K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the 70’s.

[DarrenHW]

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5509_zps28mcagx8.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5509_zps28mcagx8.jpg.html)

I joined AoS back in October 2013, I’d just bought an SL1200 with the view to modifying it, little did I realise then I’d spend the next 2 years trying to put a system together. It’s taken some time but I feel now that I have built up a collection of boxes that I’m happy to call my first HiFi. This has taken me so long primarily as I don’t have a huge amount of free time for HiFi but also because most of my equipment is vintage so I’ve had to wait for stuff to come up for sale at the right price. With the exception of the Oppo and the Nakamichi everything’s awaiting further servicing or modding so I thought I’d start a blog to document the (hopeful) evolution.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5516_zpst79or0pf.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5516_zpst79or0pf.jpg.html)

Starting at the top a 1966 Garrard 401 http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?33153-Help!-I-ve-just-bought-a-Garrard-401!&highlight=garrard .

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5526_zpsjvnpsoqa.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5526_zpsjvnpsoqa.jpg.html)

I’ve spent maybe £100 servicing it and £35 on the CTC Thrust base http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-401-Stainless-Thrust-base-for-Garrard-401-Transcription-Turntable-/271921705773?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f4fcbf32d. I also tried the XTC Thrust bearing but ultimately preferred the CTC, I felt both were quieter than the stock thrust pad but the XTC maybe had too little drag, the CTC I think sounds more like the original thrust pad with the advantage of reduced noise and less oil leakage. Jobs for the future include having the idler dressed and reinstalled with a new bearing, rewiring, having a second bearing serviced, possibly repainting and eventually sticking the face plate back down!

The arm is a Hadcock GH228 http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?37334-Hadcock-Arm-Mods&highlight=garrard. I’ve replaced the arm tube with a Stainless Steel tube (~£5) to bring it to 242 spec. It currently has either a Shure M95HE or AT440MLa installed but I’m looking for a replacement cartridge at the moment. Depending on the choice of cartridge I can change the arm tube with relative ease to match the mass of the arm with the cartridge.

The plinth is still a work in process, the top plinth is a SlateDeck, the lower plinth is a piece of 40mm Italian slate I had cut to size and the feet came from Vic at TransFi http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HIGH-QUALITY-TURNTABLE-FEET-ISOLATION-SPIKES-SHOES-/181674420365?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a4ca3a88d. It sits on a Target wall shelf with Soundcare Superspikes under an off cut of Oak block board. I think I need to decouple the TT from the shelf as the shelf is pretty well coupled to the wall and any vibration through the wall is transferred through the stylus. I’ve not heard another Garrard so I have nothing to compare the slate plinth to but I really like what slate does especially when used with timber. Jobs for the future include, finalising the arm board material / design, having a new 40mm top plinth cut and decoupling from the wall shelf.

Next up the Croft PreAmp with Phono.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5500_zps3gehqqb8.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5500_zps3gehqqb8.jpg.html)

This is a recent arrival and I still need to find out whether it’s a Micro 2 or a Super Micro 2. Either way its a Croft, its utilitarian, has valves in it and I love it, it was the missing link in my analogue chain and it was only when I plugged this in I thought everything in my system clicked.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5495_zpsnpmnxy63.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5495_zpsnpmnxy63.jpg.html)

I don’t know what the future holds for the Croft whether it’s worth servicing / modding or whether money would be better spent on a new unit, either way for now I’m just enjoying it.

Quad 405 Mono-Blocks http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?34047-Quad-405-servicing-modding-advice . I think for the price a Quad 405 can be bought for they’re an excellent bargain, servicing cost was approximately £80 per amp with the majority of that cost being supply caps and speaker protection. I only have one board installed per enclosure and will endeavor to modify the other boards to DCD 3 in the coming months (first attempt was a failure), try them with bridged with 2 boards and continue to search for another with a bronze heat sink.

Oppo 105D. This is a jack of all trades and despite being the most expensive item in the rack, I do consider it to be quite a bargain. Being a single unit it negates the need for many expensive wires, an MS Klotz interconnect per amplified channel, 1 x Audioquest Pearl HDMI (for Sky), 1 x cheap HDMI (to TV) and a network cable is all that I have connected.

