View Full Version : Macca's Lash Up 2: Lash Harder
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dantheman91
19-04-2019, 15:11
Wow - snap that up!
Worth it just for the looks!
And yes, worth a lot more if it is in working condition with, as Paul says, a yummy warm and inviting sound (if it's anything like my old 4230).
:drool: :stalks:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/images/2008/07/08/marantz2225.jpg
Yep its a working one making arrangements to buy and collect next week..
dantheman91
19-04-2019, 15:12
You still liking the Tisbury then Dan? It's a great little device isn't it and mixes well with some much higher end kit.
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
Very nice unit i have come to using it more and more for its sound and quirkiness its rather excellent -
Krell KSA100 Mk2 - the little box on top is the TPA3116 chip amp that it replaced:
https://i.imgur.com/Eva4LbP.jpg
Firebottle
24-07-2019, 08:08
Little and large?
More like micro and giant :lol:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190724/7daa3336683a5b7f07195b5d41c087ee.jpg
crimsondonkey
24-07-2019, 08:22
Is it like a horror flick, where the dark scene hides the monster and raises the suspense?
Has there been an accident to the right? :whistle:
Bigman80
24-07-2019, 08:48
Krell KSA100 Mk2 - the little box on top is the TPA3116 chip amp that it replaced:
https://i.imgur.com/Eva4LbP.jpgHaha! So small!
I've just bought one of these little amps for the garage. Awaiting its arrival.
It's only for background noise so performance won't be scrutinised.
£18 crazy money!
walpurgis
24-07-2019, 08:50
I've just bought one of these little amps for the garage. Awaiting its arrival.
It's only for background noise so performance won't be scrutinised.
£18 crazy money!
It'll blow your socks off.........well, one at least! :lol:
Something this cheap should sound rubbish, but it doesn't.
jandl100
24-07-2019, 08:53
Great stuff.
How does it compare to your "old" (more modern) Krell?
Bigman80
24-07-2019, 08:55
It'll blow your socks off.........well, one at least! [emoji38]
Something this cheap should sound rubbish, but it doesn't.We'll see Geoff. I just thought it was a good way to get some sound in the garage for beer tokens.
I may compare it to my new amplifier when the two have had a sufficient run in time.
jandl100
24-07-2019, 09:27
Yes, Geoff's little TPA3116 amp is the best T-amp (mini class D) I have heard, and I am a big fan of the breed.
I happily use it in my (pretty decent) 2nd system. It sounds fab. :)
Has there been an accident to the right? :whistle:
No, that's just a sort of 'cable graveyard' that's built up over the past few months.
Great stuff.
How does it compare to your "old" (more modern) Krell?
Surprisingly different. Not as much 'rez' in the mids as the 50S. It's a bit warmer and more laid back. Lower registers have more power, shockingly so. Synth bass is just bone-crunching. It's more like what I would expect a Krell to sound like, mailed fist in the velvet glove, whereas the 50s sounds like someone took what Naim are trying to do but actually got it right.
I'll do a proper back to back comparison when I get the 50S back, but at the moment I think my preference is slightly for the 50s. Which is the wrong way round according to the Krell aficionados.
crimsondonkey
24-07-2019, 11:30
No, that's just a sort of 'cable graveyard' that's built up over the past few months.
You are too lenient with the staff. You should sack your cleaner.
Yes, Geoff's little TPA3116 amp is the best T-amp (mini class D) I have heard, and I am a big fan of the breed.
I happily use it in my (pretty decent) 2nd system. It sounds fab. :)
I had it about a month and it is hard to fault. Putting the DCB1/Krell back in shows you what it doesn't do. But it's all sins of omission. Bass is not as good and it doesn't show up little details like multi-tracking on vocals like the Krell does.
With the Krell that sort of thing is just obvious, you don't even have to listen out for it. It's just 'there'. But I'd imagine anyone who is not a total hi-fi nut would not care or even notice.
AJSki2fly
24-07-2019, 14:01
I've decided to start a new thread as the old one was getting a bit long and rambling.
Plus I have entered a new era and have the lash-up sounding pretty good. good enough that I have actually - gasp - been buying some new music to listen to, instead of playing the same old stuff trying to work out the problems.
This is the first time since 1995 that I have actually been reasonably happy with the sound of my system.
Or am I? No, it is just my living room and loudspeakers are piling up.
Back to the B&O and one point I think must be made - why buy brand new speakers when bargains like these are available on the forums for £200 that are several levels up in terms of quality over what you will get for that money even in a store that does offer good budget value like Richer Sounds?
I leave you to mull over that one.
"This is the first time since 1995 that I have actually been reasonably happy with the sound of my system.":eek: Well that's is a long time to wait to get audio nirvana! I am pleased you have a good sound that you like now, I think I would have lost the plot a long time ago.:D
As for buying speakers, you need a good friend to give you some old good ones like mine did.:eyebrows:
Pleased your enjoying music Martin and some new stuff as well. Happy listening.
"This is the first time since 1995 that I have actually been reasonably happy with the sound of my system.":eek: Well that's is a long time to wait to get audio nirvana! I am pleased you have a good sound that you like now, I think I would have lost the plot a long time ago.:D
In my defense I am very fussy and also I try very hard not to spend serious money on kit. So that doesn't result in a quick or easy process :)
AJSki2fly
24-07-2019, 14:37
In my defense I am very fussy and also I try very hard not to spend serious money on kit. So that doesn't result in a quick or easy process :)
Yes I completely agree, it is very easy to spend serious amounts of cash on audio equipment. I have been sucked into it on several occasions, and as you may have noted have not always got it right and also regretted selling bits of kit, 2 pairs of speakers and an amp :doh:. Anyway I used to be into cars and when I got ill lost interest so I decided to sell the one I had and use some money on a decent hifi set up mainly for vinyl, and the rest on doing up a couple of bathrooms that we would never easily save up for. So after several changes I am now with what I have and I am nearly satisfied, just trying out an SUT which is quite an improvement.
I find I get to a point where I am happy and then soon after something goes faulty or dies. Almost always something that isn't made anymore and that is either very hard or impossible to fix.
walpurgis
24-07-2019, 15:01
I find I get to a point where I am happy and then soon after something goes faulty or dies. Almost always something that isn't made anymore and that is either very hard or impossible to fix.
I've had the same happen several times.
AJSki2fly
24-07-2019, 16:54
I find I get to a point where I am happy and then soon after something goes faulty or dies. Almost always something that isn't made anymore and that is either very hard or impossible to fix.
Yes that is a concern for me with my CD Player and also the Voyd TT. As I like the Voyd so much I have even considered finding another in good condition and putting it away as back up, one problem the lady of the house would have a hissy fit.
Buying a back up of anything that's really good and not made anymore is worthwhile. I wouldn't worry too much about the cd player though, my current daily driver cost me fifty quid on here and I don't feel any need to swap it out. If it goes bad there's plenty more decent players out there for peanuts now and none of us are going to live forever.
jandl100
24-07-2019, 17:02
Hmm, I can't imagine being so totally committed to a single particular component - there is so much interesting gear out there to try and to have fun with.
We're all different, I guess.
Audio Al
24-07-2019, 17:13
Yes that is a concern for me with my CD Player and also the Voyd TT. As I like the Voyd so much I have even considered finding another in good condition and putting it away as back up, one problem the lady of the house would have a hissy fit.
Just tell her its a stereo version , like speakers , you get 2 of them :)
I like to have a system that does it the way I want it, and another one to try out anything that takes my fancy (and is cheap). The kit in the main system stay until it dies or I find something better since I don't need to sell it on in order to continue box-swapping. For me that's the best of both worlds.
The enjoyment of music is so important to me that I would find it difficult to be without it. Thus I'm a great believer in redundancy/back up when it comes to audio gear. To that end much of my gear has been designed for the professional market (broadcasting and recording studios) where reliability is important, or it can still be serviced if necessary, as well as having options to fall back on should any item fail. Thus I have four TTs; several tone arms; about thirty cartridges; five FM tuners and two CDPs.
Curiously I'm still using the same set of speakers I have done for the last 45 years - but they have never needed a service and will probably outlive me.
I think if you have put together a system that pleases you and does what you want, then it is best to leave it alone and simply sit back and enjoy it. To much time and money is wasted chasing audio perfection, which of course doesn't exist.
jandl100
24-07-2019, 18:12
Well, some of us are of a more exploratory nature and like to try different things.
But yes, I always have backups on hand in case of failure so there is always an enjoyable system available.
Multiple speakers, headphones, amps, DACs, cables ... and CDs and CD players/transports in the event of the internet being down.
Even portable (battery powered) CD players to plug headphones into in the event of a power failure!
Well I too like to try different things, thus eight amplifiers and the number of vinyl playback components I have.
I do listen, when I can, to other speaker systems - but I have yet to hear anything with which to replace mine, for all their shortcomings.
Krell FPB300.
If I was going to buy one that is what I would buy.
Based on hearing one for a few hours.
With Krell pre and DAC in all honesty with Usher Dancer speakers it was an A grade match.
I might try and get one actually thinking about it. If only to prove it is or isn't better than the current Luxman.
But hold in a minute....
The trouble with older Krells is the mod and maintenance squad. Inappropriate messing is different from expert messing. But the only way to truly optimise is in a particular system, with the owner's ears. If that owner had the skill to make the mods that means that amp in that situ with that listener was probably outstanding. To him. If he cared enough to try lots of possible configurations.
With older Krells there really is no frame of reference. In 2019 one man's KSA50 is probably very different to another man's KSA50. For the reason identified.
Krell FPB300.
