Help Me

[Rare Bird]

For once in my life i need help. Today i took the decision to completely abandon Vintage Hi-FI amplifiers & speakers, for years i've tried to master them through rebuilds etc but find i'm banging my head against a wall, it's gottem more of an implusive obsession to what they look like rather than sound like!

Money is a massive factor, problem even as to my next move, i don't have much to spend nor never think i will in the foreseeable future (don't even know why i bother working). I have no option but to move forward into music files as a main source although i'll still keep my present CD player if need be.

My main concern now is an amplifier & Speakers, the speakers need to be full range but tiny in size Absolutly no crossovers (one thing i've fought with for years) i stated a seperate topic regarding Fostex 103e!..

Regarding the amplifier, i'm willing to go tiny chip amps, class D Gainclones etc but not expensive..I do use a DAC come Pre come headphone amp, although the headphone output sounds brilliant using as a pre is very dissapointing.

Any help at all would be most gratefully recieved..I've spent too many years in cuckoo land im actually lost when it comes to serious Hi-Fi.

[John]

The chip amps are quite nice lots of detail and speed but will need an efficent driver
I am tempted to suggest open baffle for best sound per pound but think the size would be an issue as you said small
What do you feel is lacking in your system Andre
Perhaps hear a few different systems before deciding on which route

[Marco]

I feel for ya, dude, but I'm sure you'll get plenty of good advice. Your queries are out with of my particular expertise, though, but good luck! :)

Come on, guys, help Andre out :cool:

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

Hi John
Don't have a complete system never has been for more years than i care to remember, i spend too much time on the PC with files than anything else these days.. i'm trying to break free from the PC but like to maintain the sound i'm now used to. The problem being when i listern through amp & speakers it sounds no where near as good, i've tried loads of different amps but still the same dissapointment, i cant get the volume where i live & i think this is one of the problems.

However i desperatly want to get away from vintage completely. I was thinking an efficient full range driver might help out.. I'm also totally rearranging the living room, i want a bigger sofa so hifi space is a no no aswell as no dedicated listerning space the smaller the better.

[Jonboy]

Did you ever try the Amptastic 2020 "T amp" they are quite good at low volumes with the right speakers, i would send you mine to try but i sold it on recently :doh:, perhaps Gerry will be kind enough to send you his to try?

[chris@panteg]

Hi Andre

I wish i could help mate , but I'm out of touch when it comes to speakers ! But i've heard amazing things about those gainclone amps , Jon from VE bought my old Snell to use with 2nd Audio's , but tried a pair of said amps and quickly got shot of the 2nd's ? I was rather shocked when he told me , worth checking out.

[Tim]

I don't know anything about 'T' class amps Andr'e, but I have just sold my CDP and gone over completely to file based audio, which I'm really pleased with indeed and doubt I will ever buy a CDP again, as I can use my BluRay player if I need to spin a disk - but when I can rip one in minutes and get a superior sound, I cannot see the point :scratch:

I can certainly help in that area, may not be what you want exactly, but it will give you ideas? I can sit at my PC and with a mouse click or two, play anything I want. Of course controlling a remote music player is something that needs consideration and unfortunately there is a cost, as it's a complete new way of doing things. But I would be more than happy to help out anyway I can fella. If you have a nice big screen TV you can hook your player up to that and control it with a fancy wireless keyboard, an iPad is a great way, but a heck of a lot of money for a remote control.

I reckon with the knowledge here for file based music, we can get you sorted ;)

[Jonboy]

TBH i get as much enjoyment out of my office system as i do my main system just using a lead from the 3.5mm headphone socket from the pc plugged straight into the modded Trio amp and straight out into the DCM speakers, no dac in between and no fancy cables, it still blows me away, perhaps it just the synergy of it all :scratch:.
i can use Spotify or Itunes and have an enless supply of music via the web, and it owes me about a tenth of the price of my main system, who's the mug now then

[shane]

Hope Dave The Bass won't mind me posting this here. Are you any good at DIY, and could you live with something this sort of size?

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z109/davethebass1/CIMG8451.jpg

If so, have a look at this thread on Audio-Talk. It takes a page or two to get going, but teels you all you need to know eventually. Dave drives them with a tiddly little 3 watt valve amp.

http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=730&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=fonken&start=0

If you're not the type for wielding a saw, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone to knock up a pair of cabs for you.

[Rare Bird]

Thanks Shane, I'm cabinet maker by trade so no worries.

[BTH K10A]

Here's another option Andre. Small footprint but tall so utilizes "wasted space"

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://diyaudioprojects.com/Speakers/Fostex-FE103E-Zigmahornets/Fostex-FE103E-Zigmahornet-Speakers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://diyaudioprojects.com/Speakers/Fostex-FE103E-Zigmahornets/&usg=__Fu4WLqi9LKog6JEU6JIbNbf565M=&h=1759&w=575&sz=99&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=nXsYTyO_sH4X9M:&tbnh=150&tbnw=49&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfostex%2B103%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26tbm %3Disch%26prmd%3Divnsfd&ei=Vm0sTva_GIXsOYK_3M8K

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

For once in my life i need help. Today i took the decision to completely abandon Vintage Hi-FI amplifiers & speakers, for years i've tried to master them through rebuilds etc but find i'm banging my head against a wall, it's gottem more of an implusive obsession to what they look like rather than sound like!

Money is a massive factor, problem even as to my next move, i don't have much to spend nor never think i will in the foreseeable future (don't even know why i bother working). I have no option but to move forward into music files as a main source although i'll still keep my present CD player if need be.

My main concern now is an amplifier & Speakers, the speakers need to be full range but tiny in size Absolutly no crossovers (one thing i've fought with for years) i stated a seperate topic regarding Fostex 103e!..No thanks to Active.

