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Marc B
28-10-2009, 12:43
Started with the usual Aiwa, Marantz, Pioneer stuff and then quickly moved on to a complete MF Elektra system.

Then I won a Hifi choice comp in about 1994, and won an Arcam Alpha System - which I kept for years and years and years. Until I decided to get into writing music.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7731/n78732022552822878884.jpg

I got bored of writing stuff after a few years and just wanted to sit back and relax listening to music. I sold up and bought a Dussun V8i, Esound E5, Michell Syncro and TDL Studio 0.75m

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/4772/dsc00156sn5.jpg

After an unfortunate acciedent of my speakers (which involved sending 250 watts of feedback from my turntable and firing the bass cones out of them) I moved on to a pair of Monitor Audio GR20s

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7654/hifi.jpg

Then I got really bored of Hifi and wanted to write music again.. so I sold up the lot and bought ....

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7211/studiosidezk3.jpg

After realising that I couldn't afford £10k mixing desks , £3k compressors and didn't have the time to sit and actually write anything I sold that up (while taking a huge loss again)

Next was something I rushed buying, I was impatient and bought based on pure looks. It sounded quite nice to be honest but the speakers never give me enough bottom welly.

Primare I30, CD21 with Quad 22L2 speakers.

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/350/p6120002.jpg

The urge to get better speakers took hold, after 4 months I moved on to the Dali Helicon 400s which I love :)

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1440/p9220001.jpg

But, the Dalis drove my poor I30 amp to temps which I thought where a bit high.. so out went the Primare amp and CD and in came back another Dussun V8i and a MHDT Havana DAC - which sounded wonderful but a bit too forward for me.

So I've just bought a Classe CA-201 which drives them great, along with a Modwright preamp which is about to be delivered tomorrow :)

pics to be added later.

To be continued..

[please note: ye olde faithfull rug has stood the test of time] :)

Alex_UK
28-10-2009, 13:28
Wow - you've either got a very understanding partner, or you must be single! ;)

Very impressive, thanks!

Marc B
28-10-2009, 13:37
ha ha , the divorce came through just before I bought the Dussun and Esound gear :)

it was the lack of scented candles in the room that gave it away wasn't it ?

Alex_UK
28-10-2009, 13:53
it was the lack of scented candles in the room that gave it away wasn't it ?

That was it!

BTW, if you get back into writing music you will be able to recreate most of what you had in software, I suspect. With a relatively cheap old laptop, I've got Propellerhead's Reason, a Digidesign M-Box, and an external M-Audio midi keyboard - and I've never even scratched the surface of what it can do.

Marc B
28-10-2009, 14:07
Each to their own, I couldn't get along with soft synths and I did try. I could just about mix in cubase to be honest and even then I was wanting a control surface.

My music writing is put on hold until i meet a nice rich old dear, in the final stages of a terminal illness to marry. Until then I'll just play air guitar :)

DSJR
28-10-2009, 14:09
Yeah, why not do both - have a good system and a software based composition setup, either feeding the HiFi, with care on uncompressed peaks, or some good but cheap desktop monitors - what were the Behringers like?

Marc B
28-10-2009, 14:16
Behringers were bad, not much detail and one blew an amp after a couple of months . I replaced them with JBL LSR28Ps (old solid metal type, not the new fangled things) which were much better.

I can't do both the hi fi and pro audio stuff. As I've said, I prefer hardware to softsynths and would eventually start longing for more upmarket equipment.

Some of us have a hifi/beer habbit which has already stretched funding to its limits, without having urges to try the next new synth/drumbox/compressor :)

Griffster
28-10-2009, 21:25
Mmmm TR909.... Yummy! Ooh, look! a TB303! I'd love one of those. Hope you didn't sell yours, they're worth a fortune.

It looks like you have lots of fun with your music and audio gear.

Marc B
28-10-2009, 21:48
I bought the 303 for £75 with a crack down the circuit board, cost £70 to fix.