If I was going to buy one that is what I would buy.
Based on hearing one for a few hours.
With Krell pre and DAC in all honesty with Usher Dancer speakers it was an A grade match.
I might try and get one actually thinking about it. If only to prove it is or isn't better than the current Luxman.
But hold in a minute....
The trouble with older Krells is the mod and maintenance squad. Inappropriate messing is different from expert messing. But the only way to truly optimise is in a particular system, with the owner's ears. If that owner had the skill to make the mods that means that amp in that situ with that listener was probably outstanding. To him. If he cared enough to try lots of possible configurations.
With older Krells there really is no frame of reference. In 2019 one man's KSA50 is probably very different to another man's KSA50. For the reason identified.
The matching is everything I agree. Otherwise you've just got a very big, very powerful lump. I've no idea about the FBP300 but from what I've read the Krell cognoscenti reckon oldest is best and it's a gradual decline from there?
My equipment graveyard yesterday:
https://i.imgur.com/EmCAqXO.jpg
jandl100
25-07-2019, 07:44
I've often wondered about a Krell FPB300, but too late now, the mantra is if I can't lift it I don't buy it!
crimsondonkey
25-07-2019, 08:22
Having heard a few, I would take a KSA50/ 100 over a FPB300 , but of course your ears might say different, and mating systems vary. I found getting the right preamp to match is very important to lighting up the dynamics that the Krell is capable of.
jandl100
25-07-2019, 08:35
Ah, interesting.
I've had a refurbed KSA50mk1 and wasn't very impressed finding it a bit laidback and oversmooth.
But maybe I hadn't partnered it with the right pre - I'm pretty sure one of them was an EAR 802. There were probably others.
crimsondonkey
25-07-2019, 08:51
If I recall correctly, the key was having a preamp with a strong output voltage and low impedance. A Puresound L300 is a good example of this and absolutely rocked with the Krells I matched it with.
AJSki2fly
25-07-2019, 09:03
Hmm, I can't imagine being so totally committed to a single particular component - there is so much interesting gear out there to try and to have fun with.
We're all different, I guess.
I agree there is lots of very nice gear that produces some great sounds. But I would have thought that by continually changing components you could get completely lost in what is good and what is not and what works with one piece of equipment on not with another, and with time could become completely confusing. From a personal perspective I have changed three pieces of equipment in the past only to realise later on that they were actually rather good and should have kept them.:doh: In each case I selected the wrong piece of kit to try and get an improvement, two were my fault and the other I allowed myself to be lead by a dealer.
If I recall correctly, the key was having a preamp with a strong output voltage and low impedance. A Puresound L300 is a good example of this and absolutely rocked with the Krells I matched it with.I tried a KSA50 with a passive into Apogees and it was dreadful. With a Audio Research LS26 and a pair of Mark & Daniel Sapphires it seemed really good TBH.
Jerry heard the later combo too if he can remember. He then tried the LS26 in his system and hated it I believe.
jandl100
26-07-2019, 06:05
He then tried the LS26 in his system and hated it I believe.
Haha, yes, My god. :doh:
So coloured I could have mistaken it for an Audionote. :lol:
Gosh, I was so excited when George(47) was bringing the LS26 round for me to dem - I was sure it was going to be my end game preamp.
Umm, not even close! Horrible sounding thing. Coloured and drab sounding.
It was an effects box. But the KSA50 needed it because it sounded flat as a witches tit without it.
It threw images everywhere with the little M&Ds. Quite entertaining I thought. But definitely coloured.
Back in the day ARC/Krell was a very common pairing.
crimsondonkey
26-07-2019, 09:03
I tried a KSA50 with a passive into Apogees and it was dreadful. With a Audio Research LS26 and a pair of Mark & Daniel Sapphires it seemed really good TBH.
Jerry heard the later combo too if he can remember. He then tried the LS26 in his system and hated it I believe.
That's precisely what I would expect - I wouldn't recommend a pure passive with a Krell for the reasons I outlined above. Yes ARC preamps will work because of the good match of their output, but they are hardly neutral and there are better examples of strong voltage/ low impedance outputs out there.
I used a passive with the 50S for a while, it worked reasonably well.
DCB1 is active but has no gain so it isn't far off a passive, it's all about the black art of impedance matching though isn't it?
I used a passive with the 50S for a while, it worked reasonably well.
DCB1 is active but has no gain so it isn't far off a passive, it's all about the black art of impedance matching though isn't it?I think it's all about trial and error.
Who knows with the right speakers and a passive that KSA50 just MIGHT have been OK.
I wouldn't bet on it but I have been surprised in the past.
crimsondonkey
26-07-2019, 14:12
I think it's all about trial and error.
That's a potentially expensive and time consuming way to go about it. The specs of pre and power amp sensitivities and impedance are usually available and can help narrow down the field and eliminate things that just won't work.
That's a potentially expensive and time consuming way to go about it. The specs of pre and power amp sensitivities and impedance are usually available and can help narrow down the field and eliminate things that just won't work.You might be able to increase your probability of success that way but it just isn't an exact science.
Plenty of amps that 'should' work with my speakers just sound shite. Very few sound good but when they do, like the Luxman, you're in for a very good ride indeed.
You might be able to increase your probability of success that way but it just isn't an exact science.
.
This is true and it is annoying because it really should be an exact science.
This is true and it is annoying because it really should be an exact science.Don't start watching astronomy and quantum physics videos on YouTube then...;)
Bought a Philips 22AH380 / DC380 ‘Black Tulip’ Power Amplifier last week with the vague aim of collecting the full set for no really good reason other than I like how it looks.
Here's what the full 'Black Tulip' system looks like, in its own matching rack mount stand thingy for those who have never seen it:
https://i.imgur.com/kJl72Eb.jpg
This was Philips last foray into the high end back in 79 or thereabouts, at least under their own name. They sold some in Europe but the British hi-fi mags crucified it and dubbed it 'Black Turnip'. But they were all into Naim, Exposure, Linn and so forth in in those days...most foreign gear was suspect - most of us remember it well I guess so no need to elaborate.
Anyway although I know it has been re-evaluated in more recent, less partisan times, my intention was to collect it all over time and use it as the TV system. So absolute sound quality not a priority. It's just my favourite looking gear of all time. Yamaha NS1000M are what speakers should look like. Phillips Black Tulip is what electronics should look like. For me at least.
This is the pic of the actual amplifier from the sale thread as my camera is not cooperating right now. I took some photos of it myself but they are crap.
https://i.imgur.com/Rut25jN.jpg
On connecting it up to some sacrificial speakers just to make sure it was okay I got hum on the left channel. I've bought a few bits of faulty kit recently so my first thought was 'Not again!' But after some tedious trial and error I won't go into, it turned out it was some sort of ground loop. Swapping pre-amps from the DCB1 to the pre-amp section of an XTZ integrated sorted it.
It's only for the tv system and I intend to get the matching pre, but I thought I might as well hook up my proper speakers and see what it was like in absolute terms. I've tried the XTZ pre amp with a fair few power amps and concluded it is not much cop. But it's the only pre-amp I have right now beside the DCB1.
Well knock me bandy this XTZ/ Phillips combo is outstanding! I actually prefer it to the DCB1/Krell KSA100 combo that has been the daily driver for the last 6 months or so.
See the previous ten or so posts on this thread where the matching of pre and power amps is said to be a black art....
Although don't get me wrong I think a lot of people would prefer the DCB1/Krell 100 combination. That's big, warm, a little bit 'valvey', whereas the XTZ/Phillips is far more forensic although without losing the 'sweetness'. But not as forensic as the DCB1/Krell KSA50S combo which is still the best I've ever had. Although the 50s is still U/S unfortunately. This Phillips is close, although not quite as good in the bass as the 50S, or the 100Mk2 for that matter.
Having said that I am having to use thin speaker cable to hook the Philips up instead of my usual hosepipe stuff so maybe that will have some bearing on things. I was going to keep it original but I might get some proper binding posts fitted as I can't see this leaving the main system until the Krell 50S gets sorted.
But anyway - it's close in the bass. And like all the best power amps it does the harmonics right, sounds like guitar chords ring out like chimes, they don't go all grainy as the sound peaks and decays. Likewise with female vocals. There's lots of highly regarded amplifiers that can't do that.
I'm after the matching pre-amp now so if anyone has got one in a cupboard or whatever, let me know.
Made in 1968
14-01-2020, 19:31
Obviously 19" Rack mountable.. Macca do you know if they are standard Rack Heights?
1U - 1.75", 2U - 3.5", 3U - 5.25"
Obviously 19" Rack mountable.. Macca do you know if they are standard Rack Heights?
1U - 1.75", 2U - 3.5", 3U - 5.25"
No idea sorry. Philips offered a rack as an accessory as in the photo up top but no idea if it was standard to anyone but Phillips.
I'd have everything rack mount if I could. With stainless steel grab handles. :D
Good review Martin.
Philips have always been the 'poor sister' when it comes to their high end gear - and were usually looked down upon by the magazine reviewers. But Hell, what do they know?
By the looks of things your power amp is 2U in height - I can't imagine Philips deviated from the usual 19" rack mounting specification. Just check that the overall width is 20" wide, with the fixing slots on a 19" pitch.
I've got a rack mount Teac that came out of a studio, I'll check it against that. By eye it looks to be standard but I'm not a hundred percent.
Made in 1968
14-01-2020, 20:36
No Barry 19" width is the standard rack Faceplate not 20"
Yes - you are quite correct: 19" wide with the fixings 18.3" apart.
(I was thinking of the original British GPO racking specification, which used 20" wide panels attached to the uprights using 0BA screws on a 19" pitch.)