From a HiFi perpective it’s a CD/SACD/HDCD/DVD-A/BD-A/FBA player, it has twin Sabre DAC’s, one 7 channel (which feed the Nakamichi) and one 2 channel which line out to the Croft. I use it as a pre into the Nak for AV duties and was using it as a pre into the Quad’s until the Croft arrived. The Croft makes far nicer music than the Oppo, it would seem after Marco brought round his Tisbury the other day that maybe the digital volume control lets the Oppo down.

From an AV perspective it’s a competent processor. I run Sky through it and this means I can use the internal DAC for audio and apply Darbee Visual Presence to the picture, this really does make a positive difference to Sky’s broadcast material and well worth the trade off for the occasional artefact. For BD’s I think it’s amazing as I said earlier the pre amp could be bettered but at this stage I’m happy with it as a pre amp for the Nakamichi.

Nakamichi AVP-1. If the Oppo’s “quite a bargain” then this was the sale of the century. For £400 I have absolutely no complaints with this amp. I had hoped this would replace the Quads to make a more streamlined system but ultimately I prefer the sound of the Quads for music so it will be staying in its AV role. I feel its strengths lend themselves more to AV than music, it’s quite neutral and transparent with a good dose of power but for me lacks the warmth of the Quads.

Celestion Ditton 44’s. I bought these after hearing Marco’s 66’s, I love what the 66’s do but I was looking for a more wallet friendly alternative and along came a pair of 44’s. I’ve put ~£100 into them, replacing the HF2000’s with SEAS 19TFF1’s, rewiring, recapping and lightly modifying the crossover. At one stage I had a pair of 44’s for front and a pair for rear speakers, I crossed them over to the sub at 40Hz and loved what they did with films. I think they make excellent AV speakers and would quite happily have them all the way round but unfortunately due to a room move around that’s no longer possible and so the quest for speakers continues.

Mains. A visit from Marco involving mains cables and cable management convinced me there would be benefits to installing a dedicated ring main. I’m in rented accommodation so limited to what I could do, my chosen solution was to install a dedicated 4mm ring main. I went with 4mm as it was the largest I could back feed into the consumer unit and went for a ring due to the fact that I couldn’t use larger cable.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5487_zps4xpiqufq.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5487_zps4xpiqufq.jpg.html)

Behind the rack I have this bank of MK un-switched sockets, many more sockets than I need but I wanted the redundancy as at the time I installed this boxes were going in an out on an almost weekly basis. Once everything is finalised I’ll remove all but two of the redundant sockets. I’m sure there are better solutions but all in this cost me ~£100 and I’d say it’s probably the best ~£100 I’ve spent on the system as a whole.

Bias Lighting, is provided by a 6500K LED strip light costing ~£10 (delivered) from eBay (this was a nightmare to photograph and is not really reflective of how it looks in real life).

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5537_zpswt4zi5nu.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5537_zpswt4zi5nu.jpg.html)

To achieve the right level of luminescence I used insulation tape to cover LED’s until I had the right balance. No it may not be as close as possible to CIE D65, nor is it particularly user friendly to adjust the brightness but at ~£10 it’s VFM is hard to beat.

Why “K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the 70’s”?
K-Billy is the DJ in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dog’s played by Steven Wright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6f4ZXQCNVE
I thought this was an appropriate title as my system is a combination of brand new AV and HiFi from the 70’s (admittedly my 401 was born in 1966 but they were still in production in the 70’s) and thought referencing this would show a link between music and movies. I’m a big fan of Tarantino soundtracks, growing up in rural Mid Wales in the 90’s didn’t provide the easiest gateway to new (to me) music. Tarantino’s soundtracks introduced me to a number of artists I would otherwise not have heard and possibly shaped my music taste for the future.

[Spectral Morn]

Very nice



Regards Neil

[struth]

all looking superb Darren. those lightings for the telly are great.

[Zoidburg]

lovely looking set up you have there mate.

[DarrenHW]

Thanks gents.


... those lightings for the telly are great.

Yes they are, I'm very happy with the improvement in image quality / depth for such a small outlay, what are you using?

[struth]

ive only got a small monitor in my system now. Ive seen Gazjams setup which i think he got from the states.(not sure) it is awesome a!d really brings up the defination and he says reduces eye strain. I dont watch a lot of films now and dont even have it running through the sound system these days. just didnt have room for a big screen . the system already thakes up the whole wall:doh:

[DarrenHW]

Garry's thread was the catalyst for my bias lighting, I have no doubt the CinemaQuest lighting is better than the strip light I'm using and may investigate when I change the TV.

