View Full Version : Journey to the temple of boom, slight reprise.
Seeing as how a certain image hosting site has ruined my original thread I've decided to start afresh.
I've cherry picked a little bit because this was a massive ballache and I am at work.
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jollyfix
27-08-2017, 10:08
Very nice Andrew.
Audio Al
27-08-2017, 10:36
Seeing as how a certain image hosting site has ruined my original thread
Is that :wanker:obucket ?
Very nice systems and rooms :)
Cheers Dave.
That's right Allen. Makes the original thread a complete waste of space.
First post now finished.
Now let's get current.
Pioneer as it arrived.
http://i.imgur.com/BuhUOrM.jpg
And pretty much as it sits now...
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A very tasty looking system. I have never heard those Leaks but they sure look funky.
Thanks Geoff. Audio completeness is just around the corner.
nice deck. I see you had a set of your speakers decoupled from the stands. how did that work out?
your back to vinyl and Im back to digital. lol
I want that deck, I want those speakers. Only the dinky little telly makes me feel better.
Arkless Electronics
12-09-2017, 14:47
A mate once had Leak 2075's (the later 3090's are the ones with the isodynamic tweeters further up the thread) and they were very good other than the top end from THAT Leak/Wharfdale purple plastic dome tweeter. Bass was very impressive and a much better example of a transmission line working properly than the IMF speakers I've heard. That's a 15" woofer BTW, for scale... these are big buggers!!
Grant that was a pair of Linn Kan 1 and the spike directly under the speakers worked a treat for my ears.
The dinky little telly is plenty big enough for the wife to watch hollyoaks. I could live without it tbh.
I grew up with the pictured 3090's in my fathers system so they and their relatives seem normally sized to me.
The 2075 has a simpler circuit which for me makes up for the poor tweeter.
Thanks all.
Arkless Electronics
12-09-2017, 15:32
Grant that was a pair of Linn Kan 1 and the spike directly under the speakers worked a treat for my ears.
The dinky little telly is plenty big enough for the wife to watch hollyoaks. I could live without it tbh.
I grew up with the pictured 3090's in my fathers system so they and their relatives seem normally sized to me.
The 2075 has a simpler circuit which for me makes up for the poor tweeter.
Thanks all.
A spike through Linn Kans improves them to my ears...:D Works for the undead apparently too...
Always thought the 2075's would be good one to try rebuilding the crossovers with better caps and replacing the tweeter with something better. They will likely be full of ancient "Elcaps", thin wire and push on connectors....
My mate used his with a Sugden A48II and they still sounded great! Effortlessly extended bass with decent grip but a bit of a sting in the treble is how I remember them...
southall-1998
12-09-2017, 15:46
Nice system pics, Andrew. Very neat work!
S.
Thank you Shane.
The neatness continues.
The newfangled vinyl thing was too low for my aging spine so back in comes a rack.
A pleasant green Soundstyle found a twenty minute drive away for £25.
Back in diy mode lately. I've now got all matching cable and plugs from source to amp including inside the passive 'pre'.
Van Damme patch cable and REAN plugs all through and a just assembled and now listening passive.
Used another of the excellent EIZZ stepped attenuator in 50k stereo and neutrik sockets along with the Van Damme cable inside a Chinese enclosure that arrived completely ready for use besides enlarging two holes and relocating one.
The Yamaha goes back to just being a very good power amp which I'm considering separating from the rest of it into it's own enclosure.
I read somewhere that the pictured configuration works well.
I disagree quite a lot.
I can see why they might say that as *on paper* it should work better than having the drivers horizontal. Maybe the mid and tweeter are just too high up like that?
It also removes my handy record sleeve shelf.
Could be that Martin. I think having the tweeter in the middle after a fashion and so to speak might be better. The cables ain't long enough though so we won't be finding out.
Just bought me a pair of Mullard PCF80 for the Firebottle. I do love these lesser priced tubes. A pair nos delivered for less than a tenner.