Wow, looks an amazing beastie - proper hi-fi with a schematic and graphs on the top cover!
Bought a Philips 22AH380 / DC380 ‘Black Tulip’ Power Amplifier last week with the vague aim of collecting the full set for no really good reason other than I like how it looks.
Here's what the full 'Black Tulip' system looks like, in its own matching rack mount stand thingy for those who have never seen it:
https://i.imgur.com/kJl72Eb.jpg
This was Philips last foray into the high end back in 79 or thereabouts, at least under their own name. They sold some in Europe but the British hi-fi mags crucified it and dubbed it 'Black Turnip'. But they were all into Naim, Exposure, Linn and so forth in in those days...most foreign gear was suspect - most of us remember it well I guess so no need to elaborate.
Anyway although I know it has been re-evaluated in more recent, less partisan times, my intention was to collect it all over time and use it as the TV system. So absolute sound quality not a priority. It's just my favourite looking gear of all time. Yamaha NS1000M are what speakers should look like. Phillips Black Tulip is what electronics should look like. For me at least.
This is the pic of the actual amplifier from the sale thread as my camera is not cooperating right now. I took some photos of it myself but they are crap.
https://i.imgur.com/Rut25jN.jpg
On connecting it up to some sacrificial speakers just to make sure it was okay I got hum on the left channel. I've bought a few bits of faulty kit recently so my first thought was 'Not again!' But after some tedious trial and error I won't go into, it turned out it was some sort of ground loop. Swapping pre-amps from the DCB1 to the pre-amp section of an XTZ integrated sorted it.
It's only for the tv system and I intend to get the matching pre, but I thought I might as well hook up my proper speakers and see what it was like in absolute terms. I've tried the XTZ pre amp with a fair few power amps and concluded it is not much cop. But it's the only pre-amp I have right now beside the DCB1.
Well knock me bandy this XTZ/ Phillips combo is outstanding! I actually prefer it to the DCB1/Krell KSA100 combo that has been the daily driver for the last 6 months or so.
See the previous ten or so posts on this thread where the matching of pre and power amps is said to be a black art....
Although don't get me wrong I think a lot of people would prefer the DCB1/Krell 100 combination. That's big, warm, a little bit 'valvey', whereas the XTZ/Phillips is far more forensic although without losing the 'sweetness'. But not as forensic as the DCB1/Krell KSA50S combo which is still the best I've ever had. Although the 50s is still U/S unfortunately. This Phillips is close, although not quite as good in the bass as the 50S, or the 100Mk2 for that matter.
Having said that I am having to use thin speaker cable to hook the Philips up instead of my usual hosepipe stuff so maybe that will have some bearing on things. I was going to keep it original but I might get some proper binding posts fitted as I can't see this leaving the main system until the Krell 50S gets sorted.
But anyway - it's close in the bass. And like all the best power amps it does the harmonics right, sounds like guitar chords ring out like chimes, they don't go all grainy as the sound peaks and decays. Likewise with female vocals. There's lots of highly regarded amplifiers that can't do that.
I'm after the matching pre-amp now so if anyone has got one in a cupboard or whatever, let me know.
Good stuff, mate. You can't beat a bit of VU meterage!:eyebrows:
Given it's provenance though, I'm not surprised it sounds good, and yes, as ever synergy rools!;)
Enjoy....
Marco.
Made in 1968
14-01-2020, 23:50
Certainly looks cool in a late 70's kinda way.. I always like the Techy 9000 series jobbies
Opti-cal
15-01-2020, 11:39
I'm after the matching pre-amp now so if anyone has got one in a cupboard or whatever, let me know.
Hi Macca,
wonder if you have an eye on this?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Philips-Black-Tulip-270-Stereo-Pre-Amplifier-in-excellent-working-orde/174153296298?hash=item288c5869aa:g:8y8AAOSwXSZeGsW I
Hi Macca,
wonder if you have an eye on this?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Philips-Black-Tulip-270-Stereo-Pre-Amplifier-in-excellent-working-orde/174153296298?hash=item288c5869aa:g:8y8AAOSwXSZeGsW I
Yes I do. Although closed my ebay account years ago as my vintage tat buying was getting out of hand. But will get someone to bid on it for me :)
You bought that for the VU's didn't you?:lol:
It didn't put me off, let's just say that.
Made in 1968
15-01-2020, 21:52
Most people buy Hi-Fi for what it looks like dont they, especially nowadays
Yup, but Macca's not really that type. Neither am I. I've never bought any hi-fi gear *solely* on looks. Ultimately, what matters most is how it sounds:)
Marco.
Actually I did buy this purely for the looks although never done that before with any kit. Figured it would be good enough quality for the TV system. Bit surprised that it is much better than I thought it would be. Much better.
Looks can be important if its sharing space with the family. You cant really expect the wife and kids to be happy their nice living room is covered in visual bits of crap. its called give and take.
Stryder5
16-01-2020, 12:35
Looks can be important if its sharing space with the family. You cant really expect the wife and kids to be happy their nice living room is covered in visual bits of crap. its called give and take.
Yep, we give they take.....lol
Gary
Actually I did buy this purely for the looks although never done that before with any kit. Figured it would be good enough quality for the TV system. Bit surprised that it is much better than I thought it would be. Much better.
Fair enough, but as you say it's not your normal behaviour. Nice bonus though, with it sounding as good as it does!:)
Btw, any more news on your Tannoys? You *really* need to press him on it mate, even though you're not in any hurry, or it'll never get done.
Marco.
Looks can be important if its sharing space with the family. You cant really expect the wife and kids to be happy their nice living room is covered in visual bits of crap. its called give and take.
Absolutely... But *that* doesn't mean that 'the wife' gets to do all the taking!;)
Marco.
It didn't put me off, let's just say that.
:)
Fair enough, but as you say it's not your normal behaviour. Nice bonus though, with it sounding as good as it does!:)
Btw, any more news on your Tannoys? You *really* need to press him on it mate, even though you're not in any hurry, or it'll never get done.
Marco.
Aye, I'll send him another e-mail.
Nice one. He defo needs a prod... Want me to have a word?:)
Marco.
Well we did agree it would be a backseat project for him so I don't feel right about mithering him all the time. I did last e-mail him back at the start of December. But you could remind him I've got a bag of sand here waiting for him when he delivers!
Looks can be important if its sharing space with the family. You cant really expect the wife and kids to be happy their nice living room is covered in visual bits of crap. its called give and take.
My partner is somewhat surprised if not aghast at the amount of audio equipment I have, and since much of it is of a professional standard in both performance and appearance, it can make the corner of my living/listening room look at times like the corner of a laboratory.
Well we did agree it would be a backseat project for him so I don't feel right about mithering him all the time. I did last e-mail him back at the start of December. But you could remind him I've got a bag of sand here waiting for him when he delivers!
there is backseat project and fuck it project tho too.. been on go for a year or so, or it seems that way.. he is not building a yacht. at very least he could just say, sorry i cant fit it in
Opti-cal
16-01-2020, 14:04
Looks can be important if its sharing space with the family. You cant really expect the wife and kids to be happy their nice living room is covered in visual bits of crap. its called give and take.
My 'live in' lady of the house seems to be okay with subtle black boxes with knobs on them . . . . giant transformers with hot breakable tubes nearby, not so much.
Speakers are a different kettle of moaning, no interest in sound quality, fish however. Especially electrostatics . . . They need their own houses. A solution which I've been offered but I've been assured it would just be me and them. Hmmmm . . .
there is backseat project and fuck it project tho too.. been on go for a year or so, or it seems that way.. he is not building a yacht. at very least he could just say, sorry i cant fit it in
He's bought the plywood and had it all cut into the correct panel sizes. So as things stand he's considerably out of pocket and I've not paid out a penny yet. If I had paid the money up front then I'd push a little harder, obviously.
Well we did agree it would be a backseat project for him so I don't feel right about mithering him all the time. I did last e-mail him back at the start of December. But you could remind him I've got a bag of sand here waiting for him when he delivers!
No worries, lol. I've not spoken with him for a while, so a quick 'hello' won't do any harm;)
Marco.
there is backseat project and fuck it project tho too.. been on go for a year or so, or it seems that way.. he is not building a yacht. at very least he could just say, sorry i cant fit it in
Try two! It must be that now, Martin, or not far off it, since we collected the drivers from Frank?
Marco.
Made in 1968
16-01-2020, 15:00
Awesome Avatar Dude, Old ten bob millionaire himself
:eyebrows:
Try two! It must be that now, Martin, or not far off it, since we collected the drivers from Frank?
Marco.
I bought the drivers in Feb 2018, it was November 2018 when I commissioned the cabinet build. Tempus fugit.
Awesome Avatar Dude, Old ten bob millionaire himself
:eyebrows:
It's the vegan diet - keeps you young lookin', aye.
Marco.
I bought the drivers in Feb 2018, it was November 2018 when I commissioned the cabinet build. Tempus fugit.
Ha - love the Latin! It does indeed... I'm probably looking forward to the cabs being built more than you!;)
Marco.
My 'live in' lady of the house seems to be okay with subtle black boxes with knobs on them . . . . giant transformers with hot breakable tubes nearby, not so much.
Speakers are a different kettle of moaning, no interest in sound quality, fish however. Especially electrostatics . . . They need their own houses. A solution which I've been offered but I've been assured it would just be me and them. Hmmmm . . .
I can understand the distinction between "subtle black boxes with knobs on them" (of which I have many) and "... giant transformers with hot breakable tubes" (of which I have only one example) - but when it comes to electrostatic speakers, I'm afraid it's very much a case of "love me love my hi-fi".
