Naughty Nigel
05-03-2014, 20:21
I have been fascinated by electronics and HiFi since I was at school, which is longer ago than I care to remember!
I used to repair radio and television sets during school holidays to make pocket money, and also worked in a retail emporium (Shee's of Woking) one summer, which was an interesting experience.
I actively considered going into the audio business for a while, and studied electronics as a second subject at Uni, but industrial chemistry was more my thing. That was probably just as well given the way that the industry has gone, and that I don't speak Mandarin.
One holiday project whilst at Uni was to build a pair of concrete lined loudspeakers, such was my determination to eliminate any kind of cabinet colouration. These were driven by the ubiquitous (at the time) EMI 13" x 8" drive units, which produced a very satisfying bass, and a wonderfully uncoloured sound; although moving them was a challenge!
I should add that I was lucky to attend choir school until the age of 13, and still sing regularly today, so I know what live choral and organ music really sounds like. My son is currently studying Organ Performance at conservatoire, so all of our HiFi equipment must be fully organ proof!
More importantly, it is essential to us that any sound system can adequately reproduce the sound and feel of a pipe organ, which is technically quite demanding. To put this into figures, Bottom C on a 32' stop (known as CCCC because it is three octaves below piano pitch) has a fundamental frequency of just 16 Hz, which you feel rather than hear. There are a few organs (Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, the Royal Albert Hall in London, Hull City Hall and Sydney Town Hall to name four) which have 64' stops, where the fundamental frequency of CCCCC is just 8 HZ!
However, to reproduce these frequencies with any realism the bass there is must be tightly controlled and not flabby.
So what equipment do we use?
The main system in the lounge is based on a pair of Quad II power amplifiers (surprise surprise), which I have owned for around forty years, and which other than changing valves have never needed any attention at all.
The Quads are driven by a Quad 44 Pre-Amp, a Quad FM4 tuner, a Philips CD960 CD player and Philips a GA 212 'Electronic' turntable fitted with a Linn K9 cartridge. Loudspeakers are Celestion DL8 II's.
I should add that I stripped the original PVC veneer from the DL8's and replaced it with genuine mahogany, which I varnished to a piano-like finish. I also modified the cabinets slightly to reduce colouration to negligible levels.
However, I have recently set up a second system in my study, as I enjoy listening to music when working. This started with a pair of computer loudspeakers, which I quickly bored with. I then looked at iPod docks, and seriously considered one of the valve driven units until I rationalised that I could buy a very good second-hand separates system for the same price. I have ended up with a second-hand Pioneer A-400 amplifier, a pair of Quad 11L loudspeakers, Pioneer PD104 and F208 CD Player and radio receivers; all second-hand from the Devil's own internet auction site.
This has given me a problem as the Pioneer A-400 and Quad 11L combination is absolutely stunning, with midrange that brings out detail and 3D imaging that I have never heard previously. Bass is also remarkably good given the diminutive size of the Quad loudspeakers. By comparison the DL8's now sound very woolly, although I have always found them a nice and transparent loudspeaker to listen to, especially paired with the Quad II's.
As it happens, I bought the DL8's after attending a HiFi show at Bristol many years ago. I listened to dozens of loudspeakers, but nothing matched up to the neutrality of my old concrete lined cabinets. Even the Quad ESL's were disappointing to my ears, and it was only when I visited the Celestion demo room that I finally found what I wanted to hear.
I do wonder whether the DL8's crossover capacitors need to be replaced, as they are at least 25 years old now? Or is it just a case that the Quad 11 L's are so good in the mid-range that nothing else comes close?
I am also tempted to try some newer drive units, as I doubt that the original 8" woofers can match the mid-range of modern Kevlar reinforced drivers.
One difficulty tat I have is that most HiFi emporia tend to turn their noses up at names such as Philips, Pioneer and even Celestion, but I have no qualms about using them.
I would be loathe to part with he Celestions as I have had them for a very long time, and have spent a lot of time improving them; cosmetically at least. A pair of Quad 22L's seems very attractive right now, but I would far rather persevere with the Celestions if I can; not least because it would be difficult to sneak a new pair of floor-standers past Management into the Parlour! :)
Regards,
Nigel.