I bought the 909 off ebay for £400 (he advertised with no picture). It was broke when it arrived and cost me £300 to get sorted.

And yes , I sold them along with everything else. You can only twiddle 303 knobs for so long before you get really bored of them.

I did a few faff about tracks with the stuff on the first pic (I also had a bit more gear not on picture).. if you fancy a listen they are stored on :

http://www.mp3.com.au/Player/artistPlayer.swf?ProfileId=238584

please remember though , this is 1996-1999 we're talking here, and they go in order of when I first started out to the more recent stuff when I got more gear.

have fun

aquapiranha
28-10-2009, 22:24
a man can travel any of lifes paths with a good rug.

Hi, I hope you enjoy your time here! I have has a quick listen, very good.

Now, where did I put my glowsticks??

Marc B
28-10-2009, 22:42
I spy your quadraphonic rotel receiver :-)

great fun , I had one when I was a nipper.

aquapiranha
28-10-2009, 22:47
Hi Marc. The Rotel has gone now.

funny, I was in Preston today. And the day before, and the day before that...

Joe
28-10-2009, 22:56
You mean Prenton, surely?

Marc B
28-10-2009, 22:59
funny, I was in Preston today. And the day before, and the day before that...

Strangely enough , so was I :)

but before I had the misfortune to move around here , I lived in Liverpool

aquapiranha
28-10-2009, 23:03
You mean Prenton, surely?


I used to live in Prenton!

Joe
28-10-2009, 23:05
[QUOTE=Joe;75861]You mean Prenton, surely?[/QUOTE


I used to live in Prenton!

I went to school there!

aquapiranha
28-10-2009, 23:10
[QUOTE=aquapiranha;75865]

I went to school there!

my Dad used to live on the holmlands, I was there for a bit while at college. Then Oxton and now Bromborough. I went to wirral Garammar. (that fact is not obvious from my poor grammar..)

Small world! and my brother went to uni in Bristol...

Joe
28-10-2009, 23:37
I was at St Anselms (The Slums, as we used to call it).

My elder daughter is at Bristol Uni; my younger one is at Liverpool. Small world, as you say!

kcc123
29-10-2009, 17:58
Hi Joe,
I live not to far away from you and my daughter is also at Bristol University as well, studying PHD in bio-chemistry.

aquapiranha
29-10-2009, 19:29
I didn't take the exam for anselms, but I suppose I could have after passing the 11 plus, I can't remember why I didn't now, may have been mum and dads decision.

Marc B
25-11-2009, 20:43
an update to keep this merry blog going..

Well my Modwright Preamp arrived broken but is now fully working. It had the power switch damaged in transit and needed a bit of TLC and new valves..

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4293/43521702.jpg

But then to my horror... I knocked a cup of tea inside my new Classé CA-201 power amp.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/4404/73796999.jpg

so now I need to get all sorts of repair quotes and letters from various places before the insurance will pay out. hopefully it will be sorted in the next couple of weeks.

It's blowing the internal right side rail fuses if anyone knows what that is ?

in the mean time it's all boxed and ready to go...

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/6738/86971521.jpg

So to keep me in music I did a trade for an Xbox 360 and games for one of these ...

Nice little hybrid amp. A Kora Explorer 90SI. It sounds quite good but doesn't seem to have the bottom end of a more beefy amp. I miss subsonic pulses :(

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/1439/93566294.jpg

to be continued....

Themis
25-11-2009, 21:18
I used to have a Kora with Mulidine Arpége speakers. It works marvelously well with speakers that don't go under 50Hz. ;)

Marc B
25-11-2009, 21:22
yeah I noticed.

I think my speakers are a too difficult load for it. It kinda coughs blood when I turn it up passed 3 o'clock. Choose the right music (ie not synthetic bass) and it sounds great. Though I'm just using it as a power amp at the mo via the HT direct inputs.