Made in 1968
16-01-2020, 18:35
It's the vegan diet - keeps you young lookin', aye.
Marco.
:lol:
A couple of weeks in now with this Black Tulip amplifier, seems to be a solid performer. I came across some speaker cables in a kitchen cupboard, same Maplins cable with the transparent sheath but this (from memory) is 125 strand as opposed to the 55 strand one I lashed up with. I stripped all the ends back to fresh wire and got good connections I think. It just about fit into the sockets on the amp.
So now, I think I hear a bit more 'body' to the sound than with the thinner cable, but at the same time I think I lost some of that 'midrange delicacy' that impressed we about this amp to begin with. A slight 'thickening' of the sound. It's such a slight thing that I'm by no means certain it is 'real'. I will have to swap back again to the thin wire I think, and see what I reckon then.
But I got to thinking, if it is true that most amp designers will 'voice' an amplifier at least to a small extent, and back in the day this amp was designed (late 70s) they were using pretty thin gauge wire during that process, would that not affect the voicing of the amp i.e it is voiced to sound at its best with thinner cable? Any opinions?
The speakers can but when the amp was made bi-wiring wasn't even a twinkle in the dealers' eyes. There are A and B speaker sockets on it but I'm always wary of using them both at once on any amp that has them.
Should be fine as long as the speakers aren't really odd ohmage.
Was just to try after switching back to put the thick stuff on the bass, and see if the best of both appear
If the speakers can be bi-wired, then all you need to do is to connect both speaker cables together at the amplifier's terminals. The amplifier only needs to have a single set of terminals per channel.
If the speakers can be bi-wired, then all you need to do is to connect both speaker cables together at the amplifier's terminals. The amplifier only needs to have a single set of terminals per channel.
Except that the sockets for the speaker cables are just a little wider than a cocktail stick. I can just about fit the 125 strand stuff into them. It might be doable. I was wondering what sort of cable they would have been using at Phillips back in '79? That's almost a decade before I got ensnared in this.
In that case, can you not join the two thick cables together so as to leave a 'pigtail' just large enough in diameter to fit into the sockets?
You mean join the thick and the thin one in a 'pigtail'?
Except that the sockets for the speaker cables are just a little wider than a cocktail stick. I can just about fit the 125 strand stuff into them. It might be doable. I was wondering what sort of cable they would have been using at Phillips back in '79? That's almost a decade before I got ensnared in this.
I reckon they’d have been using thin tinned copper. It gives a meaty, natural sound. Lower damping factor than thick cables due to slightly increased resistance and tonally fuller than OFC in my experience if possibly at the loss of some of the hifiy-ness, hyper detail type sound. What length runs do you need? If it’s half reasonable lengths PM me your address and I’ll send you some. I’ve tried a few and this is good stuff.
I reckon they’d have been using thin tinned copper. It gives a meaty, natural sound. Lower damping factor than thick cables due to slightly increased resistance and tonally fuller than OFC in my experience if possibly at the loss of some of the hifiy-ness, hyper detail type sound. What length runs do you need? If it’s half reasonable lengths PM me your address and I’ll send you some. I’ve tried a few and this is good stuff.
That sounds good John, will send you PM.
Two experiments to try today - well three actually
1) Try new incredibly thin speaker cable (very kindly sent to me by John) with the Phillips Black Tulip amp
2) Try XTZ pre-amp with Krell KSA100 Mk2 using Spotfire speaker cable
3) Try new incredibly thin speaker cable with Krell KSA100 mk2 and try both the XTZ and DCB1 pre-amps with that combination.
Might have to go out in a bit so not sure I'll get them all done today.
So onto 1) - this is what John says about the speaker cable:
I reckon they’d (Philips back in 1979) have been using thin tinned copper. It gives a meaty, natural sound. Lower damping factor than thick cables due to slightly increased resistance and tonally fuller than OFC in my experience if possibly at the loss of some of the hifiy-ness, hyper detail type sound.
Yes it is really thin. Bell-wire thin. You could almost use it as a tonearm cable. Hooked it up, put on Neil Young with Crazy Horse - 'Ragged Glory' as that was already sat in the player from last time. Like most of his outings with Crazy Horse it's a bit of a rough and ready production, real live feel to it. Recorded in his barn IIRC.
Well there's no loss of the 'hify-ness hyper detail sound' - good job because I like that! First impressions are it is better than the two previous cables I have tried, no apparent loss of body plus it sounds nice and crisp and cymbals sound like cymbals and not 'shush-shush' sounds. Every detail of the mix is laid out. I'm struggling to fault it so far but you can't base everything on just listening to one recording.
I was worried that there would be no bass with such thin cable but not the case. Got to take into account that I am now used to Krell and their nonsense level grip and weight in the bass, the Black Tulip doesn't have that level of control regardless of the cables used. No slight on the Phillips, not many amplifiers match Krell for that.
More later.
For the sake of engineering correctness it’s 24/0.2 gauge or 0.75mm2 cross sectional area.
I do like “Incredibly Thin Speaker Cable” as a brand name though, has a ring to it.
Glad to hear it’s sounding ok. Definitely no tizzyness, good solid, honest sound I think.
John I think you've nailed it. Sounds right with this cable in place. Beautiful clarity, perfect 'shape' to the notes, no loss of the delicacy like there was with the thicker cable.
Nowt wrong wi’ thin speaker cable.
No real-world connection between cable gauge and body and bass weight in my experience.
Best sounding cable I’ve used in my system looks like shoelaces and has more body to it than even the “thick as yer wrist” Sterling Black Mamba stuff I used in the past.
This
https://i.imgur.com/OdjdjEW.jpg
vs this
https://i.imgur.com/VrqM6Rc.jpg
Funny old game...
Made in 1968
15-02-2020, 13:59
For the sake of engineering correctness it’s 24/0.2 gauge or 0.75mm2 cross sectional area.
I do like “Incredibly Thin Speaker Cable” as a brand name though, has a ring to it.
Glad to hear it’s sounding ok. Definitely no tizzyness, good solid, honest sound I think.
What cable is that then John?
Nowt wrong wi’ thin speaker cable.
No real-world connection between cable gauge and body and bass weight in my experience.
.
In my experience there can be. Sometimes. I'm the sort of person who likes things to make sense and the longer I'm in this game trying to make sense of it the more nothing makes sense.
I mean why does the XTZ pre-amp, which sounds like shit with every amp I've tried it with, even its own matching power amp, sound excellent when partnered with the Black Tulip?
I always thought if I could understand how sound reproduction works it would cut out the need to just try things at random and see what sticks. But now starting to conclude that there's no alternative. Bollocks really as with work the way it is right now I don't have the time or energy to do that much anymore. Who knows what wonderful combos I could be missing out on?
Anyway my trip outside withstanding I've spent the last few hours listening to music. Eagles, Steely Dan and now some Tull. Regular readers will recall I did, completely at random of course, pretty much hit on my exact perfect sound with the DCB1 - Krell KSA50S combo using the Spotfire speaker cable and interconnects. I was all done until the Krell broke.
The Spotfire cable is as literally thick as a hosepipe. And yet with completely different pre-amp, power amp and speaker cable as thin as spider-silk the sound I'm getting is almost identical. Not quite as good but it's marginal. I mean, what's that all about?
What cable is that then John?
It’s what I would class as machine wiring cable. Long out of production. Seems to be just good quality, multi-stranded tinned copper with PVC insulation. Having said that I’ve tried a few similar types which weren’t worth bothering with. This stuff is excellent though (for audio).
Sounds even better doubled up.
Just to put things in context re. the copper content, this stuff will carry 500 watts all day long at 240V and just be luke warm to the touch.
It’s rated at about 1KW before insulation will get hot at mains voltage.
ive just tried some old russian military wire ive had laying around,its 29AWG so i doubled up and im seriously amazed!
i had in before van damme 6mm hifi. wtf ??? confused.com
Firebottle
15-02-2020, 20:20
It's all sent to confuse us. Define synergy - ?????????
hornucopia
15-02-2020, 21:44
DNM wire is pretty thin as well.
Why is that my kit fails faster than I can buy it? Hectic day at work, so thought I'd relax when I got in with some tunes and a couple of cans. But the Sony QS player that has been the daily driver for about a year now has other ideas, keeps spitting the disc out. Okay so it was a Clapton album, but I tried a few others and it still is having none of it. Balls.
Went upstairs to see what else other players I've got that actually still work. Came across a Sony X505ES I'd almost forgot about, so I've stuck that in. Have to say I think I prefer the QS but there's not much in it. And the Sony does have mahogany end cheeks and little LEDs embedded in the buttons - which is nice.
Need to get the Tascam pro back from the shop as if this Sony dies I'm down to a choice between two Marantzs and a Pioneer DVD player.
Made in 1968
19-02-2020, 19:12
Cos things are unreliable. When people are listening to Equipment over 40 years old even without a service in their entire life & still work with no probs you know something is not right these days.. That is why i spend fuck all on new Equipment if i can help it.
This is what i was trying to say in a thread a month back about CD players & why its better to use a pooter with files.
Need to get the Tascam pro back from the shop as if this Sony dies I'm down to a choice between two Marantzs and a Pioneer DVD player.
What happened to the SL-P1200s you had Martin?
What happened to the SL-P1200s you had Martin?
I traded two broken ones for a mint working one, but that has now developed a fault where it will not play beyond track 6 of any album.
This is what i was trying to say in a thread a month back about CD players & why its better to use a pooter with files.