[RichB]

Very nice and well considered system...
Looks tidy too!

[DarrenHW]

Cheers Rich.

[Barry]

A nice and neat set up. :)

One thing though, were it mine I would locate your Quad 405 'monoblocks' directly behind each speaker. That way you can minimise the length of the speaker cable. I would also modify the input to the 405s so they can use a balanced-line feed from the preamp (assuming your pre has a balanced line output).

[DarrenHW]

A nice and neat set up. :)

Thank you.



One thing though, were it mine I would locate your Quad 405 'monoblocks' directly behind each speaker. That way you can minimise the length of the speaker cable.

I had thought about this but was concerned this would be too long a run as the interconnect would be 7m long, however....


I would also modify the input to the 405s so they can use a balanced-line feed from the preamp (assuming your pre has a balanced line output).

if it (Croft) did I'd be more inclined to try it but unfortunately is doesn't, the Oppo does but I don't use it with Quads. With respect if it did I'd be more inclined to try a couple of your summer amps instead.

[Marco]

Excellent pics, matey, and glad that it's all starting to come together. As usual, the sesh we had on Friday was educational in its own little way, and beneficial to you in terms of fine-tuning the system. It's amazing what difference another two inches makes! :eyebrows:

Good luck with the OB project! :cool:

Marco.

P.S You have a PM.

[DarrenHW]

You know it's primarily thanks to you things sound the way they do, was going to give you a dedication in the OP but thought it maybe a little too sycophantic :spew:.

[Marco]

Lol... On AoS, bro, we're all here to help each other - and besides - I really enjoy the experience, especially when I see the big grin on your (and Luke's) chops afterwards! :D

Marco.

[Jimbo]

Really great system Darren with many components I would be very happy to own myself. Indeed I used to have Quad 405 amp and the original croft micro before moving onto his more advance beasts! Also had a Garrard but it was the 301.

So nice all this old stuff still does the biz.

Thanks for the pics and sharing your system with us.

Only change I would make would be to get Glenn to service and upgrade the Supermicro and try a pair of Spendor SP1 on the end.:)

[The Black Adder]

Very, very groovy system, Darren.

Love it... one of the nicest systems I've seen in ages. Well thought out, great components. Well done!

Now... you need a shag pile rug and a rocket lamp. :)

[Andrei]

Nice one Darren. I always imagined that K-Billy would look like Donald Sutherland's Oddball.

[DarrenHW]

Really great system Darren with many components I would be very happy to own myself. Indeed I used to have Quad 405 amp and the original croft micro before moving onto his more advance beasts! Also had a Garrard but it was the 301.

So nice all this old stuff still does the biz.

Thanks for the pics and sharing your system with us.

Only change I would make would be to get Glenn to service and upgrade the Supermicro and try a pair of Spendor SP1 on the end.:)

Thanks James, I take it you found the Micro 25 a step up from the Micro? At this stage I don't know whether to upgrade the Micro, swap it for a 25 or go for something with big valves? Marco will be bringing his Charisma (which I covet) round at some point, I've heard it against little valves and always thought the Charisma came out on top.


Very, very groovy system, Darren.

Love it... one of the nicest systems I've seen in ages. Well thought out, great components. Well done!

Now... you need a shag pile rug and a rocket lamp. :)

Thanks Joe, I'm always on the look out for a vintage lava lamp. I did have a Fat Lava lamp in there a couple of years ago but swapped it for the Angelpoise. I do still have a penchant for West German pottery :sofa:.


Nice one Darren. I always imagined that K-Billy would look like Donald Sutherland's Oddball.

Lol! After seeing SW (on TV) I can't imagine anyone else now, I think he looks and acts exactly like he sounds. Further to the conversation we had (probably coming on for 12 months ago) about the Oppo your concerns over the digital volume control were correct, I'm still happy with it but I'm going to struggle not to look at AV pre / processors now :doh:.

[Jimbo]

Thanks James, I take it you found the Micro 25 a step up from the Micro? At this stage I don't know whether to upgrade the Micro, swap it for a 25 or go for something with big valves? Marco will be bringing his Carisma (which I covet) round at some point, I've heard it against little valves and always thought the Carisma came out on top.



