Any unusual projects in the pipeline?

[Made in 1968]

Anyone?

[Barry]

Nothing really, apart from a listening test of a group of balanced-line interconnects I made.

[Made in 1968]

Im working on a Copy of the Carmen Twiggy Mannequin Head for my Headphones.. I wont have Carmen on mine when its done & it will be done in Epoxy casting resin finished in matt white instead of the original Polystyrene.. The face is already down at the graphic company being printed.. Late 60s' Circa.. Every women had Carmen heated Hair curlers back then.

See attached an original

[southall-1998_mk2]

Looks cute, but in a creepy kind of way.

S.

[Pharos]

Yes, a much postponed construction of a cast alloy box containing a stereo PPM, using an original Earnest Turner stereo movement with green and red needles. It was kindly given to me a few years ago by Mr Nelson Jones, complete with his own designed driver circuit boards, and the movement alone is worth about £500.

It will go in the back bedroom with mics. and headphones for monitoring of the mic. levels being recorded in the lounge downstairs on the studio, using level sensing recording starting..

[walpurgis]

My slowly moving current project. What was a pair of empty Tannoy Dorset cabinets.

The rough and chipped veneered finish is now restored and the ABR opening has been closed and braced and suitable ports found, but not bonded in yet, as I have to experiment with the tuning.

Drivers etc., will be pinched from my Ascots and converted to SRM 10B spec with replacement parts, which I have already sourced. The crossovers will be revamped too and grilles made.

Still a way to go yet! There ain't gonna be another pair of Tannoys like these about !!

https://i.imgur.com/XAgwd8m.jpg

[Made in 1968]

O Geoff The 'Dorset' & 'Mayfair' were the only two Commercial Tannoys i like due to the ABR's

[walpurgis]

O Geoff The 'Dorset' & 'Mayfair' were the only two Commercial Tannoys i like due to the ABR's

The bass will be tighter and better defined ported (I didn't have the ABR's anyway and don't want them :)).

[Barry]

Yes, a much postponed construction of a cast alloy box containing a stereo PPM, using an original Earnest Turner stereo movement with green and red needles. It was kindly given to me a few years ago by Mr Nelson Jones, complete with his own designed driver circuit boards, and the movement alone is worth about £500.

It will go in the back bedroom with mics. and headphones for monitoring of the mic. levels being recorded in the lounge downstairs on the studio, using level sensing recording starting..

Is that two meter movements hosed in one case - like the Modulometer of the Nagra two-channel recorders?

[Made in 1968]

The bass will be tighter and better defined ported (I didn't have the ABR's anyway and don't want them :)).

ABR were Ace :eyebrows: Most everyone were doing Models with ABR back in the day

Tannoy
Monitor Audio
Kef
B&O
Celestion
Goodmans
Ram
Castle
Wharfdale

[Mikeandvan]

I'm currently in the process of creating my rat turntable, its a turntable made from sold bamboo, utilizing a live (or dead) rat as a tonearm. Early results are not promising. +Update+ dead rats are best as they are stiff, and offer excellent resonance.

[ianlenco]

Which end are you mounting the cartridge - head or tail? Are you embalming the rat or just putting up with the smell as it rots away?

[Wakefield Turntables]

No more major projects for me. It's just listening to vinyl and maybe some tube rolling.

[Pharos]

The bass will be tighter and better defined ported (I didn't have the ABR's anyway and don't want them :)).

To me ports are not an absolute clear winner, and although the mass of the drone does slow its transient response, usually most of the transient information is harmonics, and hence above the drone's range.
I like their purity and smoothness, and don't like the noises that come from many ports.

[Pharos]

Is that two meter movements hosed in one case - like the Modulometer of the Nagra two-channel recorders?

I don't know that Nagra, all the ones I used were mono, in the early seventies, but yes, the two needles share the same axis, and this made the movements expensive to produce. It's all Sifam now.