No not going to be doing that.
southall-1998_mk2
19-02-2020, 19:56
No not going to be doing that.
Exactly! Do what makes you happy.
S.
Made in 1968
19-02-2020, 19:56
No not going to be doing that.
Yes and im getting bord with it.. Ive got an original Arcam Alpha' CD player that needs sorting. I just need to get to the belt to see what size it is which is an utter basterd of a job.
it will not play beyond track 6 of any album.
OK as long as you only listen to Yes or ELP
Made in 1968
19-02-2020, 20:17
OK as long as you only listen to Yes or ELP
You cant say you dont get value for money with a YES album :D
Lawrence001
19-02-2020, 20:24
You cant say you dont get value for money with a YES album :DI used to think that when you could download single tracks from Amazon for 89p or something. Yes albums were very cheap [emoji38]
OK as long as you only listen to Yes or ELP
I've only got a 'Best Of' Yes album though. Loads of songs on it. And I don't like ELP. I don't like Yes much either now I think about it.
Anyway this Sony ES is bolloxed too. Now its warmed up its dropping out all the time. You can tell it would be really good if it was sorted though. I'll get that done at some point.
Made in 1968
19-02-2020, 20:38
Shurrup everyone like ELP [Upto Brain Salad Surgery].. Best of YES! Never heard of that. They made two best of in the 70's they were 'Yesterdays' This had two none album tracks which are now Bonus tracks on the present remasters & 'Classic YES' whic had a two live tracks on the CD version..
Shurrup everyone like ELP [Upto Brain Salad Surgery].. Best of YES! Never heard of that. They made two best of in the 70's they were 'Yesterdays' This had two none album tracks which are now Bonus tracks on the present remasters & 'Classic YES' whic had a two live tracks on the CD version..
Got this one, don’t think I’ve ever played it
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200219/bb8a17b3acab490ce3ac20ab93fce977.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200219/971ae982bb93a5f099c0dd19fcaf4300.jpg
Made in 1968
19-02-2020, 21:28
Some good tracks but i cannot be doing with the '90125' & 'Big Generator' stuuf
Saw 'Yes' way back in 1969 (I think), when they played at Salford University. Saw no reason to buy their LP (they only had one out at the time).
Spectral Morn
21-02-2020, 00:24
Saw 'Yes' way back in 1969 (I think), when they played at Salford University. Saw no reason to buy their LP (they only had one out at the time).
The first three albums are very good.
I have seen them live twice, Union tour at Wembly and magnificat tour down in Dublin. Both very good.
Made in 1968
21-02-2020, 07:01
Saw 'Yes' way back in 1969 (I think), when they played at Salford University. Saw no reason to buy their LP (they only had one out at the time).
First Yes gigs were early 1968, They used to do mostly cover versions in the very early days, Wilson Pickett, Yardbirds, Beatles etc,, YES were basically a proto-prog band at that time, The second album still had the feel of the first..Things did not start getting technical with em till the third album..
20th March 1969 they played at Salford University.. Be no LP out when you saw them, it was released in July of that year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDd3ZDTWdRk&list=RDsDd3ZDTWdRk&start_radio=1
Two experiments to try today - well three actually
1) Try new incredibly thin speaker cable (very kindly sent to me by John) with the Phillips Black Tulip amp
2) Try XTZ pre-amp with Krell KSA100 Mk2 using Spotfire speaker cable
3) Try new incredibly thin speaker cable with Krell KSA100 mk2 and try both the XTZ and DCB1 pre-amps with that combination.
.
Okay so a month on I'm now having a go at combo number 2) - XTZ pre with the Krell KSA100 - with the Spotfire interconnects and speaker cable. If you recall I was finding that the KSA100 sounded a bit too soft and warm for my taste, but my thinking is that this might be down to the match of pre and power amp, the DCB1 being a passive it might just be something to do with the impedance matching or something similarly arcane.
It's all set up, will do some listening and report back.
Played a couple of albums. Interesting that I'd pretty much say overall that the Krell is a better amplifier than the Philips Black Tulip, especially in terms of the bass and the control it has over the speakers. That's noticeable right from the off. But in terms of tone I'm listening now to 'Couldn't Stand The Weather' which is quite a 'glassy' digital production, very polished. The Phillips conveys that character intact but the Krell makes it sound more 'organic' and analogue.
Which I think is down to that slightly soft quality it has. I don't think using an active pre-amp has tempered that, maybe by a little. I'll have to put the DCB1 back in and compare again but it's certainly still there, most obvious on snare strikes and cymbals. Not to the extent that it spoils the sound but it's stopping a good sounding system from being a great sounding system.
walpurgis
22-03-2020, 13:51
You could try a stepped attenuator passive. They have the potential to sound cleaner (if that's what you want).
The DCB1 is a stepped attenuator passive though. It isn't making it cleaner that's the problem, the sound is clean it's just a bit soft with either pre-amp. Either the Krell is just like that regardless, or there's something else going on, I just don't know what but I wondered if it is impedance matching. Although 2 different pre-amps tried and it is the same so maybe not.
By soft I mean as an example take a good, clear recording of a snare-strike. On some systems it's overdone and it feels like it is hitting you right between the eyes. On others it is so soft it sounds like the drummer is hitting a cardboard box. They're the two extremes. Most good systems are in the middle but veer either way a little bit. This is veering towards cardboard box when I want it to veer more the other way.
As of today - Pioneer DVD565A, XTZ A100-D3 (as pre-amp only), Krell KSA100Mk2, JM Labs Elektra 926:
https://i.imgur.com/5R1nuAf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MiQlso1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZN6SBWO.jpg
cables and interconnects are all Bigbottle Spotify
Audio Al
10-04-2020, 09:14
Not keen on your CD storage unit :( the rest looks good :)
I'm too lazy to put them back in it after playing - I mean it is 5 feet away from the player, give me a break!
Audio Al
10-04-2020, 09:17
I'm too lazy to put them back in it after playing - I mean it is 5 feet away from the player, give me a break!
:D
Pigmy Pony
10-04-2020, 10:24
How effective are you finding the Puffa jacket room treatment? :) I've considered fixing some coat hooks to the side walls and experimenting with different coats.
Are you just using the DVD player as a transport Martin?
How effective are you finding the Puffa jacket room treatment? :) .
Night and day mate. And the fur round the hood is detachable so there's the option of deploying it without but not experimented with that yet. But veils were lifted. Well, hoods anyway.
Are you just using the DVD player as a transport Martin?
No but I could do as there's a DAC built in to the pre-amp. Might experiment with that if I get really bored.
No but I could do as there's a DAC built in to the pre-amp. Might experiment with that if I get really bored.
I was surprised to see you using that as your source when I seem to recall you've got some reasonable cd players? (+ why not play some records for a change ;) )
I was surprised to see you using that as your source when I seem to recall you've got some reasonable cd players? (+ why not play some records for a change ;) )
Almost all of my cd players are faulty, the only other working players I have are Marantz CD54 and CD67SE, another Pioneer DVD player and a Samsung Blu-Ray. I'm not that keen on the Marantz house sound which is why I'm not using them.
I've used the Pioneer as my daily driver before, visitors were surprised at the quality of it.
As of today - Pioneer DVD565A, XTZ A100-D3 (as pre-amp only), Krell KSA100Mk2, JM Labs Elektra 926:
https://i.imgur.com/5R1nuAf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MiQlso1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZN6SBWO.jpg
cables and interconnects are all Bigbottle Spotify
What is the black power amplifier in front of the Krell?
What is the black power amplifier in front of the Krell?
That's Martin's other Krell
That's the non-working Krell.
Tried the Pioneer as a transport but can't get a peep out of it. Either my digital cable is broken or I need to play about with the menu settings in the Pioneer. Which means hooking it up to a screen. Maybe later...
Bought an Oppo Universal player to replace the Pioneer. Here it is in the rack. Not had a serious listen to it yet:
https://i.imgur.com/4TYFSa8.jpg
You gonna get the Krell sorted matey ?. Shame its sitting there doing nowt. Not that I can preach about non working stuff lol. Good luck with the Oppo.
I got it sorted once, was fine on testing, got it home and it was dead. What can you do? It's probably something simple this time, connection come loose maybe. Nothing that can be done during this lockdown. Anyway I've got another Krell to be going on with, I just slightly prefer the one that's currently broken.
Argh, not noticed the other Krell. Bit like London buses then, you get one then the other soon follows !. I know you was having a "weighty " convo with Marco yesterday but did you give the Opportunity a spin at all ?
Been interested in the brand for somewhile, and there s a dealer near us at Swiss Cottage but of course there a bit meaty price wise new. Enjoy.
Okay so had a bit of a session with the new Oppo last night.
Started out listening to Erikah Badu 'Mama's Gun', just had it on in the background. Was reading some nonsense on the internet but about three songs in I noticed I was having trouble concentrating on what I was reading as the sound was demanding my attention. So gave up on the nonsense and started having a proper listen. It's a great record but I don't play it that much so I'm not 'intimate' with it. Some of the sparser tracks were very well presented.
The Oppo is not as sweet-sounding as the Sony XB790QS. I liked the sweet sound of that player but on occasion I'd be laughing to myself as it was just too sweet to be real. None of that here with the Oppo but it was not a 'hard' sound either.
Then put on that old test favourite 'Brothers In Arms.' Bought this on vinyl the week it came out, so 35 years and a lot of plays, although I've since graduated to the re-mastered CD. But I know it well. This was bit of a revelation. In truth I wasn't expecting there to be much, if any difference to how this sounds on the Pioneer DVD565A. Wrong!