Thanks Joe, I'm always on the look out for a vintage lava lamp. I did have a Fat Lava lamp in there a couple of years ago but swapped it for the Angelpoise. I do still have a penchant for West German pottery :sofa:.



Lol! After seeing SW (on TV) I can't imagine anyone else now, I think he looks and acts exactly like he sounds. Further to the conversation we had (probably coming on for 12 months ago) about the Oppo your concerns over the digital volume control were correct, I'm still happy with it but I'm going to struggle not to look at AV pre / processors now :doh:.

Hi Darren,

my recommendation if you are thinking of replacing the Croft micro would be to listen to a Firebottle KIN, although I am sure the Charisma X is also a good way to go.

[DarrenHW]

Thanks James, I borrowed the loaner FB and was very impressed by it but found the presentation a little to far forward for my taste, in my system. I think the 401 and 405 are quite forward in their sound and with the FB this was not the sound I was looking for. From what I'd heard of Crofts they had a deeper presentation which I preferred so I bought the Micro 2 as a cheap way to get a feel for the Croft sound in my system. I do prefer the presentation of the Micro 2 but can hear where it was bettered by the FB. I did consider a FB with a passive as I think this would offer a great VFM solution.

[DarrenHW]

Changes to the system lately have concentrated on placement and wiring.

The power and data cables for the TV have been routed through the roof space and tidied up with conduit. The power cable is a DIY effort constructed with 2 x 1.5mm CY cable (shield connected at plug only), MK ToughPlug, Silver plated figure 8, all cleaned and treated with DeOxit. The HDMI cable is an 8m AudioQuest Pearl, which was a significant improvement over the cheap 5m HDMI cable I had temporarily hooked the TV up with. I also have the TV plugged in through a mains filter which provides a significant improvement, mains filtering is something I will be looking into in the future.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5699_zpstfxycufr.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5699_zpstfxycufr.jpg.html)

As the advice I received on OB's was that what I was trying to achieve would be unlikely to work in the room I have turned my attention back to the Celestions. I have moved the 44's further apart and closer to the rear wall which in itself made the speakers integrate better into the room, however changing the stands has been a revelation. I was using Atacama SL400i stands 2/3 filled with kiln dried sand but having picked up a few pairs of stands over the last few months I gave them all a go to see what difference, if any they would make. I've settled on a pair of "Foundation" branded stands, they're 600mm and constructed from thick walled box section. The difference from lifting the 44's 200mm took me very much by surprise, the sound from the speakers is far less in your face and the integration is so much better resulting in a better centre image and a bigger soundstage. There has been a huge improvement in the bass (which I put down to the construction of the stands?), it is far less bloated, has a lot more detail and subsequently allowed me to move the speakers closer to the rear wall and further utilise the reinforcement. As testament to my ignorance I really didn't expect stands to make such a big difference, to think I've been tripping over these stands for the last couple of months :doh:.

I now have a pair of Beovox 5700's in place as surround speakers. These use the Celestion MD500 and HF2000 drivers with a Phillips 10" bass and ABR and are suitable for horizontal mounting (stock image, mine are nowhere near as pretty):

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/5700L_zpscbrlwh2g.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/5700L_zpscbrlwh2g.jpg.html)

I plan on bastardising these, removing the MD500 and swapping it for the D5 mid range in the 44's and replacing the HF2000's with SEAS 19TFF1, then they will be mounted horizontally either on the wall above the door way or ceiling mounted, I'm waiting on new inductors to arrive then I can begin work on this. The 5700 along with the rear mounted Ditton 11's integrate very well and the 5700 go down to ~50Hz which is where I cross them over to the sub. Talking about the sub, it is now behind the seating:

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5701_zpsjzskugdy.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5701_zpsjzskugdy.jpg.html)

To do this I knocked up a 20m lead made from Van Damme XKE, this has worked very well. There is far less room interaction in the bass, the room is now less "flooded" with bass which actually helps the surround illusion, more lower volume detail can be heard from the other speakers which really improves the sound stage. Lower frequencies also have far more impact and are more felt than heard. The downside, is that at times it is obvious that the sub's behind you. This only happens occasionally when watching a film but is far more detectable when listening to 2 channel music. I no longer use the sub when listening to music so this is a compromise I'm happy to make.