That will leave the stage with a full complement of vintage Mullard tubes.
Should anyone be interested I will be reworking my PCC189 sales thread to include the replaced PCF80 valves.
Just bought me a pair of Mullard PCF80 for the Firebottle. I do love these lesser priced tubes. A pair nos delivered for less than a tenner.
That will leave the stage with a full complement of vintage Mullard tubes.
Should anyone be interested I will be reworking my PCC189 sales thread to include the replaced PCF80 valves.
i did that originally with my firebottle. i never noticed any improvement personally.. do you?
I'm awaiting their arrival Grant. In my previous tube experiences I've always found Mullard to be a cut above though with that something special I can't quite put my finger on.
wil heear your verdict when arrived then:)
rigger67
31-10-2017, 09:58
My mum worked for Mullards down here in Southampton in the 1960s.
Their factory still stood less than a mile from my place till not so long ago - maybe ten years at the most ?
Not sure if she ever helped make any high-end hifi components though .. would've been handy if she'd had a valve amp though :)
Interesting Paul, cheers. You're sure she hasn't got a stash of vintage tubes in the loft? I call dibs!
My mum worked for Quad assembling 303 power amps. Her and an old friend of hers were very useful when I had a broken 303 many years ago.
So the Mullard arrival has happened.
The Firebottle is now an all Mullard affair. I'm sure there are many technically minded folk who'll say there's no difference between tubes. Stuff them this is my kit.
For me there is a richness and fullness to the sound of vintage Mullard tubes. An extra layer to the audio hologram if you will.
Bigman80
02-11-2017, 12:23
So the Mullard arrival has happened.
The Firebottle is now an all Mullard affair. I'm sure there are many technically minded folk who'll say there's no difference between tubes. Stuff them this is my kit.
For me there is a richness and fullness to the sound of vintage Mullard tubes. An extra layer to the audio hologram if you will.Tubes/Valves do sound remarkably different IMO and that's been my experience. Luckily for you Alan builds phonostages with valves that are under the Radar. I'm stuck looking for ecc83's. [emoji31]
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Yes that's a wonderful thing. Keep at it though. I had Mullard ecc83's in an amplifier a while back and they were night and day to the modern variant.
Bigman80
02-11-2017, 12:32
Yes that's a wonderful thing. Keep at it though. I had Mullard ecc83's in an amplifier a while back and they were night and day to the modern variant.I'm in no rush tbh. I quite like how clean the Watford valves reissue sound.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Firebottle
02-11-2017, 13:02
I've got a few various ECC83's Oliver if you want to try them, they are doing nothing. There might even be a Mullard and an RCA in there ;)
Next time you are round .........
Bigman80
02-11-2017, 16:35
Cheers Al!
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Action shot and a tidy rack.
AT20SS doing it's thing with Freddy King.
A nice new solid aluminium knob for the passive and I finally removed the printed "VOLUME" from the Firebottle.
Couple of shots showing the guts of my Pioneer PL-550 taken while I fix the off/on/up/down toggle.
Bloody thing snapped off ages ago but I've finally decided to get some polymorph in there.
And with that now done I'm off to the Money Jungle with my most recent addition.
Lever/switch uppy/downy thing now working a treat. If you've one get it lubed before it snaps!
Do love this old thing.
Ahhhhhhh and breathe. I've finally gone and done it, I am physical media free.
The new, low energy consumption, green system is as attached.
Tablet or phone into passive into T amp into Leaks.
While the vinyl thing was awesome my OCD type craziness couldn't handle it.
I've always touted simple systems as das beste and they don't get muxh simpler than this.
Won't hurt the electricity bill either!
Thanks to spotify and dawg I've access to pretty much any tune I might wish to hear.
I'll change the amp to an sa-98, remove its volume pot and change a couple of caps but thats it folks, es finito.