Themis
25-11-2009, 21:51
yeah I noticed.

I think my speakers are a too difficult load for it. It kinda coughs blood when I turn it up passed 3 o'clock. Choose the right music (ie not synthetic bass) and it sounds great. Though I'm just using it as a power amp at the mo via the HT direct inputs.
But as a whole, I love this amp. ;)

Marc B
25-11-2009, 22:00
ha ha come on , It'll be up for sale soon and when people search for info on it on google they'll come across your post and won't buy it :)

Themis
25-11-2009, 22:20
ha ha come on , It'll be up for sale soon and when people search for info on it on google they'll come across your post and won't buy it :)
:doh: Well, I don't know what to say...

Marc B
25-11-2009, 22:38
ha ha , I was only joking mate

Kris
03-12-2009, 23:30
I'm impressed Marc. We share similar tastes in equipment (although I'd have gone for the Pass Labs amp instead!). Dali is one of my favourite speaker brands.

As for spilling your tea over your amp, ouch, I bet you were gutted. Maybe place it somewhere more sheltered next time?

One question if I may, what you got in the 19' rack server box?

Marc B
06-12-2009, 17:49
Cheers

Luckily it's getting fixed for £180 by the local Audio T shop , fingers crossed it's done this week.

The 19" rack PC is left overs from when I had the synths etc. I had it custom made to use with Cubase 5 and a couple of TC Powercore PCI cards, but when I sold the pro audio gear I kept hold of it.

I wish it was a bit smaller but can't bring myself to trade a pretty powerful pc in for a mac mini or something.

oh yeah , and the Kora amp went up in some flames after 3 days :) whoops

St3v3
07-12-2009, 09:51
Haha. Oh dear. :doh: I've noticed a theme of 'accidents' running through this thread ;)

Marc B
07-12-2009, 13:49
I'm cursed.

If it is electric and can break , it will.

It's been like that all my life and I expect everything to die on me within a week , if it doesn't , it's a bonus :)

the large Tascam digital mixer on the first piccy got errr struck by lightening and it destroyed it, the TR909 and the Vermona DRM1 on the 4th piccy needed £hundreds worth of repairs to get them sorted.

I've decided never to buy used again after this , it tends to last longer.

Marc B
22-12-2009, 23:01
Nearly done...

at long last, my power amp returns all working and stuff !

It seems that everytime I post my hifi pics in this forum something blows up shortly afterwards. I guess I'm tempting fate here by doing this.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5350/007go.jpg

If anyone knows of another of these CA-201 amps for sale can you tell me as I want to mono block them.

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6167/011ae.jpg

and it's been snowing here too, it doesn't usually snow around this end much so this was a shock when I woke up and discovered this :)

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/789/004rwl.jpg

The hi fi should be completed around March. I've just had a Atacama Equinox rack delivered to my mothers which I'm collecting on boxing day , after that I'll possibly invest in a Squeezebox Touch and be done with it :)

Happy Xmas

aquapiranha
23-12-2009, 06:40
Looking good! I like the snow, I was in Preston yesterday, looked like you had a fair share!

Rare Bird
23-12-2009, 07:26
If anyone knows of another of these CA-201 amps for sale can you tell me as I want to mono block them.



Marc
Why the hell would you wanna monoblock em, i understand improvements are to be had in mono but, you planning a rock concert in the back yard or summert? ;) . In mono they have 700watt on tap into 8 ohm, around 1200 in 4 ohm! You blowing amps up stands to reason :lol:

Have a good christmas

Marc B
23-12-2009, 09:27
Marc
Why the hell would you wanna monoblock em, i understand improvements are to be had in mono but, you planning a rock concert in the back yard or summert? ;) . In mono they have 700watt on tap into 8 ohm, around 1200 in 4 ohm! You blowing amps up stands to reason :lol:

Have a good christmas

ha ha

1200 watts into my 4ohm speakers sounds great fun to be honest, not sure if my neighbours in the flats above me will think so though :)

REM
23-12-2009, 11:30
Know what you mean about electrical stuff failing on you, that's why I wear a mechanical watch;).