Things are moving forward, just slowly. Once I have the new cross over components I'll be able to work on and mount the 5700's which will mean I'll be able to redecorate and put the rest of the furniture back in the lounge.

[karma67]

looking good darren!
interesting re the ditton height,most people have advised the lower height,i almost gave up on mine and started using the klh 23's again.
in a last ditch attempt to postion them i now have them firing down the longside of my room and for starters have them 1570mm apart and 260 off the back wall (to back of cabinet). they sound much better in this postion. height wise they are 320 off the floor,always game to play i might knock up some stands at work to try your height out. :)

[DarrenHW]

Cheers J :).

Definitely worth trying them higher if you can, lower might even have benefits, I would try it but I don't have any shorter stands. I'm astounded at the difference it's made, although I guess this will be relative to seating position.

My room is pretty much square ~ 5m x 5m. I have them 2320mm apart, 185mm from rear wall (the closest I have had them, any closer and I hear the reflection) and sit ~4000mm (on the diagonal) away, with my ears ~1000mm off the floor, although ear height is subject to change :D.

I'm sorry to read your struggling to house the 44's (although for all I know the KLH23's may just be better speakers, I've never heard a pair) well worth persevering IMHO, for me changing the stands is like having a new pair of better 44's.

What type of construction will you use for the stands?

[karma67]

well the klh 23 have a much better bass,they loose out in the hf,i just like the dittons better in that area (more detailed) which makes me want to keep on going with them,im happy with them at the moment though .
re the stands i have a really cool idea up my sleeve,i fancy making up a pyramid in steel plate with a 6 or 8mm top plate welded to the point,the idea being that when the speakers are sat on them you wont see the plate giving the impression they are balanced on the point.
to try them initially height wise i was thinking of something simple like these.

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj548/jamiecreig123/20151019_183438_zpsgym738le.jpg

ive sold the other pair of earlier 44's and recapped the other pair,ive left the mid and hf caps and just done the bass,they sound rather nice,just gotta do the internal wires.

[DarrenHW]

Better bass than the 44's :eek: I like your idea for stands, I'd like to try something completely solid next, slate is an interesting prospect.

Why haven't you recapped the HF/Mid? When you rewire it's worth considering mounting all the components onto a new board to allow for better placement of the inductors. I did this when I installed the SEAS and the result of this was improved transparency and detail, doesn't need to be anything special, I used a sheet of perspex but you could use hard board or anything similar you have knocking about, I think I have a photo of the prototype I'll see if I can find it.

[karma67]

yes the klh 23's are famous for their bass,the magnet is huge! geoff is a fan and put me on to them.
the reason i didnt replace the mid/hf caps was because they should be fine,have a look here for more detail. http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?40349-capacitor-type-identification
i have loads of perspex at work so i could try moving them,i think in the arrangement ken chose for his inductors would be fine.

[DarrenHW]

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj548/jamiecreig123/20150902_190131_zpszqfzk93j.jpg

The Mid (C5 & C7 (I think) 6.2uF & 24uF ) are electrolytic, if you've not replaced these PM me your address I have some new or burnt in LL Alcaps you can have FOC.

My prototype, caps used many times so scruffy as funk, based on Ken's layout (the inductor above the 27uF cap is now nearer the centre, I had it there as I wasn't sure how I was going to route the cables when I knocked this up):

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5438_zpswpz5jtse.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5438_zpswpz5jtse.jpg.html)

You'll notice the 27uF cap in the Mid this is my personal favorite value, I've tried 24uF - 30uF (with all the stops in between) and in my system, in my room this is the best result I've had, I'd recommend playing with this value if you can.

[karma67]

ah sorry i meant id changed all the electrolytics, its just the green caps i didnt change.

[DarrenHW]

Fair enough. I imagine there would be a fair amount of mileage in replacing your board, getting rid o that big plastic connector could only be a good thing (this is on my to do list for my brothers 15XR's which use a similar horrible connector) with the benefit of better inductor spacing.

The new inductors are now showing ready to ship so hopefully in the next few days I'll have everything I need to swap the 44 D5 for the 66 MD500, hopefully this will be a worthwhile venture.