Regarding the amplifier, i'm willing to go tiny chip amps, class D Gainclones etc but not expensive..I do use a DAC come Pre come headphone amp, although the headphone output sounds brilliant using as a pre is very dissapointing.

Any help at all would be most gratefully recieved..I've spent too many years in cuckoo land im actually lost when it comes to serious Hi-Fi.

I sympathise and understand where you are coming from. From the late 60's to the late 70's it became more and more perceived excellence and value and not actual excellence and value, and some of the *things* created are almost electronics works of art and you can get off on that without even listening to them.

There was some damn fine stuff produced in Japan back then, the problem was little or none of it was sold in the UK, as the distributors they appointed were basically a bunch of wankers. They were not interested in the slightest what it sounded like apart from if they couldn't buy good reviews with advertising. They were only interested if they could sell a thousand boxes of it to Comet or Lasky's. So if something good like the PL71 or especially the LO7d was sold here it was largely by accident, and I am sure there were amplifiers that fell through that dross net as well.

BUT for themselves the Japanese produced some of - if not most of - the best audio gear ever produced on this planet, but they kept it for themselves - that quality and that art form. Well that is why they fetch silly money now if you can find any of them.

[Ali Tait]

Hope Dave The Bass won't mind me posting this here. Are you any good at DIY, and could you live with something this sort of size?

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z109/davethebass1/CIMG8451.jpg

If so, have a look at this thread on Audio-Talk. It takes a page or two to get going, but teels you all you need to know eventually. Dave drives them with a tiddly little 3 watt valve amp.

http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=730&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=fonken&start=0

If you're not the type for wielding a saw, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone to knock up a pair of cabs for you.

I can vouch for the great sound these speakers produce Andre. Imaging is as good as anything this side of a static too. As for chip amps, how much can you spend? Get a listen to a Bantam Audio Gold if you can, it's a very good little amp that punches well above it's weight IMHO.

[jandl100]

Whoops - sorry - only just noticed this thread.


Did you ever try the Amptastic 2020 "T amp" they are quite good at low volumes with the right speakers, i would send you mine to try but i sold it on recently :doh:, perhaps Gerry will be kind enough to send you his to try?

Yup, I'd be happy to lend you a TA2020 chip Mini-T amp. I'm a BIG fan, and I don't hear the loudness limitations on the sound quality that Jon does.

PM me your address, Andre, and I'll be happy to send you a teensy weensy amp to play with for a while. :)

[technobear]

Are those mimi-Onkens? They should do the job.

The Zigmahornet is also very good. One of our brethren here has a pair made out of polystyrene!

There are quite a few tall and thin designs out there. Some of the BIB designs are good, simple to build and can be used against a wall.

Also look out for used Loth-X Amaze or Arousal A1.

[Ali Tait]

They are indeed Chris. As for taller designs, the Saburo is fantastic. Amazing bass from a 4" driver.

[technobear]

Nudge, nudge :eyebrows:

http://www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/moreinfo.php?prod_title=Acoustic_Insight_A1&p=speaker&prod_id=1985&offset=24

[Rare Bird]

Thanks Chaps
We'll i've listerned to a couple of chip amps & i cannot live with them, so it's kinnda keeping the Quad 303, fingers crossed i have pre amp in the pipeline.

[Tim]

Thanks Chaps
We'll i've listerned to a couple of chip amps & i cannot live with them, so it's kinnda keeping the Quad 303, fingers crossed i have pre amp in the pipeline.
Be interested to know what you thought of them Andr'e, especially from the viewpoint of someone who likes Quad?

[Rare Bird]

Just all i like about the Quad amp was gone

[Tim]

Just all i like about the Quad amp was gone

:lolsign: that's not a winner then . . . I want to try one, one day - but not sure it will be to my taste either.

[Rare Bird]

:lolsign: that's not a winner then . . . I want to try one, one day - but not sure it will be to my taste either.



Well i started work totally rebuilding my '303. watch this space, it's going through what i can only describe as a very 60's looking paint colour scheme :lolsign: A dedicated topic will follow pretty soon. :D

Top side done :)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/303.jpg

[Tim]

Well i started work totally rebuilding my '303. watch this space, it's going through what i can only describe as a very 60's looking paint colour scheme :lolsign: A dedicated topic will follow pretty soon. :D

Top side done :)

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/303.jpg

André you really do crack me up sometimes - don't ever change :lolsign:

[Barry]

Good Lord André,

You'll have Peter Walker spinning in his grave! :eek:

Regards

[Tim]

Good Lord André,

You'll have Peter Walker spinning in his grave! :eek:
The boy's certainly got style :)

[Rare Bird]

I was always a loner at school :D

[worthingpagan]

Lookin good dude, I like the "Tango" effect ;)

[Marco]

Orange roolz! :eyebrows:

Marco.

[chelsea]

excellent..i like retro orange as well as white at the moment.
Very tempted to get my speakers sprayed white soon.

[Barry]

Orange roolz! :eyebrows:

Marco.

If André is going to do it properly, then it should be 'marigold'; the colour of the inset under the tone controls and of three of the buttons on the Quad 33 preamp.

[Rare Bird]

I'm not doing it at all, that was just a spare heatsink from an old 50E..My '303' was sold today :)

[DSJR]

What about some inexpensive actives? I'm sure you could find an obliging pro-audio shop who'd give you a dem of a few..

[Rare Bird]

What about some inexpensive actives? I'm sure you could find an obliging pro-audio shop who'd give you a dem of a few..

No thanks Dave the only Active i would do is outboard 2 way with two stereo power amps but that would be taking too much room.