Beechwoods
02-04-2010, 09:16
It was September 2008 (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1128) when I first posted up in The Gallery and things have changed quite a bit since then. The recent purchase of a pair of Rogers JR-149 speakers has prompted me to take some new pictures of my kit, and write some more about it.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_01.jpg
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_02.jpg
I got my speakers from BigEars Audio (http://www.bigearsaudio.org.uk/). My previous speakers, which I still have, were home-made standmount transmission-line speakers, based on the classic LS3/5A crossover design and KEF drivers (B110B bass/mid and T27 tweeters). Most will know that the JR-149 design was also based on the LS3/5A, with... KEF B110A and T27 drivers! So the new speakers are a home from home :lol:
My main reason for swapping speakers was size. My Den is not the biggest place, and being tall transmission-line enclosures, they took up more space than I wanted to give them. At Scalford I had the chance to hear some JR-149's in a small room and they impressed me with their greater punch versus my more neutral sounding originals. It just goes to show what a difference enclosure designs can have on the sound. For what it's worth I think my old speakers would work better in a bigger room with room to crank them up, but at lower levels in my smaller room, the Rogers impress.
And they look lovely. I'm sure their circular design are an acquired taste, but I much prefer them to 'boring' box speakers. The teak finish on the tops looks a treat :)
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_03.jpg
And in the right corner, a few of my reel to reels. A Tandberg TD-20A, my Pioneer RT-707 and a Uher 4000 Report Monitor. All my reel to reels are ¼", The Tandberg and the Pioneer are both quarter track stereo.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_04.jpg
The Uher is a half-track mono machine. I picked up the Uher for £45 and had to do some work to get it back to original condition - new belts, a new speed-switch knob, and a new speed-switch mechanism. My Uher is an ex-BBC Scotland machine, and was nicely taken care of, the only thing was that the Beeb had a policy of removing the speed-switch and cutting the switch rod itself, so the speed couldn't be easily or accidentally changed from the 7½ ips standard. They also knobbled the switch mechanism to disable the power-off, so the machine was always ready for immediate recording. All great stuff for broadcast use, but I wanted a machine in original condition... luckily most Uher parts are still available so some pidgin-German conversations with parts stockists on the continent had me sorted!
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_06.jpg
OK. So no Quadraspire or Mana here. My motivations are as much those of a collector as a high-fidelity freak, so storage is the key thing. Heavy IKEA cubes :)
Amplification is by Quad, of course. The 33-303. Gorgeous English design, and lovely sound from the Type AB power amp. Mine is unmodified, though at some point in the future I may go down the Netaudio 33/303 upgrade route. For the moment though I'm happy with the sound.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_07.jpg
The dbx 224 noise reduction unit isn't really necessary, but I'm having a play round with it at the moment. To be honest recordings at 7½ ips on decent tape don't need NR. The 224 certainly reduces the noise-floor, but as with all NR I've heard, at the expense of the presence and ambience that makes a recording come alive. I've not yet tried it with Metal-tape recordings on my Nak or Studer though.
The Behringer mixer is a big compromise I know ;) For me though, with all my different sources, it's the best way of managing the multiple inputs into the 303 pre. I use it with all channels muted bar the one I need to route through to the amp. With my kit I'll be honest and say I can't hear the affect of the Behringer, and the convenience of being able to switch 8 stereo sources, plus the headphone amp, is indespensible :ner:
Next down, a NEAL Ferrograph 302 cassette deck, kindly donated to the Beechwoods collection by Anthony TD. Thanks Anthony! NEAL are now owned by Canford Audio and are more famous for their Law Enforecement interview recorders than their association with Ferrograph, who are of course legends in UK high-end audio. NEAL (North East Audio Limited) had a short-lived partnership with Ferrograph around 78-79 and the 302 is from 1978. It's a heavily engineered machine, with a transport milled from 4mm aluminium. Single capstan, but lovely sound. Legend has it that Naim started development of a cassette deck based on the NEAL Ferrograph transport, but it ditched after a few year's effort when it became clear that Compact Disc was the the next big thing.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_08.jpg
The anonymous silver box below the NEAL is my Sony DVP-NS700V SACD player. Excellent for (um) playing SACD's and CDR's that fail to be recognised by my more iconic Toshiba XR-Z90.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_09.jpg
If you couldn't tell from the picture the XR-Z90 is another design classic :) Toshiba's first CDP, and a machine with a vertically opening door. Sorry, but I'm a sucker for this stuff. It is my regular runner, and to my ears it sounds great.