The first tune. 'So Far Away' was ruthlessly stripped back to its component parts. The vocal was astonishingly clear, not heard this before with any of my dozens of cd players. I'd describe the sound characteristics of this player as dry and architectural. There's no rosy glow or syrup added to the sound at all. I was playing just at the level where there's a bit of 'bite' to the sound - every system has that point - but no louder. There was no harshness or grain at all, backgrounds were black. Blacker than the Pioneer could manage. Now the Sony can do that lack of noise too but as I said, it is sweeter. The Oppo is closer to unadulterated studio playback.
'Brothers' is an early digital recording and it has that 'sheen' to it. Not unpleasant but it is in the character of the recording. The Krell is pretty warm sounding and ameliorates this a bit. Coupled with a warm player and you don't get it at all. I don't like that, I like to hear the individual character of recordings. I don't want the same sauce poured over everything. The Oppo was able to cut through the Krell's warmth a bit and present the 'sheen', although not entirely truthfully. But that's the Krell's colouration, not the cd player.
Was getting late but thought I would manage one more album and no session is complete without some Dan, so put on 'The Royal Scam'. A good analogue recording from 1976. Another one I know very well having been a fanatical Dan fan since an old hippy speed-freak introduced me to them back in 1990.
Was not prepared for this. This album has never particularly impressed me either as a recording or musically compared to Aja and Gaucho. Until last night. The vocal was so present and so real it was actually eerie on occasion. Amazing dynamics. Cavernous soundstage. Really not heard this album like this ever before. The final tune, the title track, which I've never cared for, had me gripped on every note.
The differences between this '76 analogue recording and the 1985 digital 'Brothers In Arms were quite pronounced. Even though both are great recordings, I like to hear that difference. It shows you're on the right track to neutrality.
By the time that finished it was 2300 so had to - very reluctantly -pack it in for the night.
So yes, I was wrong, there is quite a big difference between what this Oppo can do compared to the humble Pioneer. I was hoping for a small improvement at best but this is quite a big improvement. It's dry, it's architectural, it's exactly how I like it. I've no doubt that if I could swap the Krell 100 for its smaller, more neutral-sounding cousin the 50S I'd be almost as close to as neutral a playback as it's possible to get (the 50s is still a bit warm in the bass). But as it is I can live with this for the moment. I'm surprised and quite pleased. What a great upgrade for just £230!
Great minds think alike, posted at the same time !. Anyway, seems like a right good result.
Great minds think alike, posted at the same time !. Anyway, seems like a right good result.
Yes - if your looking for a player that has not had fairy dust sprinkled on the sound by people called Ken then I'd recommend it. Think I'm in the minority there though. :)
Yes - if your looking for a player that has not had fairy dust sprinkled on the sound by people called Ken then I'd recommend it. Think I'm in the minority there though. :)
thought you might like the oppo.. glad ur sorted
Welcome to the Oppo club Martin.
They DO make exceedingly good disc players. :)
You can change it's "flavour" with an external Dac, but the one built is to your liking...so hey, all good.
Big draw for me is the Transport, up there with the best at getting the 1's and 0's off a disc.
They respond well to mods as well.
Glad you found a player that'll keep you happy mate, enjoy.
Welcome to the Oppo club Martin.
They DO make exceedingly good disc players. :)
You can change it's "flavour" with an external Dac, but the one built is to your liking...so hey, all good.
Big draw for me is the Transport, up there with the best at getting the 1's and 0's off a disc.
They respond well to mods as well.
Glad you found a player that'll keep you happy mate, enjoy.
I'm steeling myself to buy an RME ADI2 DAC to use with it. I want to try DSP and parametric EQ and that has it. It's just a bit spendy.
I'm steeling myself to buy an RME ADI2 DAC to use with it. I want to try DSP and parametric EQ and that has it. It's just a bit spendy.
yeah could be useful for you. I use that, its built in to Roon. it is surprisingly complete and complex as to what you can do with it.
a screenshot of roons gubbins:eyebrows:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/9752/COpgww.png
Audio Al
01-05-2020, 14:43
I like the word " Gubbins " :D
I've read that the RME is fiendishly complex with its gubbins.
had another long listen last night, got through quite a few albums.
Boston-eponymous debut
Dire Straits eponymous debut
ZZ Top - Eliminator
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly
I notice that on the Dire Straits, first tune 'Down To The Waterline' those cymbal shimmers in the intro sounded metallic rather than 'shushy' as they were before. This is really the big difference, the sound with the Oppo is crisper across the board and offsets the slight softness of the Krell. So it's a much more balanced sound even though it is still too smooth to be entirely neutral.
With ZZ Top I noticed the bass is a little bit soft - but I know what is causing this and I can fix it*. Likewise with Daft Punk although the system did give a good rendition of the bass on that one, sounded like the bass in a fancy club system, which is how it's supposed to be.
'The Nightfly' was monumental. Hard to get a system together that make this album sound bad (although I have managed it a couple of times), can't fault it with this set up though.
I'm appreciating more what the Krell can do now. It is 'velvety' in character but now I have that crispness back what was a problem turns into a positive. It's ideal for a long, relaxing session of listening to music, it never gets too much but all the detail is there. Maybe the top-end is still a little recessed but I think now this is a frequency response issue rather than one of quality. My room is over-damped, I knew that already. So I think a little EQ will sort that out. Going to have another look at getting that RME DAC.
*before the Oppo arrived I'd swapped the Spotfire interconnects for the Klotz MC500 in the hope of opening up the top end a little (it didn't) and I forgot to change back to the Spotifres. The Spotfires are noticeably better in the bass.
:thumbsup:
Oppo’s are great, Best Buy I’ve made in a very long time.
Does yours have an HDMI input Martin?
It has HDMI output but not input.
Ah..ok.
Just asking as you can plug a TV box into it which would give you Services like YouTube, which is another great music source played thru the hifi.
Thee is a usb input so could use that I suppose. But I already have an entirely separate sound system for the TV.
Just a thought that popped into my head. :)
Main thing is you found your CD player, room for funsies too with an external Dac.
Enjoy the journey man, it’s what it’s all about.
new arrival - Philips Black Tulip 280 Pre-amp:
https://i.imgur.com/y3zzVGw.jpg
Will be partnering with the 380 power amp on the TV system
How did one come about that "one " ?. Tried it yet ?
How did one come about that "one " ?. Tried it yet ?
No, not yet. Just part of my quest to collect all the Black Tulip components.
Cool... They were quite expensive in their day. Remind us again of what the TV system is?:)
Marco.
Just the 280 pre and the 380 power amp and fairly nondescript Pioneer DVD player (DVD S-54).
None of it actually doing anything at the moment as I'm waiting on a little USB powered DAC to convert optical from the TV to analogue as the TV does not have analogue output which is a right pain in the arse.
Speakers not decided on yet, have various options lying about. Will probably be Bang & Olufsen maybe with a Yamaha subwoofer.
The Black Tulip gear looks great in the rack though!
walpurgis
01-06-2020, 11:20
I wondered when you'd get one of those Martin, looks good. Now you'll need to tell us how it sounds once rigged up.
https://i.imgur.com/m183WT4.jpg
Seems the DVD player is Panasonic not Pioneer.
Just the 280 pre and the 380 power amp and fairly nondescript Pioneer DVD player (DVD S-54).
None of it actually doing anything at the moment as I'm waiting on a little USB powered DAC to convert optical from the TV to analogue as the TV does not have analogue output which is a right pain in the arse.
Speakers not decided on yet, have various options lying about. Will probably be Bang & Olufsen maybe with a Yamaha subwoofer.
The Black Tulip gear looks great in the rack though!
Yeah, it's got what's called 'rack presence':D
Any idea when Philips introduced the BT range? I'm sure I sold some of it back in the day, either in the specialist 'sound and vision' shop, as part of the dept store where I used to work during the late 80s, or in Bill Hutchinson, which would've been early 90s. I can remember the whole range being well-regarded and rather pricey!
Marco.
was in 80's, not sure when in 80's tho..
in fact is seems late 70's early 80's
Then it must've been something else similar I was thinking of:)
Marco.
The lack of a CD places it pre '82.
A CD880 might well be a visual match, and, hierarchical match, in a sense, but they go for more than the Oppo you got cost.
Well I'm baffled by this thing. Can't get a peep out if it. Powers up okay but just nothing is going to the power amp. Tried all the outputs. Tried two different sources, tried both inputs. Even resorted to just pressing all the buttons at random. Absolutely nothing. Can't figure it out.
That seems okay, operates freely.
I've pulled it all out the rack so I can experiment more easily. Could be dodgy interconnects. In these situations, check everything.
Using the power amps variable inputs managed to get sound on one channel. Sounds pretty good! But clearly still something amiss.
Swapped interconnects so left is into right, working channel swaps over. So not the power amp. tried different interconnects, same issue. Conclusion - pre-amp has no output on one channel. Annoying.
Shame. Maybe Alan will have a look.
Yeah it's a bit of a bummer. Another one for the repair pile.
Shame. Maybe Alan will have a look.
Is he still operating during ( semi ) lockdown ?.... Sorry to hear that Martin.
Yeah, drats mate, that's a royal PITA....:doh: You seem to be quite unlucky with stuff like that, and in that respect I'm thinking of your 'graveyard' of CD players!;)
Anyway, hope you can get it fixed ASAP, by any which means possible. Being a preamp though, it shouldn't be too heavy, so you could box it up and send it to Alan, or I'm sure that Anthony would look at it for you?
Marco.
Actually it's massive and pretty heavy. But I can get it fixed once lockdown ends, no desperate hurry.