Audio Al
26-12-2017, 08:17
The Pioneer looks tidy and has a decent looking motor :santa:
hey, if it works, sounds good etc then why not. my mate next door is ocd as well about stuff these days.:)
Yup, cheers Grant.
I shall be tweaking the interface between my phone/tablet and the passive (looking at a Chinese made bluetooth receiver at the mo) but this is me entering the carpark and looking for a spot, the ride is nearly over.
Ahhhhhhh and breathe. I've finally gone and done it, I am physical media free.
The new, low energy consumption, green system is as attached.
Tablet or phone into passive into T amp into Leaks.
While the vinyl thing was awesome my OCD type craziness couldn't handle it.
I've always touted simple systems as das beste and they don't get muxh simpler than this.
Won't hurt the electricity bill either!
Thanks to spotify and dawg I've access to pretty much any tune I might wish to hear.
I'll change the amp to an sa-98, remove its volume pot and change a couple of caps but thats it folks, es finito.
Just wanted to say thanks again Andrew, I love the Pioneer. If you really can sit back and enjoy the music without messing, modding, changing, your a better man than me, ive been trying to do that for a long time, ive had long spells away from it all but I keep falling off the wagon. :mental:
My pleasure man. It went to a couple who clearly love music and in particular a dude who knows his shizzle and it will be well cared for and appreciated.
Yep I've found the pot of gold now I've just got to sort the spoon out.
The pre and speakers are staying and I've a basic spotify/wifi receiver coming. Amplifier options are the only debate to be had.
My pleasure man. It went to a couple who clearly love music and in particular a dude who knows his shizzle and it will be well cared for and appreciated.
Yep I've found the pot of gold now I've just got to sort the spoon out.
The pre and speakers are staying and I've a basic spotify/wifi receiver coming. Amplifier options are the only debate to be had.
You not happy with your amp? Have you ordered one of the chinese class D types that have a bluetooth receiver built in?
Its great but doesn't have the final ounce of oomph needed for 15's. Nope, that would clash with my passive pre and I've ditched the bluetooth scheme for WiFi.
Right the wifi source business is sorted. Enter one Kitsound Link.
The amp should be simple too. I love the general sound of the current "50"w a side digital amp so will try the "160"w variant.
Well that's me convinced on the streaming/wifi front.
I'm hearing detail that wasn't there on either CD or vinyl on albums I have owned on both formats.
You can lead an 'audiophile' to music but you can't make him listen.
who you streaming with andrew?
I'm mainly using the old faithful Spotify Grant. I have had an account for years and am now a premium type. Quite honestly blown away right now man.
if you use the web player on a pc its even better but thats not an option for you at moment using a phone. still very good tho and i might end up back there
PCs and associated gubbins just seem so olde worlde even to me.
I shall invest in a NAS to provide a hard backup in case of dire emergency though.
Well that's me convinced on the streaming/wifi front.
I'm hearing detail that wasn't there on either CD or vinyl on albums I have owned on both formats.
You can lead an 'audiophile' to music but you can't make him listen.
Wow if you've managed that then you HAVE struck gold! Hard to believe its the medium though as by design mp3 encoding removes data it doesnt preserve it, not all of it anyway, it can add artifacts which aren't on the original file though. (read can of worms smiley as i couldnt find one :D ) The main thing is your happy with it isnt it, Im just jealous mp3s dont do that for me. I do love the convenience of having all my music controlled by a hand held device though.
deezer hifi is up and running now, and i believe now works from devices as well as pcs.. you can get a month free to trial it as well.
Spotify is doing 3 months at 99p a month same deal as Deezer but Tidal will only give you 12 days free, still thats enough time to see if lossless streaming is worth £17 a month!!! Not for me, im sticking to freeeeeeee. :)
Can of worms it certainly is Alan. I'm going to stick with Spotify for the foreseeable. They may well have a "HiFi quality" service on its way, the UI is great for me and my 44 year old ears are satisfied.