[karma67]

i got itchy feet today and ordered the lot for the rewire and the hf cap replacement on mine,im gonna try kens mix of electrolytics/ with a dash of pp's for the 24uf mid
will keep you posted :)

[DarrenHW]

Cool, personally I don't like Alcaps in the Mid so imagine that will be a significant improvement, what are you rewiring with? Look forward to your thoughts.

My new inductors are in the country and will hopefully be delivered today :).

[DarrenHW]

Some changes over the past few weeks, nothing revolutionary but things are moving forward.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5793_zpsveuembut.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5793_zpsveuembut.jpg.html)

I'm getting closer to some semblance of normality in the lounge since the move around. I tried sitting the sub on a concrete slab and was very impressed with the improvement, it's still located behind the seating and sitting it on the slab has really helped it (audibly if not visually) disappear into the room. Encouraged by this when I pulled the rack out to convert the HiFi ring main into a radial (another step forward) I dropped in two slabs for the racks to sit on. Whilst not as much of an improvement as the sub it was a step forward, noticeably cleaning up the sound with the bonus that it makes the racks easier to level and (whilst I appreciate it won't appeal to everyone) I like the look.

Moving the smaller Ikea shelving next to the larger unit has freed up the top shelf and now provides a platform for a tape deck, I have a piece of slate salvaged from an old hearth which I'll have cut to size and will sit on top of the larger unit. The tape deck on top of the larger cabinet is one of the new arrivals, a Nakamichi DR-3 which is ready to do battle with the Technics RS-AZ7.

On the subject of new arrivals I've been debating cartridge choice for the last few months, I'm pretty much sold on the Hadcock and as I have a number of DIY arm tubes of various weights I can accommodate just about any cartridge. The AT440MLa was the first cartridge I ever bought and I was very happy with it, I then tried a Shure M95HE and preferred it's more vintage sound to the detailed but soulless presentation of the Audio Technica. I then picked up a Shure V15 III, which I enjoyed but it still didn't really take the sound where I wanted it to. I did consider moving up the Audio Technica food chain or trying a Nagaoka, then I bought a second hand DL-103 and my decision was made. Unfortunately a couple of hours after installing the DL-103 the suspension failed. It's taken me a couple of months to let this go but the 103 and the DIY heavy weight Hadcock were such a great match, I thought it worth the risk and eventually gained the confidence to order a brand new balanced output 103R. I have this hooked up to the Croft via the Nick G modified Lentek I bought from Marco, I'm still in the process of breaking it in, 10 hours so far and no collapsed suspension, hopefully I can make this one last a bit longer!

After trying a number of speakers as surrounds for the Home Cinema I've decided on the Celestion UL8's and have them fitted to completely non-audiophile CRT TV brackets.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5789_zpspwc98kor.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5789_zpspwc98kor.jpg.html)

The UL8's work best in the space I have available and are quite happy being close to the walls and ceiling. They integrate very well with the Ditton 11's I have as rear speakers, I'm in the process of finding a replacement modern tweeter for the UL8's and once chosen I'll recap them with the same caps as the front speakers. The front speakers are still a work in progress but with the end in sight. I've recently replaced the stock 44 mid range D5 driver with the MD500 as used in the Ditton 66, this has been another significant improvement and has convinced me to find a pair of ABR's and build a pair of Ditton 66 clones. I'm still experimenting with the crossover, the last time I took a photo of them they looked like this:

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5728_zps9fbugpue.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5728_zps9fbugpue.jpg.html)

I then completely recapped the tweeter section with Clarity Caps and changed the Cross Caps in the mid range for Mundorf ECaps with a Clarity Cap bypass capacitor. This sounded far more natural with better tone than the Cross Caps and no noticeable loss of detail, I'm currently burning in some Ansar Supersounds as per Ken's recommendation and look forward to putting the Ansars and Clarity Caps head to head. Externalising the crossover resulted in a cleaner sound and makes swapping capacitors much easier, I'll be incorporating an external cross over into the 66 clones.

The only other change of note has been to the power feed. As mentioned earlier I have converted the ring main to a radial circuit, this resulted in an audibly cleaner supply. I have also changed the mains filter, still shopping at the bottom end of the market I picked up a Belkin Pure AV Isolator for the TV and Sky HD:

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/Belkin_zpsvmqfzvwf.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/Belkin_zpsvmqfzvwf.jpg.html)

This contains 3 different types of filter and the differences in each filter are easy to see. This again is an improvement over the last mains filter I was using and for £22.76 delivered it's worth every penny.