Actually it's massive and pretty heavy. But I can get it fixed once lockdown ends, no desperate hurry.
That's a pain Martin. Was it sold as a working example?
Audio Al
02-06-2020, 11:42
Well I'm baffled by this thing. Can't get a peep out if it. Powers up okay but just nothing is going to the power amp. Tried all the outputs. Tried two different sources, tried both inputs. Even resorted to just pressing all the buttons at random. Absolutely nothing. Can't figure it out.
I have a BT pre as well and I can't get it to work , Allready on the WTF am I going to do with this pile
I have a BT pre as well and I can't get it to work , Allready on the WTF am I going to do with this pile
My plan is to blackmail an EE with an elaborate 'honeytrap' style scam and get him to fix everything for free. Then open a shop.
Beobloke
02-06-2020, 16:03
I have a BT pre as well and I can't get it to work , Allready on the WTF am I going to do with this pile
I seem to recall you found a very nice man to help you out with your Albarry preamp when it wasn't very well. ;)
Mind you, he did take bl**dy ages to get round to it...:whistle:
Audio Al
02-06-2020, 16:32
I seem to recall you found a very nice man to help you out with your Albarry preamp when it wasn't very well. ;)
Mind you, he did take bl**dy ages to get round to it...:whistle:
:lol::D It was only about a year from memory :scratch:
Still have the AP 4 :)
you nearly got one of these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Round-Tuit-wooden-Coaster-present-house-rustic-funny-home-gift/222529245053?hash=item33cfc6cf7d:g:4KEAAOSwi7RZMDW y
Firebottle
02-06-2020, 20:18
Don't mind looking at these for folks.
Cheers Alan, it's appreciated. Shame you are so far away, I could keep you in work for a year!
Cheers Alan, it's appreciated. Shame you are so far away, I could keep you in work for a year!
Sent my Roksan Kandy through the post to Alan earlier this year and it was all very much hassle free. Also, Staffs to the West Midlands is it really that far ? :)
Sent my Roksan Kandy through the post to Alan earlier this year and it was all very much hassle free. Also, Staffs to the West Midlands is it really that far ? :)
It is when you don't have a car though. And I'm right at the top of Staffordshire and Alan is some way south of Birmingham. I suppose I could ship the pre-amp to him though.
Firebottle
03-06-2020, 07:45
South of Wolverhampton but definitely north west of Birmingham.
It is when you don't have a car though. And I'm right at the top of Staffordshire and Alan is some way south of Birmingham. I suppose I could ship the pre-amp to him though.
Sorry I thought you had a motor, same as me then ( shanksy s ). Yup, always a bit heart in the mouth posting anything of value, but bomb prove it and it should be okay. Don't quote me though lol
Here's the current 'home theatre' stack. Only two channel. I had 5.1 for many years but in the end decided it was just a gimmick. JBL Control One's wired up at the moment. I have a sub that is going to slot into that gap between the stack and the wall, just haven't got round to doing that yet. Job for later today:
https://i.ibb.co/Xj31jS4/20200620-105133-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/WGPZGg3)
I use Control Ones in my AV set up to, on the end of a Yamaha receiver. They're surprisingly good for their size. I was watching youtube music videos to the wee small hours & the volume increased slightly with each bottle of lager consumed.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50025616387_a1f9335b8f_c.jpg
Mine used to be the surround speakers. You can't fault them for the size and price. Think I paid £65 brand new and that included a set of metal wall-mounting brackets.
They don't measure very well though:
https://i.ibb.co/jHKpzgn/Capture.png (https://imgbb.com/)
pine castle jacksonville fl (https://nonprofitlight.com/fl/jacksonville/pine-castle-inc)
My ears are usually slightly alcoholically numb by the time they get cranked up beyond normal tv listening levels anyway so 'belending' the woofer doesn't matter.
They 'belend' a lot better than the speakers built into the TV anyway. :)
TV speakers are bloody awful. Seems they make zero effort with them these days assuming everyone has an av sound system. I bought a cheap (£180) 40 incher as a stand in while I was waiting for my 65 inch Sony to be repaired and I've had transistor radios that sound better.
I think most typical punters who care just buy a small soundbar. Obviously the likes of us don't need to worry about that as we always have spare amps and speakers just lying around that can be pressed into service.
I was using the TV speakers for a while out of sheer idleness and didn't think they were too bad but even the little Control Ones are a huge step up in SQ.
I've put the cheap 40inch on the wall in the kitchen, might be an excuse to re-introduce the kitchen system :)
TV speakers are bloody awful. Seems they make zero effort with them these days assuming everyone has an av sound system. I bought a cheap (£180) 40 incher as a stand in while I was waiting for my 65 inch Sony to be repaired and I've had transistor radios that sound better.Think it might have something to do with how TVs are made now - and the laws of physics.
Firebottle
21-06-2020, 07:24
Think it might have something to do with how TVs are made now - and the laws of physics.
Yes agreed, but why can't the TV manufacturers put external speaker sockets on?
If hi-fi had to obey the laws of physics think how many products just wouldn't work at all. The reason TVs sound so bad is because they don't fit them with quantum-tunnelling mains cables.
Yes agreed, but why can't the TV manufacturers put external speaker sockets on?Perhaps they just think a Soundbar is all anyone would want to use?
- and the laws of physics.
Perhaps we should get Scotty involved?
I cant reach my desk captain!! I'm Too Fat:D
Telly's can sound alright.
Generally pretty bad though.
Just ordered me one of these Soncoz DACs, should be here tomorrow:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SGD1%EF%BC%88Black%EF%BC%89-Converter-ES9038Q2M-Bluetooth-Preamplifier/dp/B0819VLZTH/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=soncoz&qid=1592735691&sr=8-6
Was the "warm white LEDs" the deciding factor?
I thought it had an orange display? That was what swung it for me.
From Amazon. No mention of orange.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200622/f031cfdade9a391231a579f84b3d888b.jpg
I saw a picture where it looked orange.
This video in fact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63R2TEqwtuY&feature=youtu.be
Not going to be here today anyway, says tomorrow now.
Dauntless
24-06-2020, 23:54
Have you given it a try Martin? I've had one delivered today. I didn't get off to a good start with it trying the optical connection. Couldn't raise a peep out of it! I tried the 75ohm connection and that worked but found I needed to run the volume right the way around so it maybe my fault that the optical didn't seem to work - maybe I wasn't pushing the volume to a high enough setting. I thought the unit sounded rather '' digital '' at first running some Prokofiev and Rachmaninov through it but it has shown some improvement in the space of a couple of CD's. Some Dave Grusin jazz finished up sounding pretty good through a bi-amped XTZ Edge feeding some Monitor Audio gold 200 floorstanders.
Guess I need to run the unit in.
I also could not get a peep out of it. But I think my digital coax cable is faulty. New one should arrive today and I'll try again. Didn't try optical as only have one optical cable and I'm using that on the telly.
Maybe I just didn't have the volume right the way round? I don't know. The only thing I can report so far is that the volume knob is way too cheap and nasty for a product costing the thick end of a monkey. Hopefully the SQ will make up for it.
Firebottle
25-06-2020, 08:02
Always wondered where the term monkey came from:
The term monkey came from soldiers returning from India, where the 500 rupee note had a picture of a monkey on it. They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted for sterling to mean £500.
All makes sense.
walpurgis
25-06-2020, 08:08
They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted for sterling to mean £500.
All makes sense.
Pretty poor exchange rate though. :)
Audio Al
25-06-2020, 08:34
Maybe they should re name it a Marco , He can be a bit of a monkey :)
Beobloke
25-06-2020, 10:57
Out of interest, did you, Macca, or Al get your Philips Black turnip preamps sorted out?
Out of interest, did you, Macca, or Al get your Philips Black turnip preamps sorted out?
I haven't. Mine is way back in the queue of 'things that need fixing.' Lockdown doesn't help.
Audio Al
25-06-2020, 12:51
Good reminder I will see if I can find my one :)
Audio Al
25-06-2020, 13:52
OK , now located , Its a Philips 270 pre , However it only has tape Phono and tuner :scratch:
No Aux or CD :scratch::scratch:
Can I run a CD through the tuner input ??
HELP :D
Pigmy Pony
25-06-2020, 18:53
Maye they should re name it a Marco , He can be a bit of a monkey :)
Aye, and not a good bit. The bit you see them playing with when you take your kiddies to the zoo :eyebrows:
Pigmy Pony
25-06-2020, 18:57
OK , now located , Its a Philips 270 pre , However it only has tape Phono and tuner :scratch:
No Aux or CD :scratch::scratch:
Can I run a CD through the tuner input ??
HELP :D
As far as I know, they'll all be "line level", and interchangeable.
OK , now located , Its a Philips 270 pre , However it only has tape Phono and tuner :scratch:
No Aux or CD :scratch::scratch:
Can I run a CD through the tuner input ??
HELP :D
It's from 1979 so pre-dates the introduction of CD. You can use the tuner input it's exactly the same.
In other news I now have the Sancoz DAC up and running. Not had long enough to give it a proper evaluation yet but it does sound very clean and clear.
Audio Al
26-06-2020, 08:03
It's from 1979 so pre-dates the introduction of CD. You can use the tuner input it's exactly the same.
In other news I now have the Sancoz DAC up and running. Not had long enough to give it a proper evaluation yet but it does sound very clean and clear.