Marc B
24-12-2009, 14:43
strange you should mention that , I bought a string of cheapish watching and they all stopped dead within a week or so.

I got myself a Tag and that's worked ever since.

magic or strange coincidence?

REM
24-12-2009, 15:49
Well, well, I ended up with a TAG as well after years of faffing around with all sorts of tat that would usually go tits up just out of warranty, had the TAG automatic for about 8/9 years, just come back from its' first service looks brand spanking new and keeps time better than ever, some things are worth paying that bit more for:).

Cheers

Marc B
24-12-2009, 15:54
What's the damage on a complete service from Tag?

I've had the battery swapped about 3 times now over the years but never had it pressure tested. (not that my bath is 200m depth anyway)

Marc B
09-01-2010, 13:21
Sorted !

All amps and stands etc completed.

Decided to go with 2x pairs of QED Reference Spiral I/Cs and a 6m pair of Furutech/Furukawa PCOCC speaker cables too

Now I just need a decent source :-)

Marc B
15-01-2010, 15:06
had a change of heart , going active midfield studio monitor route..

this all will be up for grabs in about 2 weeks , PM me if you're interested in anything.

Also , willing to do trades for 3 way active ATC/PMC/Quested/Boxer|Exigy/K&H/Geithain etc

jandl100
16-01-2010, 09:29
Hi Marc

What an amazing thread! ... I've only just read it today.

Remind me never to loan you any kit! :doh:

... a friend of mine is unlucky with hifi, too - he gets quite despondent about it - if something can go wrong, then it will .... magnetic auras, or something. :scratch:

What I've deduced about your taste in music may explain things a little :rock: :hairmetal: - I bet you really challenge your gear! :lol:


... I'm just glad I don't live in a flat next to yours ..... or even within a couple of miles. :eyebrows:

DevillEars
17-02-2010, 19:58
If anyone knows of another of these CA-201 amps for sale can you tell me as I want to mono block them.


Hi Marc,

You need to be careful when bridging a stereo power amp to create a bridged mono amp (I know that Classe' do offer this as a rear-panel switchable option).

There are two by-products of bridging:

a) The actual load seen by a bridged amp is split across the two halves, so an 8 ohm speaker load would be seen as a 4 ohm load by each half of the bridged amp, which is no problem for the CA-201, but if your speakers are 4 ohms, then each half sees 2 ohms which might not be quite so kosher (and add to track record of destroying electronics).

b) Bridging also also halves the damping factor which will have an impact on the CA-201's ability to control the drivers in the speakers.

If you do manage to find another CA-201, I would recommend that you try them bridged and also try them in a passive vertical bi-amp configuration. Then you can make call.

I did something similar with a pair of CA-100s and preferred them in a bi-amp configuration to bridged.

My $0.02 worth...

Dave

Marc B
17-02-2010, 20:29
cheers Dave, I didn't realise it could have that sort of effect.

I've just got shut of my DAC/preamp to go balanced (a step of my plan to go balanced source and active speakers) and my new preamp won't have dual stereo outputs.

If monoblocking them could have a negative effect on the sound, I won't be able to stereo bi-amp with them either without trying various XLR Y-splitters.

thanks again, you probably saved me a few quid :)

Mike Reed
17-02-2010, 20:56
Like Jerry, I've only just tripped over this thread. A couple of Valium and a good night's sleep should do it, though!

I'll stick to my good old reliable vanilla envelope system, I think.

Marc B
19-02-2010, 19:06
My new DAC arrived yesterday but I didn't have time to play with it.

A Xindak DAC-8, quite a change in sound over the Havana.. Very mellow , slightly rolled off top end but warm and sweet. Slightly less dynamics to what I'm used to too... but a huge wide stereo image!