I used to repair radio and television sets during school holidays to make pocket money, and also worked in a retail emporium (Shee's of Woking) one summer, which was an interesting experience.
I actively considered going into the audio business for a while, and studied electronics as a second subject at Uni, but industrial chemistry was more my thing. That was probably just as well given the way that the industry has gone, and that I don't speak Mandarin.
One holiday project whilst at Uni was to build a pair of concrete lined loudspeakers, such was my determination to eliminate any kind of cabinet colouration. These were driven by the ubiquitous (at the time) EMI 13" x 8" drive units, which produced a very satisfying bass, and a wonderfully uncoloured sound; although moving them was a challenge!
I should add that I was lucky to attend choir school until the age of 13, and still sing regularly today, so I know what live choral and organ music really sounds like. My son is currently studying Organ Performance at conservatoire, so all of our HiFi equipment must be fully organ proof!
More importantly, it is essential to us that any sound system can adequately reproduce the sound and feel of a pipe organ, which is technically quite demanding. To put this into figures, Bottom C on a 32' stop (known as CCCC because it is three octaves below piano pitch) has a fundamental frequency of just 16 Hz, which you feel rather than hear. There are a few organs (Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, the Royal Albert Hall in London, Hull City Hall and Sydney Town Hall to name four) which have 64' stops, where the fundamental frequency of CCCCC is just 8 HZ!
However, to reproduce these frequencies with any realism the bass there is must be tightly controlled and not flabby.
So what equipment do we use?
The main system in the lounge is based on a pair of Quad II power amplifiers (surprise surprise), which I have owned for around forty years, and which other than changing valves have never needed any attention at all.
The Quads are driven by a Quad 44 Pre-Amp, a Quad FM4 tuner, a Philips CD960 CD player and Philips a GA 212 'Electronic' turntable fitted with a Linn K9 cartridge. Loudspeakers are Celestion DL8 II's.
I should add that I stripped the original PVC veneer from the DL8's and replaced it with genuine mahogany, which I varnished to a piano-like finish. I also modified the cabinets slightly to reduce colouration to negligible levels.
However, I have recently set up a second system in my study, as I enjoy listening to music when working. This started with a pair of computer loudspeakers, which I quickly bored with. I then looked at iPod docks, and seriously considered one of the valve driven units until I rationalised that I could buy a very good second-hand separates system for the same price. I have ended up with a second-hand Pioneer A-400 amplifier, a pair of Quad 11L loudspeakers, Pioneer PD104 and F208 CD Player and radio receivers; all second-hand from the Devil's own internet auction site.
This has given me a problem as the Pioneer A-400 and Quad 11L combination is absolutely stunning, with midrange that brings out detail and 3D imaging that I have never heard previously. Bass is also remarkably good given the diminutive size of the Quad loudspeakers. By comparison the DL8's now sound very woolly, although I have always found them a nice and transparent loudspeaker to listen to, especially paired with the Quad II's.
As it happens, I bought the DL8's after attending a HiFi show at Bristol many years ago. I listened to dozens of loudspeakers, but nothing matched up to the neutrality of my old concrete lined cabinets. Even the Quad ESL's were disappointing to my ears, and it was only when I visited the Celestion demo room that I finally found what I wanted to hear.
I do wonder whether the DL8's crossover capacitors need to be replaced, as they are at least 25 years old now? Or is it just a case that the Quad 11 L's are so good in the mid-range that nothing else comes close?
I am also tempted to try some newer drive units, as I doubt that the original 8" woofers can match the mid-range of modern Kevlar reinforced drivers.
One difficulty tat I have is that most HiFi emporia tend to turn their noses up at names such as Philips, Pioneer and even Celestion, but I have no qualms about using them.
I would be loathe to part with he Celestions as I have had them for a very long time, and have spent a lot of time improving them; cosmetically at least. A pair of Quad 22L's seems very attractive right now, but I would far rather persevere with the Celestions if I can; not least because it would be difficult to sneak a new pair of floor-standers past Management into the Parlour! :)
Regards,
Nigel.