Under the Tosh is my Studer A710. The A710 is an incredible sounding deck. Comparible with my Nakamichi ZX-7, but with a slightly warmer sound, and a scintilla more 'broadband' tape hiss on playback. The Nak confines it's hiss reproduction moreso to the top-end!
Over on the other side, my Nak; already mentioned. I had mine shipped over from the States. High-end tape gear is actually obtainable over there, and the price was still cheaper than in the UK where these decks regularly go for anything over £500. Which is a lot of money to me :)
And to the left of the Nak, my Nagra IV-S TC. Plenty of pictures and talk about this machine on my original Gallery posting! The black Tascam on top of it is my HD-P2 digital recorder; used for all my analogue to digital transfers. This is a fantastic machine which records to Compact Flash cards, for easy transfer to my computer for editing etc. The balanced inputs work well with the Nagra and the Studer.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_10.jpg
And at the bottom, my Realistic 8-Track Cartridge Player / Recorder, currently in need of a service and cleaning, having chewed a cart :( It has a lovely, albeit mid-fi, tone to it and the signal levels they managed to get onto the carts in some cases is surprising. It's a fun source, with some unique releases on 8-track that make it an essential item for the archivally-obsessed.
Below my 8-Track is my EL-7 Elcaset. I've written previously about Elcaset and my EL-7. There's an entry on my earlier Gallery post (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=24023) with some other pictures and details. Suffice to say that Elcaset was a tape format that used tape twice the size of regular cassette, and ran at twice the speed. In combination with the FeCr tape formulations available, it's the best 'cassette' format that never caught on!
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_11.jpg
And last, but not least, some of my 'software'.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_12.jpg
Interconnects are mostly Van Damme microphone cables, budget but really nicely made by Mark Phillips of www.proaudioshop.co.uk, and the speaker stands are Atacama SE24's. Speaker cable is pretty basic Gale XL-315 stuff I bought years ago! The best Richer Sounds had to offer at the time :ner: So that's me up to date :)
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_01.jpg
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_02.jpg
I got my speakers from BigEars Audio (http://www.bigearsaudio.org.uk/). My previous speakers, which I still have, were home-made standmount transmission-line speakers, based on the classic LS3/5A crossover design and KEF drivers (B110B bass/mid and T27 tweeters). Most will know that the JR-149 design was also based on the LS3/5A, with... KEF B110A and T27 drivers! So the new speakers are a home from home :lol:
My main reason for swapping speakers was size. My Den is not the biggest place, and being tall transmission-line enclosures, they took up more space than I wanted to give them. At Scalford I had the chance to hear some JR-149's in a small room and they impressed me with their greater punch versus my more neutral sounding originals. It just goes to show what a difference enclosure designs can have on the sound. For what it's worth I think my old speakers would work better in a bigger room with room to crank them up, but at lower levels in my smaller room, the Rogers impress.
And they look lovely. I'm sure their circular design are an acquired taste, but I much prefer them to 'boring' box speakers. The teak finish on the tops looks a treat :)
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_03.jpg
And in the right corner, a few of my reel to reels. A Tandberg TD-20A, my Pioneer RT-707 and a Uher 4000 Report Monitor. All my reel to reels are ¼", The Tandberg and the Pioneer are both quarter track stereo.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_04.jpg
The Uher is a half-track mono machine. I picked up the Uher for £45 and had to do some work to get it back to original condition - new belts, a new speed-switch knob, and a new speed-switch mechanism. My Uher is an ex-BBC Scotland machine, and was nicely taken care of, the only thing was that the Beeb had a policy of removing the speed-switch and cutting the switch rod itself, so the speed couldn't be easily or accidentally changed from the 7½ ips standard. They also knobbled the switch mechanism to disable the power-off, so the machine was always ready for immediate recording. All great stuff for broadcast use, but I wanted a machine in original condition... luckily most Uher parts are still available so some pidgin-German conversations with parts stockists on the continent had me sorted!