Is it an upgrade over the Havana ? Not sure, but I like it so far after just an hour or so, hopefully it will get better.. (and it has balanced outputs /tube buffer outputs/ upsampling to 24 bit, 192khz /remote preamp section and it weighs a ton!)

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6403/002ibc.jpg

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8793/001nt.jpg

Marc B
24-02-2010, 14:27
and today.... my new (but quite old) preamp arrives.

A Passlabs X2 preamp. I only wanted it for the XLR ins/outs and to rid myself of valves (I don't get them and don't like them)

It sounds "ok" , going from memory though , I recall my Modwright sounding a bit more open and had more upper bloom. I guess it has to grow on me some more. (and I've also got a head cold so feel a bit deaf.. not the best idea to really swap gear but anyway.. we live and learn)

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3530/dsc00186y.jpg

Also , currently part way through organising a trade for a nice pair of ATC SCM50A speakers ... fingers crossed :)

Then my journey will be complete ... (maybe)

DSJR
24-02-2010, 17:56
Are they the SL versions and how old are they?????

Pre 1992 they had thin amp "handles" and sounded bright and "monitory..." After the amp changed, both the 50 and 100 "A's" became smoother and beefier sounding, the 50A's a bit tubby a la Spendor BC1 (they look like BC1's on steroids, the 50's IMO).

The SL mods to the bass drivers led to a complete re-think on the port behaviour and tuning, the result being the loss of the bloom and tubbiness and apparently deeper bass, or more perceived bass extension. The tradeoff on the 50ASL's is a tad more "glare" at the upper crossover point which will make mincemeat of a poor source and/or preamp.. As ATC have been making their own preamps for at least a decade, I suggest you try to find one of them. The SCA-2 fetches around £1500 used and its refined and gentle quality will suit the speakers properly as well as being able to drive long lengths of balanced output cables...

Marc B
24-02-2010, 18:03
The ATC's are around '95-96 I think.

Bloke says they have updated mk2 amps but still the old baffle and bass/tweeters.

not sure how this deal is going , I think he now has a local buyer :(

Oh well , looks like I'll have to save £500 a month for 8 months and buy a propper pair.

Where can you get good stands for the 50/100s by the way ?

I know Mana did 'em, but most of the studio stands are over 1m tall for placing them behind the desk.

DSJR
24-02-2010, 18:20
95/96 50A's will have a friendly balance but will need pushing a little to really come alive - the SL's do sound clearer at low volumes and older speakers can be converted to SL spec... Changing the tweeters will cost the earth as new baffles have to be supplied. i was quoted more than my 20ASL pros cost me to re-do the baffles for the new tweeters and I suspect they really didn't want to do it and priced it accordingly.

The stands they originally came with are a bit low I admit and as Target usede to make their stands for them back then, I was able to have some taller "four poster" type space-frames made for my 100A's. I don't know who makes their current stands I'm afraid, but you could ask ATC perhaps..

I don't know the current Target stand setup as they went under in their Luton incarnation and they're now in Nth london I think, but I believe Apollo used to make custom stands for people. If they have the exact dimensions of the cabinet base, they may be able to make something up for you in a crackle finish solid tubular style. My stands were extremely solid, had the compressible black foam stuff on top for the speakers to sit on and didn't need any spikes as the sheer mass of the things stops them from wobbling about..

Hope this helps... I should have bought some 50ASL's eight years ago when i could afford it, but I was hoping to work for a different company and bought some of their quite good looking top model speakers instead - a very bad move as it turned out as the ATC's would have eaten them alive....

Marco
25-02-2010, 11:08
Hi Marc,


Where can you get good stands for the 50/100s by the way ?

I know Mana did 'em, but most of the studio stands are over 1m tall for placing them behind the desk.