[Pharos]

I'm currently in the process of creating my rat turntable, its a turntable made from sold bamboo, utilizing a live (or dead) rat as a tonearm. Early results are not promising. +Update+ dead rats are best as they are stiff, and offer excellent resonance.

You might find a fresh one has more self damping.

[Bencat]

This is a major project for me but suspect it will not be viewed that way by many . I have already converted an original pair of KEF 103 Reference speakers (Circa 1973/4) to active using a MiniDSP HD24 as the crossover , Dac , Pre and DSP unit using Dirac live . I have since bought a second pair of KEF 103,s from another AOS member and I am now going to double the speakers up one on top of the other as per stacked Quads.

Both will be active the top set will be full range Bass and Treble unit connected . The bottom pair will have the Bass units only connected in parallel with the upper bas units which should increase the bass output but half the Ohm load to 4 Ohm . They will again be controlled by a MiniDSP unit for crossover duties , DAC , Pre and then treated with Dirac Live 2.0 DSP . I have decided that I will take a few pictures and write a little about the process on my Instagram account . These will then be powered by a pair of NVA 20P stereo power amplifiers , one for each side Left and Right . My intention is to complete these in time for the WigWam Show on Sunday 15th as I have a room booked so will need to get started very soon .

It has been suggested that it might be an idea to convert the system to a three way with one B200 unit just doing the Midrange and the other just doing the low bass . That may well be something I would consider in the future but it has too many issues for me to try and sort now (MiniDSP unit is only a one in four out so would need a second to make a three way work and the addition of another power amplifier )
Given also my limited technical and practical skills I think I will stick to what I know and understand for now anyhting else will have to come later .

[Puffin]

Im working on a Copy of the Carmen Twiggy Mannequin Head for my Headphones.. I wont have Carmen on mine when its done & it will be done in Epoxy casting resin finished in matt white instead of the original Polystyrene.. The face is already down at the graphic company being printed.. Late 60s' Circa.. Every women had Carmen heated Hair curlers back then.

See attached an original

Reminds me of the cover of this album.

https://i.imgur.com/S590NJj.jpg

[Barry]

This is a major project for me but suspect it will not be viewed that way by many . I have already converted an original pair of KEF 103 Reference speakers (Circa 1973/4) to active using a MiniDSP HD24 as the crossover , Dac , Pre and DSP unit using Dirac live . I have since bought a second pair of KEF 103,s from another AOS member and I am now going to double the speakers up one on top of the other as per stacked Quads.

Both will be active the top set will be full range Bass and Treble unit connected . The bottom pair will have the Bass units only connected in parallel with the upper bas units which should increase the bass output but half the Ohm load to 4 Ohm . They will again be controlled by a MiniDSP unit for crossover duties , DAC , Pre and then treated with Dirac Live 2.0 DSP . I have decided that I will take a few pictures and write a little about the process on my Instagram account . These will then be powered by a pair of NVA 20P stereo power amplifiers , one for each side Left and Right . My intention is to complete these in time for the WigWam Show on Sunday 15th as I have a room booked so will need to get started very soon .

It has been suggested that it might be an idea to convert the system to a three way with one B200 unit just doing the Midrange and the other just doing the low bass . That may well be something I would consider in the future but it has too many issues for me to try and sort now (MiniDSP unit is only a one in four out so would need a second to make a three way work and the addition of another power amplifier )
Given also my limited technical and practical skills I think I will stick to what I know and understand for now anyhting else will have to come later .

A friend of mine tried 'stacking' B&W DM2 speakers. IMO it didn't work, regardless of whether the tweeters were close together or the woofers, the effect was just distracting. Was it one violinist or two (the second standing on the shoulders of the first)?

You may however find the KEF 103s more amenable to stacking.

[Pharos]

A friend of mine tried 'stacking' B&W DM2 speakers. IMO it didn't work, regardless of whether the tweeters were close together or the woofers, the effect was just distracting. Was it one violinist or two (the second standing on the shoulders of the first)?

