice. Great work Anthony!

DSJR
07-05-2008, 17:38
Quadraspire PERSPEX?

Were you jumping round the dem at the show too?

I prefer balsa shelves suspended on yachting sail lines............................

P.S. You obviously don't have kids hehe......

Marco
07-05-2008, 22:35
Quadraspire PERSPEX?


Come now it's acrylic, dear fellow, and in a guitar-shape (for extra 'tunefulness') to boot ;)

Marco.

Steve Toy
08-05-2008, 01:11
P.S. You obviously don't have kids hehe......


Obviously.

FYI, I bought my Quadraspire stuff from Larry not Steve "Jumping" Jackson at Audio Works. Larry does not jump around.

Steve is a nice guy though who knows his stuff - except anything remotely related to Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques....

anthonyTD
08-05-2008, 08:53
Looks very nice. Great work Anthony!

thanks,
it is one of a pair i built in 1998 to be used for studio monitoring, the original customers allowed me to send it to jason kennedy for review [hi fi choice]
i was lucky to be able to buy it back last year from the original owner after the company had retired...
anthony;)

Filterlab
08-05-2008, 09:30
That is one gorgeous loan amp Steve. Anthony, any 'spare' ones laying around for a Filterlab 'review'? :)

Steve Toy
10-05-2008, 12:29
There is the big brother but I don't recommend you try that at home. If you do you could be breaking one of the golden rules of hi-fi...

Ian Walker
10-05-2008, 13:46
There is the big brother

Did you have to Steve...i'm still hankerin after that amp now ,two months later:doh:

anthonyTD
10-05-2008, 18:18
Did you have to Steve...i'm still hankerin after that amp now ,two months later:doh:
you mean this one ian!!!;)
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm202/anthonyTD/bigamp.png

Ian Walker
10-05-2008, 18:38
....right off billy:lol:

anthonyTD
10-05-2008, 18:40
....right off billy:lol:
sure thing sooty:eyebrows::lol:

sastusbulbas
17-05-2008, 21:06
So any more info on those amps?

anthonyTD
18-05-2008, 10:25
So any more info on those amps?

hi mate,
what would you like to know?
regards,anthony,TD...;)

sastusbulbas
19-05-2008, 18:07
Hello Anthony,

Just the basics like power output, consumption, prices and such, what sort of speakers and pre amps are they suited to and the like?

Any reviews available to read online anywhere?

Ta,
Steve

anthonyTD
19-05-2008, 19:50
Hello Anthony,

Just the basics like power output, consumption, prices and such, what sort of speakers and pre amps are they suited to and the like?

Any reviews available to read online anywhere?

Ta,
Steve
hi steve,
the one that steve has [borrowing] is 30 watt pure class A, it has a flat frequency response of 100khz it weighs around 40 kilos and the original price when i used to still build them was £2,500 IN 1999.you can find a copy of a review by jason kennedy [of hi fi choice] on this amp on my website www.tubedistinctions.co.uk. ALAS i dont build them anymore...
the bigger copper amp [which i still own] was originaly built for the speaker drive unit company Bandor, for the high end show in germany in 2000, to power their range of speakers. it has 60 watts of class A but goes on into AB to around 120watts.
it also has a flat frequency response of 100khz weighs around 50kilos,and i guess its equivilent would cost around £10,000 to buy today!
hope this helps...:)
anthony,TD...;)

Steve Toy
20-05-2008, 00:07
The amp I'm borrowing is being controlled by a Spectral DMC-15 pre - the 'affordable option' stripped of all fripperies including remote control they produce that retails at 'only' £4700. I didn't pay that much for mine though.

Basically, Anthony's amps need a fairly exotic pre of some description to do them real justice given the resolution and dynamic swings of which they are very capable indeed.

My only problem now is my Piegas with their aluminium cabinets cannot cope with such dynamics; the resonances from the cabinets are beginning to show in the kind of surreptitious way that make you think something else may be wrong in the system. The sound is similar to the distortion you get from mild clipping except it doesn't go away even when you back a bit on from the volume. It would seem that the use of aluminium, which is great for the kind of shaping and curvature options that otherwise eliminate standing waves within the cabinet, suddenly gives up when they get a really serious kick up the arse in the mid range. Bass still manages just fine, absolutely fine in fact.

Basically, the Piegas have to go if I don't want to lose the musicals joys of resolution and dynamics.

Mr. C
20-05-2008, 09:21
Morning Steve,

I believe I did mention this within the first 5 minutes of listening to them.
A world of quality choices now await you sir :-)

SolidState
20-05-2008, 10:08
A world of quality choices now await you sir :-)

Absolutely, feastrex, lowther, AER and fostex spring to mind.

Marco
20-05-2008, 11:00
Tee hee... I think Tony had something more 'ready assembled' in mind from the likes of Focal or Audio Physic ;)

Marco.

SolidState
20-05-2008, 11:14
Feastrex are available 'ready assembled' :)

Steve Toy
20-05-2008, 12:25
I have a theoretical budget of around £1200 excluding what I'll get for the sale of the Piegas.

The Spendor S6e and Focal 918 are within budget. The Focals look promising but for the fact that they have a nasty 3.2 ohm dip beneath a nominal 8 ohm load - not really very valve-friendly but then I guess that depends where the dip is!

The Spendors have a kinder impedance curve but the stated sensitivity of 88 dB/W/m is a little on the low side.

SolidState
20-05-2008, 14:58
Steve, if your going for a multi-driver speaker, then check out the heco's too, they're 93db.

Marco
20-05-2008, 15:39
Hecos are a good call, Mo.

Marco.

Steve Toy
20-05-2008, 17:44
It would seem that the 3.2 ohm dip is not anywhere critical. Two people have told me this (Mr C and the guy at Audio Affair.) Subjective listening will be the only way to bear this out.

They also look the part, especially in black acrylic

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3900/918lf2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Marco
20-05-2008, 18:41
They look nice - just watch that somewhat 'ruthlessly revealing' tweeter ;)

Marco.

Ian Walker
04-06-2008, 21:18
Inspired by Steve i went out and bought myself a pair o shuede pish catchers.The only problem though was when i tested them ,being suede the pish soaked straight through em:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Marco
04-06-2008, 22:24
Dr Soaker, our resident incontinence advisor, sez shuede should have been ok with your 'pishers' because the absorbent panel in your crinoline joggers would have sooked up the main liquid residue, thereby restricting the flow of peewee to a few dewdrops, which would of course have been expertly 'caught' by the outer flaps of the shoe design :lol: :D:laugh:

Marco.

Steve Toy
05-06-2008, 01:17
Cheeky twunts.

Ian Walker
05-06-2008, 06:21
Yes i'd have thought sho too but it sheems thish brand of Pish catchers are as 'ruthlessly revealing' as thoshe tweeters!!!.:lol:

Marco
05-06-2008, 07:24
Yesh all he needs now is Billee to short out hish barnet... :rolleyes:

Marco.

Marco
05-06-2008, 08:07
Anyway, Shtevie boy, let's see a pic (and a review) of your new AOS amp! :rock:

Marco.

Mike
05-06-2008, 15:14
AOS amp?...... explain! <----- No need - found it now.

And why TF is everyone suddenly typing in a Sean Connery accent? :scratch:

Filterlab
05-06-2008, 15:36
You're a shite, you're a shite, you're a shite for shore eyes.

Mike
05-06-2008, 15:40
*groan* :doh:

Filterlab
05-06-2008, 20:31
Did you like that one?

:)

Marco
05-06-2008, 20:35
Mike,

You need to be in the 'cool gang' to know ;)

Marco.