You're in luck if the ones I have will fit :)

I'm in the process of selling the Mana stands and Soundstages (various additional 'levels' to increase isolation and bring the stands up to ear level) that I had under my Spendor SP100s, which I think have a similar footprint to the ATC100s...

Do you know the dimensions of the 100s and I check?

Meanwhile, here are some piccies of the stands and stages in question:

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/7063/stransparentcablemanast.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/stransparentcablemanast.jpg/)


A sample Soundstage (I have four):

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/7063/stransparentcablemanast.jpg (http://img203.imageshack.us/i/stransparentcablemanast.jpg/)

Let me know what you think.

Marco.

Marc B
25-02-2010, 11:18
hi Marco

base dimensions of the 100s are 39x58cm

This bloke with the 50s isn't answering emails now so I'll assume he's sold them local.

Are you selling them ?

The look like the right type of stands.. if you remove the glass bits off them.

Spectral Morn
25-02-2010, 11:28
Hi Marc

You will need to leave your Passlabs (MartinT can confirm this or not as the case may be as he has a Pass pre) pre on all the time, for it to develope that mid bloom. It is my experience with a number of Solid State pre-amplifiers that they need to be left powered up or in standbye mode, if that feature is there, in order not to sound lean and tonally blanched.

Moving from valve pre to solid state can be a wee bit of a shock at first. The presentation is very different (usually) and can at first sound leaner (sometimes that is part of the permanent sound), but generally ime the sound will flesh out and grow richer after a week or so of being on. Also play around with mains leads and isolation products. I would try RDC cones under the pre.

Switching to balanced (if its true dual differential)is a fantastic thing imo/e. My system is mostly balanced (and valve) and I would find it hard to go back to single ended designs.

I have a Pass labs Xono phono stage and it is very good, but needs to be left on all the time (Pass don't include an On/Off switch so I assume this is by design). It needs 2 weeks to come on song fully.

Enjoy your new purchases.


Regards D S D L

Marco
25-02-2010, 11:43
Hi Marc

Yes they're for sale, but you need to use the glass shelves for the stands to work properly :)

I'll check the dimensions and let you know.

Marco.

Marc B
25-02-2010, 12:07
Hi Marc

You will need to leave your Passlabs (MartinT can confirm this or not as the case may be as he has a Pass pre) pre on all the time, for it to develope that mid bloom. It is my experience with a number of Solid State pre-amplifiers that they need to be left powered up or in standbye mode, if that feature is there, in order not to sound lean and tonally blanched.

I believe MartinT used to own one of these preamps and quite possibly this exact unit. That is, if he's the same Martin T who wrote the review on Audio Review :)

I've noticed the balance shift slightly over the last 24 hours. I'm not sure if it's the new DAC changing or the preamp but it sounds really open.. not bright but like there is nolonger any sort of roll off on the top end.

The mids are still a little phasey sounding and recessed, I'm hoping this changes over the next few days as it sounds wonderfull apart from the slight mids problem.

I'm quite happy with my swap so far :-)

Quick question... Is there an input sensitivity switch inside the preamp ?

The knob goes to 12 o'clock on normal listening and can go to full without it scaring the shit out of the next street. I don't have the right size hex bolt to take the lid off and I'm wondering if I can adjust the gain via a jumper or something inside before I go and hunt the correct hex bolt down?

I've just ordered some Chinese XLRs from ebay..
EBay link (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300319372923&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT)
They aren't advertising them as VDH but a closer look on the pictures shows the cable is labeled as VDH D102 Mk3.
If it turns out they use the same wire then it's a bargain for £20 a 1m pair.. if not then it's the same price as the budget studio mic cables.



Yes they're for sale, but you need to use the glass shelves for the stands to work properly

I'll check the dimensions and let you know.

Marco.