Now I'm just waiting for everything to burn in. Once the speaker caps have settled in I'll make a decision and recap the LF section of the 44's and hopefully pick up some ABR's so I can start work on some Ditton 66 clone cabinets. If the 103R makes it through the break in before I destroy it I'll have some sort of idea whether the decision to go for the 103R over the stock 103 was worth it, although this will be based on my memory of the couple of hours I had a working 103 for so not the most accurate basis for comparison. Other than that I will continue my search for a Series 5 Quad power amp, it's frustrating these are so difficult to come by, I'd really like to get some work done on the Croft but I don't want to commit to this until I've made my amplifier choice, the search continues....

[Puffin]

The first thing I would have done is clear all the rubbish out of that room. What a bloody mess:eek::lol:

What a nice neat set up. I bet it sounds as good as it looks. I have my own soundproofed man-cave which gets tidied about once a year. You ought to see it at the moment! Still it sounds as shit as normal......so I am happy:D

[DarrenHW]

:lol: Thanks Rob, the rooms only that clear as I've had a pretty big clear out recently, I didn't want to sell anything until I was convinced I was sticking with this configuration. Funny you should mention it as the only things left in the room that I'm not keeping are a pair of 4500a mid/bass drivers. I sold the 4500's to a friend, I sorted him out with a TT which lead to him wanting some speakers with a bit more impact than his MS bookshelves, the 4500's certainly fulfilled the brief! I've offered him the mid/bass and a spare tweeter with the recommendation he keep them in the loft in case anything happens but he's reluctant to have them take up space :mental:

[Gazjam]

Groovy room Darren, nice system mate.

I have one of those Belkin Pure AV Isolators and it works as well as the PF30 I used to have in my main system.

[DarrenHW]

Thanks Gaz, it's getting there.

I'm very pleased with the Belkin filter, significant improvement for less than the price of a budget HiFi power lead!

The bias lighting's just about done too. I picked up a dimmer for the LED strip lights (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291550621833?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) and I've used insulating tape to cover individual LED's to balance out the difference in light reflection caused by the TV being angled. Not as neat or as accurate as your CinemaQuest lighting but at about £10 I'm happy with the improvement so thanks for starting your D65 tread in the first place :thumbsup:.

[karma67]

i'd be interested to know what the LF section sounds like with mundorfs.i doubt i 'll be doing mine due to the arrival of 66's,it will be a shame to sell the 44's but needs must so if you know anyone who'd be interested let me know mate. :)

[jml3p]

Hi Darren
Just been drooling over your lovely set up. Your blog is great
I started looking at your cartridge for sale and then your list of stuff and then your inter connects, up until now I have never heard of Klotz, - very new to hifi. As you have them in your fab system, you must rate them. I am contemplating new inter connects between my amp and cd player. Just wondering if you could offer any advice please?
Hope you do not mind me contacting you
Kind regards
Jonathan

[DarrenHW]

i'd be interested to know what the LF section sounds like with mundorfs.i doubt i 'll be doing mine due to the arrival of 66's,it will be a shame to sell the 44's but needs must so if you know anyone who'd be interested let me know mate. :)

Sorry J, I'd missed your post, but looks like your 44's have found a new home now? I definitely want to try the Mundorfs in the LF but at the moment I'm playing with some Beovox 5700's so the Celestions are on hold, when are you picking up the 66's, would be good to meet up if we can arrange it?


Hi Darren
Just been drooling over your lovely set up. Your blog is great
I started looking at your cartridge for sale and then your list of stuff and then your inter connects, up until now I have never heard of Klotz, - very new to hifi. As you have them in your fab system, you must rate them. I am contemplating new inter connects between my amp and cd player. Just wondering if you could offer any advice please?
Hope you do not mind me contacting you
Kind regards
Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,

No I don't mind you contacting me at all, thanks for the kind words, I'm still pretty new to the world of HiFi too.

I'm pretty lucky as Marco (AoS Owner) lives down the road from me, he brought round a selection of interconnects (Belkin AV, Gotham, Van Damme etc...) in the same price bracket and the Klotz / MS Audio combination was the best by a long shot. Check out this link http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?33332-MS-Audio-Klotz-MC5000-interconnects-build-offer-for-all-AoS-members&highlight=Klotz+MC5000 for the AoS consensus.