OK later today I will give it a try :)
Audio Al
29-06-2020, 16:08
Just tried the 270 pre and yes it does work , along with the Sony CD player and my big valve amp , sounds terible :eek::doh:
Will see if I can find the power amp that goes with the 270 pre :)
Just tried the 270 pre and yes it does work , along with the Sony CD player and my big valve amp , sounds terible :eek::doh:
Will see if I can find the power amp that goes with the 270 pre :)
It will sound terrible (flat and 'sat on') because a typical tuner input has a sensitivity of 100mV, whereas a CDP can put out as much as 2V.
A friend of mine used to say how bad CDs sounded. It wasn't till I heard his setup (a Cambridge CDP, running into the radio input of a Harrison S200 integrated amp) did I understand what he meant. His amp was being overloaded by the CDP. A change of amp to one with a proper CD input sorted the problem.
I always thought you could plug say a CD player into any of those inputs tuner, aux or whatever ?.
I always thought you could plug say a CD player into any of those inputs tuner, aux or whatever ?.
You can, and you will get an output - but it won't sound that good.
You can, and you will get an output - but it won't sound that good.
Test that out, see what the difference is.... thanks
Audio Al
30-06-2020, 03:59
It will sound terrible (flat and 'sat on') because a typical tuner input has a sensitivity of 100mV, whereas a CDP can put out as much as 2V.
A friend of mine used to say how bad CDs sounded. It wasn't till I heard his setup (a Cambridge CDP, running into the radio input of a Harrison S200 integrated amp) did I understand what he meant. His amp was being overloaded by the CDP. A change of amp to one with a proper CD input sorted the problem.
OK , I was going by post 978 , Will try with a different amp
I always thought you could plug say a CD player into any of those inputs tuner, aux or whatever ?.
usually you can, the amp Barry is talking about is from the early seventies and all of its line inputs were 110mv. QUAD 33 has the same issue. I have the other Black Tulip pre and CD is fine through the tuner input so I'd be surprised if yours was different. But I suppose it could be,
Giving this big Sony 530ES integrated I got off of Mike a run out:
https://i.ibb.co/WDsWjSj/Sony.jpg (https://ibb.co/PTtZ0B0)
From 1990. Cost then was £300 so about a grand in today's money. Always wanted one of these back then, with the Gibraltar chassis and the big rotary volume control. I did buy it for one of my brothers who is after a new amp but not sure I want to part with it now, especially as it sounds better than I expected.
I didn't expect it to be crap but I did have one of the ES power amps a while ago, the TA-N55ES and didn't rate that much at all, although the rest of the set-up was different back then so who knows?
Light is better today managed to get a better picture of it. Power amp underneath it is the Philips 380 'Black Tulip'.
https://i.ibb.co/7kFW7V0/20200705-140517-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/z6wRKbt)
Been listening to this amp for a couple of days now, not felt the need to swap it out. I know there are some clunkers in the Sony ES range, this is certainly not one of them. They seem to go for what I paid which is around £130. Just a ridiculous bargain, especially when the cosmetic condition is pretty much mint like this one is.
It's actually a better amplifier than my XTZ Class A100D3. Okay it's not quite in the top drawer but then very few amps are at any price. There's not that much in it, though.
walpurgis
05-07-2020, 13:30
It's certainly a decent looking bit of kit. If it sound good too you can't really go wrong for that sort of money.
Decided to have a full sort out and set it up properly, deserves more of a listen. Had a clean up and did some cable dressing, room for my tuner back in the rack now!
https://i.ibb.co/kH2CYZD/20200705-172754-2.jpg (https://ibb.co/3rmZtKF)
Light is better today managed to get a better picture of it. Power amp underneath it is the Philips 380 'Black Tulip'.
https://i.ibb.co/7kFW7V0/20200705-140517-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/z6wRKbt)
Been listening to this amp for a couple of days now, not felt the need to swap it out. I know there are some clunkers in the Sony ES range, this is certainly not one of them. They seem to go for what I paid which is around £130. Just a ridiculous bargain, especially when the cosmetic condition is pretty much mint like this one is.
It's actually a better amplifier than my XTZ Class A100D3. Okay it's not quite in the top drawer but then very few amps are at any price. There's not that much in it, though.
A handsome-looking piece of kit, as one would expect from Sony. Looks like you got a bargain there Martin. Well done! :)
Me old Scottish Mafia mucker Brian has had a few of the big old Sony amps in his system and always sounded great.
Enjoy man, nice kit.
Thought I'd give this Sansui SE7 ten band equalizer a run out, just to have a play around. Took me a while to settle on the settings. The trick is to cut rather than boost where possible. Amazing what changes you can make with just a 2db shift at various frequencies. No wonder rooms affect the sound so much.
I pulled the 1Khz down 4db, and pulled everything else except the top end down 2dB. Knocking 1Khz down makes a huge difference! Gives a quite dry 'studio' sort of sound with no glare and a slightly exaggerated top (but I quite like that). Just need to clean the gain pot on it as it's a bit noisy.
https://i.ibb.co/QK8BVxH/20200710-172817-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/wzJHq2Q)
It's interesting. You do lose a little overall transparency but at the same time small things in the mix are more prominent and musically, it seems more enjoyable.
The transparency thing is probably because it's an old Sansui and not a brand new Klark Teknik.
The room seems to take the edge off the top end but exaggerate the mids a bit. Does make me think about doing all this digitally with no losses.
Anyway, it's all just a stopgap until I get perfection back with the Krell KSA50S.
yeah as im digital i was considering getting a mic and doing it through roon. there is a program you can download free that will set up your room acoustics to your seat. be interesting.. the mic is about 120 notes
I have a Klark -Teknik DN360 dual channel graphic equaliser.
I have played around with it in my system, but not in anger. But I would concur that small changes of only 2dB is all that is necessary, and it is all too easy to end up making everything sound artificial and just plain 'wrong'.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/278AAOSw-MpePZSa/s-l1600.jpg
walpurgis
10-07-2020, 17:07
You do lose a little overall transparency
Every equaliser I've tried has done that.
I have a Klark -Teknik DN360 dual channel graphic equaliser.
I have played around with it in my system, but not in anger. But I would concur that small changes of only 2dB is all that is necessary, and it is all too easy to end up making everything sound artificial and just plain 'wrong'.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/278AAOSw-MpePZSa/s-l1600.jpg
Yeah that is proper kit there Barry. Do you use it in your main system?
If you ever want to get rid of it give me a shout.
Stupid cables.
Day off today so thought I'd attack the hi-fi again. I've tried a lot of things trying to get back to the sound I used to have with the old Sony XB790QS - DCB1 + Krell KSA50S that was a close to perfect as I've ever heard.
Someone said to me awhile back that the 'softness' that had been driving me nuts was just the 'character' of the Krell KSA100. I suspected they had to be wrong even though my practical experience was suggesting otherwise. This wasn't 'character', it was clearly that something was sitting on the sound. It was like you could tell there was a good system in there, trying to get out, but was just falling short.
I thought I had tried everything - New CD player, nope that didn't cut it. Add one of the latest and best measuring DACs ever. Still not doing it like that old set-up. Different transports? Nope. Try different pre-amplifiers. Nothing happening. Deploy a 10 band graphic equaliser and rack up the HF a bit? Fun to play about with but still no dice.
Running out of things to try I got to thinking about interconnects and speaker cable. When I got the first Krell I was using Chord Odyssey 2. Swapping that out for some nondescript 79 strand had made a significant improvement that time. Suddenly there was body and bass to the sound. Maybe cables were the key. I've always said cables are horses for courses. So I put in the same unbranded 79 strand stuff that nowadays is in use on the TV system.
At first I thought it was maybe a little better but on extended listening the softness and lack of 'rez' to the sound was still there. Fail.
Looked through all my other speaker cables ( must be at least ten sets), but wasn't convinced any of them would help. However while I was up there I saw a whole carrier bag of interconnects so pulled out some NVA SSC that I had used for years when I had an NVA pre-amp. Something in my distant memory told me that I had got these way back when I was having a similar issue (with a completely different set up) and they'd fixed it.
So I swap them in and... well it doesn't solve the problem. In fact now it all sounds a bit weird, hard to put my finger on it but I switched the whole thing off and went and did something else instead for a bit.
Taking some kit back upstairs in vain attempt to tidy up after all the messing about, I noticed some Chord Odyssey 2 speaker cable lying under the bed. Well that did not suit the Krell KSA50S at all so surely not worth the bother to try it with the KSA100ii is it? But the Chord cable does have a rep for being 'bright' and it was brightness, or rather sparkle, that was lacking. So thought I would have one last go at it, took it downstairs and plugged it in.
And bollocks, it actually does the trick.
I mean I would not believe it if I was not sat here hearing it. No more 'shushy' cymbals! There's a couple of songs that have a big cymbal crash and decay, the start of 'Where Do You Think You're Going?' on Dire Strait's 'Communique' album, a number of them on Donal Fagen's 'True Companion' and all through the 'Nightfly' of course.' So I try all of these, and yes, the proper shimmer and decay is there!
Not quite as good as on the old set up mind, that was just jaw-dropping in every respect, but at least it is there now and not just a frigging 'shush' sound. Plus the rest of the sound has opened up too, and although you'd think there must be a con-commitant drop in bass level, or quality, there isn't. That's better too.
Why would a cable that was a poor performer on one Krell be the best option on another Krell? What's that all about? Impedance? I suppose everything comes down to bloody impedance at the end of the day. But it isn't really supposed to matter with cables.
I had been toying with the idea of flogging the Chord cable as well, as it was quite expensive stuff and I figured I wouldn't have use for it ever again. There's a lesson - never sell anything!
walpurgis
03-08-2020, 16:58
As ever, Hi-Fi is 'mix & match' and the ingredients somehow often don't work quite as expected.
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