Ahh the Mana madness of setting the shelves up correctly :)

Spectral Morn
25-02-2010, 13:02
I believe MartinT used to own one of these preamps and quite possibly this exact unit. That is, if he's the same Martin T who wrote the review on Audio Review :)

I've noticed the balance shift slightly over the last 24 hours. I'm not sure if it's the new DAC changing or the preamp but it sounds really open.. not bright but like there is nolonger any sort of roll off on the top end.

The mids are still a little phasey sounding and recessed, I'm hoping this changes over the next few days as it sounds wonderfull apart from the slight mids problem.

I'm quite happy with my swap so far :-)

Quick question... Is there an input sensitivity switch inside the preamp ?

The knob goes to 12 o'clock on normal listening and can go to full without it scaring the shit out of the next street. I don't have the right size hex bolt to take the lid off and I'm wondering if I can adjust the gain via a jumper or something inside before I go and hunt the correct hex bolt down?

I've just ordered some Chinese XLRs from ebay..
EBay link (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300319372923&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT)
They aren't advertising them as VDH but a closer look on the pictures shows the cable is labeled as VDH D102 Mk3.
If it turns out they use the same wire then it's a bargain for £20 a 1m pair.. if not then it's the same price as the budget studio mic cables.



Ahh the Mana madness of setting the shelves up correctly :)

There might be a gain set up jumper within. E-Mail Pass Labs and ask, or PM MartinT and ask him. You will need an American sized allan key.

I think your mid range issue will go with a bit more warm up.

Regards D S D L

Marco
25-02-2010, 14:02
Hi Marc,


Ahh the Mana madness of setting the shelves up correctly...


Lol - well that and the fact that otherwise the speakers won't sit level on the stands, or fall through the hole, if they're small enough ;)

Anyway, I've measured them and the 100s won't fit - perhaps 50s would, though?

The dimensions are: 42.5cm (wide) x 49.5cm (deep), so I'm not sure if you'd have a use for them.

Marco.

Rare Bird
25-02-2010, 15:09
A sample Soundstage (I have four):

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/7063/stransparentcablemanast.jpg (http://img203.imageshack.us/i/stransparentcablemanast.jpg/)



What size is the board on that Marco??

Marco
25-02-2010, 15:48
Hi Andre,

51.5 x 49.5cm :)

Marco.

Jonboy
25-02-2010, 16:26
You will need an American sized allan key.
Regards D S D L

?? I think you mean an imperial size allen key as the Americans work in feet and inches and Unified threads, UNC and UNF;)

Spectral Morn
25-02-2010, 17:19
?? I think you mean an imperial size allen key as the Americans work in feet and inches and Unified threads, UNC and UNF;)

Pedant ;):):lol:

Imperial was introduced to the world by the British Empire..hence Imperial. America is the biggest country to stick with it, and not go metric as all of Europe has...under the fascist jack boot of the EU;) So calling it American (as it mainly is now) was in my book okay.


Regards D S D L

Barry
27-02-2010, 00:11
Pedant ;):):lol:

Imperial was introduced to the world by the British Empire..hence Imperial. America is the biggest country to stick with it, and not go metric as all of Europe has...under the fascist jack boot of the EU;) So calling it American (as it mainly is now) was in my book okay.


Regards D S D L

Pedant? – I’ll give you pedantic:

The so-called Imperial system the Americans continue to use is not a British invention at all, but was appropriated by the British from ancient European systems of weight and measures. The units of distance, the yard and mile, are taken from the system used by the ancient Romans. The mile for example is derived from the term mille passum = ‘1000 paces’, being the equivalent of 5000 (Roman) feet.

And the units of weight are taken from the Norman French system ‘avoirdupois’: a 15th century Middle English word derived from the Anglo-French avoir de pois = ‘goods of weight’, that is goods sold by weight.

Ironically, the metric system, that is, having a system based on multiples of 10 is a British invention. The idea of a metric system of weights and measures has been attributed to John Wilkins, first secretary of the Royal Society of London in 1668, however the idea did not catch on. It wasn’t until after the French revolution, some 120 years later, that the French and eventually the rest of Europe adopted the metric system.