As we both agreed, most of the people in this game are too old to hear any real difference.
Can of worms it certainly is Alan. I'm going to stick with Spotify for the foreseeable. They may well have a "HiFi quality" service on its way, the UI is great for me and my 44 year old ears are satisfied.
As we both agreed, most of the people in this game are too old to hear any real difference.
I think if I ever decided to pay for a streaming service it would be amazon, then I would buy a Dot, (£50) hook its pre outs up to my amp and tell it what to play, its the next step, talking to shit, ive been streaming for longer than spotify has been running via my own library and I think this is the way forward. Its still an option actually because Plex has just developed a skill which means you can now control a local library, something I think Amazon didnt want anyone to be able to do....... or that could be just me been cynical.
I have issues with Amazon.
The Kitsound Link I've gone for was £36 including next day AM delivery from Maplin, will stream from anything on my network and will mate up nicely with the Beresford Caiman SEG that's coming next.
I think I've sorted my amp issues. The gain is improved without a huuuuuge cable connecting phone to amp and now I have removed the redundant volume pot in the SMSL I'm a happy bunny.
Me? Digital? Historically I'm more one for raising a digit!
I have issues with Amazon.
The Kitsound Link I've gone for was £36 including next day AM delivery from Maplin, will stream from anything on my network and will mate up nicely with the Beresford Caiman SEG that's coming next.
I think I've sorted my amp issues. The gain is improved without a huuuuuge cable connecting phone to amp and now I have removed the redundant volume pot in the SMSL I'm a happy bunny.
Me? Digital? Historically I'm more one for raising a digit!
A DAC? There was me thinking es finito meant you were finished......:lol:
The DAC is here and aside from playing with different toslink leads for a while that's sufficient.
I really should listen to the proletariat more often.
The minimalist approach to hifi, kind of.
Obligatory tapping foot included in shot and no prizes but can you see my Deadeye Dick?
jandl100
12-01-2018, 08:49
Nice one, Andrew.
Love the look of the Leaks and :thumbsup: to getting rid of physical media and the love for Spot Premium.
We are following fairly similar paths. :)
Thank you Jerry. I collect that a few of us here are heading in the same direction. It seems the logical path.
It's lovely just plonking my behind down and listening to whatever I fancy for hours on end.
jandl100
12-01-2018, 10:32
It's lovely just plonking my behind down and listening to whatever I fancy for hours on end.
Yep, and the ability to explore and discover new music and recordings 'on the fly' is wonderful beyond words as far as I am concerned.
hornucopia
12-01-2018, 11:26
Good to see another person using Leak speakers. I still have my original 15 0hm Sandwiches, bought 2nd hand in 70s, though unused currently. Also a set of minis.
But Living room/TV set-up is via 3090s with rejigged cross-overs.(Solens, etc..)
Jez is incorrect; bass is a 14 inch! I measured, but I believe it has a stronger structure than the 3060 one.
It DOES do bass; one night watching a film, suddenly the 'picture' window started vibrating! Very low!
The isodynamic tweeter must have come from parallel devolopment of their Isodynamic Headphones, a pair of which I STILL use regularly in preference to newer ones.
I recall that tweeter was later put in a Wharfedale.
I must be a (relative) luddite, still using iTunes/iPod lossless. Not having a 'Smart' phone or laptop to do streaming. But over 9500 of my (owned) tracks on Shuffleplay still throws up surprises.
TV is a Kuro in pic.
Chris. The bass is marvellous from these big beasties for sure and their movie quality is helpful in subduing any complaints from my good lady wife.
For me if you want big sound you need big speakers.
The isodynamic tweeter found its way into Wharfedales Teesdale speaker.
I do have a pair of 3090 but those are with my cousin while I enjoy the simpler arrangement of his pair of 2075.
Lovely speakers both and they just make music.
This wifi connectivity can be trippy.
This wifi connectivity can be trippy.
Indeed...! ;)
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