Another option if your budget's tight would be to use Van Damme XKE (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391263316139?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=660546329596&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) with Neutrik plugs (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281760207424?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT). I use these in the Kitchen system and for a 20m run to the sub, not as good as the Klotz but hard to beat at the price.

[rikardo1979]

Mains. A visit from Marco involving mains cables and cable management convinced me there would be benefits to installing a dedicated ring main. I’m in rented accommodation so limited to what I could do, my chosen solution was to install a dedicated 4mm ring main. I went with 4mm as it was the largest I could back feed into the consumer unit and went for a ring due to the fact that I couldn’t use larger cable.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5487_zps4xpiqufq.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5487_zps4xpiqufq.jpg.html)



nice setup m8

And these sockets reminds me a job I was doing at work about 7-8 years ago :)
I was fitting few 2 gangs in security room for radio charging station. Just a few :D

http://snag.gy/iK6is.jpghttp://snag.gy/II2zW.jpg

[Gazjam]

Currently rewiring my balanced mains setup and I thought I'd had a hard day...until I saw that! :)

genuinely laughed out loud when I saw that!

[karma67]

hi darren,
sorry i missed your post as well lol,
im having the dittons picked up by courier,for £45 its a no brainer. i hope to have them this coming week :)

[DarrenHW]

nice setup m8

And these sockets reminds me a job I was doing at work about 7-8 years ago :)
I was fitting few 2 gangs in security room for radio charging station. Just a few :D


Thanks Richard :) Those sockets are insane!


hi darren,
sorry i missed your post as well lol,
im having the dittons picked up by courier,for £45 its a no brainer. i hope to have them this coming week :)

£45 not bad at all, I hope they have a safe journey. I imagine you're looking forward to receiving them, a pity you don't still have your 44's for comparison.

[DarrenHW]

Recently my time's been spent playing with the Beovox 5700, this is a B&O speaker using the HF2000, MD/F500 and a Phillips AD1056 / W8 10" woofer with ABR. B&O used a different crossover frequency to Celestion, the 66's cross at 500/5000, the 5700's 600/6000. As stereo speakers I far prefer the 66 crossover and T1600, but the 5700 crossover does reduce the resonance issues apparent with the 66 crossover. The resonance is still there but is less obvious in vocals, so although I prefer the 66 crossover for music the 5700 is more appropriate as a centre speaker. This is a result I'm very happy with as the baffle design of the 5700 make it a prime candidate as a centre.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/IMG_5902_zpsabbihk70.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/IMG_5902_zpsabbihk70.jpg.html)

It's still early days for the 5700, so far I've recapped them with Mundorfs and changed the stuffing for the foam stuffing used by Celestion. I think there's plenty of potential to improve the inductor layout of the crossover;

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u606/drtwas/crossover-bang-olufsen-beovox-5700%201_zpspqumkaxl.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/drtwas/media/crossover-bang-olufsen-beovox-5700%201_zpspqumkaxl.jpg.html)

I'll also replace the HF2000 with the SEAS 19TFF. Once this is done I'll suspend the 5700 above the TV as being between the front speakers and in front of the fire place is a compromised location to say the least.

I've also been playing with the UL8's replacing the HF1000 with the SEAS 27TFF tweeter, they're getting pretty close now, just fine tuning the mix of poly props, electrolytic's and brands.

As for the 44's I think I'm done. The D5 mid's have been replaced with MD500's but I've decided not to build 66 clones to incorporate the ABR's. Instead I'll add a sealed sub, I've recently demo'd a REL Serie S5 which (in my room) took the bass to a level the 66's can't reach so for me this seems the better option.

Everything's coming together nicely, I watched American Sniper last night (a far better film than I was expecting) which was the first time I'd sat down and watched a film with all the new capacitors fully burnt in. I'm very happy to have a centre speaker back in formation and happy with the way all speakers are integrating, I still believe improvements can be made by fine tuning the capacitor choices and speaker placement but I feel like I'm on the home straight now.

[madders]

Hi Darren,

How are the Celestion Ditton 11s as rear speakers? How do they compare to the UL8s? I have a 5.1 system, so no surrounds, but thinking about using either 11s or UL6s for the rear.

Thanks,
Michael