Dave's system / new lounge

[greenhomeelectronics]

At last got to putting a system together in my brand new 100 year old lounge. Had to open up the fireplace first before getting clearance from the domestic management to procede with "fannying about with the hifi" but all's well that ends well. The system is a cheap as chips experiment as much as anything else. The speakers are transmission line units based vaguely on the Kapel design but using 4 5 inch drivers and a single dome tweeter in each cabinet. The drivers cost me a total of 45 or thereabouts. I wanted to see how good a sound could be acheived from cheap drivers - Wharefdale in this case - just by engineering the enclosures. I am rather pleased with them although the wooden floor does tend to make them a bit boomy at the moment. am going to play with stuffing the bass ports to see if I can dull it a bit without loosing bottom end response too much. The Cd is a Pioneer stable platter, totally unmodified, works nicely with the rest of the system.
The amp is an Apollon Apache - the one we did a small production run of but I ran out of talent in the marketing department and have not taken it any further. The amp I run is the original prototype with the production mods fitted. I still honestly believe it to be the best value valve amp, I enjoy it very much. The pre amp is a Yaqin valve jobby, works ok with the Micro Seiki fitted with a Shure M75ED. For digital storage I have an Archos multi media playing wotsit. I wanted to experiment with MP3 and the such like. It is very convenient but I still prefer to listen to vinyl. It's somehow more emotional and involving - can't say why.
I want a better turntable one day but keep selling anything decent that comes along so that day may be a while off.
The system works really well as a system, I guess it's the synergy thing. It cost very little and has been a great deal of fun to put together.
PS painting the speakers the same colour as the room is a cunning way of incorporating much larger units than "she who must be obeyed" would normally allow.
Dave
http://i1336.photobucket.com/albums/o657/thorcusmodee/P1010859_zpsfd852ff2.jpg
http://i1336.photobucket.com/albums/o657/thorcusmodee/P1010861_zps7fb1100b.jpg
Sorry for the awful quality, will borrow the Wife's camera and redo them when I have more time.

[jandl100]

OMG - pink speakers! :eek:

Yum, I do like those stable platter Pioneer CDPs. Silly-good for not far off chump change.
Nice looking valve amp, too - was that your el34 jobbie?

[MartinT]

Nice looking room, Dave. Which Micro Seiki turntable is that?

[Rare Bird]

Nice to see someone down to earth that doesnt fart about with pointess flashy racks

[Rare Bird]

Martin:
Probs a 'DD35'

[MartinT]

Nice to see someone down to earth that doesnt fart about with pointess flashy racks

:eek:


Probs a 'DD35'

Thanks, Andr'e.

[greenhomeelectronics]

Hi folks, the deck is an MB10, cheap as chips but it has a very quiet motor and bearing and a good heavy platter, which are the 3 things that matter to me. It was quite awkward getting stuff to fit in the room so what I have seemed the best compromise. The speakers are red rather than the pink they appear in the photo, I just took a low res snap and it has not come out at all well. Will try and do some better ones soon.
The Amp is my EL34 based unit. I may get some more made at some point but it depends how other projects go.
Next job is to get my speakers sitting level, they are like mini towers of Pisa at the moment.
Best and all that,
Dave.

[Rare Bird]

O right looks like a 'DD35' from a distance

[Firebottle]

PS painting the speakers the same colour as the room is a cunning way of incorporating much larger units than "she who must be obeyed" would normally allow.
Dave


Very good approach and nicely set up Dave, like it:)

:cool: Alan

[Andrei]

Mightily relieved to hear the speakers are really red. (We all know red speakers sound better than pink ones)
I really like they way you have ergonomically arranged the components

[Richiebuoy]

Very nice indeed, especially the centre sub with the upward fireing port ......very nice :)

[greenhomeelectronics]

It's not a bad sub but it does sound a bit crackly at times and gets very hot in operation.

[Kanders1]

Hi Dave,
I have just picked one of the Apache Amps. But I have no information supplied with it, Do you have any info for it ? or know where I can find some. Not much info on these out there. Its in absolutely mint condition and sounds very good.

Thanks in advance
Karl

[rigger67]

Love that fire surround - three very nice pieces of wood, there :eyebrows:

[Mala]

Nice camo on the speakers :D One of the most original listening spaces I've seen indeed!