Whilst there is a homely familiarity and comfort in the notion of pints, yards and miles, as a retired scientist I can tell you that the American retention of the imperial system can be very awkward. If you need information on the properties of materials, the data sheets from American suppliers are all quoted in Imperial units. For example thermal conductivities are often quoted in Btu inches/second/square foot/°F, where 1Btu is that amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit! It’s so much easier if it’s quoted in Watt/meter/°C.

Pedantically yours ;)

The Grand Wazoo
27-02-2010, 01:07
I'm familiar with this problem Barry, I've often battled with transatlantic conversions of weight/measures.
Some aspects of timber measurement represent a slightly arcane art (this is round timber - logs, rather than sawn planks).

As you can imagine the wood in a tree which is an irregular, sort of roundish in cross section and tapered at different rates along it's length shape, would be a pretty tricky thing to measure at the best of times, let alone having to do it through conversions.
Even within the trade in the UK there are 2 different systems, one used by softwood merchants - the metric timber measurement system (expressed as cubic metres) and the other one - the black art sort of a thing called the Hoppus Foot!
Hoppus is measured with a thing called a Quarter Girth tape. A Hoppus Foot equals 0.03605 cubic metres and is about 21% bigger than a cubic foot in order to take into account wastage in the milling process.

Jonboy
27-02-2010, 01:20
Pedant i had to look that one up:scratch: if you said pedantic i would have been up to speed, You can't deny the fact that you learn a lot on this forum, when i have delt with suppliers for timber and stone it is usually sold by the cubic foot in this country.

If you are into screw threads and general engineering formula i can recommend having a Zeus engineering book to hand, this is the bible for most engineers.

The Grand Wazoo
27-02-2010, 09:51
when i have delt with suppliers for timber and stone it is usually sold by the cubic foot in this country.

Hoppus is used for the sale of logs or growing trees before they get to the sawmill

Barry
27-02-2010, 13:10
Pedant i had to look that one up:scratch: if you said pedantic i would have been up to speed, You deny the fact that you learn a lot on this forum, when i have delt with suppliers for timber and stone it is usually sold by the cubic foot in this country.

If you are into screw threads and general engineering formula i can recommend having a Zeus engineering book to hand, this is the bible for most engineers.

Perhaps we should start a new thread: 'Arcane British Units'. Some contenders could be:

The barleycorn (= 1/3 inch), used in the shoe industry to measure shoe widths,

The degree Twaddle, used in the brewing industry, as a measure of specific gravity,

The pin, a liquid measure used for ale,

The rod (= 5.5 yards), often used by councils as the width of a typical allotment.

Have to admit none of them seem as perverse as the 'Hoppus Foot' - apart from a long obsolete unit of electrical capacitance: the Jar. This unit, believe it or not was used by the Admiralty and RN wireless engineers!

Regards

Jonboy
28-02-2010, 00:56
don't forget the bushel

twelvebears
28-02-2010, 13:23
I don't care what anyone says, the old imperial system is rubbish, confusing and prone to causing more errors that you could believe.

If ever proof of this were needed, I remember speaking to my Dad, a professional cabinet maker and general wood-working guru, about what he thought of metric vs imperial. "Best thing ever. adding up dimensions in imperial measurements used to give me bloody head ache and was always causing cock-ups around the factory"

Considering Dad was born in 1927 and spent most of his working life with imperial, that says something....

MartinT
01-03-2010, 16:13
Agreed that metric is the best. When questioned, my height is 1.78m and my weight 72kg. That's all they get. Nurses and doctors always look impressed as they *want* metric units.

Marc B
01-03-2010, 20:59
ha ha

[makes note to self never to mention funny sized allen keys again] :)

MartinT
01-03-2010, 21:28
Thread-creep is funny sometimes :)

Jonboy
01-03-2010, 21:39
:lol: very good