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_06.jpg
OK. So no Quadraspire or Mana here. My motivations are as much those of a collector as a high-fidelity freak, so storage is the key thing. Heavy IKEA cubes :)
Amplification is by Quad, of course. The 33-303. Gorgeous English design, and lovely sound from the Type AB power amp. Mine is unmodified, though at some point in the future I may go down the Netaudio 33/303 upgrade route. For the moment though I'm happy with the sound.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_07.jpg
The dbx 224 noise reduction unit isn't really necessary, but I'm having a play round with it at the moment. To be honest recordings at 7½ ips on decent tape don't need NR. The 224 certainly reduces the noise-floor, but as with all NR I've heard, at the expense of the presence and ambience that makes a recording come alive. I've not yet tried it with Metal-tape recordings on my Nak or Studer though.
The Behringer mixer is a big compromise I know ;) For me though, with all my different sources, it's the best way of managing the multiple inputs into the 303 pre. I use it with all channels muted bar the one I need to route through to the amp. With my kit I'll be honest and say I can't hear the affect of the Behringer, and the convenience of being able to switch 8 stereo sources, plus the headphone amp, is indespensible :ner:
Next down, a NEAL Ferrograph 302 cassette deck, kindly donated to the Beechwoods collection by Anthony TD. Thanks Anthony! NEAL are now owned by Canford Audio and are more famous for their Law Enforecement interview recorders than their association with Ferrograph, who are of course legends in UK high-end audio. NEAL (North East Audio Limited) had a short-lived partnership with Ferrograph around 78-79 and the 302 is from 1978. It's a heavily engineered machine, with a transport milled from 4mm aluminium. Single capstan, but lovely sound. Legend has it that Naim started development of a cassette deck based on the NEAL Ferrograph transport, but it ditched after a few year's effort when it became clear that Compact Disc was the the next big thing.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_08.jpg
The anonymous silver box below the NEAL is my Sony DVP-NS700V SACD player. Excellent for (um) playing SACD's and CDR's that fail to be recognised by my more iconic Toshiba XR-Z90.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_09.jpg
If you couldn't tell from the picture the XR-Z90 is another design classic :) Toshiba's first CDP, and a machine with a vertically opening door. Sorry, but I'm a sucker for this stuff. It is my regular runner, and to my ears it sounds great.
Under the Tosh is my Studer A710. The A710 is an incredible sounding deck. Comparible with my Nakamichi ZX-7, but with a slightly warmer sound, and a scintilla more 'broadband' tape hiss on playback. The Nak confines it's hiss reproduction moreso to the top-end!
Over on the other side, my Nak; already mentioned. I had mine shipped over from the States. High-end tape gear is actually obtainable over there, and the price was still cheaper than in the UK where these decks regularly go for anything over £500. Which is a lot of money to me :)
And to the left of the Nak, my Nagra IV-S TC. Plenty of pictures and talk about this machine on my original Gallery posting! The black Tascam on top of it is my HD-P2 digital recorder; used for all my analogue to digital transfers. This is a fantastic machine which records to Compact Flash cards, for easy transfer to my computer for editing etc. The balanced inputs work well with the Nagra and the Studer.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_10.jpg
And at the bottom, my Realistic 8-Track Cartridge Player / Recorder, currently in need of a service and cleaning, having chewed a cart :( It has a lovely, albeit mid-fi, tone to it and the signal levels they managed to get onto the carts in some cases is surprising. It's a fun source, with some unique releases on 8-track that make it an essential item for the archivally-obsessed.
Below my 8-Track is my EL-7 Elcaset. I've written previously about Elcaset and my EL-7. There's an entry on my earlier Gallery post (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=24023) with some other pictures and details. Suffice to say that Elcaset was a tape format that used tape twice the size of regular cassette, and ran at twice the speed. In combination with the FeCr tape formulations available, it's the best 'cassette' format that never caught on!
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_11.jpg
And last, but not least, some of my 'software'.
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss49/aos_images/beechwoods_den/beechwoodsden_201004_12.jpg
Interconnects are mostly Van Damme microphone cables, budget but really nicely made by Mark Phillips of www.proaudioshop.co.uk, and the speaker stands are Atacama SE24's. Speaker cable is pretty basic Gale XL-315 stuff I bought years ago! The best Richer Sounds had to offer at the time :ner: So that's me up to date :)