1995 was the last time I had a system that cracked it. Until the amp went bad. It's been a while.Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebottle
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1995 was the last time I had a system that cracked it. Until the amp went bad. It's been a while.Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebottle
So what is the result of the IMF update Martin?
Sorry Alan, I never saw your previous post here until just now. For those who haven't seen the other thread on the subject, fixing the crossovers on the IMFs has encountered a hiccup and so is still an ongoing saga. The Akai SW175 are still the daily drivers, speaker-wise.
Any news on the xovers Martin?
No, I will attempt them at the weekend. Work is very hectic at the moment, don't feel like doing much when I get in at night except vegetating.
Rigged meself up a little near-field set up by robbing the 25 ft speaker cables from the rear speakers on the home cinema system so they can reach down the room to the main system. Using these fancy B&O MC1202 speakers with their midrange domes:
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/DSC_0104.jpg
Sounds pretty good, sat 6 ft away with the speakers heavily angled in towards me and the mid domes at ear level. Takes no prisoners in that respect but despite their domes the B&O are much more in the Harbeth mould than ATC so it is overall quite relaxingly listenable. The sweet spot is about half an inch either way, though!
Interesting to listen near-field, I rarely do it unless it is at someone else's house. You can hear right into the recording, on the other hand they don't really open up the ambience and grandeur of the recordings like the big Akais do. This is much more 'hi-fi' sounding. The speaker cable is Maplin's cheapest, crappiest stuff and I think is holding things back a little.
Been having another listen to this nearfield speaker set up. Playing Jethro Tull's A Little Light Music' (a live, semi-acoustic collection) the last tune, 'Locomotive Breath' is a rocker and they go for it a bit. The CD has good DR but sounded a bit rough as things climax, as it were. A bit of raggedness. My theory is still that it is the speaker cable. I lashed it up, there are no connectors so it is tarnished bare wire at both ends, and not much of it, and at the speaker end it had to be wound round the binding posts as the hole in the middle would only take bell wire.
So tomorrow I'm intending to strip the cables back and get much more surface area and securer connections and see if that clears the problem.
Got round to stripping the cable back. In these days of dealer-terminated gold-plated banana plugs it is a bit of a forgotten art. Used to be a dab hand at this with a pair of kitchen scissors but although it took me quarter of an hour to do the first one it took just another quarter to do all the other 7 so the old magic is still there.
The cable is branded Gale, if anyone's interested and is stranded copper. Not many strands so with the gnarly old tarnished ends stripped away and the fresh copper tightly twisted it fitted snugly through the tiny little holes on the B&O binding posts. They are not the worst posts I have seem but they wouldn't pass muster today. Not even gold plated. Even my £100 new Studio Spares bridge monitors have better efforts on them.
I did the ends going to into the amp too, of course.
So does it make a difference? Well it sounds a little crisper, tighter, bit more impact on percussion. No doubt I'm getting a much better contact at both ends now. Still got that narrow sweet spot though which is annoying. Maybe the midrange domes? I can't remember if the problem with using midrange domes is that they are too directional or not directional enough. Anyway, sound quality can safely be described as adequate, if not breathtaking, but it's not too shabby at all given it is only £1300 of bits making it. Might try the Studio Spares later on for a comparison.
Just been listening whilst writing this (playing that Tull Cd again) and can confirm the sound is deffo cleaner and crisper now. Job's a good 'un.
Always used side snips myself. Was never keen on proper strippers, unless dancing on the table :eyebrows: not tried scissors for many years... Side snips are an art too. A sharp scalpel works well and is more accurate, although there is more blood
It's a knack with the scissors and I was out of practice so I snipped right through the cable on the first one. Easier if the cable is a bit thicker than this Gale stuff, too.
Should really be sorting out cleaning the IMF crossovers but can't summon up the will. Got to be done, though. Pleasant as these B&O are I don't think I can go back to living with smaller speakers full time. Everything sounds so, well, small.