You may however find the KEF 103s more amenable to stacking.

If I was getting that involved I would really make sure that the speaker components warranted the work, and having multiple mids I find offensive, (MTM), let alone multiple tweeters spaced apart.

[Made in 1968]

Barry:
I was glad to see the back of my 'DM2a' Big obstrusive things that gave me nothing a pair of stand mounters could, which were the 'D5'..

[Barry]

Barry:
I was glad to see the back of my 'DM2a' Big obstrusive things that gave me nothing a pair of stand mounters could, which were the 'D5'..

I really like the DM2as. I use them mainly for AV duties in the TV room, powered either by a class D amp, or a Quad 520. Yes they are big and I would prefer something smaller (maybe B&W DM5 or Rogers LS7), but they only cost me £50.

[Bencat]

Sorry I think you have missed what I am doing . The bottom speaker will not have its tweeter connected so it will be producing no sound at all . Only the bass unit and due to od way these drivers are attached to the cabinet I will be able to make the bottom speaker have the bass unit at the top and the tweeter on the bottom which will bring the two bass drivers closer together which should help with intergration . I know that a single speaker as an active sounds excellent and if when I do the set up the second pair does not improve things all I need to do is disconnect it and go back to a single unit . It will be fun in a strange masochistic way given how awful I am at the physical elements of any build and hope fully it will be able to produce some sweet music when finished.

Stacked Quads are one example of when this idea can work as when I have heard a pair (Quad ?) they have always sounded wonderful .

[Macca]

Sorry I think you have missed what I am doing . The bottom speaker will not have its tweeter connected so it will be producing no sound at all . Only the bass unit and due to od way these drivers are attached to the cabinet I will be able to make the bottom speaker have the bass unit at the top and the tweeter on the bottom which will bring the two bass drivers closer together which should help with intergration . I know that a single speaker as an active sounds excellent and if when I do the set up the second pair does not improve things all I need to do is disconnect it and go back to a single unit . It will be fun in a strange masochistic way given how awful I am at the physical elements of any build and hope fully it will be able to produce some sweet music when finished.

Stacked Quads are one example of when this idea can work as when I have heard a pair (Quad ?) they have always sounded wonderful .

Thing is they are not bass units as such but both are handling 95% of the output so you are going to get cancellation and reinforcement and so on. I think you'd get a better result by putting a high pass filter on the lower unit so it only delivers bass, essentially making a 2 and a half way speaker with the upper unit doing bass and mids and the lower just the bass below, say, 200 Hz.

[Made in 1968]

I really like the DM2as. I use them mainly for AV duties in the TV room, powered either by a class D amp, or a Quad 520. Yes they are big and I would prefer something smaller (maybe B&W DM5 or Rogers LS7), but they only cost me £50.

The 'D5' were better than the 'DM5'.. Same with the 'DM4' i couldnt get on with those..

[Barry]

Thing is they are not bass units as such but both are handling 95% of the output so you are going to get cancellation and reinforcement and so on. I think you'd get a better result by putting a high pass filter on the lower unit so it only delivers bass, essentially making a 2 and a half way speaker with the upper unit doing bass and mids and the lower just the bass below, say, 200 Hz.

Yes that would be better. The stacked DM2s I heard really did sound odd, regardless of which way around they were stacked.

Stacked Quad (57s) work because the bass, mid and treble panels are effectively doubled (in height) in a seamless manner. However the doubling of the height of the narrow treble panel does cause the beamwidth in the vertical plane to effectively be halved, so exacerbating the 'letter box' effect.

[Pharos]

Yes I agree.

[337alant]

Only unusual one for me is a Mains DC blocker DC03 from Peranders Group buy thread :eyebrows:
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/group-buys/317094-buy-dct03-dc-trap-filter-toroidal-transformers.html


Alan